Cornwall...anyone been to Carbis Bay?

bargain_luv

Thinking of saving some cash and holidaying in the UK. Been recommended Carbis Bay as a nice spot, near St Ives. Anyone been and have and tips of where best to stay?

nickj_2

i've just stayed down that way at st ives bay holiday park which was a great place to stay, right next to beach , in hayle , about 5 mins from carbis ,

awesome area , fantastic beaches

bargain_luv

Thanks. We have been recommended an apartment on the beach!! Looks so amazing. . Not even like the UK. . But too late for this summer ..fully booked up now. But September looks better value anyway. Is there much to do in September or does place close down abit off peak?

nickj_2

it will be still be busy , we normally go in october and there are still loads of holiday makers around ,and things to do

Dimey

Yes its a beautiful bay and the surrounding area is lovely. Less commercialised. Have a great holiday

bargain_luv

Thanks everyone!!

We have decided to go to an apartment called Ocean Cove over looking Carbis Bay Beach....Found a Facebook page for it..liked it and got a discount code for it :j

Can't wait...looks amazing!!

bargain_luv

Everyone was right - Carbis Bay and St Ives was amazing. Wanted to share some money saving tips for anyone else heading down there this summer.

- Look on facebook for offers, you only have to Like their page to get a discount... the discount obviously depends on how last minute you are looking at. But you can find some good offers in the off-peak.. we went to Ocean Cove (Search for OceanCove on FaceBook) . It is not dirt cheap, but was really great value for money. The quality was superb and great location, right on the beach and loads of beach equipment provided, even lots of cool packs and cool bags - so no need to buy our own (which I usually forget to bring from home and end up with loads!).

- There is a good size Tescos between St Ives and Carbis Bay to stock up if you have a car, or do a Tesco Direct order for when you arrive, to save yourself the trip. We got loads of stuff for picnics on the beach every day! We ate in most evenings too as the view from the apartment was better than anything that we would get from a restaurant and kids were shattered with full days on the beach

- Getting into St Ives on the train (journey 3 mins) costs only £2 for a family of 4, cheaper than parking in St Ives, even if you can find a space! Our apartment was only 2 min walk from the Station.

- Walk into St Ives - 20 min lovely coastal walk and save even more money and work off some of the cream teas and pasties!

- Best pasties we found were in Hayle, at Philps they are gorgeous and a Large would easily feed 2 adults or one very hungry one.. HUGE! Locals queue around the block at lunchtimes - must be a good sign!

- In Hayle there is a good Go-Karting place, which is good for kids and adults and is reasonably priced - £11 each for a session. Our kids and loved it!

- Surf lessons at the St Ives surf school offer a free lesson if you take 5 lessons. Very well run. £30 per lesson - lasts 2 hours and includes all equipment. After one lesson kids could stand up! Well worth doing, especially if weather not so good as they are already wet!

- Look online or on here for offers to the Eden Project, we got 40% off and if you have certain premier bank accounts, they always have discounts on. They even have concerts in the summer - which we did not know about and missed.. but next year we will be better prepared.

- Places to check out that are a must include the Minack Theatre, amazing views and if you are lucky you may see the family of Basking Sharks that live there! If you want to see a show, you need to book in advance. You can take your own food and drink in. Take a beach towel to sit on to save renting a seat pad (£1 each).


- Lots of restaurants do kids meals for around £5 a head, including a soft drink, so plenty of options. Our kids really like

OneYorkshireLass

bargain_luv wrote: »

- Places to check out that are a must include the Minack Theatre, amazing views and if you are lucky you may see the family of Basking Sharks that live there!

Bless you, I had to smile at that one - it reminded me of SeaWorld in Florida, but Mount's Bay is not quite the same thing . I know what you mean, that they frequent that area a lot but you'd be very lucky to see a basking shark. I've been going to that area of Cornwall many years and have only seen them twice

If you fancy a wildlife/boat trip then this is very popular: http://www.cornwallboattrips.co.uk/boat-trips-penzance-cornwall/content/welcome-mermaid-pleasure-trips

My current favourite places are:

Porthleven - try Nauti But Ice cafe on the harbour. Real tea and great cakes. A good selection of ice cream too.

Mousehole - just because it's Mousehole. There's nowhere else in the world quite like it. Park on the road going in from Newlyn to avoid car parking charges.

Porthcurno Beach (just below the aforementioned Minack Theatre) - always stunning, whatever the weather.

Sennen Cove - fabulous beach for kids, lifeguarded and surf school on here. Very flat and easy access from car park.

Trebah Garden, near Falmouth - you can pay in once and get a free visit again within a week. The cafe and shops here are free to enter though and free parking too. It's not a big garden but a small stream leads you from a koi carp pool, down through a water garden, past ponds, a lake then onto a shingle beach. There's tons of wildlife if you look for it too. One of my most favourite places.


p.s check the performance times for the Minack Theatre before you set off as they close the place when a performance is on. Plus if there's a rehearsal on (usually Saturday/Sunday afternoons) you can't get onto the stage area.
http://www.minack.com/index.htm

And if you haven't been to the area before have a mooch around on Street View to see whether places look like your sort of thing. It saves a lot of time

bargain_luv

I don't feel so short changed now that we did not see the sharks ... I kept looking out for them over the show!!

I am totally in love with Cornwall now.. Might even have to start watching Doc Martin - although not in St Ives!