Location: St. Ives, England, United Kingdom, Europe (22 miles from Newquay airport, nearest train station is 1 km)
Accommodations: Apartment, 4 Bedrooms, 2 Baths (Sleeps 8)
Upper Saltings is part of a 19th Century granite building right on famous Porthmeor Beach. Over the years it has been used for drying nets, fish, sails, and as artists' studios. We have now converted the space to make an extraordinary holiday retreat. The living room is huge (40 feet by 25 feet) with a nine foot wide window seat above the sand and sea.
You may spend most time there mesmerized by the sky and the light which drew so many 20th Century artists to this place: Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Bernard Leach, Terry Frost, Patrick Heron, W. Barnes-Graham, all of whose work may be seen in the Tate St Ives Museum further along the beach.
We have used slate, maple, and stainless steel to make a 21st century kitchen with every appliance. What you may remember most is the view from the kitchen sink: surfers riding the waves and spray shooting over the rocks. Under two big skylights (excellent for watching gulls, clouds, and stars), you will find a long dining table, for long convivial meals.
A fireplace, sofas, a yew table with broadband access, low children's tables, wide screen TV, DVD player, board games, and lots of books and art materials provide equipment - even for a rainy day. The four bedrooms have bedside reading lights, cupboards, and good mattresses.There are two doubles, one twin, and one boat-like bunk room. This sleeps 4/6 in nautical built-in beds and is a very popular feature. Two bathrooms and a utility room complete the space.
Should this be your first visit to St Ives, you are bound to fall in love with the cobbles, the fishing boats, the many small galleries, the green hills, harbour, and ever changing sea. The cliff path above small coves and basking seals will take you through National Trust land in Penrith to Land's End, past standing stone menhirs, stone circles, and a bronze age village. In this land of the Celts, Cornish is still spoken and sung. For us, it is a magic place; the folk tales are almost believable.
We use Upper Saltings for three main purposes. The first is for a family holiday. Youngsters can have an independent run of the town in safety and build sand castle just below the balcony. The second is as a place for "time-out" to reflect, to read, to paint, and to revel in the elements. The third is for reunions. It is a great place to gather. Additional sleeping quarters can be found in other apartments but it is hard to beat Upper Saltings for a memorable evening - watching the setting of the sun and the rising of the moon, wine glass in hand.
As you can probably tell, we adore being in Upper Saltings and suspect you may too. If you would like a smaller place on Porthmeor Beach, go to Listing #56858.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Washer
- Dryer
- Linens Provided: We use a professional laundry service but you may bring your own linen if you prefer.
- Off Street Parking: Nearby Car Parks available at around £30 per week.
- Gas Fireplace
- Beds
- Double Bed (2) : Bedside lights, cupboards and good mattresses.
- Twin/Single Bed (2)
- Bunk Bed (4) : Sleeps 4/6 in nautical built-ins. Some people think this is the best part of the apartment!
- Crib: One travel cot.
- Entertainment
- Cable/Satellite TV: Digital Freeview channels available.
- DVD
- VCR
- Video Library: Family movies and some classics stocked. Please feel free to add!
- CD Player
- Stereo System
- Music Library: Classical and opera.
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen: Miele fridge freezer; John Lewis multi-function oven; Miele hob; Miele dishwasher. What you may remember most is the view from the kitchen sink of surfers riding the waves and spray shooting over the rocks!
- Cooking Utensils Provided: Extremely well-equipped with all utensils for the keen cook, slate worktop, Dualit toaster, Magimix electric kettle, Sabatier knife set
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
- Microwave
- View/Location
- Beachfront: Nine foot wide window seat directly overlooks Porthmeor beach.
- Communications
- Telephone: UK landlines, most of Europe and US calls included at no additional cost. For mobiles, please purchase a phone card.
- Broadband Internet
- WiFi (Wireless Internet): Simply bring your own laptop and plug in.
- Suitability
- No Pets Allowed
- Kid Friendly: Right on Porthmeor Beach.
- Smoking Not Allowed
- Activities (on site and nearby)
- Golf
- Tennis
- Sightseeing
- Restaurants
- Sailing
- Swimming
- Snorkeling/Diving
- Surfing
- Windsurfing
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Fitness Center/Gym
- Cinemas/Movie Theaters
- Live Theatre
- Museums
- Horseback Riding
- Other Activities
- Unique award-winning ecological tourist site, the Eden Project is nearby.
