Guests say
Sowena in Carbis Bay is a well-received holiday rental, praised for its cleanliness, excellent location near the beach, and comfortable amenities. Guests appreciate the well-equipped kitchen, luxurious toiletries, and thoughtful touches like games and entertainment options. Some concerns about noise from upstairs and parking challenges are noted, but overall, guests report memorable stays and express a desire to return.
The property consistently receives high marks for cleanliness, with guests describing it as 'very clean', 'impeccably clean', and 'spotless'. The attention to detail in maintaining a clean environment contributes positively to the guest experience.
The location is highly praised for its proximity to Carbis Bay Beach and the convenience of nearby train access to St Ives. Guests find the setting ideal for beach visits and exploring the local area, enhancing the overall appeal of the property.
Comfort is well-regarded, with guests finding the beds comfy and the property spacious. Some guests mention noise from an upstairs neighbour, which slightly impacts the comfort score. However, the overall sentiment remains positive.
Facilities are generally appreciated, especially the well-stocked kitchen and entertainment options. However, there are several mentions of maintenance issues such as dampness, problematic gates, and non-functioning equipment, which suggests room for improvement.
Guests frequently mention the thoughtful touches, such as luxury toiletries and the provision of games and entertainment. While these are appreciated, it is noted that such gifts are a delightful bonus and not guaranteed with every stay.
About this property
Overlooking St Ives Bay, in Tol Pedn apartments, on the seaward facing side of Carbis Bay, this lovely, three-bedroom, ground floor apartment, enjoys partial views to the Sea from its sitting area, ideally positioned on Headland Road, its just a short walk to the beach, scenic railway and for access to the South West coast path, which circles Cornwall’s dramatic coastline, making it the perfect base for getting the family together for a seaside getaway, a sitting area themed with light blues and artwork of scenes of Cornish beaches reflect the local sea views, sink into the five seater luxury leather corner chaise style sofa, with contemporary leather tub chair, watch the everchanging ocean colours or enjoy the entertainment on the widescreen television, with Freeview, the spacious open plan Kitchen/Dining room, is to the left of the sitting area, benefiting from the same partial sea views as the sitting area, a high quality oak dining table with matching chairs comfortably seats six people, so the whole family can enjoy meals together, a contemporary open plan kitchen, within the dining area, is perfectly placed for socialising with the designated chef, its well appointed with a breakfast bar and spacious work tops, offering everything you need for a weeks holiday, a separate utility room ,off the hallway, has a washer dryer and direct access to the rear sun decked area, a master king-sized bedroom has a private en-suite with shower room, a second bedroom is fitted with twin beds and it also enjoys direct access to a rear sun terrace, a great place to enjoy a book or alfresco breakfast in the sun, a third bedroom has a contemporary oak double bed, all rooms are light and airy and offer plenty of storage space, the main family bathroom is conveniently located off the hallway, between all the bedrooms, with a deep bath, shower and twin wash basin’s, a great space to escape for a relaxing soak amongst the bubbles, a rear sun deck is accessible from either the second bedroom or the utility room, it is enclosed on three sides, a table and six chairs are provided so you can enjoy dining alfresco in the Cornish sunshine, a short walk takes you to the South West Coast Path towards Lelant and the Hayle Estuary in one direction and St Ives, via Carbis Bay Beach, in the other, stop off at the beach, its wonderful for swimming, surfing or bodyboarding, lifeguarded at peak times, this secluded bay has crystal clear, Blue Flag awarded, waters and golden sand, a short walk further along the dramatic cliff path and you’ll reach St Ives, surrounded with more sandy shores, the traditional Cornish fishing village, with its working harbour, is filled with restaurants, cafes and art galleries, this beautiful tourist hot spot has inspired many artist including, the works celebrated at The Tate and Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, one of it former famous residents, after exploring the gallery, reward yourself with a relaxing but spectacular rail journey back to Carbis Bay on the scenic railway, it connects the local area, and runs beside the beaches with sea views all the way, for a day out, Cornwall’s Eden Project is world famous for its glorious enclosed rainforest and the nearby Lost Gardens of Heligan are enchanting, Pendennis Castle in Falmouth is one of many of Cornwall’s historic landmarks, along with St Michaels Mount near Penzance, the jewel in Cornwall’s crown, is a sight not to miss, if you travel from Penzance to Lands’ End treat yourself with a night out at one of the country’s most stunning open air theatres, The Minack is dramatically set on the edge of a Cornish cliff, for the kids they will enjoy feeding the animals at Paradise Park in Hayle or Flambards Theme Park near Helston, with its thrills and spills, Sowena means success in Cornish, and this apartments setting successfully combines a chic base to wind down to the relaxing Cornish lifestyle, with lots of exciting experiences on your door step.
