St Ives Survival Guide...

We all know that self-catering family holidays in St Ives and trips away from home can be stressful. What with trying to remember all that you will need for your time away, working out what the weather might be like and then regardless packing for all seasons just in case the British weather does not live up to expectation. So here at the Sail Lofts we thought it best to combine our years of experience in making your self-catering St Ives holiday the one to remember for all the right reasons…

1. Travel

DO NOT RELY ON MISTER SATNAV. St Ives turns out to be one of the least SatNav friendly locations on the planet, likened to tributaries of the Amazon River with numerous dead ends and one-way systems along with amused locals guffawing at your best attempts. Read your Welcome Pack, we cannot stress this enough. Your easiest route into St Ives whether by plane, train or automobile is by reading the carefully honed travel directions that you will find in your welcome pack, detailing down to the arrival at the very door of your self catering accommodation.

 

2. Sunscreen

Wear sunscreen, this is in no reference to the 1999 Baz Luhrmann song, however all his reasons are also valid, but we recommend sunscreen for making sure no peeling noses or sore shoulders occur during your visit to St Ives, even on the most overcast of days it is still possible to catch the sun, especially whilst you are out enjoying St Ives' numerous coastal walks, beaches and streets.

3. Food

Get it delivered, being in one of Cornwall’s most westerly towns food shopping can be tricky, especially if you are used to a certain type of pate or gluten free bread. In St Ives there are the smaller generic and well know convenience shops, however if there are products that you consider necessities make sure to make the most of The Sail Lofts concierge service and use your regular supermarket to deliver your food shopping prior to arrival with us. Should you wish to try something new we recommend the Cornish Food Market for anyone looking for sampling the local delicacies along with their standard weekly shop.

These are just our top 3 recommendations for having a hassle free self catering holiday in St Ives… however should you ever have any queries for further recommendations why not make use of our concierge services and give us a call on 01736 799175, or email info@thesaillofts.co.uk…

Katy x

St Ives self-catering days out...

Here at the Sail Lofts we recently updated our luxurious self-catering apartments in St Ives with the stunning addition of Cornwall based Atlantic Blanket's woolen throws, with their bold colours and subtle textile designs they add a level of comfort and practicality into each of our Cornish cottages, creating a truly authentic feel.  As there is nothing better after a long day in Summer spent on the beach than returning to your apartment to warm cold knees snuggling into a familiar cosy Atlantic Blanket...

Atlantic Blankets formed in 2007, when in need of a blanket to comfort a little girl suffering a miserable bout of the spotty pox. Knowing exactly the kind of blanket needed to help her feel better...the silky feel of a much-loved brushed mohair throw that possessed magical curative powers of cosiness! 

Growing up in Cornwall we always had our trusty picnic blanket stored away in the car boot, ready for any impromptu visit to the beach, hikes across the headlands, keeping warm around an evening campfire or even to just snuggle with for a long car journey. Our own tartan family blanket has seen better days, however still resides (slightly patched) on the back seat of our family car.

Atlantic Blankets seasonal collections and designs change from stripes to arans, to herringbone and checks, meaning there is always the perfect colour and design to match and warm every interior. The latest Bloom Collection sings of fresh spring colours and warm peaches, a perfect accompaniment to any and every family picnic on Porthmeor or any of the surrounding St Ives beaches, they have even designed leather straps for ease of carrying for when you are out and about on your travels.

Our favourite is the Green Picnic Blanket with its waterproof backing, ideal for avoiding soggy bottoms and sandwiches. We also recommend checking out the Atlantic Blanket blog to see their top 5 picnic spot recommendations here in Cornwall, so on your next self-catering holiday in St Ives there are some great ideas of places to visit in and around the area, Tehidy Woods and its coastal walks are amongst some of The Sail Loft teams favourite weekend haunts. 

Katy x

To see more head over to the Atlantic Blankets website...

Check last minute availability for self-catering in St Ives in May...

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

A mixed bag

Cornwall seems to be having a fairly busy weekend approaching with lots going on. For the art enthusiasts, Late at the Tate is an opportunity to view the gallery for free every last Friday of the month. For those who can make it, this is on tonight featuring the Dexter Dalwood exhibition. 

Good news for all Cornish residents is the Tate St Ives is offering free entry throughout March, just ring along proof of residence. Has to be worth a trip to St Ives to take this up especially as we have been told it is a really good exhibition. If you do then drop by and say hello to us at The Sail Lofts.

