3 New (ish) Restaurants and a great weekend

For the first time I had the privilege of staying at The Sail Lofts. My partner and I chose Zennor, the big master bedroom, large bed and the living area made it 'The One' for us.

A quick trip back home to pick up some belongings and the other half and we were back in St Ives to watch the sunset over Porthmeor - perfect way to start the weekend!

After the madness of a Friday and with it being the end of the week we felt good old fish and chips were deserved, so we headed along to the recently opened and stylish Harbour Fish and Chips. We were surprised at how professional and friendly the service was right from the start, I opted for traditional fish and chips with homemade tartar sauce, crispy batter, excellent fresh fish and good chips, my partner went for the mussels which I'm told were excellent as well. Overall a great experience and great value with nice touches like fried parsnip crisps on the fish and reasonable presentation.

After a day pottering around West Cornwall including Sennen, Gwynver and back to St Ives through St Just, Botallack and a sneaky pint at the Tinners Arms we headed back to get ready for the open evening of St Ives' newest restaurant - Seagrass.

A great turnout and some superb examples of some of the food they will be serving made it a great evening and we can't wait to try out the full menu soon.

On Sunday, the clear blue skies drew us to the beach, and Porthmeor Cafe was just too tempting! Recently refurbished and with a change in direction last year we had to try it out. We shared a platter of tapas which was fantastic, coupled with a glass of wine it was all very pleasant with some of the best views in town.

A great weekend, great weather and some super food - #happydays

If you would like to enjoy this and more we still have limited availability in May and June, have a look at our last minute deals for more information.

20% Discount at Sail Lofts Ocean Spa

Sail Lofts Ocean Spa are celebrating the launch of a new treatment room this Friday by offering a 20% discount on all treatments over £40.


Start the weekend how you want it to continue by relaxing... From pampering your skin to easing your muscles from a week of work with a luxurious massage.

We are also offering a 15% discount on Spiezia Organics Rose and Vanilla Oil throughout May, this can be ordered over the telephone or purchased in store.

As part of our May offers, the luxurious Head in Heaven treatment will be reduced from £52 to £38 as well.

To book or find out more contact the spa team on 01736 448545.

Happy Days...

What a fantastic few weeks we have had (and its still going but we don't want to jinx it!), but we felt we just had to write a little something about it. 


Glorious spring sunshine has been basking down on us for a few weeks now, bikinis are out on the beach, wetsuits are off for the brave ones, and BBQs are definitely on the menu... To top it all off, those that surf have had a great run as well with most racking up impressive water time. 


It felt only right to post a few of our favourite pictures from the last month.... Enjoy! 

If you would like to take part in a bit of all this loveliness then we still have a few gaps, just take a look at our last minute deals or pick some of the last few weeks in May, June, July or August.  

St Ives Food and Drink Festival

As promised here is the second installment of our pick of the best events happening in St Ives. This week we are featuring the St Ives Food and Drink Festival, a relatively new festival to the town, but one of our favourites.

Starting on Monday 16th May for six days the festival promises to highlight the culinary delights of St Ives and the local area amongst a host of cooking demonstrations, foraging, walks and wine. 

Here is a pick of some of the events we are looking forward to most:

Tuesday 17th May - Coastal forage and beach barbecue with Porthminster Cafe

A foraging walk along the coast with one of St Ives' most renowned restaurants to forage for food to cook later at the beach. We think this sounds great, there are so many hidden treasures along our coasts, with the help of some experts this should be a great day out. It is limited to 15 people and tickets cost £20 - make sure you book in advance with Porthminster Cafe on 01736 795352. 

Thursday 19th May - South African Wine Evening with Scarlet Wines in Lelant

A sharing of tables in a relaxed setting - guests will be provided with six wines to taste served with South African inspired dishes. A great way to try new wines from a very knowledgeable team, with a growing reputation for the quality of food this should be a great sociable evening. 

Friday 20th May - Wine and Cornish cheese evening with Mark Elwood at Cornish Deli 

Sample some of the best Cornish cheese with Mark, its a great place to eat at any time, but this should be even more special! 

Sunday 22nd May - Cooking Demonstrations

There are going to be several cooking demonstrations on the Sunday, our favourites would be at the Porthminster Cafe, Porthgwidden Cafe and the Seafood Cafe. These should be great and we look forward to seeing you there! 

Next time we will be looking at the big one, the St Ives September Festival.

