Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
St Ives Harbour Hotel & Spa is perfectly positioned directly above Porthminster beach boasting stunning views across the water. Watch as the waves lap against the famous Godrevy Lighthouse in the distance and feel your troubles disappear. Explore the local harbour, as you meander through the cobbled streets, and then return for dinner at HarBAR, serving up seasonal and local food, along with stunning sea views. The HarSPA provides the perfect hideaway, as you indulge in a soothing treatment and then unwind by the pool, gazing out to sea from the comfort of a lounger! Enjoy an indulgent afternoon tea, cocktail or light lunch on the alfresco dining terrace and soak up the sea air and sensational views. The 46 bedrooms offer complete comfort and some of the Superior Bedrooms have balconies - a perfect place to relax over a morning coffee with the papers or afternoon tea watching the boats sail by...
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TheAA: The Automobile Association.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Harbour Hotel St Ives is often celebrated for its tasteful decor and personable staff who deliver exceptional service with a keen eye for detail. While the hotel's atmosphere and modernly decorated rooms with scenic views are well-received, a number of guests have mentioned noise and cleanliness as areas that could use enhancement.
The amenities, including a spa and valet parking, are generally appreciated, though some visitors suggest there's room for improvement. While its location is a stone's throw away from picturesque beaches, the packages offered are considered good value despite some criticisms regarding extra costs.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Stylish
Rooms
Modern
Value
Pricey
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Outstanding
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We had a late lunch in the hotel restaurant. We use and stay in Salcombe and Sidmouth harbour hotels regularly as we live in Devon, but this was a first visit to the St Ives one. Beautiful hotel, food was amazing and the staff went above and beyond, especially Erin the restaurant manager. We will def be back for a stay.
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Date of stay: October 2024
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mollie Pilkerton, Guest Services / Front Office at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 19 Oct 2024
Dear Kazstocker, Thank you for your 5* review. We really appreciate your score and your wonderful comments about our hotel and our team. We hope to see you in the future. Best Wishes Mollie Pilkerton, Reception Manager
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Overall we enjoyed our stay at this hotel although having stayed for the previous 2 days in the excellent Harbour Hotel in Fowey for £200 less the comparison was not favourable and I note that most issues have been highlighted in previous reviews, suggesting a need for attention from management rather than the usual ‘we note concerns’ response. Check in time is 3pm we arrived at 3.45pm after quite a stressful moment accessing the car park and finding the parking valet. We were disappointed to find the room was not ready owing to staffing problems and we were offered a complimentary drink in the bar. The bar service was very slow and we were by now tired, thirsty and annoyed. When the room was ready no-one showed us in and the key didn’t work which was beyond frustrating. The room itself although quite small for the price we paid had a spectacular view of the beach and the bay, we were so pleased that it appeared to be one of the only sea view rooms not affected by scaffolding. It is unacceptable to send clients an e mail after check in informing them about the scaffolding issue. Had we been affected by this I think we would have cancelled as this was the reason we chose this hotel, guests should have offered this option. The room set up was acceptable although the lack of plugs meant boiling the kettle on the floor or the bedside table! The second day of our stay we returned to the hotel at 4.30pm and again the room had not been made up. I know many hotels are experiencing staff shortages but this suggests a serious issue. The view from the restaurant is stunning and the dinner was delicious, served by cheerful and attentive staff. Likewise breakfast was freshly cooked, served quickly by efficient staff some of whom were being trained very well. We liked the booking system for breakfast which meant social distancing of tables and greater privacy, we were pleased to see hand sanitiser everywhere. The hotel cannot really justify such high prices unless service is tip top and this is not the case despite the wonderful setting.