Rate Details (In Pounds Sterling)
Spring Bank Hol May 23 /Summer holidays Jul 18-Sep 04.......£2125/week
Dec 26 -Jan 5.... £2125/week; Xmas Dec 19/ Jun 27 -Jul 17 ....£1950/week
May 30-Jun 26 / Sep 5...£1750/wk;Apr 4 - 24 ....... £1600/week
Apr 25 - May 23/ Sep 12 -19 / Oct 17- 30 .............. £1450/week
Feb 14 - 27 (half term) / Mar 29, rest of Sep and October .......£1125/week
Nov-Mar (excl holiday weeks) £1000/week; £700/week two guests only....
Nov-Mar weekends for 4 or more £925; for 2 people (3 nights)... £500
We accept payment by personal cheque or money transfer
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
Property Photos
- View from the window seat - St. Ives, England Apartment on Porthmeor Beach
- This view awaits you! - St. Ives, England Apartment on Porthmeor Beach
- Handmade maple dining table under two big skylights - St. Ives, England Apartment on Porthmeor Beach
- View of sunset from balcony & Living Room
- A ship's bunk room
- Kitchen
- View to chapel
- Surfers on Porthmeor beach below
- This could be you!
Guest Comments (10)
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Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #56859
There have been 15011 visitors to this page since the counter was last reset in 2006.
This listing was first published here in 2005.
Date last modified - November 26, 2009
Positive Rating
We arrived at Upper Saltings to see the sun setting through the enormous bow window, which juts out over Porthmeor Beach. It was a wonderful start to a brilliant holiday, due in large part to this unique holiday apartment. The main room is huge which allows people to do their own thing or in separate groups without feeling crowded together. There are small tables and chairs for children's activities and drawers of paint and paper type stuff for rainy days. Adults will be so mesmorised by the view they won't want to go anywhere, lounging on the windowseat in the rain or on the (little) balcony if hot. The design of the apartment and the very good original artworks were like the icing on the cake! The owners have been to immense pains to create a stylish and yet still practical home. A previous visitor had thanked them for adding hooks outside the front door to dry wetsuits on and this says everything about their caring, helpful attitude. All appliances and rooms are top notch and worked, the children's room was fun with a knitted reindeer waiting to greet my three-year old granddaughter. The only negative was having to queue for a long time to get into the adjacent carpark (rather than traipsing kids etc 10 minutes to another one) but this became a real positive because we left the car there and had a much more relaxing week for not haring about Cornwall as we normally would. We so much enjoyed everything about Upper Saltings that we have booked again for next year.
Positive Rating
"We just had a lovely time at Upper Saltings, it was fantastic in the cold, peaceful and quiet and a perfect start to the New Year."
Positive Rating
We have recently returned from our first visit to Upper Saltings . . . We had a truly magnificent break and have fallen madly and deeply in love with Upper Saltings. We can't thank you enough for creating such a wonderful holiday home and hope to return as soon as possible!
Positive Rating
“Just to say the house was absolutely amazing and we were stunned by the views, the lovely room etc. It was by far one of the most aesthetic rentals and the most comfortable I have ever seen.”
Positive Rating
“. . . we had a great stay at Upper Saltings. It really is a unique property which you must be justly proud of. It is a fantastically designed property, in a fantastic location. I have been holidaying in St Ives for over 45 years and have stayed in a lot of different places . . . Upper Saltings has been the best so far!"
Positive Rating
Sam, Anna and Harry , Newbury
Positive Rating
The daily grind requires some regular therapy and a week in St Ives always does it for me.
Positive Rating
I think you thought of everything – lovely touches and very homely. We had a fabulous time . . . We’ve booked again already!
Positive Rating
We had an absolutely fantastic holiday, felt very privileged to be able to stay in the Upper Saltings
Positive Rating
We had a fabulous time, it was the perfect base from which to explore the Land's End Peninsular . . . The view from the flat was breathtaking. . . the kitchen was brilliantly equipped, so we were able to gorge ourselves on the freshest sea food from the local fishmonger.