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....

Have a choice...

January is our busiest booking period and at the moment the bookings are flying in, so we thought we best let you know the busy weeks so you don't miss out on your favourite dates and apartments.

The one bedroom apartments and Slipway are incredibly popular this year, if you would like to stay in one of these we recommend booking very early. 

February half term is filling up quickly, but we still have some great apartments left, including our most popular one bedroom - Lighthouse and a selection of two bedroom properties.

Easter is also nearly booked up for all the school holiday weeks, especially the larger apartments, we suggest booking very soon to avoid being disappointed!

Whitsun week - apart from Surf we're fully booked, but for those who want to sneak a weeks break with just 3 days holiday this is the week!

Summer school holidays - getting very busy - lots of bookings for all apartments of all sizes - don't leave it too long! (we also have some parking available - call the office for more information 01736799175).

September is getting busy around the festival weeks already - if you like a choice of apartments don't wait too long!


If we can be of any help do contact us on 01736 799175 or info@thesaillofts.co.uk.

Sun and Surf for our Guests

Does this tempt you? If so we still have some availability for September (and 20% off the first 2 weeks) where we are hoping for surf just as good as this (if not better ;-)) and lots more sun...

My favourite time of year...

No not July, or August or even June or May... its September. For me it sums Cornwall up, heres why:


1) St Ives September Festival - if you haven't been, try it... Music, arts, celebrations and all round fun - its a bit like a celebration of the end of the season for locals and those in the know.


2) Amazing sunsets - I don't know why it is, but September seems to have the most amazing sunsets, much mellower than earlier in the summer.


3) Surf - it goes without saying for many, but September is THE month for surfing in Cornwall - warm water, powerful swells and offshore winds.

4) Calming - as the children head back to school and the masses think summer has ended the county quietens down, the traffic eases and life becomes a bit more relaxed again. The locals come out to play and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.

5) Greenaway Pro - In memory of a popular local surfer, a surf competition with much more soul than normal surf comps. The Guildhall normally hosts live music in the evenings to add to a weekend of fun.


The list could go on and on but for now this has put happy thoughts in my mind just thinking about it. Luckily for you though we still have some availability for this popular month, but be quick as last year we were fully booked!

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?

Autumn in St Ives

The middle of November has arrived quickly but autumn has undoubtedly arrived (possibly even winter?) as the leaves turn golden and the sea whips up large swells. The town has quietened and the opportunity to really explore St Ives and the surrounding area has arrived.

For the surfers amongst us, there has been no shortage of swells for the last few weeks although the winds have been very strong. The south coast has lit up a few times and the sheltered spots have been shining with Porthmeor having some great days. The next few days are looking rather nice with lots more swell coming through and the occasional offshore day at the exposed beaches. 

For those of you thinking of going away for Christmas we still have some availability left but bookings are coming in quickly for this period. Likewise for those of you who are considering St Ives for New Year, a great place to see in 2011 particularly for families, we still have some availability but we are receiving a number of enquiries. 

Don't forget to check out our last minute availability for some fantastic deals starting at £199. 

September is on its way

If I could ask for a perfect week in Cornwall it would probably look a lot like this one. To get it off to a good start its only a 4 day week, allowing my Monday to be spent mostly in the water in the sun - ideal! 

But it gets better, the weather is set to continue right up until Sunday and may be even longer, those balmy September evenings are about to arrive. 

If this isn't enough, the surf looks likes its going to be going off in Cornwall, with the first hurricane swell of the year, Danielle, due to arrive around Thursday and a blocking high pressure system over the South West. This means great weather, light offshores and a solid 4ft+ of swell reaching over the weekend. 

Get your sun cream, board and BBQ out, September is on its way! 

Image courtesy of the Met Office for full details of the chart please visit their website

Summer is upon us

Its been a manic couple of months at The Sail Lofts, hence the lack of a recent post. Since our last post our new spa in St Ives has opened, two websites have gone live, we have a new look email newsletter and we have uploaded 2011 prices. 

The Sail Lofts Ocean Spa has gone down a treat with holiday makers and locals alike, the Spiezia products are receiving great feedback and we are really proud that almost all of the products used are organic and natural (we'll always tell you if they're not). Shelley Worth is the new Spa manager, and can be found posting on Facebook with the rest of the team. Have a look at the website and let us know what you think - and don't forget to make the most of the launch offers before the end of July. 

Enough about us though, St Ives is really coming alive now that the school holidays have begun. Boat tours, trips to the Minack, events at the Tate and of course the beaches. 


The surf has been a mixed bag, with some really nice swells cropping up and many of those small summer onshore days. The week ahead isn't looking to promising but if you have a longboard or summer board to hand there should be a wave or two. I'm hoping to get my summer board this week from Freeriders - fingers crossed it has arrived!

The recently refurbished Porthmeor Cafe has proven popular and we have had some excellent reviews of the food there as well, so we wish them the best of luck this season. It doesn't get much better than watching the sunset from the terrace with a great selection of tapas. 


Finally, we have some availability during August because of the inevitable cancellations etc.. Our Curno apartment is available from the 20th August for one week and 5 Bethesda Place is available for the weeks of the 20th and 27th August. 

Welcome aboard

I can't believe we are in May already, although we've had nice dry weather it is taking its time to warm up, but one can't complain. The beginning of May has been really busy down here lots of exciting things happening. 

We would like to welcome Rebecca to the team. Rebecca is responsible for ensuring our Friday changeovers run smoothly and we improve our quality standards even further, with new welcome hampers high up on her agenda!


