Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How close to the beach are My Cottages in St Ives?

A: Very close – it is only about 2/3 minutes’ walk to Porthmeor Beach and the Harbour. The other beaches in St Ives are within easy walking distance. The main shops and restaurants are only a few minutes’ walk away too.

Q: Does my holiday cottage have any additional sleeping capacity?

A: The ‘bed capacity’ of each cottage is as stated on this website. We can provide a companion bed for Iris to take the capacity to five people, but this is only suitable for children under the age of twelve. We do not allow additional guests, e.g., sleeping on the sofa / floor.

Q: Do we need to bring our own bed linen?

A: No, the beds in your cottage will be fully made up with luxury bed linen. If you are staying for more than a week, we will provide a change of bed linen after the first week. Please note we do not provide cot linen or bedding.

Q: Do you provide towels?

A: Yes, each guest will be provided with one set of towels (one bath sheet and one hand towel). If you need additional towels, we can provide these on request for a small additional charge.

Q: What about beach towels?

A: We do not provide beach towels so we would ask that guests bring their own. Please do not use the white bathroom and shower room towels on the beach.

Q: Do I need to bring soap and toilet rolls?

A: We provide a starter pack of two toilet rolls for each bathroom, hand soap, and toiletries including shampoo, shower gel and body lotion. There is also hand sanitiser in each cottage.

Q: Are there laundry facilities?

A: All our properties are fitted with a washer / dryer and we provide a few laundry tablets for your use.

Q: What facilities are there in the kitchen?

A: There is a Halogen hob and electric oven in Juliot and gas range cookers in Iris & Wella, a fridge / freezer in Iris & Wella and an undercounter fridge with an icebox in Juliot. All three properties have a dishwasher. We provide all the usual cutlery, plates, glasses, pans, tea towels etc. We also have food processors and electric whisks available in each kitchen.

Q: Is there a television?

A: Yes, there are flat screen smart TVs as standard in the living rooms and bedrooms of all the cottages, we also have waterproof flat screen TVs in each bathroom. They all receive the current digital Freeview channels and each property also has a DAB Digital Robert’s Bluetooth Radio.

Q: Is there internet access?

A: We provide free, Superfast BT Wi Fi. We will leave instructions and details of the networks, passwords etc in the welcome pack in the kitchen or living room in each cottage.

Q: Is my property centrally heated?

A: All of the cottages have underfloor heating. Information on controlling the heating is located in the cottage welcome pack.

Q: How many sets of keys are there and how will I receive them?

A: There are two sets of keys kept in each cottage and they each have their own key safe located on the wall outside the front doors. About 7 days before your arrival we will send you an email with the key safe code of your cottage and details of where it’s located. Simply put in the 4-digit code and the key will be waiting for you, the other sets of keys will be hanging inside as you enter the cottage. (Iris & Wella in the hallway and Juliot in the kitchen).

Q: When can we arrive on the first day of our holiday?

A: The cottage will be ready any time after 4:00 p.m. on the day of your arrival. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate early check ins.

Q: When must we leave the property on the last day of our holiday?

A: Please ensure you vacate the property by 10:00 am at the latest.

Q: If we arrive late, will we be able to shop for food?

A: Yes. On your way into St. Ives, Tesco at Carbis Bay is open until 8pm, every day except Sunday. In the town, the Co-Op supermarket is generally open until around 10pm. The local store (Norway Stores) is often open until 9pm in the Summer.

Q: Can I have an Online Supermarket delivery at the property?

A: Most of the large Supermarket chains deliver in St Ives and you can place your online order for delivery to the cottages, but we are unable to receive in deliveries on your behalf. Please arrange the delivery for after your arrival time so you can let the delivery driver in through the secure gates and check your shopping in personally.

Q: Is there a cot or high chair at the property?

A: Each cottage has a travel cot which can be set up at your request. There is a stair gate in Wella which can be used at guests’ own risk but unfortunately due to the design of the stairs in Iris, a stair gate cannot be used. Highchairs are available on request. Please let us know when you book what you require, so we can put them in place before you arrive. Please note we do not provide bedding or bed linen for the travel cots.

Q: Is there car parking at the property?

A: There is no parking at the property, but we provide one offsite, free parking space per cottage for the duration of your stay at the St Ives Secure Car Park, Penbeagle Industrial Estate, St Ives. The car park is approximately a 20-minute walk from the cottages but luggage can be dropped off in close proximity to the cottages, prior to parking the car. There are taxi services and buses that can help to take you and your passengers and luggage, if required, the short drive to the cottages from the car park.

Q: Are there instructions and details at the cottage if we have questions after we arrive?

A: Yes, there is a comprehensive Welcome pack unique to each property located in the living areas of each cottage and on this website. This should answer any questions you may have. It also contains details of the contact numbers of Housekeeping staff and emergency phone numbers.

Q: Do I need a car to get around in St Ives?

A: No. Iris, Wella & Juliot are ideally located within easy walking distance of all the shops, cafes, restaurants, and art galleries in St Ives. They are also close to the beaches. If you want to explore further afield in Cornwall, a car is useful, although not essential, as there are good train, bus, and coach services to many destinations.

Q: Are you able to smoke in any of the properties?

A: No, all our properties are non-smoking/vaping.

Q: Do you allow pets in the properties?

A: We are happy for one well-behaved dog to come to stay in Juliot Cottage. We do have a few dog house rules: We expect that their inoculations will be up-to-date; and insist that they do not go into the bedrooms, or sleep or climb on any of the sofas or other furniture, they are not left alone in the cottage at any time and they are kept on a lead in the shared courtyard. There is an extra charge of £50 for a dog to stay in Juliot. Should there be any unexpected damage, we will require payment to rectify this. If you would like to bring a dog with you, please show this on your Juliot booking.  We do, of course, welcome assistance dogs.

For further information on when dogs are allowed on the various beaches in St Ives, we recommend you visit Cornwall Council’s website here.

Q: What else do you provide?

A: We have tried to provide everything you will need for your stay at My Cottages in St Ives. The kitchens are fully equipped, Iris & Wella have a gas range and Juliot a Halogen hob and electric oven, all have washer / dryers, microwaves, hair dryers, ironing boards and irons, heated clothes dryer, and a Roberts DAB Bluetooth radio. We also provide a Welcome Pack, which includes local bread, butter, milk, jam, eggs, tea, coffee, sugar, and cleaning products.

In each bathroom there will be a range of Bramley toiletries. We have a selection of Childrens’ games in Iris & Wella and a selection of books in each cottage. There is a small selection of bulbs and batteries and a First Aid kit provided in each cottage. Please ask us if there is anything you are uncertain about, or if you feel there is something extra, we could provide. All suggestions will be very welcome.

Q: When are the cottages serviced?

A: The Cottage will be cleaned and serviced prior to your arrival. If you are staying for two weeks you are entitled to a change of linen, towels and a freshen of the apartment during your stay.

Q: What is your cancellation policy?

A: Our cancellation policy is detailed in our Terms and Conditions in section 6 on our website, unless otherwise advised by a third party booking company.

Q: I have not received my confirmation email or Welcome Pack?

A: The most common reason for emails not being received are aggressive spam and junk filters. To overcome this, we always recommend you save the following email address info@mycottagesinstives.co.uk to your address book. If you are unable to find the email in your junk folder, please do contact us and we will forward the email onto you again.