Another award for St Ives? Really?

Yes, St Ives has scooped another award, this time from the coveted Traveller's Choice Awards. We felt this deserved some space on the blog, so we will continue with the events theme next time. So what was this award for?

After winning ‘best UK holiday destination’ in 2010, St Ives has now been awarded ‘best beaches in the UK’ by Tripadvisor users at the Traveller's Choice Awards.

All with naturally soft sand, beach cafes and hire shops, they have something different to offer everyone. Porthmeor (30 metres from The Sail Lofts) is the year-round surfers beach. With the newly refurbished Porthmeor Beach Café, a surf school, chalets that can be pre-booked, and world famous Tate St Ives, Porthmeor faces northwest and is perfect for the Atlantic waves. If you’ve got small children or toddlers, 

Porthgwidden (a minutes walk from the Sail Lofts) is the one to choose. Nestled beneath the slopes of the ‘Island’, with uninterrupted views across St Ives Bay to Godrevy Lighthouse, it’s smaller crescent shape is sheltered and just right for children. There’s also got the wonderful Porthgwidden Beach Café serving food all day, with their own hire shop and beach chalets to pre-book. 

A ten minute walk round the harbour front, past the Lifeboat House and up through the Warren brings you to Porthminster, a traditional family beach with a choice of cafes, shops, and hire facilities. Don’t miss having a meal at the award winning Porthminster Beach Café which is on the sand itself, with fantastic views from the restaurant and their outside terrace across St Ives Bay towards Gwithian and Godrevy. 

Not forgetting the Harbour Beach at low tide and Carbis Bay for a spot of crabbing, St Ives is lucky to have such a selection of beaches. 

If you want to take advantage of all these lovely beaches in this lovely spring weather then we have had two unfortunate cancellations for this Friday 15th April in our Island and Zennor apartments. 

Whats happening in St Ives over the next season!

Lots and lots of events and happenings are planned for St Ives over the next few months, from food to art to literature and music - but which ones will you be going to? Over the next few weeks we will be writing here about the key events. First up is....

St Ives Literature Festival - 7-15th May 2011

With a growing following and increasing recognition the St Ives Literature Festival is firmly in the diary for most locals. The event boasts a week of readings, events and workshops. Some of this years highlight events are:

Robin Williamson at St Ives Art Club on Monday 9th May. A founder member of the ground-breaking Incredible String Band in the sixties and the Merry Band in the seventies he became a key figure in the revival of story telling in Europe and America in the eighties. Robin has also written several books including The Craneskin Bag. 

Liz Kessler - Creative Writing Workshop - Saturday 14th May at St Ives Art Club. Liz Kessler is a very popular children's writer who lives in Cornwall but is held in high regard. This is a super chance to learn about the writing process. 


Phil Bowen - The Captain's Tower on Friday 13th May at St Ives Art Club. Co author Phil Bowen reads from The Captain's Tower with over 70 poems including Simon Armitage, Caroline Bird, Johnny Cash, Jane Dracott, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Linda France and Peter Finch. 


This is just our pick of a great line up, there are lots of other events, but we think these ones are going to sell out quickly so make sure you buy your tickets in time from Cafe Art in the Drill Hall. 


Next time we will be having a look at St Ives Food and Drink Festival. 


If you still haven't booked a holiday in April, we still have some availability for the week of the 15th April in our cottage and Island apartment - but book soon to avoid disappointment!

What to do with all these bank holidays!

A great opportunity has arisen as a result of Will and Kate's Royal Wedding, two bank holidays in one weekend. Why not treat yourself to a break in St Ives, away from the hustle and bustle, and use less of your holiday allowance?

A stay at The Sail Lofts is the perfect place to celebrate the Royal Wedding (or escape it if needed!), with a friendly and open community in St Ives there will be a great social atmosphere, or you can tuck yourself away in one of the many cafes and restaurants, or even just sit back and relax in the comfort of your apartment and watch it on a television.

If all goes to plan (not that we have any control over it ;-)) it will be a lovely sunny week (it was last year anyway). Perhaps plan in a surfing lesson, or a visit to the Tate in the last week of Simon Starlings' exhibition or perhaps a gastronomic week of restaurants, private dining and great breakfasts at Porthgwidden Cafe.

Take a look at our availability and see if we have anything to suit you and your party.

We are also getting very booked up throughout April, so if you have left it all a bit last minute check our availability and don't leave it too late!