“We have just returned from Slipway Cottage - below is an overview
Cost:
It's not cheap @ £300 per night for 2 people (but it does sleep 4 people) and we where lucky to get it as - it was last minute and its fully booked all year
The cottage:
is lovely, it is bright, clean and has nice furnishing, there is a utility with a washing machine and tumble dryer too The Cottage is upside down, you enter on a level with 2 bedrooms, a utility and 2 bathrooms, both bedrooms have patio doors opening to a small balcony with the main bedroom looking over the court yard, the second bedroom has an obstructed view but if you step out you can see to the harbour to the side of it The upstairs is an open plan living/dining kitchen area with 2 balconies - one above the bedrooms looking over the courtyard the other looking over the harbour You get the Sun on the balcony from sun rise until approx.”
15.30 - the view is lovely (it's between 2 buildings - but is still lovely) and there are a few places to sit inside too to look at the view The cottage does supply some basics:
Milk, tea, sugar, coffee, hand washes in each bathroom, washing up liquid, a couple of dish washing tablets and a couple of cloth washing tablets, dish clothes, tea towels and plenty of bath towels Sykes could not (would not ask the owner) if there was a hair dryer or iron/ironing board (to save me taking them) - so they told me they were not supplied - which is not trye - THEY ARE - I will email Sykes get this updated The cottage is in a great location with restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes on the doorstep There are 2 shops within a few minutes' walk (Spa and Tesco, plus a lovely bakery, unfortunately the M&S has now closed down)
Access to the cottage and the street:
Falmouth like much of Cornwall is not flat and there are step inclines everywhere.
From the courtyard to the cottage there are a couple of sets of very steep steps (about 10 steps in each set, so approx. 20 steps in all) From the cottage to the street, you have to get back to the court yard by going down the sets of steps, then up a different set of steps - also very steep, approx. 50 steps this time ....So not suitable for prams or wheelchairs or anyone who struggles with walking
The garage:
The width of the opening is very tight and we needed to fold the wing mirrors to get the car in - but once in there is plenty of room for the driver to get out of the car.
The main issue is with the length of the garage - we have a Mercedes C Class and it was slightly too long - even with the bumper butted right up to the wall the door of the garage would not completely close - so we had to leave the door slightly ajar and resting on our car boot
In summary:
a lovely cottage and wish we'd had longer
Recommendations for some places to visit and not to visit:
Falmouth - The Star and Garter - next to the cottage. The marina area by the museum is relatively new - and has lots of places to each and drink mostly chains but it's a really nice area (and there are a few independents there too).
Falmouth beach is about 1 mile away - it's really nice and had a fab restaurant bar called Hooked - but you'll need to book.
St Mawes - £5 return on a 15 min ferry - really lovely - and Alex Polizzio Mum's hotel is there - lunch is expensive but it was such a treat and really worth doing for the fabulous views, the St Mawes hotel is beautiful too,though we only had a drink there - it has a little balcony to watch the world go by, also nearby there is the Idle Rock which has a lovely outside area, there are a few independent shops which are nice and Alexi Polizzio has a ladies clothes shop there - which was really nice
Porthleven - about a 20 minute drive by car and has 5 Michelin star/Michell guide restaurants (Kota, Rich Stein, Michael Caines, Amelie's and Kota Kai) but you will need to book in advance, plus there are loads of other really good quality places to eat and drink there are some lovely independent shops, plus market days - one good find was an outdoor seafood café called 'Dan Dan' in which you can bring your own drinks (there is a coop round the corner) - the seafood platter is fab and costs £60 for 2 people. Finally Anne's pasties are here too - which are supposed to be the best in Cornwall.
St Ives - we didn't love - it was too busy, the beach is not as nice as Falmouth, it took ages getting into St Ives and parking was a nightmare - we were lucky - as one of the locals had a 'park on my drive' sign out for £10 all day - which we used - but we only stayed a couple of hours Loads more places to go but unfortunately we didn't get the change as the cottage was only available for 4 nights, so would love to return and stay longer next time