Sundowners in St Ives...

Now I’ve always been a fan of this colloquial British tradition and in my view there is no better way to round off your day whilst on holiday than with a glass of something very cold, and in my case bubbly, overlooking the ocean.

With this in mind, I took it upon myself to research six of the best spots for a sundowner in St Ives. It was a tough job but someone had to do it! Here is a rundown of my favourites:

The Alba Restaurant

Old Lifeboat House, Wharf Road

Following a slick refurb, The Alba has transformed its ground floor restaurant into a trendy, London-esque bar with an equally trendy cocktail menu. If you’re feeling peckish they also serve a great selection of small plates from 12 -10pm, perfect if you’re in the mood for a couple of drinks and a few nibbles.

The Hub

Wharf Road, St Ives

Grab yourself a table on the upstairs balcony and you have the perfect spot for a bit of people watching. Craft beers, burgers and hot dogs are the speciality but good wines and cocktails also feature on the menu. If you were tempted to stay for a bite to eat no one would blame you, the barbecue smells trickling from the kitchen will make your mouth water.

Rum & Crab Shack

Wharf Road, St Ives

The interior of this quirky little bar resembles a pirate ship and it certainly has a very rustic feel. With nearly 40 varieties of rum, a fantastic menu of local and international craft beers and a carefully balanced wine list to choose from you could spend all week working your way through the menu. On a sunny day the windows concertina back offering panoramic views across the Harbour.

The Sloop

Wharf Road, St Ives

One of the town’s oldest pubs, this St Ives institution is a hit with locals and visitors alike. On a sunny day getting a table outside is like gold dust but if you do, don’t be surprised if you’re soon sharing it, as this is one of the hottest spots in town. The Sloop is a traditional pub and it’s drinks menu reflects this, ask for a ‘Sex on the Beach’ and you’ll probably be met with a strange look!

Upper Deck

Fish Street, St Ives

Tucked behind The Sloop, this open-air bar has a very cosmopolitan feel and basks in the sunshine all day. The service is super friendly and the drinks are beautifully chilled making this alfresco bar a summer time favourite of mine.

West Beach Bakery

Porthmeor Beach (West), St Ives

This funky little beach bar is the best spot in town to watch the sun disappear into the sea. With a laid back vibe and jugs of Pimms and Sangria in plentiful supply this lesser known gem is most definitely worth a visit. The sourdough pizzas are pretty special too!

Have fun, and of course drink responsibly, we cannot be held responsible for fuzzy heads in the morning!

Kelly x

Fuel for the day...

Early mornings have never been my thing but thanks to the arrival of our beautiful baby girl I have a newfound appreciation of early starts and I’ve fallen in love with St Ives all over again.

Now, don’t get me wrong a lie in would be nice from time to time but I’ve decided to embrace the dark circles, get out nice and early and sample what St Ives’ breakfast menu’s have to offer.

Porthminster Beach Café

Topping my list has to be this beautiful little beach café that you usually have to book weeks in advance. At sunrise however it’s a different story. We arrived at 9.30am on a Saturday morning and had our choice of tables and it really was perfect in every way – the weather, the view, the food and the sleeping baby! I plumped for the free-range poached eggs with a cheeky side order of local sausage and bacon and it was divine. The other half of course went for the full fry-up and without even a smidge of brown sauce left on the plate I’d say it was a winner. Washed down with locally sourced apple juice and freshly squeezed orange juice, it really couldn’t have been better.

Porthmeor Beach Café

Continuing the beach theme (well we are in Cornwall!) we headed to Porthmeor Beach Café. This is somewhere I’ve always wanted to eat but until now simply haven’t gotten around to and breakfast seemed a great place to start. It did not disappoint. Being a sucker for granola, yoghurt and compote I couldn’t resist this when I saw it on the menu and I must say it was one of the best. Hubby built his own brekkie and ordered most items on the menu despite my encouragement to try something a bit different. Again we managed to dine alfresco and the view really is one of my favourites in St Ives and despite the baby being far from asleep she was impeccably behaved and charmed the other diners with her cuteness.

Hub, St Ives

Being massive fans of The Hub for lunchtime and evening food we decided to give this harbour front hang-out a go for breakfast. The breakfast menu itself is fairly simple but what they do, they do well. This time around we decided to share a stack of pancakes with summer berries & maple syrup and a ‘Pig me up’. Both delicious but the pancakes were a definite hit for me. Whilst the weather wasn’t quite so kind on this breakfast outing the cosy booths and décor create an American style diner feel which is a refreshing change for St Ives.

There are a few more breakfast outings planned this summer so if I come across any other gems I’ll let you know.

Kelly x

Changing seasons

We thought it was about time to post some pictures from some adventures we've had around West Cornwall over the last couple of weeks.

A sunny Sunday walk - between Zennor and St Ives looking East

 Penberth - time seems to standstill here

Traditional fishing is still prevelant here...

