Happy Days...

What a fantastic few weeks we have had (and its still going but we don't want to jinx it!), but we felt we just had to write a little something about it. 


Glorious spring sunshine has been basking down on us for a few weeks now, bikinis are out on the beach, wetsuits are off for the brave ones, and BBQs are definitely on the menu... To top it all off, those that surf have had a great run as well with most racking up impressive water time. 


It felt only right to post a few of our favourite pictures from the last month.... Enjoy! 

If you would like to take part in a bit of all this loveliness then we still have a few gaps, just take a look at our last minute deals or pick some of the last few weeks in May, June, July or August.  

St Ives Food and Drink Festival

As promised here is the second installment of our pick of the best events happening in St Ives. This week we are featuring the St Ives Food and Drink Festival, a relatively new festival to the town, but one of our favourites.

Starting on Monday 16th May for six days the festival promises to highlight the culinary delights of St Ives and the local area amongst a host of cooking demonstrations, foraging, walks and wine. 

Here is a pick of some of the events we are looking forward to most:

Tuesday 17th May - Coastal forage and beach barbecue with Porthminster Cafe

A foraging walk along the coast with one of St Ives' most renowned restaurants to forage for food to cook later at the beach. We think this sounds great, there are so many hidden treasures along our coasts, with the help of some experts this should be a great day out. It is limited to 15 people and tickets cost £20 - make sure you book in advance with Porthminster Cafe on 01736 795352. 

Thursday 19th May - South African Wine Evening with Scarlet Wines in Lelant

A sharing of tables in a relaxed setting - guests will be provided with six wines to taste served with South African inspired dishes. A great way to try new wines from a very knowledgeable team, with a growing reputation for the quality of food this should be a great sociable evening. 

Friday 20th May - Wine and Cornish cheese evening with Mark Elwood at Cornish Deli 

Sample some of the best Cornish cheese with Mark, its a great place to eat at any time, but this should be even more special! 

Sunday 22nd May - Cooking Demonstrations

There are going to be several cooking demonstrations on the Sunday, our favourites would be at the Porthminster Cafe, Porthgwidden Cafe and the Seafood Cafe. These should be great and we look forward to seeing you there! 

Next time we will be looking at the big one, the St Ives September Festival.

Another award for St Ives? Really?

Yes, St Ives has scooped another award, this time from the coveted Traveller's Choice Awards. We felt this deserved some space on the blog, so we will continue with the events theme next time. So what was this award for?

After winning ‘best UK holiday destination’ in 2010, St Ives has now been awarded ‘best beaches in the UK’ by Tripadvisor users at the Traveller's Choice Awards.

All with naturally soft sand, beach cafes and hire shops, they have something different to offer everyone. Porthmeor (30 metres from The Sail Lofts) is the year-round surfers beach. With the newly refurbished Porthmeor Beach Café, a surf school, chalets that can be pre-booked, and world famous Tate St Ives, Porthmeor faces northwest and is perfect for the Atlantic waves. If you’ve got small children or toddlers, 

Porthgwidden (a minutes walk from the Sail Lofts) is the one to choose. Nestled beneath the slopes of the ‘Island’, with uninterrupted views across St Ives Bay to Godrevy Lighthouse, it’s smaller crescent shape is sheltered and just right for children. There’s also got the wonderful Porthgwidden Beach Café serving food all day, with their own hire shop and beach chalets to pre-book. 

A ten minute walk round the harbour front, past the Lifeboat House and up through the Warren brings you to Porthminster, a traditional family beach with a choice of cafes, shops, and hire facilities. Don’t miss having a meal at the award winning Porthminster Beach Café which is on the sand itself, with fantastic views from the restaurant and their outside terrace across St Ives Bay towards Gwithian and Godrevy. 

Not forgetting the Harbour Beach at low tide and Carbis Bay for a spot of crabbing, St Ives is lucky to have such a selection of beaches. 

If you want to take advantage of all these lovely beaches in this lovely spring weather then we have had two unfortunate cancellations for this Friday 15th April in our Island and Zennor apartments. 

Whats happening in St Ives over the next season!

Lots and lots of events and happenings are planned for St Ives over the next few months, from food to art to literature and music - but which ones will you be going to? Over the next few weeks we will be writing here about the key events. First up is....

St Ives Literature Festival - 7-15th May 2011

With a growing following and increasing recognition the St Ives Literature Festival is firmly in the diary for most locals. The event boasts a week of readings, events and workshops. Some of this years highlight events are:

Robin Williamson at St Ives Art Club on Monday 9th May. A founder member of the ground-breaking Incredible String Band in the sixties and the Merry Band in the seventies he became a key figure in the revival of story telling in Europe and America in the eighties. Robin has also written several books including The Craneskin Bag. 

Liz Kessler - Creative Writing Workshop - Saturday 14th May at St Ives Art Club. Liz Kessler is a very popular children's writer who lives in Cornwall but is held in high regard. This is a super chance to learn about the writing process. 


Phil Bowen - The Captain's Tower on Friday 13th May at St Ives Art Club. Co author Phil Bowen reads from The Captain's Tower with over 70 poems including Simon Armitage, Caroline Bird, Johnny Cash, Jane Dracott, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Linda France and Peter Finch. 


This is just our pick of a great line up, there are lots of other events, but we think these ones are going to sell out quickly so make sure you buy your tickets in time from Cafe Art in the Drill Hall. 


Next time we will be having a look at St Ives Food and Drink Festival. 


If you still haven't booked a holiday in April, we still have some availability for the week of the 15th April in our cottage and Island apartment - but book soon to avoid disappointment!