Private rooms | Family Rooms | Dorm Rooms
A few days in St Ives
April 11th, 2016
A while ago we bought Jason a beer in exchange for interviewing him about his holiday in St Ives. We were keen to get a guest perspective on the place and – as you all know – when you’re visiting a place most of what you pick up is from other visitors. Jason was super friendly and got involved as soon as he arrived at Cohort last October. We hope he comes back soon…
How did you get to St Ives?
I arrived by coach from Manchester which was really easy, everything was on time and the coach (Megabus) only stopped off at a few places on the way down. We left at 5.50am so was pretty early but it only took 7 hours so I arrived early afternoon. It’s definitely the cheapest option – really good value.
Had you been to St Ives before?
Only as a kid on a family holiday and I remember really enjoying it. I had time off from work and so instead of staying at home just thought I would come (back) to Cornwall. I’m part of the St Ives Facebook group and they are always posting amazing pics of St Ives on there; I love Cornwall and was getting really jealous so just thought ‘why not?’ – I booked my ticket a week ago and here I am.
How long are you staying at Cohort?
I booked for 6 nights but am going to extend it to 7 so I get a full week in.
What’s the best thing you’ve done so far in St Ives?
I did a Walking Tour of St Ives one morning and it was all about the story of St Ives – its history, etc. It was really interesting and it was a small group of people so we all started chatting to each other. I met a lovely, retired couple who asked me to join them for a coffee which I did and we had a great time; they were in their 70s but we got on so well and I even got a few selfies with them. They were telling me all about their travels – they’d been all over the world – and we were sharing tips and advice.
One thing I love about being down here is that everyone talks to everyone and it’s all so friendly. I went to the Cafe Royale [over the road from Cohort] and the lady there was giving me great advice about what to see and do, I came to the hostel and everyone here was so great and chatty. It’s just very different than if you go to Manchester or any city really, you just feel so welcome.
What’s your fave place for a Cornish pasty or beer?
So far my favourite has to be the Cornish Pasty Company on the Harbour, I’ve been about 3 times already and they know me now! Also, the Balcony is fun for beer and I’ve heard that there’s great seafood at the Rum & Crab Shack so that’s next on my list.
What are you doing tomorrow?
I have no idea! [laughs] This whole week has kind of happened as it comes along. There’s a few things to do still; I haven’t ventured out to Hayle or Carbis Bay both of which I’ve heard have lovely beaches. Also, the couple I met on the St Ives walking tour were telling me that they had walked to Zennor along the coast path which had taken them about 4 1/2 hours and I need to do that.
You seem to have really made friends here…
I was really shy when I first got here; I was sat in the lounge for ages thinking “I need to go talk to these people. I need to go say hi.” [Referring to a group of guests sitting in the Chill Out area] I don’t know what I was worried about! They were all so nice, super friendly. They were all just sat around and I introduced myself, I said “I need to come say hi, because you all seem so cool” and then they asked me if I wanted to make brownies with them in the kitchen, 10 minutes later we were all cooking banana brownies together.
We were then all in the kitchen and somebody else who had just checked in joined us and then another girl came along and we all became friends. Then there’s a guy staying in the same room as me, I’ve made friends with him… The guy who I was talking to earlier – he asked me out for a beer tonight: You just naturally meet people here, you introduce yourself and there’s people from all over the world. It’s so great; we all ended up going on a night out together.
Before I came here I didn’t think I’d meet people I’m very shy usually but the main lounge, the kitchen, the rooms, it makes it very easy to get chatting.
How did you find Cohort?
I searched ‘Hostels St Ives’ and came across it, all it had were 5 star reviews! I was looking at B&Bs and on AirBnB but everywhere was quite expensive and I had a limited budget. Cohort is really good value also I wouldn’t be on my own as I would have been if I’d stayed in a B&B or hotel; as I was coming down on my own that was important to me.
So what do you think?
This is my first time staying at a hostel, I’d never experienced a hostel before and saw all the reviews [saying] it’s newly refurbished so I visited the website and thought “it’s a really great website, it looks so cool, and genuine, I’ll go for it.” The price is really reasonable, and it could be (I’ve heard a few people say this) a hotel, it’s at a hotel standard. I’m not just saying that, it really is! It’s always clean and fresh. That’s why I chose here really, because of the ample and positive feedback… Oh, and I posted on the Love St Ives Facebook page ‘I’m coming down on my own, can anyone recommend somewhere for me to stay?’ and everyone was just tagging Cohort, one after the other, and I just thought… ‘I need to see this place.’
Budget accommodation in the centre of St Ives
If – like Jason – you ‘need to see this place’ (and we hope you do) check our availability, book your bus / train / plane ticket and come on down; we don’t think you’ll regret it and you’ll be pleased to know that prices haven’t gone up one bit since Jason was here last October.