Carbis Bay, a seaside village near St. Ives, is famed for its white sand beach. With turquoise waters and sheltered conditions, the beach is great for a classic day at the beach. If sunbathing isn't your thing, rent a kayak or SUP from the Ocean Sports Centre. Or, have a spa day at a boutique hotel with a beachfront patio where you can sip cocktails in the Cornish sun. Carbis Bay features shops, restaurants, a fish & chip takeaway, and a railway branchline. Carbis Bay to St. Ives is a delightful rail ride.
Accommodation
Ground-floor apartment.
Three bedrooms: 1 x king size with en-suite shower room, wash basin, heated towel rail, and WC, 1 x double, 1 x twin.
Family bathroom with deep bath, wash basin, heated towel rail, and WC.
Open-plan living space with kitchen, and dining area, sitting area, rear facing enclosed terrace
Gas central heating.
Electric cooker,5 burner gas hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, coffee machine, washer/dryer, TV with Freeview to lounge and bedrooms, with integrated DVD player to bedrooms, DVD player with selection of DVDs, iPod dock and radio, Nintendo Wii and PS2 with selection of games, Wifi.
Fuel and power included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Cot and highchair provided; we request that guests provide their own cot bedding.
Parking for one car, rear facing enclosed terrace, outside furniture including BBQ, table, and chairs.
Sorry no pets, no smoking.
Shops, beaches, and pubs within a short walk.
Nearby points of interest
- Porthminster Beach Café
- Anima-Mundi (Formerly Millennium)
- Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden
- Count House Café
- Geevor Tin Mine
- Jackson Foundation
- Porthcurno Telegraph Museum
- Minack Theatre
- Gwynver Beach
- Porthchapel Beach
Reviews (31)
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Julie
It was windy and it needed two of us to manage it. I would recommend new gates. Everything else was lovely.
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Hannah
Has everything you need for a weeks stay and my kids loved all the added extras ( games, dvds etc) beds really comfy. Really good location too. 5 min to train station. Parking in the garden was a little tight, we managed to get our Tesla in there though but my mother in law who came with us ended up scratching all down one side of her scenic getting it out one day. Upstairs neighbour is a tad noisy, could hear them opening and shutting drawers at 11pm at night but didnât disturb us too much. Would definitely come back
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Fiona
Location is amazing for Carbis Bay Beach, train to St Ives a short walk from the apartment so lots of positives. Bedrooms comfortable and bathrooms good size. We would look to book again! Some constructive feedback, we did enjoy our stay but did find a few things slightly frustrating. We arrived later than expected in the dark and rain. The information about the carpark and sign for Sowena were really difficult to see, it took us about 20 minutes driving in and out, looking up the road to find the correct property. There is no mention about the parking space being behind a locked gate, only accessible once youâre inside. Also we were lucky there were a few strong adults, as the gate is really arduous and I was almost hit by the long beam as the wind blew it from its resting place and fell down, while waiting for the car to drive in. I feel like this process is making something that should be quite simple very complicated and tricky. There were also quite a few pieces of broken decking with exposed nails around the garden and we had a 4 year old, so not safe at all. I couldnât find the bin or recycling area (obviously not intentional or your fault) but the bin was eventually found after walking up Headland Rd and at another property. Also I completely appreciate you wanting to prevent moisture build up etc, but as Iâm on holiday, being asked to use chemical spray and wipe down showers after every use is just too much. One other slight negative would be the quite late check in and rather early check out, we felt that it could be either 11am - 4pm or 10am - 3pm. One extra hour either side would Iâm sure be appreciated by future guests, I understand the time needed for cleaning but a little compromise.