We stayed at the St Ives Bay Hotel for 3 nights, and while the location and views were undeniably beautiful, there were several aspects of our stay that fell short of expectations.
Each morning at breakfast, I asked for coffee with oat milk as Iâm allergic to dairy. Every day I was told, âSorry, weâve just run out.â Once might have been understandable, but hearing the same thing three mornings in a row felt rather implausible and suggested that dairy-free guests arenât well catered for.
Housekeeping was also inconsistent. On one of the days, our room wasnât made up at all, and on another, basic items such as toilet rolls and soap werenât replenished. We had to request these from reception, which wasnât a huge inconvenience, but it added to a general sense of poor attention to detail.
The room itself had a wonderful sea view, but was tired and in need of refurbishment. A few examples:
The shower screen was incomplete, making it impossible to shower without soaking the bathroom floor.
The shower temperature was extremely difficult to control â it was either scalding hot or freezing cold.
Paint was flaking on several walls, with visible signs of past leaks & damp.
The curtains in the bay window didnât fully cover the windows, leaving gaps at night.
Some of the furniture was damaged or missing edges.
Itâs a shame, because the hotel has real potential â the location is excellent and the staff were generally polite. However, the overall experience didnât match the setting.