Alfresco Winter Dining in St Ives

Charlotte Ballam

With wild, wavey Porthmeor on your doorstep and the picturesque harbour just minutes away, the Sail Lofts luxury cottages in St Ives provide the perfect place from which to explore all that our beautiful town has to offer at this time of year.

Reminiscing about times spent on the beach is likely to conjure up images of sunshine and long warm days by the sea, but trade those tropical blue hues for greys and greens and those calm, Mediterranean-esque seas for rolling waves and stormy skies and you’ll find that winter on the Cornish coast comes with its own kind of magic. Why not enjoy the view coupled with some of St Ives’ finest food and drink? Read on for a few of our favourites…

Porthmeor Beach Café

Porthmeor Café is the king of alfresco dining and is mere moments from your luxury cottage in St Ives. With 6 perfectly appointed ‘pods’ on their sea facing terrace, you can lose hours here just watching the waves. Sheltered from the elements, heated and suitable for all but the most extreme weather, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner or just coffee and cake. Note that Porthmeor Café is now closed in the evenings with the exception of Friday and Saturday.

SILCo Searoom

Nestled on the Wharf just back from the Harbour arches, the Searoom is a 5-minute walk from your luxury cottage in St Ives. Watch the boats bobbing in the harbour as you indulge in imaginative small plates made from the best ingredients in this family-run former tearoom. With a strong focus on locally sourced produce, you’ll find plenty of local beers here along with the St Ives Liquor Co’s very own gin and liqueurs. Why not enjoy a local beer or St Ives G&T outside and move indoors to warm up with some food?

Porthminster Café

Why not start the day with a blustery walk before rewarding yourself with a hearty Cornish breakfast? Situated right on the beach just below the train station, Porthminster Cafe is no more than a 15 minutes away from your luxury cottage in St Ives, but why not take the scenic route? At low tide it’s possible to walk right the way along the harbour, onto Porthminster and right up to the café. It’s the perfect opportunity to let any four-legged friends let of some steam before settling down on Porthminster’s terrace from which you can see right out to Godrevy lighthouse.

With so much natural beauty on our doorstep it isn’t hard to see why the winter months are still a popular time to enjoy St Ives and the coast at its most rugged. Visit the Sail Lofts to discover more.