Curlew Cottage

Hotel Description

You know what struck me first about Curlew Cottage? It’s not trying to be something it’s not. This isn’t some grand country manor pretending to be rustic – it’s genuinely cozy in that way only proper Cornish cottages can pull off. Tucked away on Tyringham Road in Uny Lelant (honestly, you’ll probably miss the turn the first time), it feels like stumbling onto someone’s well-kept secret rather than booking a standard hotel room.

The location is actually brilliant once you figure out where you are. You’re close enough to St. Ives that you can pop over without the summer parking nightmare – I mean, anyone who’s tried to find a spot in St. Ives during August knows what I’m talking about. But you’re also right there for some of the quieter bits of coastline that most tourists never bother with. The coastal path practically runs past your door, and there’s something lovely about starting your morning walk before the day-trippers arrive. Inside, they’ve managed that tricky balance of keeping the cottage character (low beams, proper thick walls that actually keep the wind out) while making sure everything works properly. The heating’s reliable – crucial for Cornwall, where summer can feel like spring anywhere else – and the Wi-Fi doesn’t cut out every five minutes like some places around here.

What really won me over, though, was the attention to those little things that matter when you’re actually living somewhere for a few days. Decent water pressure in the shower, enough outlets near the bed for your phone charger, proper blackout curtains so you can sleep past sunrise if you want. The owners clearly understand that four-star comfort isn’t about fancy toiletries (though those are nice too) – it’s about not having to think about whether basic things will work. Parking’s right there, which sounds boring until you’ve hauled luggage up a Cornish hill in the rain. The only minor grumble? The cottage sits close enough to the road that you’ll hear the occasional car, but honestly, it’s nothing compared to city noise, and it goes completely quiet after about 10 PM. If you’re looking for somewhere that feels authentically Cornish without sacrificing comfort, and you want to explore this bit of coast without fighting crowds every time you step outside, Curlew Cottage gets it right. It’s the kind of place you’d actually want to come back to rather than just tick off a list.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $176. Holiday Home with 1 large double bed and 2 single beds for Max persons: 4

Reviews

• Bernard from United Kingdom – 25 June 2022 (8/10)

  No breakfast. Location good
  
  What could be improved: It was all good

• Shani from United Kingdom – 3 May 2023 (9/10)

  perfect location, fully equipped, clean, comfortable and attractive
  
  What could be improved: toaster didn’t work,
  quilt cover was too big for the quilt so lots of spare material. nothing serious!

• John from Switzerland – 14 May 2023 (7/10)

  very nice homely feel cottage decorated beautifully throughout with nautical theme. lots of lovely home touches. a small sun deck terrace at back of cottage and a small garden too although we couldn’t make much use of it as too cold and rainy! Not owners fault of course 😊
  a nice welcome bag of tea coffee and biscuits was a lovely touch 😊😊😊
  Bed was very comfortable and pillows too. it was 2 bedroom with the twin at the front so very noisy from traffic outside.
  we requested early Checkin at 3pm and very kindly they allowed that which was great thanks 😊😊😊
  wifi was strong and good.
  
  What could be improved: this was the sticking point for us, the cottage or small house in reality was right on a very busy corner of with a very narrow foot path. absolutely no where to park safely to unload bags and when we tried, neighbours got a bit agitated. if we had know the location and parking road issue we would never have booked. the property was not advertised with parking so no complaint there but it is very unsafe to unload bags there and no where near to carry bags to the property. this spoilt the whole stay unfortunately as we had to try and park wherever we could far away so not a great situation for us.
  Also post was arriving at the property so a bit unprofessional. Toaster didn’t work but we didn’t say anything as we had messaged the agent about parking suggestions and they never responded. Also most glasses in kitchen were dirty so I had to clean first. The house also had a strong mould smell when it you walk in so not sure if ventilation needs looking at there.
  I’m not happy to be writing this review as I very rarely give a bad one but there was just one too many things which affected our stay.
  in the main bedroom there was thick white dust on the underside of the window blind which was a surprise! we had trouble getting it out of our clothes!
  we met the cleaning lady on our departure as she was a little early but she was very nice and helpful as we’d broken a wine glass and left some money for it so just checking that was ok. we also mentioned the blind.
  unlikely we’ll stay again unfortunately.

• Johanna from Austria – 5 September 2024 (8/10)

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities