The Idle Rocks

We stayed at the Idle Rocks for 3 nights over New Year and we had a fantastic time! The hotel is beautiful, and the staff are superb. We were a family of 4, myself and my husband and my parents ( kids are grown up at Uni now so they stayed home to have their own NYE parties!). The weather was rather windy and rainy but it didn’t distract from the lovely time we had. Breakfasts were brilliant and delicious. The dinner on 30th December we really enjoyed too. The New Year’s Eve dinner was good, in particular the NYE reception with free flowing champagne and superb canapés and the best oysters my French husband had ever eaten! I swan in the sea each morning and we enjoyed some blustery walks along the coast… we visited the castle and the church at St Just. We didn’t catch the ferry across to Falmouth- but this was an option if you wanted to! The piper after NYE dinner piped us across the harbour to St Mawes Hotel for the ‘live bad party’ for those looking for some dancing and frolics! For those who preferred a more chilled NYE there was a beautiful singer in the Idle Rocks- so the events team had thought of everything to suit all ages and guests. The hotel itself has some beautiful pieces of art ( local artists like Alice Mumford RWE, David Pearce etc) and the interiors are very well thought out and just delightful. I travel a lot with work and stay in many many hotels and the little things I notice such as the bedding, the attention to detail, the service and the hospitality here are outstanding. Huge thanks to Kearan, Alice, Lydia and the team for running such a tight ship- and for creating a warm and welcoming new year- creating memories with my parents that we will cherish forever.

We have just had a wonderful 2 night break here.I cant recommend it enough.If you want a chilled break..with fantastic rooms..food and staff.this is a must.We will definately be returning.Everything about this hotel is amazing and of very high quality.The moet that is served at breakfast was a lovly treat..as was the best brulee french toast.

This is our 4th visit to this wonderful hotel. Fantastic service. Big up to Lydia, Liam and Dan the pen! And all the lovely kind staff. Beautiful setting, great food and a comfortable retreat from real life! Hey, its summer in a teriffic place. There will be noise... but NOTHING beats waking up and hearing the sea lapping below your window and drifting back to sleep, or looking out at the sunset/ sunrise from your room or on the terrace.. NOTHING.

We caught the ferry over from Falmouth with some local friends and at their recommendation we ate at the hotel, sitting on the quay deck watching the boats come and go. It is a very relaxing setting. We all ordered the crab sandwich, which came with a side of fries. It looked good and the sandwich was nice enough but it was a bit small and we were all hungry afterwards. The fries were also a very small helping and a bit soggy. Overall, very disappointing food. Atmosphere and setting couldn’t be beaten on the sunny day we had. Shame about the food.

Went for dinner there tonight with my wife. Venue is beautiful and in an absolutely amazing spot overlooking St Mawes harbour. Things started well for my wife wotha. Lovely Champaign’s cocktail. The local bottled beer I chose was undrinkable. Service was good throughout. The menu was extremely limited but made it clear that no allowances would be made for people with allergies. We each had a starter and main course. The portions were tiny. Zero carbs across any of them and no opportunity to add side dishes. Flavours were ok but every dish would have benefitted from more attention to detail rather than just tarting the ingredients up as far as the chef possibly could. There was no ‘wow’ factor at all. My barbecue lobster was like chewing gum and my wife ordered the vegetarian option which was basically a cauliflower cut in two dipped in some tandoori flavouring. Hugely disappointing. Bear in mind we were paying £45 for a main course, there was barely 4 mouthfuls on the plate for my Sea Bass. We left after our main courses and headed straight over the road to the Rising Sun for a couple pints of the wonderful Hawks bitter, a bowl of chips for me, and a desert for my wife!!!!! Would never go to the Idle Rocks again.

We had a grand seaview room which was quiet. Room was rather small but fairly comfortable. Would have preferred a sitting area instead of the large tub. The reception was always very attentive and helpful. The food in the restaurant was simple but good. Breakfast choice was ok but not overwhelming. Just the service on the terrace was rather slow.