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Date of stay: May 2021
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Superior sea view was OK not as big as expected
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hannah Bassett, Guest Services / Front Office at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 30 May 2021
Hello, Many thanks for taking the time to write your great well balanced review of the hotel. Your feedback is much appreciated and certainly something i will discuss further with the team. I am pleased you enjoyed your overall stay with us, despite a few issues which you faced. Please be aware this isn't the usual standard here. I noticed you mentioned a staff shortage, unfortunately at the moment hospitality is experiencing this throughout all areas in most hotels and restaurants. Some places in St Ives and in Cornwall are even having to close for a few days a week to ensure their staff can have a day off. We are fortune to not be in this position, but appreciate your understanding. All your points have been noticed and will be raised with the team. We hope you will return to the hotel again in the future. All the best, Hannah Bassett - Guest Relations
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We stayed there for four nights at the end of September and beginning of October. We had two seaview double rooms on the ground floor, ie the same floor as reception. The rooms were of a very high standard, comfortable bed, especially the pillows with a very well equipped bathroom with a good shower. The views of Porthminster Bay were fantastic. We were impressed by the covid precautions including the picture/ thermometer on the way to reception. I have some slight niggles about reception though. On arrival we asked for a map of the town. We don't have a map was the reply. However when I later asked a different receptionist about walks from the hotel she immediately produced a two sided map, not only of St Ives but the nearby bays. In addition as we were leaving we noticed in the waiting area, a whole stack of maps. When we booked breakfast for 9am for the last two mornings the restaurant said they'd been booked for 8.30am, a staff training need? Others have commented about the car valet service. We had no problems. On a very wet Friday morning the car arrived within 10/15 minutes of me asking.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Unless you need a family room avoid room 105. It is next to reception and the stairs so you get...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hannah Bassett, Guest Services / Front Office at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 4 Oct 2020
Good Afternoon Cilc213, Thank you for taking the time to write a lovely 5 star review on Trip advisor. It is wonderful to read such lovely comments regarding your recent stay with us. I take your comments on board regarding the reception team and will look into this further. I'm pleased you also found no issues with our valet parking. Have a lovely day, and we look forward to welcoming you back here again soon. Kind Regards Hannah Bassett Guest Relations
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Coming back from a long weekend staying at the hotel, we needed a couple days to recover from the staying over at this hotel. Yes, given the pricing you have expectations and the hotel failed tremendously as follows: Cleaningness of the room upon arrival and every day was below an acceptable standard; Sand left in the shower cubicle after morning housekeeping; Terrace floor not wiped for days, covered in dirt;
Complimentary tea/ coffee cups, and toiletries not replaced with new ones every day; (I had to request a clean one after 2 days); Not climate control in the bedroom (given the price paid); Tiny rooms that you struggle to walk around the bed without hitting your head on the television: Narrow shower doors that you can only enter side ways unless you are a size 4; External decorating in urgent need Music coming from the bar was very loud until late in the evening. At 22:00 I had to inform reception; Upon arrival, it was found on the room door a sticker indicating: Sealed deep clean label. Once the door opened it dropped on the floor and the cleaners were walking over it for 3 days; Fresh fruit salad at breakfast was clearly from a tin;
Do you need more reasons NOT TO STAY THERE?
