Visiting St Ives, the Lizard and the Eden Project - and much more
We are based in Newcastle Upon Tyne so for us to get to Cornwall would take around 8.5 hours by car - without stops! Instead we opted to stay with some family first in London for 3 nights to break up the journey so our first day in Cornwall started with a 5 hour journey from London to St Ives. We first planned to stop at Porthtowan beach which has a hidden pool and picturesque views and around 20 minutes away from St Ives. Unfortunately the weather was not in our favour and it couldn't be further from a 'beach day.' Instead we chose to drive to our home for the next 2 nights, Una St Ives
Una St Ives
You can find Una St Ives in Carbis Bay and it is a stylish holiday resort with a collection of luxury lodges with 1-4 bedrooms. The lodges are comfortable and contemporary with modern decor, fully equipped kitchens including a washing machine and dishwasher and many of the lodges also have a private hot tub. The main building also has a gym, indoor swimming pool, an outdoor Lido and a new CARGO seasonal outdoor BBQ kitchen.
The lodges are perfect for families and we took advantage of having a seperate living area, putting our daughter to bed and making dinner in the kitchen then relaxing in the hot tub. This definitely beats us all going to bed at 7pm in a hotel room or not being able to make any noise/switch on a light from 7pm onwards! The lodges are also suitable for solo travellers, couples and friends.
Una is within walking distance of Carbis Bay where you can explore the beautiful Cornish coastline without having to use the car or public transport. However there is a train station in Carbis Bay where you can catch the train into the centre of St Ives. It is approximately 15-20 minutes to walk to Carbis Bay and you could extend your walk along the coast for another hour to reach St Ives.
You can eat at Una Kitchen which is a multiple AA rosette-winning Cornish chef offering mediterranean-inspired dishes, woodfire pizzas and a great selection of wines, beers and cocktails.
A wonderful stay to be outside of the hustle and bustle of St Ives but close enough to enjoy everything it has to offer. Book your stay now.
Best things to do in St Ives
Porthgwidden beach
Smeatons Pier
Bamaluz beach
Tate Museum
Lands End
St Michael's Mount
Boat trip to Seal Island
Wine tasting at Polgoon Winery
See Best thing to do in St Ives post for more detail
Polurrian on the Lizard
If you're looking for a hotel with spectacular views of the Cornish coastline then look no further than Polurrian on the Lizard. The hotel has recently completed refurbishment and manages to balance traditional and contemportary decor perfectly. You can enjoy a drink on the terrace overlooking the Atlantic, have a game of air hockey or pool in the games room or relax in indoor or outdoor swimming pool.
There are 40 bedrooms, plus 6 luxury, 3-bedroom self-catering villas each sleeping up to 6 guests. We stayed in the Sheerwater, self-catering cottage which has 2 bedrooms, a living area, huge terrace with a table and chairs and a private hot tub where you can enjoy the views of the breathtaking cliffs.
The hotel is undertaking even further renovations to increase the amount of rooms offered and install an infinity pool. We will definitely be revisiting to take advantage of that in the future!
There are 2 options for dining at the hotel, the Vista restaurant which is more of a bar-style restaurant and the more formal sea-view restaurant. Both have a slightly different menu but lots of choice from wood-fired pizzas to Mediterranean-inspired fresh fish dishes. We had a buddha bowl, scallops, katsu chicken, a lemon posset and ice-cream sundae with a bottle of the house white wine which complimented the food perfectly.
Not only is this hotel beautiful inside but it also sits close to one of the main attractions in the Lizard, Mullion cove meaning you can walk the coastal path to Mullion cove and to Poldhu cove straight from the hotel without having to use the car. You can even walk to Kynance cove but that it a 2-hour walk so we chose to drive here instead which took 20 minutes.
We have no doubt that you would love your stay at the Polurrian and will be counting down the days until you can revisit. You can book the hotel here.
Best things to do in the Lizard
Porthleven
Mullion cove
Cadgwith and Coverack
Kynance cove
Lizard point and the lighthouse
The most southern point of Great Britain
Seal spotting and bird watching
See Best thing to do in the Lizard post for more detail
Eden Project
The Eden Project is one of the most, if not the main attraction in Cornwall. It is a beautiful global garden famous for its huge covered biomes. The Eden project is all accessible so we could use the pram which was really helpful. It also has an indoor interactive area and an outdoor play area so it is great for families.
When you enter you are given a map and can explore at your own pace. The main areas include the outdoor gardens, the world's largest indoor rainforest and the Mediterranean biome. It gets up to around 30 degrees in teh rainforest biome and it is so interesting to experience this indoor micro climate. You'll also see little roul-roul partridges roaming around. In the Mediterranean biome there are plants and flowers from all over the world as well as spices, olives and fruit trees.
Finally you pass through the gift shop which you could spend up to an hour in exploring. There is so much to buy from clothing to tea to plants and alcohol.
Tickets are £42 per person and well worth it for an informative and interesting day out.
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