Lovely Apartment in Great Location
Review Submitted: 20 October 2012
Date of Stay: October 2012
Our family group of three (husband, wife, adult daughter) stayed for a week in early October and thoroughly enjoyed the apartment, the town, and the spirit of Cornwall.
The apartment was very much as advertised.
The apartment had many major pluses and a few small minuses.
Pluses we particularly liked:
2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
spacious, not cramped
wonderful ocean views from all windows
mini-balcony
local artwork on walls
beautiful kitchen (better than our kitchen at home)
easy walk into town, to shore, to Tate Museum
turret stairwell bright, pristine, and safe
super comfortable leather sofa
Minuses that were not a big deal:
SUPER squeaky floors in bathroom and hall--amazingly squeaky
No lift, had to walk up to 3rd floor
Carpeting in bathrooms
No rubber mat for tub, shower drained slowly
All communication with owners Ian and Caroline (via e-mail and telephone) was very pleasant and helpful.
Having to wire money from the U.S. (rather than pay with a credit card) was a minus, but we did it. It took a trip to the bank and a $45 fee. For a one week stay it was worth it, but might not have been for a shorter stay.
Although a garage was available to us, we did not have a car. We arrived by train and took a cab to the apartment. Being in St. Ives without a car was just fine. It is very walkable from the apartment, as long as you brace yourself for walking up steep slopes! (The hills are part of the charm of St. Ives.)
We went on day excursions to Port Isaac and Padstow and to Truro by bus. Penzance is also easy to visit by non-car transportation (train, bus).
We enjoyed all our meals in St. Ives, eating breakfast in our apartment (and some lunches) but finding a new place for dinner each night. The restaurant options were plentiful and varied. In October, we found that reservations were generally not necessary.
The least positive aspect of our week in St. Ives was the weather, which was either overcast or rainy on 5 of our 7 days. It was also quite windy a lot of the time. The two days of sun were magnificent. When the sun came out it was obvious why so many artists were attracted to St. Ives.
Our bottom line was that the apartment was a great success and our stay in Cornwall very pleasant indeed. We would recommend the apartment to anyone fit enough to climb stairs and walk a few blocks up and down hills.
Owner's Response: Thanks for this great 5 star review. We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay at Surf's Up in our 2nd floor Penthouse Apartment. We are pleased to confirm that the builders have returned and screwed down all of the floor boards throughout the apartment. Your comments regarding the bathroom carpets are noted, however the terms of the lease insist on carpets other than in the kitchen. We are also pleased to confirm that the slow draining shower has been addressed. Thanks also for your request for a rubber mat for the bath tub. We feel that this is a personal issue, we don't like to use them ourselves and on the odd occasion we have found them in hotels and rental properties, we have removed them before using the bath, for hygiene reasons. Guests are of course welcome to bring their own rubber mat, as you did. We look forward to hearing from you again if you visit St Ives on your next U K trip.
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