Work is continuing on our new addition in St Ives, a traditional fisherman's cottage which is being modernised to our high standards. The workmen are doing a great job of pulling this project together and we look forward to posting some pictures of the new property on this blog. 

We are progressing with our new venture which we are extremely excited about, word seems to be working its way around town but watch this space for the full details. 

We will hopefully be getting a newsletter out next week, if you aren't already signed up make sure you do here. 

Its been a varied week for surf, with the North coast seeing perfection on Wednesday, and the South coast has remained surprisingly consistent. With a mixed bag of winds it is going to be difficult to predict the surf over the weekend but I'm hoping one of the coasts will have a wave. Don't forget to check out our twitter account for the latest surf in St Ives. Next week isn't looking too promising so it could be worth making the most of any swell this weekend even if the wind is on it.


As usual we have a couple of cracking deals for last minute stays in our wonderful apartments in St Ives. 

Making the most of 2009

After a few days off it was back to the office yesterday and its been very busy with new bookings (perhaps taking advantage of the 15% Vat?). The Christmas break was brilliant, some dry days, walking along the coast paths and of course a few visits to some fine public houses. 

I made a visit to the Trengillywartha Inn at Nancenoy (the other side of Helston), and what a lovely pub it is, great food and atmosphere and a some rather tasty ales! I would recommend it to anyone, only a half hour drive from St Ives and it is a convenient stopping point for some good walks. 

We were gifted with some surf over the Christmas break, a couple of North coast days with some solid waves and a brilliant south coast day on Sunday at Praa Sands (20 minutes from St Ives). This week has and will see some small but clean conditions and looking into the weekend it should be small but offshore on the North Coast. Porthmeor had a wave this morning but its dropped away near high tide.


St Ives is bustling away with tourists making the most of the sales and the independent shops and galleries, and the preparations for St Ives' famous New Year celebrations are beginning. Fancy dress all the way!

As a thank you to our blog readers we are offering 20% off all apartments for January vacations, and if you book before the 31st December you can take advantage of the 15% VAT. To find out more please give us a call and tell us where you saw the offer on 01736 799175.

Lastly we would like to take the opportunity to wish you a very happy and prosperous new year!

Longer days are on the way!

What a crisp couple of days its been, icy cold in the mornings but on the whole glorious sunshine (with the odd hail or sleet shower) all in all St Ives seems to be fairing better than the rest of the country! I took this picture at lunch time today (sorry for poor quality only had my phone), it could almost be summer.

We're almost fully booked for Christmas now, but still have some space for New Year, and as a gesture of festive good will we've reduced the prices significantly for some lucky people! To find out more about these deals, either give us a ring on 01736 799 175 or visit The Sail Lofts and look for our offers at the bottom of the page.

The surf has been a bit quiet recently, a rarity for the time of year! However things are looking like they may improve over the week, providing those winds play ball, at the very least there should be a bit of xmas swell. Magicseaweed is predicting some very long wave periods, and if it all comes good it could be a small but powerful swell!

We've started asking guests to review us on Tripadvisor, and what a response we have received! Thank you to all of you who have posted a review!

The Sail Lofts are now very busy with our xmas guests, and the town center is getting busier, especially with holiday makers enjoying a day out in the sun. So I best not blog for too long, as work, xmas shopping and the sun are calling!

Clear skies of St Ives

This is our first blog, and we'll be writing about St Ives mostly and giving an insight into some of activities and past times we enjoy in Cornwall. This will include local events, surf, art, and all things St Ives. As a bonus we will also be letting you know of some of the exclusive offers Sail Lofts self catering can offer to our online readers.


Winter has definitely arrived in St Ives this week, with the first frosts of the seasons and the town is gearing up for xmas. But its good winter weather as we're getting mostly clear skies letting the sun shine through, gone are the dramatic gales and showers of autumn.

The nice weather has also given some nice clean surf for the past week or so, with some days better than others, but the open beaches of the North coast have finally been working for the first time in a while. As part of this blog we'll try and post some pictures of the surf in the area too.

Xmas is very nearly here but its not too late to book a holiday to recover from all the Christmas parties. We have some fantastic last minute deals available, so why not have a very special break in the lovely St Ives this Christmas or New year? To find out more visit our special offers page or call us on 01736 799 175.