St Ives Storms...

With the latest storms battering the St Ives coastline I decided it would be a great time to talk about the beauty that comes with such ferocity. St Ives becomes a dramatic and wild frontier abound with incredible vistas to be viewed from both the safety of your self catering accommodation or along the local coastal foot paths… 

Storm Abigail

White horses rushed on Porthmeor Beach on Friday 13^th November, creating some of the most spectacular views of the year. If you are one for storm chasing this one was not to be missed. The bright winter skies created a stunning back drop for the thundering, tall waves that came storming up along the soft sand, along with breath taking winds that shot up the slipway and along Porthmeor Road and rattled around the inner court yard of the Sail Lofts.

Storm Kate

The day later we saw Kate with her strong wintery grey mass of clouds and rain thunder down upon the harbour, and surrounding coastline washing away any remaining traces of our mellow Autumn. The harbours’ high tide brought the waves sloshing up in to the streets, and breaking in to the road, whilst locals dodged the tides to make safe passageway.

Storm Barney

Hailing from the North and bringing an uncommon biting chill to the South West, Barney has officially kicked off the winter for us here in St Ives. With incredible morning views to be seen around the St Ives bay as the sun breaks over the slumbering town, leaving an eerie calm in its wake, a stark contrast from Saturday when Barney initially arrived bringing barreling waves that bore down on Porthgwidden beach, a true force majeure.

Here at the Sail Lofts luxury self catering apartments in St Ives we recommend visiting St Ives throughout the seasons, as each one brings its own natural beauty and excitement. However the winter months are amongst the finest for seeing the local scenery brought to life by the power of Mother Nature.

To enquire about self catering stays in St Ives give our friendly team a call on 01736 799175 and we will be happy to help plan your next stay in St Ives, just moments from Porthmeor Beach and the local coastal foot paths.

Katy x

Luxury dog friendly accommodation in St Ives…

As the beach ban is lifted and our four-legged friends may now play on the sand or splash in the sea all day long we are delighted to announce a few changes to our dog friendly policy…

These changes mean you and your pooch can enjoy a 5* break in our luxury dog friendly accommodation in St Ives anytime between September and June, including any school holidays that fall within these months. We currently offer four dog friendly properties – Curno, Harbour, Zennor and The Sail Lofts Cottage.

If you have stayed with us before you’ll be familiar with the scrumptious welcome pack you receive on arrival and we thought it was about time we extended this welcome to our furry friends, so all dogs holidaying with us will receive their very own welcome pack to enjoy during their stay. Don’t tell though; we want it to be a surprise.

We think St Ives is the perfect holiday spot for pups and with two fantastic beaches on our doorstop, The Sail Lofts 5* holiday apartments in St Ives are hard to beat. Our enviable location also gives you access to long stretches of coastal path. If you’re serious walkers you could tackle the 6-mile hike to Zennor and enjoy a spot of lunch at The Tinners Arms or The Gurnhard’s Head, both of which are dog friendly.

If you plan to stay closer to home there are plenty of bars and restaurants that allow dogs in St Ives. Some may have restricted areas so it’s worth checking in advance but here is a rundown of our favourites:

Rum & Crab Shack – Great for seafood dishes with a Forrest Gump twist. The rum list is pretty impressive too and with panoramic views across the Harbour The Rum & Crab Shack is well worth a visit.

Firehouse Bar & Grill – The burgers, pizza’s and rotisserie chicken all come highly recommended and the well-priced menu certainly offers fantastic value for money.

Pedn Olva Hotel – Dine in the bar area and your four-legged friend will be made to feel right at home. The bar menu offers a good selection of light bites and main meals and food is served from midday until 9pm.

The Loft – Enjoy lunch, tapas or dinner looking over the rooftops towards the Harbour from the heated terrace.  

Halsetown Inn (Just outside St Ives) – If you’re looking for a dog friendly Sunday lunch venue, look no further. We highly recommend booking though as it’s a popular choice.

To view our revised dog friendly policy, including any additional charges we make for bringing your four-legged friend along for the ride, please visit our luxury dog friendly page. If you need any further information please do not hesitate to contact one of the team on 01736 799175.

We look forward to welcoming you and your furry friend very soon.

Kelly x

A Guide to St Ives Beaches: Part 1...

When staying in our beautiful self catering apartments you are absolutely spoilt for choice with some of the most breathtaking beaches in the country. There’s something for everyone, with surfing coves, dog walking spots, and family friendly beaches safe for children. Why not make the most of your holiday by taking in the best beaches we have to offer? Here’s part one of our guide to the St Ives beaches. 

Porthmeor

Just a stones throw away from The Sail Lofts you will find Porthmeor, one of Cornwall’s most beautiful beaches. This Atlantic facing beach is a surfers paradise. It’s not particularly sheltered on a windy day, so make use of the Sail Loft’s wind breaks. It has all the facilities you could need with the Porthmeor Beach Café serving beautiful food to eat in or takeaway. If you’re interested in dabbling in some water sports Porthmeor also boasts the St Ives Surf School which offers lessons, board hire, kayaking and coasteering. 

Awards: Blue Flag & Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence.

Lifeguard Service: Cover during weekends in April, daily from 5th May to 30th September and weekends in October.

Parking: No Designated Parking.

Dogs: Seasonal ban from Easter to the 1^st October.

Toilets: Yes.

Porthminster

Only a 15 minute walk from our holiday cottages this sheltered, family friendly beach has easy access with great facilities. The award winning seafood restaurant, The Porthminster Café, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as having a takeaway service right on the beach, perfect if you forgot to pack a picnic!

Awards: Blue Flag & Trip Advisor Travellers Choice.

Lifeguard Service: Daily from 19 May to 30 September.

Parking: Parking close to the beach (Warning: it fills up quick)

Dogs: Seasonal ban from Easter to the 1^st October.

Toilets: Yes. 

Porthgwidden

This small, hidden beach is a real Cornish gem. Lying in the nook of the Island this beach is just a few minutes away from our luxury apartments. It’s extremely sheltered, great for kids and has plenty of facilities including beach huts that are available to rent from the council. The wonderful Porthgwidden Café also over looks the beach with a kiosk for coffee and snacks.

Awards: Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence.

Lifeguard Service: No Lifeguard Cover.

Parking: Parking in the Island car park. (Warning: it fills up quick)

Dogs: Seasonal ban from Easter to the 1^st October.

Toilets: Yes.

Beach towels and wind breaks are provided in every apartment and buckets and spades are available from our wet room. If you need directions to any beaches don’t be afraid to ask, we’re here to help. Stay tuned till next week for part two of our St Ives beach guide.

Onna x  

Winter Sun

Whilst much of the country has been embracing snow, we've been enjoying clear skies, crispy mornings and a very healthy amount of sun for February! Here are a few pics we took over the last week or two...

Red sky in the morning - not a shepherds warning on this day

Looking towards Godrevy one morning

If this was summer those tables wouldn't be empty!

We've got some great deals if you want to come and enjoy a relaxing break in St Ives, why not have a look at our latest luxury spa break offer? Or see here for our half term and late availability offers.

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.