Penberth looking East - anyone for a snorkel?

 Sennen Lifeboat on its way home as seen from Porthgwarra

 

Porthmeor on one of the wet and stormy days.

We still have some availability for the next few weeks in our apartments in St Ives. Find out more here

Let summer time begin!

As if by magic as the clocks sprung forward we were greeted with glorious weather, longer evenings and the best waves in weeks.


The smell of BBQs is back and shorts and flip flops are being fashioned across town! Summer is here for the moment, so don't forget the sun cream and we'll see you on the beach....

Hello from sunny Cornwall

Hello from sunny Cornwall!

Its been a busy couple of weeks, with the launch of The Angel Inn, a new website for the pub and a full house down at The Sail Lofts... But with summer in full swing with lots of sun, a fair few burnt bodies, and some lovely summer surf - July seems to have changed its tune from the last few years and looks like it is ready to deliver!

We're fully booked for the vast majority of the summer holidays now, Surf is available for the last weekend of August and then we're into September.

September is looking like another busy one, we do have some gaps left but we recommend booking soon to avoid disappointment (especially with the smaller properties) as these are nearly fully booked.

If you haven't already, why not Like our Facebook page, to see the latest pictures of St Ives, last minute offers and the latest news from The Sail Lofts?

St Ives September Festival 10-24 September

Ahh, the St Ives September Festival - one of those special times in St Ives. The school holidays are over, the sun is shining, the sea is at its warmest, a sense of relaxation settles into the town as the season is coming to an end - time to celebrate!

The September Festival is time for locals (and everyone in the know ;-) ) to celebrate the end of another summer with two weeks of live music, arts, poetry, and everything in between. Guests who stay during the festival almost always book for the next year, if you haven't been before - try it!

This years line up is even bigger and better than before, the important thing is to get your tickets early for the main acts...

Here is our pick of the bunch for this years festival:


The Big Chris Barber Band - Saturday 10th September 2011 8pm at the Guildhall
81 year old band leader Chris Barber is world renowned, now with an 11 piece band the combination of blues and jazz make this a must see! Tickets are £25 and we strongly recommend booking these early.

Brodsky Quartet & Jacqui Dankworth - Monday 12th September 2011 8pm at the Guildhall
The Brodsky Quartet are at the forefront of the international chamber-music scene, mastering the string quartet to become very well know for their work with other artists including Elvis Costello, Bjork and Sting. Their skill lies in their diverse performances of complex compositions from the likes of Hayden, Beethoven, Bartok, Britten and more. If you like this type of music it should be an excellent night of music.

Lau & Adrian O'Reilly Wednesday 14th September 2011 8pm at the Guildhall
 A must see if you like folk, winners of Best Group at the Radio 2 Folk Awards for three years in a row (2008, 2009 and 2010) this is the perfect time to see Lau. Three very talented chaps make up the group who are by no means restricted to the 'folk' genre and instead explore across genres to create a fabulously unique sound.


We'll be back with more recommendations as and when the acts are announced. If you still haven't arranged for accommodation in St Ives during the festival we recommend booking early as it is a very popular time.

If you have any other comments or recommendations do feed them back on the blog!

#ashtag and Bank Holidays

What a frantic week it has been so far, even in this tranquil part of the country. We, like most of the country, have been feeling the chaos of the volcanoe without even being near an airport. We are sorry that many of our guests have been unable to make it this week, but we hope they will find another opportunity to enjoy St Ives. 

However we are pleased that many of those hoping to go on holiday have been able to make the flightless trip down to Cornwall to enjoy the sun and sea down here. For those who are still struggling to getaway by plane, do give us a call and we may be able to help you holiday nearer to home! 

For those that have made it to Cornwall the dry sunny weather is continuing, and it looks set to stay for a bit longer, it really feels like summer is on the way! The surf however has been flat, withdrawal symptoms are settling in!  

We have some last minute weekend offers for the weekend of the 30th April to the 3rd May, we only have a limited selection of apartments left so please phone 01736 799 175 for details. 

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter for all the latest news! 

Happy St Pirans Day!

Happy St Pirans day to one and all! We all celebrated with pasties today, which went down very well as usual, thank you St Ives Bakery! Only a short post today as it really hectic down here at The Sail Lofts.

Rumours have been flying around St Ives (and much of Cornwall) about Pirates of the Caribbean coming to St Ives, Johnny Depp has even been rumored to be seen around! The Sun and MTV have got the story into the mainstream press but is it true?

We are moving closer to announcing our new ventures, sign up to our newsletter before 4 today for the full low down to find out some of our plans.

On a final note for those who have had the opportunity to be out and about in Cornwall this week, you will know what a superb week of weather it has been, and long may it continue. But a bit of surf would be quite nice too, Monday and Tuesday are looking quite good, so finger crossed.

Have a good week!