Spent 5 days here with a coach-load of lovely folk from Wales. The owners Blanche and Mike came onboard our coach to greet us on our arrival. As we entered the hotel I thought it looked really nice and welcoming. We were handed the keys and made our way to our room, which on first sight looked fine. The carpets were very dated and I can't say I like carpet in the bathroom. It was only when we had unpacked that we felt we were in a 1980's time warp, especially the bathroom (one like my grannie had)! but sheets were clean and so were the towels and the water was piping hot. There was ample sachets of tea/coffee/chocolate and bottles of waters, which I thought was a thoughtful touch, especially as I get dry at night. The TV was at a reasonable height, so we could even watch it in bed, but we spent so little time in our room apart from sleeping as there was so much going on. The dining room, lounge and bar area are all clean and two have views over the garden to the sea beyond. The food could not be bettered, soup and lovely roast dinners each evening, followed by delicious desserts, cheese, biscuits and coffee. The breakfasts were so huge that you felt full until tea-time so we didn't bother to buy a lunchtime meal. On two evenings I asked if I could have something other than meat. I had a piece of cod, which the owner asked if I would like it breaded or left plain, so I knew it wasn't out of a packet!! Another evening she gave me a large portion of salmon, very nice I must say. It was printed on the menu that salads were also available and they were well presented. Our waitress, Kim, was a delightful young lady who waited on us with a lovely warm smile, she engaged in conversation and we felt we had known her for years.
The entertainment each evening was a real bonus, we had so much fun and the guest artists were excellent, they soon had even the shyest amongst us joining in. We all retired to our rooms each evening happy bunnies.
The owners Blanche and Mike go the extra mile to please their guests. I personally found Mike a little too introverted until the last evening when he suddenly came to life and initiated a conversation.
All in all it was a good 5 day break and for the money we paid excellent value. Well done St Merryn!

My fiance and I have just returned from a coach tour to St Ives with Leisuretime Holidays, We stayed at the St Merryn Hotel. Great value for our money, very clean and comfortable.
The hosts Mike and Blanche were so accomodating. My fiance who is a really picky sort of vegetarian eater was individually catered for, without any problem. Easy to get back and forth down to St Ives by walking down the road or coastal path (20 mins). Walking back is uphill but there are public buses and taxis a plenty, and cost only a couple of pounds.
Would gladly return to the St Merryn, be it on a coach tour or travelling as a couple.
We are both in our mid 50's.

As a coach driver we normally don't get the same service in hotels as the guests we take but at the st merryn it's totally different trated the same and its great in every way can't fault the food the staff or the hotel 5 star all round

I have just returned from a 4 day coach holiday to St Ives where i stayed at the St Merryn Hotel. I had a lovely stay. My bedroom, although old fashioned, was immaculately clean and very comfortable. I had a great sea view from my room which was a delight to look out on. There was plenty of hot water and plenty of tea and coffee sachets and hot chocolate too. There were biscuits left aswell to have with your hot drink. On arrival there was even a botttle of mineral water in the room. This was most welcome.
The hotel in general is old fashioned, but i did not think of this in any way as a bad thing. Infact it was almost charming and definately interesting. I found the whole atmosphere there to be very relaxing. The food was 1st class. I could'nt fault a thing about it. The roast dinners in the evening were home cooked and so tasty. The starters and desserts were superb too. It was good old traditional british food at its best. Breakfast was excellent too. I loved the porridge which was made to perfection & the full cooked breakfast was lovely. The portions of food are beyond generous - they are massive!! You could never leave the table at this hotel feeling hungry that's for sure! The food here is a real delight. The service in the dining room was excellent. There was always a smile with all the staff i came into contact with and nothing was too much trouble. They really did care about making their holiday makers happy in this hotel.
There was live entertainment at the hotel for 2 nights. I saw a bit of the entertainment on Saturday. The bit i saw was excellent. I did'nt see the entertainment on the Sunday night as i was too tired after exploring St Ives all day, but by all accounts it was great. The hotel had a nice front garden where you could sit outside and relax. The garden was pleasant and you could walk around it on the path. The shrubs along the path do need trimming back a bit though because they were over hanging the path in some parts. This is something simple but it would make a vast difference.
The hotel is a 20 minuite walk into town. It's not a bad walk on the way down as it's all down hill. Coming back is a little more difficult i would guess as it's all up hill. I walked down into town but caught the bus back up to the hotel. There is a regular bus service from very close to the hotel which is really convenient.
St Ives is a beautiful and charming town and it was made all the better by the lovely stay i had at the St Merryn Hotel. Thankyou to everyone at the hotel for a very enjoyable stay!