We are really excited to announce the new spa is currently being fitted out and will be ready for launch in June, dates TBC. Leave a comment or email me if you are interested or would like more information.


We also have another launch in June, but we'll tell you more about that soon! 


Its a good job we've been so busy, because there has been a real lack of surf... I had a couple of surfs last weekend, and thanks to Aggie Surf Shop I demoed a cool 5'8 quad, interesting little thing but not really the best conditions to try it out in. 

Don't forget to contact us about any last minute availability we may have, there are some great opportunities for a break to enjoy the sunshine!


I took these photos on my walk down here this morning.

Photoshoots and holidays

We've been very busy down here juggling full photo shoots of all the apartments, it was a bit of a marathon, but James King did a superb job, and the photo above is of our Slipway apartment since being redesigned earlier in the year. 14 properties over a bank holiday weekend was never going to be easy but we are really pleased with the results. 

For all those who remember them, the Surfers Against Sewage Ball is back! SAS are holding the Inviciball at Porthtowan Eco Park to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the charity. Tickets are likely to sell very quickly so get in there quick if you want tickets! 

The Tate St Ives is currently rehanging, getting ready for the new summer exhibition which opens on the 15th May. To coincide with this we have our five star holiday cottage and 3 apartments available for this week, so if you would like to take a peek at the new pieces then do contact us at info@thesaillofts.co.uk or 01736 799 175.

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.

Happy Easter from TSL

Happy Easter to everyone, we hope you have had an enjoyable weekend wherever you have been. As anyone in Cornwall will know, the season has now begun! Its exciting for us down here at The Sail Lofts as we are very busy and enjoying having a 'full house' again. 

A big congratulations to St Ives, Tate St Ives and Porthminster Cafe (St Ives) for winning the hatrick at the Coast awards! Also congratulations to Surfers Against Sewage who won an award for the Best Marine Green Project, a worthy cause doing many good things around our coasts.

The surf has been mixed as well but Saturday and Monday were both two good days and it looks like it will continue through today on the North Coast and tomorrow on the South Coast. Lots of different spots seem to be working at the moment, and both coasts meaning lots of choice!

For anyone prepared to travel for a meal out whilst in St Ives I had a superb meal at Kota in Porthleven, I had heard about the excellent reviews but was pleasantly surprised when it completely exceeded my expectations!

We have a set of weekend breaks online at the moment at very special prices! A perfect opportunity to come to St Ives and enjoy the quieter period before the summer rush!

A New Cottage

We've been very busy down here at The Sail Lofts, with the preparations for Five Bethesda Place (our new holiday cottage in St Ives) rapidly underway and thankfully all on schedule thanks to Dave. The new cottage is looking great and it seems like we are having deliveries everyday for it, getting ready for its first guests in a couple of weeks.

I found this rather novel the other day when in Falmouth, I had breakfast on Princes Pier at the cafe, and as it was warm and sunny we sat outside. When the breakfast came along the waitress brought a water pistol toscare off the sea gulls, brilliant idea! 

The surf has been good over the last week with a new swell arriving on St Patricks day and we still have waves today. I've also noticed in the past week that it is warm enough to drop the gloves, as the air temperature rises and the water temperature seems to as well. The forecast for the next week is looking OK as well if one can find some shelter from the forecasted Westerlies. 

For all those who live in Cornwall don't forget there is only a week left of free entry at Tate St Ives. 

We are really busy for the next 3 weeks with no availability at all, but if you would like a break in April then give the office a call and see if we can arrange the perfect break in St Ives for you.

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!

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. 

Feasting, surfing and a round of golf!

St Ives began the week in style as the annual Feast Day kicked off, with the youth of the town scrabbling around for a silver ball, which then led to a cold swim for two brave souls! To see the action and read a bit more about it this blog has a great perspective on the day.

Philip down here at The Sail Lofts celebrated his Birthday in style by winning a competitive game of golf over the weekend at Tehidy Park Golf Club. His family and friends lucked into some glorious weather for the game as well, good timing!

The surf was on fire over the weekend as well, the south coast was great on Saturday and was well overhead, with some sneaky barrels. With the sun shining I'm sure there will be some great photos floating around, but check this video of Porthleven, looks nice!

On Sunday the North Coast decided to turned really clean and Porthtowan was really good fun with long long lefts and some really fun walls. Its been a while but what a weekend! 

Here at The Sail Lofts we are fully booked for half term week but we do have some great offers on holidays in st ives coming up soon, so keep your eyes on the website.

Working, surfing and the occasional pint!

We've been exceptionally busy over the last week with several incoming bookings, so apologies for no blog post over the last week or so! 

We had a good run of surf over the last week with some clean conditions most days either on the south or north coast and it seems to have continued into this week for those who are prepared  to search. 

I had a good surf on saturday down at Praa Sands first thing, with some high tide offshore fun, the sun was blazing and it had to be one of the mildest days so far of 2010. The sun continued through the weekend and all the puddles have dried and we seem to be going through a really nice spell. 

A pint at the Trengilly Wartha was due again on Sunday with their infamous Trengilly Gold ale proving a good way to pass the afternoon and catch up with friends.


Its been all happening in St Ives, the streets are getting busier again, the Tate has opened with Dexter Dalwood's new Exhibition, a great attraction for all those thinking of visiting St Ives.
 
We've also been looking at some new items for the apartments, so regulars can expect some subtle changes over the next year or so, very exciting as we are trying really hard to push our standards even higher. 

As usual we have some fantastic deals for late availability and last minute breaks, with these starting to book up quickly as people take advantage of the peace and quiet at this time of year and the surprisingly the good weather!

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.

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!