The UK is strewn with beaches: sandy and pebbly little boltholes hugging the vast coastline. Because it is an island, regardless of where you are in the country, you’re never too far from one.
There are some 1,000 of them dotted across these isles, many of them hidden or even resting in plain sight. Carbis Bay, Cornwall, is one such example, a beautiful little village with its very own stretch of pristine coastline and sandy beach.
And, though small, Carbis Bay boasts one of the country’s and world’s best hotels, according to countless reviews and awards. Lying around a mile south-east of St Ives, Carbis Bay is tucked into the southern corner of St Ives Bay.
While the village is flanked by several other similar settlements, it is unique in that it is effectively cut off from the outside by two jutting cliffs.
The insular nature of the bay has given it the sought-after award of a Blue Flag beach, a credential given by the Foundation for Environmental Education only to those places that meet its high environmental standards. It means that the Carbis Bay Estate — one of the UK’s best hotels and one that contends with top-rated places of stay around the world — is the only British hotel with its own Blue Flag beach.
The Telegraph this year named it as one of its “best seaside and beach hotels in the UK”, describing the Bay’s beach as nothing short of “magnificent”. The main house, built by celebrated Cornish architect Sylvanus Trevail in 1894, boasts gilt mirrors and chandeliers, combining historical grandeur with warm interior furnishings like off-white armchairs and lamps made from stacked pebbles.
The estate itself is vast, measuring some 125 acres, and includes facilities for fine dining, a spa, waterspouts, a pool and a number of accommodation options to suit budgets and needs. It famously played host to the G7 summit when the UK held it in 2021, and wowed the world leaders who attended.
Many less powerful visitors have left rave reviews on the website TripAdvisor, including Itsgoodtotravel, who, in August 2023, wrote: “Indulgence and professionalism with a topping of fun — what a journey it has been. Carbis Bay estate is incredible.”
Another user, Tidders71, said: “Stunning location. We have just got back from a two-night stay at the Carbis Bay Estate. It is such a beautiful setting and the hotel is scattered around the edge of the bay with access to the beautiful beach and an uninterrupted view of the sea.
“We ate in the Beach Club Restaurant, Walters on the Beach and The Orangery, all of which were really lovely. The waiting staff in each of them were very attentive without being intrusive.”
Carbis Bay is fairly quiet outside of August, with just a few dog walkers making their way across the beach in the off-season. The vast ocean and ruggedness of the landscape in this sense gives it a feeling of being quite remote.
Yet, connections to the outside world are all too obvious, with the nearby train station offering access to the wider region, and the South West Coastal Path just a stone’s throw away.
