Valentines in St Ives...

Escape the hustle and bustle and whisk your loved one away to St Ives this valentines. 

Our five star apartments in St Ives are perfect for a weekend break or week long stay. Nestled within our secluded complex in the heart of the historic town and seconds from the crashing waves and white sands of Porthmeor Beach. Sink into one of our comfy beds with luxurious feather duvets and plump pillows whilst you select something soothing to listen to on our Roberts DAB digital radios. If you’re thinking of demonstrating your culinary skills this Valentines our kitchens are fully equipped with everything you need to whip up something delicious. And if you’re after the freshest seafood and perhaps considering lobster thermidor for the main then we can get in touch with our friends at Mathews Stevens fishmongers who can provide the freshest local seasonal fish including scallops, sea bass mussels and live lobster. Then relax and snuggle up in the cosy sitting room and choose a film to watch on our apple TV.

If you’re planning a hassle free evening then why not book a table in one of St Ives’ many fabulous restaurants; perhaps start your night with a tipple in Alba’s new stylish cocktail lounge and then pop upstairs to the fine dining restaurant and choose from the tantalising menu whilst taking in the panoramic views across the harbour front and towards Godrevy Lighthouse.

Besides the award winning cuisine and accommodation in St Ives it is an extremely romantic location and there’s nothing more classic than the simple pleasures of a stroll along the Cornish cliff tops taking in the stunning scenery and expanse of ocean even if the sun isn’t shining the coastline can look moody and dramatic and you can’t beat the feel of the elements on your face.

We can also help you arrange those little extra treats to add a touch of romance. Perhaps chilled champagne, a bouquet of fresh flowers and handmade local chocolates or if you have something else in mind the team at The Sail Lofts are always happy to help.

For availability over the Valentines, please follow the link below:

http://www.thesaillofts.co.uk/st-ives-accommodation-luxury-5-star/?startDate=12-02-2016&sleeps=0   

Abi 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

Christmassy Cornwall...

We’re beginning to feel very festive here at The Sail Lofts, our Christmas tree has just arrived and Dave is hunting around the garage looking for the lights. In fact St Ives in general has a very festive feel to the air, the town’s lights have been switched on and many of the local pubs have added mulled wine and mulled cider to their menu’s – some recent guests inform us that the mulled cider is deliciously potent!

Cornwall is a great place to buy unique gifts and recently I went to Trereife House for its annual Christmas Fayre, there was so much on offer from local handmade jewelery to quirky clocks made from slate and yummy Cornish food to glasses made from recycled bottles. I certainly picked up some great stocking fillers that I hope will wow my family and friends.

In the lead up to the festive period there are a number of Christmas Fayres in Cornwall but there’s also lots to do with the family if you’re tired of all that Christmas shopping.

Last weekend my husband and I visited the Eden Project up in St Austell. Eden is currently celebrating its Time of Gifts season and features a host of festive themed treats in the lead-up to Christmas. The ice skating rink is back for another season and is looking stunning. This year they have ‘chilly penguins’ to help young children on the ice, these penguins act as a skating aid and really do help the little ones confidence on the ice.

There really is so much going on in Cornwall over the festive season and if you’re visiting us and you need any recommendations whatsoever on Christmas markets or attractions that are really getting into the festive spirit please don’t hesitate to ask.

Kelly.

hello to the new and good bye to the...

The last few months has seen the artwork at The Sail Lofts change, we've unfortunately said good bye to most of the powerful paintings of Andrew Garner who has had work on display at The Sail Lofts since we launched in 2008 - thank you Andy, its been a pleasure working with you (hopefully still see you in the water!).

However, as things change we've been able to welcome a whole host of new artists to The Sail Lofts, from the abstract paintings of Marie Keeling to the emotional seascapes of Jenny Hirst, Chris Hankey and Erin Ward.

The last three artists' works have been loaned to The Sail Lofts by the lovely Porthminster Gallery in St Ives. David, Dee and Claire are all very knowledgeable and have patiently spent Friday afternoons choosing and deliberating over the best paintings for each apartment - and the results are marvelous!

All the artwork at The Sail Lofts is available for purchase, so if you are staying with us, or like the look of a piece on our website please do let us know and we will be happy to help.

Below is a selection of some of the new artwork...

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. 

Half term in St Ives and Cornwall

Half term has arrived and St Ives is busy again after a 6 week break from Christmas. The weekend saw great weather, in particular in Sunday, when there was a number of people out and about enjoying Valentines day and their holidays.

With no surf this weekend I was a little stuck of what to do, so I spent a lot of the weekend delving into parts of Cornwall I hadn't been to for a while. The highlight of the week was certainly lunch on Sunday at the Victoria Inn in Perranuthnoe, with great food and a lovely atmosphere, a real hidden gem I would recommend to anyone.

A pleasant walk along the coastal path on the South Coast is always nice, the water was glassy flat (looks nice but not much fun for the surfers amongst us!), the picture on here is of the view from Perranuthnoe towards Mounts Bay with Mousehole in the distance.

We have a couple of apartments left for next week but these are booking quickly, for more information visit us here. Also we have just added an a listing onto a new website for St Ives which I came across recently: LoveStIves which has all types of interesting information on the area.