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Federico Aresti, General Manager at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 27 Aug 2020
Dear Vassiak1 i read your feed back with disappointment and i forward my apologies. Could you please get in touch to my email federico.aresti@harbourhotels.co.uk to discuss this further? kind regards fed
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Have stayed here numerous times so overall we like it but there are always a few things that let it down. The staff are brilliant across the hotel but areas that need attention this time were - the fridge is a ridiculous idea, couldn’t work out how to open it then found out you needed a key from reception? The room was quite cold as the radiator just didn’t seem big enough and didn’t get hot enough to make a difference. The Wi-fi was terrible so ended up using my 4g which was much more responsive and faster than the free option - not what you’d expect in this day. No decanters in the room which in hindsight was probably a good thing as if we’d wanted tonic to go with the gin we wouldn’t have been able to open the fridge without leaving the room to get a key from reception, a voucher for a drink in the bar was offered instead. Once in bed on the first night I realised there were no bed side lamps and the only way to turn the light off was to get out of bed to the main switch, once reception was notified of this the next morning it was rectified, but again not great for this type of category hotel. The floorboards are very creaky and need attention for a peaceful rest. On check out the invoice from the restaurant was not quite right but this was rectified. The food in the restaurant was the best we’ve had and the staff very accommodating, just a shame there were a few things that weren’t quite right.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Vacation14172070221, Manager at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 12 Feb 2020
Dear outpace1, Thank you very much for your feedback, please would you provide me with your personal correspondence details so we may discuss this matter further – my direct contact email is ben.wilson@harbourhotels.co.uk Thank you. Ben
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We stayed at the harbour Hotel for 1 night and would never go back We stayed on 22nd March and had phoned before travelling to check it was OK to stay, we were told yes as all necessary precautions were being taken. Upon entering our room we could not belive the lack of cleanliness. Poo stains in the toilet, broken toilet seat crumbs over the table, dust everywhere, crumbs and paper in the chair. We asked for another room and were given the key to a room that had been supposedly deep cleaned, but the state of the room was exactly the same as the previous room, we were shocked, and realised there was no point asking for another room as this was supposed to be a room that had Been deep cleaned!! We didn't use the kettle or coffee machine, the food understandably was served in our room due to the restaurant being closed, the quality of which was very poor. I feel this hotel had put everyone who stayed there at risk, and hope if it is being used for key workers the cleanliness in the rooms had vastly improved.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hannah Bassett, Guest Services / Front Office at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 4 Oct 2020
Hello, Please be assured our Covid-19 safety measures in place are extremely high and we have been highly complimented on how staff and guests have all been in order to try and keep each other safe and the virus away. I'm sorry if you didn't think this was the case during your stay in March. Kind Regards Hannah Bassett
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We were slightly disappointed on arrival to hear the complimentary gin in the room had been discontinued but the GM Frederico was fantastic and more than made up for things with his helpfulness and enthusiasm. Views are stunning from the terrace and dining room and the breakfasts were excellent. All the staff were very welcoming and everything was spotlessly clean with hand sanitiser everywhere and all covid regulations were applied without making you feel restricted in any way. Great place to stay for a visit to St Ives as it is close to everything but also just far enough from the hustle and bustle of the harbour to be relaxing.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:If a good sea view is important I would recommend a superior room with juliet balcony
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Federico Aresti, General Manager at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 6 Aug 2020
Dear U3518Klrobj Thank you for the review and the 5star rating, I'm delighted the team made you feel welcome and would highly recommend us. I fully agree its a great view and location for us here, we'd be delighted to host you again. Kind regards fed
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My Wife, 10yr old daughter and I have just got back from a wonderful week in St Ives. As the hotel had only opened the week before following government guidelines, we were concerned what it would be like and we were also a little concerned how the locals would be given the recent press.
We needn’t have worried, the hotel had prepared us with extensive information on their website as well as via emails prior to arrival on their Covid processes which were very helpful and followed to the letter, and both staff at the hotel and locals out and about could not have been more welcoming.
The hotel itself was fantastic with staff and guests respectful of each other’s space and there seemed to be hand sanitizers every 50 paces helping to make the whole experience feel safe and relaxed. We could choose to have the daily maid service or not (we chose not) and all meals required a booking so that they could manage the numbers at each sitting. The a la carte menus at both breakfast and dinner were delicious with the only real adjustment being the speed of service as naturally things took a bit longer, but with the stunning view from the restaurant of Porthminister beach and across the bay to Godrevy lighthouse, we were happy to wait.
All of the staff at the hotel were very friendly and relaxed and couldn’t do enough and we were made to feel very welcome.
St Ives itself and the other towns visited were naturally busy but the shops all had systems in place with sanitiser and restrictions on numbers allowed inside at the same time meaning again it felt relaxed. The safest place to be were the beaches as there was always lots of space.
