A luxury guide to St Ives: part 1

When planning a luxury escape to a new destination it can be hard to know where to start. So to be sure that our guests do not miss out on the luxury that five star Cornwall has to offer we are going to make a regular feature listing our top spots in Cornwall for indulging… 

Dining can be a controversial topic, with most visitors to St Ives having their own personal preference, however from insider knowledge we know that two places come head and shoulders above the competition when planning a luxury feast in St Ives.

To start with Porthminster Beach Café, with its stunning location, multi award winning seafood restaurant, combined with it’s relaxed and friendly atmosphere, provides quintessential St Ives luxury, that no trip to St Ives would be complete without. The café specialises in Mediterranean and Asian seafood cuisine with sea view vistas. Our top tips for this hot spot would be to book early. We can place reservations on your behalf, or call directly and request a window seat.

Then there is the Porthmeor Beach Café, renowned for its laid back atmosphere, incredible view across Porthmeor Beach, along with the occasional chance of catching sightings of dolphins as you dine in the five star surroundings. Their tapas selection is revolutionary with tastes to suit all palates, and perfect for whether you fancy a light bite or a hearty lunch. Our top tip for the Porthmeor Beach Café is to book early and request a heated outdoor pod for the alfresco dining experience.

For luxury self catering in St Ives essentials you will need Scarlet Wines, conveniently located on the way in to St Ives on the roundabouts in Lelant, Scarlet Wines provide a continually evolving selection of hundreds of wines from around the world, craft beers, local ciders and first class spirits, served with excellent knowledge to aid in setting your five star break off in the right way. Or alternatively as a day trip, why not take the St Ives branch line to Lelant Saltings a short 10 minute trip where you can take in the St Ives bay’s spectacular scenery by rail, which conveniently drops you on to Scarlet Wines doorstop.

As a side note if any guests find themselves without mackerel pate or tasty tidbits, Norway Stores located just along the road from the Sail Lofts five star luxury apartments can be a life saver when you need just about anything. The friendly team is always on hand to help you out of a pickle (please excuse the pun)…

The Sail Lofts concierge service is on hand to aid in restaurant reservations, local knowledge and first class recommendations from Monday to Saturday every week of the year, so please make sure to pop by the office located in the central courtyard during your luxury self catering stay in St Ives, as we are always on hand and happy to help.

Katy x

See more St Ives restaurant recommendations...

sail loft guide: flag safety

With the Summer season kicking off in St Ives and a few of our self catering holiday guests bravely taking to the sea, we felt it would be a great time to brush up on our beach safety knowledge by testing ourselves on the different flags that we can see on Porthmeor and the surrounding St Ives beaches...

Staying safe and respecting the sea is key when having a trouble free and fun day at the beach, so remember to always spot the local lifeguard and make sure you keep them in sight whilst enjoying the sea and to stay between the yellow and red flags when swimming, body boarding and using inflatables and never risk a dip when a red flag is flying.

All our self catering guests will find a stock of body boards, buckets and spades to borrow in the wet room and as a suggestion we recommend a surfing lesson with the brilliant team at the award winning St Ives Surf School, where Sail Lofts guests get 10% off.

To find out more on flags and beach safety please visit the RNLI website for further information...

Katy x

Luxury accomodation offers to celebrate spring

After all the fuss about bad weather over the bank holiday Cornwall has been blessed with some lovely weather at the end of the week. Blue skies, clear blue water and its even warm enough to lose the jumpers!

We have been busy working on our new cottage which is all ready to go for our first guests on Friday, and it looks fantastic, I'll post some pics soon. 

Great opportunity to learn to surf at the moment as well as its not too big and more importantly its warming up as well. For anyone interested in a surf break then please do contact us. 

To celebrate the beginning of Spring we will be offering some April offers in our five star apartments and cottage. We have several last minute offers on our website and for more information on the deals we have at No.5 Bethesda Place please call us on 01736 799 175.

Surfing and hanging

The Sail Lofts has been busy this week with bookings flying in and a change of scene in some of the apartments. Whilst we are busy changing art, it is nothing compared to the scale of the rehanging at the Tate St Ives as they prepare for the new Dexter Dalwood exhibition opening on the 23rd January. 


New artwork has been added to many of our apartments, with some new pieces of work from Andrew Garner and additional pieces from Sonya Walters a local St Ives artist. Andrews work is very contemporary and his latest works, entitled ‘Passage’, reflect the layers in the stages of life.

It has been a good week of surf too, I've made it into the water a few times and feeling very jealous of those surfing Porthmeor today, 2-3ft and clean with a light offshore! Luckily the swell is going to keep rolling in we should be able to find a wave for a while yet. The winds are going to become a little more tricky, with North Westerlies forecast, possibly some South coast days?

For those who want to fly down to Cornwall for a bargain holiday, AirSouthWest are offering flights at £29, superb value!


We were interested to find out today too that not only are we five star but we have the Gold Award, which means we are at the very top of self catering holidays!

We still have great offers for breaks, so visit our website for more information and to take advantage of up to 50% off.