Cornwall

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Nearby: The nearest is in the Carbis Bay Hotel complex. Down by the sand is the Beach Club restaurant which main meals, snack and pizza and above it you’ll find Walters on the Beach offers cocktails and snacks as well as full lunch and dinner menus. Our favourite is a superb new restaurant called The Ugly Butterfly run by chef Adam Handling. It is very pricey but you could always just pop in for a drink or cocktail and a snack in the bar area. It has a great view. Carbis Bay Hotel itself also serves food in the Orangery restaurant.

The finest Fish and Chips: There is an excellent licensed fish and chip restaurant in Carbis Bay, called Becks. Opening times vary so best to ring beforehand on 01736 796241 or check their outside noticeboard.

Restaurants: The best known is the Porthminster Beach Café right on the beach on the Carbis Bay side of St Ives. Other ones we have tried and enjoyed are No 27 The Terrace (fine dining with an optional tasting menu or small a la carte menu - Jason the chef makes the best amuse bouche in the world), Cellar Bistro, Porthminster Kitchen which is half way down the sea front, Porthmeor Café near Tate St Ives (make sure you book one of the open air booths with heaters overlooking the sea) and Porthgwidden Beach Café. Why not also have a look at Source Kitchen on The Digey (just off Fore Street), The Seafood Café, Rum and Crab Shack, Firehouse Grill, or if you like fine dining try One Fish Street, which offers a fish-based tasting menu and is at the bottom end of Fore Street near The Sloop Inn. There are some exciting new cocktail bars serving small plates too such as The Searoom and its nearby Silco Bar and Kitchen, Host on Tregenna Hill or the Little Palais on Wharf Road. For family dining, try Blas Burgerworks or Bier Hus Grand Café on St Andrew Street. 

Pubs: If you like good pub food, try the Halestown Inn on the back road outside Carbis Bay but you will have to book, or further afield the Halzephron Inn (01326 240406) at Gunwalloe or any of the pubs in St Ives itself.

Family friendly: In Lelant, we love Birdies Bistro which overlooks the bird reserve and offers great lunches and dinners at the weekend. Birdies do great breakfasts as does The Old Forge which is are go to place for a simple Italian supper. Other people have recommended the Badger Inn for family meals and The Old Quay. 

Further afield: We love the Mackerel Sky Sea Food Bar in Newlyn which is on the corner near the Newlyn Filmhouse. If you like fish we can recommend The Tolcarne Inn in Newlyn. Try Harris’ in Penzance – slightly quirky but great food. We also love Kota in Porthleven. 

We've included more details and directions in the welcome pack that you will find in the apartment.

Must see places:

• Godrevy Point - for views of the seals at rest, the fabulous surfing beach just past Gwithian and for the coastal walks near the lighthouse 
• Lizard Peninsular particularly the Lizard Point (wild seas, lifeboats tragedies and choughs and ravens), Kynance Cove, Mullion, Coverack, Cadgwith and Helford Passage. Mullion Cove is one of our all time favourites and Kynance is a delight but they both get very crowded in high season

Gardens, museums and short walks: 

• Tremenheere Sculpture Garden just outside Penzance - a beautiful place with stunning views across to St Michael’s Mount
• Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden in St Ives – a tranquil oasis just off the busy main street
• Trengwainton Garden near Penzance – gorgeous woodland walks and ancient kitchen gardens
• Penrose Estate and Loe Bar near Porthleven – a truly beautiful spot for a walk combining sea, sand, lakes and a country park. There is an NT café (small) but we would recommend you drive down to Porthleven for lunch
• Geevor tin mine and Levant beam engine near St Just – best to go when in steam.
• Minack cliff theatre and the Porthcurno Telegraph Museum – fabulous and fascinating sites
• Lamorna Cove and Mousehole – a good walk is from Lamorna along the coast path to Mousehole 
• St Michael’s Mount – either walk across the sand at low tide or go by boat a modest sum per person each way). The castle on the Mount (NT) is well worth a visit so allow plenty of time. Nearby is Marazion with easy walks along the beach and some pleasant restaurants for lunch. There is also a bird reserve at Marazion Marsh
• Towards Lands End go to Sennen Cove – great for surfing and art galleries (and fish and chips on the beach) and also to Cape Cornwall, great for views and sea-birds. The little island off the coast at Cape Cornwall looks just like General de Gaulle in his bath
• Further afield, Glendurgan Garden, Mawan Smith, near Falmouth – a National Trust garden with a luscious valley walk down to the Helford River with a maze to explore on the way – one of our all-time favourite places
• Godolphin (National Trust (NT)) north of Hayle towards Helston – a wonderfully evocative house with a small medieval garden and lovely walks up to nearby hills
• Llanhydrock gardens near Bodmin – an absolute treasure set in a valley leading down to the sea
• Even further afield are the Lost Gardens of Heligan (about 40 minutes drive, just south of St Austell) which are gorgeously atmospheric. You could go on to Mevagissey from there if you have time
• The Eden Project – about 45 minutes’ drive from Wavetop in the St Austell direction

For children and the young at heart:

• Paradise Park in Hayle – an award-winning bird and animal park with a great indoor play zone
• Kids R Us – a children’s theatre right in the centre of St Ives
• Flambards Theme Park in Helston – perfect for children of any age
• The Eden Project - a great day out for all the family

For art and film lovers:

• St Ives museum, Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture garden, Bernard Leach potteries and numerous gorgeous private art galleries - are all crammed full of curiosities and great art
• Royal Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in Truro -  the adjoining art shop and café offers great lunch options and is a treasure trove for artists and amateurs
• In Penzance, Penlee House Museum and gallery – a must if you like Newlyn School art. They have some of the best Cornish paintings of the 19th Century and many interesting one-off exhibitions. It has a good café and bookstall too. Free entry to Art Fund members
• Newlyn Filmhouse in Newlyn - an independent 2-screen cinema in a converted granite fish smokery and cellar. The Filmhouse offers all current films and has a café bar if you fancy something before or after the film

We've included more details, leaflets, directions and walk information in the welcome pack that you will find in the apartment.

Supermarkets: If you don’t want to go out to shop, all the major supermarkets will deliver to your door so contact Sainsbury’s, Tesco’s and Waitrose directly. The nearest small store is the Costcutter store at the top of Porthrepta Road which is open early until late. There is also a Tesco at the St Ives end of Carbis Bay about 1 mile from the flat. Other large supermarkets are Asda in Hayle (2 ½ miles) and Morrisons and Sainsburys in Penzance (7 miles). 

Farm shops: There are two excellent farm shops nearby (about 4 miles and 6 miles): Richards and Trevaskis Farm. Both can be reached via the A30 towards Bodmin (or via the local road through Hayle). Richards is the nearest and slightly cheaper one - It has a large variety of groceries as well as local fresh eggs, vegetables and fruit, local produce, meat and an excellent range of frozen foods. Trevaskis Farm is much larger with a butcher, large variety of common and unusual fresh produce, wine and a huge pick-your-own farm and large family restaurant. 

Fish and meat: There is a wet fish shop in St Ives, at the harbour side of the Beach Restaurant which is at the end of Fore Street. The best and freshest fish comes from the fish shops along the key at Newlyn. There is an excellent butcher at Trevaskis Farm (see above) and also Harvey Brothers in Penzance which is significantly cheaper. Nearer to home is Hampsons of Hayle, just off Foundry Square, which is just past Asda. 

We've included more details and directions in the welcome pack that you will find in the apartment.