Burrow Cottage

Hotel Description

You know what struck me first about Burrow Cottage? It’s tucked away on this quiet residential road that feels like you’ve stumbled into the St Ives that locals actually live in – not the touristy bit down by the harbor where everyone’s fighting for parking spaces. I mean, you’re still only about a ten-minute walk from the Tate St Ives and those gorgeous beaches, but honestly, it feels like a completely different world up here.

The cottage itself has this lovely weathered stone exterior that’s clearly been here forever, and inside there’s this perfect balance between keeping the original character (those thick Cornish walls are brilliant for keeping things cool in summer) and actually having modern amenities that work properly. The rooms have these deep-set windows that frame views of the surrounding hills, and you can actually open them wide without traffic noise – something you definitely can’t say about places closer to the main tourist drag. What I really appreciated was the attention to detail in the furnishings; everything feels deliberately chosen rather than just ordered from some hotel catalog. The beds are properly comfortable too, which matters more than people think when you’ve been tramping around coastal paths all day.

Location-wise, this place is actually genius if you know St Ives at all. Sure, you’re not stumbling out your front door onto Porthmeor Beach, but you’re also not dealing with the absolute chaos that is Fore Street in July and August. There’s decent parking (and trust me, that’s worth its weight in gold around here), and you can walk down through the narrow lanes to reach the town center while avoiding the main tourist bottlenecks. The local bus stops right at the end of Burrow Road if you want to explore further up the coast without the hassle of driving those notoriously narrow Cornish lanes. I found myself taking evening walks up toward the moors behind the cottage – there’s this lovely footpath that gives you spectacular views back over the town and out to sea, especially at sunset. The owners clearly know their stuff about what makes a stay memorable; little touches like proper local recommendations (not just the obvious tourist spots) and genuinely helpful advice about timing your visits to popular places. It’s the kind of place where you feel like you’re staying somewhere special rather than just booking a room for the night.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $308. Holiday Home with 1 large double bed and 2 × 1 double bed for Max persons: 6

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities