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. 

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.

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. 

Whats happening in St Ives

Even though we are still in the depths of winter there seems to be quite a lot happening in St Ives. The Tate has reopened again with the Dexter Dalwood exhibition, I'm yet to make it down there but I've been hearing good things!

A long lasting tradition in St Ives is St Ives Feast Day, seen as a signal for the start of the season, it takes place on Monday 8th February. Traditionally to celebrate the anniversary of the consecration of the Parish Church of St Eia in 1434, it's also a day off for everyone at school. Central to the other goings-on is The Hurling of the Silver Ball; so old, no one quite knows when it originated. At 10.30am the Silver Ball (same size as a tennis ball, but made of wood and covered in silver leaf), is hurled from the wall of the Parish Church over Lambeth Walk Beach and into the mass crowd of young people, who have arranged themselves into teams, by the Mayor, this year Cllr Yvonne Watson. Each team tries to keep the ball until noon, when it's returned to the Mayor at The Guildhall. This usually involves a number of huge scrums, swimming with it across the bay and/or other pre-planned distractions to stop opposing teams grabbing it. The person who gets the ball back to the Guildhall at midday is given a silver coin (originally a crown piece); everyone else gets a penny. In 1823 William Webb Ellis, with total disregard for the laws of soccer, picked up the ball at Rugby School and ran around. The Hurling of the Silver Ball may throw another answer as to the origins of rugby; well, Cornish rugby anyway.

For those less inclined to take part in this, or can't make it, some more civilised goings on are as follows:

The St Ives Jazz Club every Tuesday, there are some good acts playing throughout February including Trevor Watkis Trio, but for a full listing see here.

On top of all this there is a Childrens Workshop - Paint and Plant with Jo.
Wednesday 17th February - 11.00 - 13.00.
St Ives Library
Decorate a plant pot for Spring - with Jo McIntosh.
£2.00 per child.
Places limited - advance booking strongly advised.
Call the library: 0300 1234 111

Jo is also running a series of workshops for adults.
Details on the website:


The Sail Lofts has some great offers on again for next week we are still offering up to 50% off, please see here.

Don't leave it too late to whisk your loved one away for a break over Valentines, we are getting booked up quickly but for our latest availability either visit our website or telephone 01736 799 175

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.