Thanks to Federico and team for a fantastic week and we’ll definitely be back!
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Federico Aresti, General Manager at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 24 Jul 2020
Dear KPK500 We are delighted you have enjoyed your stay with us, and will be sure to pass on your kind words to the team. We do hope you book with us again in the future. All the best, The St. Ives Team
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First of all let me say, all of the staff at the hotel were wonderful and we couldn't fault any of the staff we engaged with. The room we were allocated was well appointed and clean. We ate in the hotel restaurant every evening and the quality of food was of a high standard. We only ever saw an A La Carte menu which we had an allowance against of around £27.00, we were never offered the fixed menu which would have been inclusive. The hotel is very well positioned for a stroll into the town centre and ideal for a trip on the little train. There were a few irritations to our stay that could be better: 1) Although I appreciate the free parking, the actual logistics are quite stressful. The parking bay opposite the hotel entrance had a huge green skip and parked cars in it. This meant I had to park in the road on double yellow lines. It is a major bus route so quite dangerous trying to unpack the car with double decker buses and large lorries thundering by. Try and pack everything you need in a single suit case to make the transfer easier. 2) House keeping wasn't great. We had a light fitting missing in the bathroom (see photo) and a ripped chair (see photo) in the room that hadn't been dealt with. Also on our last day the tea coffee and biccies hadn't been replenished and the glasses for our complimentary bottle of water hadn't been left. The 'Nespresso' coffee machine was hopeless, no instructions on how this contraption was supposed to operate. Also on arrival our mugs were dirty and one still had the string on the handle from a previous tea bag.
The spa was fine but the shower/toilet area was horrible. No shower gel available and loads of empties strewn all over the floor - not good. The spa receptionist was nowhere to be seen.
All our meals were fine. The only issue was at breakfast where every cooked breakfast we ordered was cold.
We enjoyed our stay but a few pointers for management to deal with.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hannah Bassett, Guest Services / Front Office at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 4 Oct 2020
Thank you for taking the time to write your lovely 4 star review. I am pleased to read you enjoyed your overall stay with us. I do take your comments on board though, and will certainly look into these for you. We hope to welcome you back again soon. All the best, Hannah Bassett Guest Relations
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We decided that we would go to St Ives (once we were allowed too) at the time of a pandemic. St Ives harbour Hotel and Spa was the place to stay, the staff were friendly and helpful, the rooms were clean and tidy and their procedure during this time was second to none. The rooms were sanitised, cleaned and then sanitised again after each guest. There was hand sanitiser everywhere along with social distancing markers. the food was out of this world, if you want to sample the food be sure to book a table as it gets busy from guests and locals. If they can provide such a good service at this strange time in our lives we wondered what it would be like to stay during “normal” life and we will definitely be going back. Well done to Federico Aresti and his team.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Go for a sea view, views are stunning night and day
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Federico Aresti, General Manager at Harbour Hotel St Ives
Responded 11 Aug 2020
Good afternoon Travelpals911 Thank you for taking the time to give us a five star review. I am glad to hear that my team were friendly and welcoming towards you and you enjoyed our new menu in the restaurant Thank you for your review, i hope to welcome you back one day kind regards Fed
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Plymouth, United Kingdom71 contributions43 helpful votes
I think it MAY depend on your room class re spa usage. Treatments will cost irrespective of room level.
Check with reception on arrival re early or late check out.
Plymouth, United Kingdom71 contributions43 helpful votes
"Check if lift working if you're on the top floor (LOTS of stairs otherwise)
.
Any questions, staff are happy to answer & accommodate if they can
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Go into the town!!"
There are more places to choose from in the St Ives area.
PRICE RANGE
S$214 - S$259 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
porthminster hotel st ives, porthminster st ives
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandCornwallSt Ives
NUMBER OF ROOMS
50
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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