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4.5
#2 of 3 hotels in Carbis Bay
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Gannet Inn offers boutique bedrooms with a comfy restaurant and bar area, near St Ives in Cornwall. The quirky building accommodates a range of gorgeous stylish and unique rooms. If you're a Hungry Gannet, the restaurant offers hearty home-cooked dishes, and for Thirsty Gannets, has a range of specially selected wines and local ales served with traditional Cornish hospitality. Each room has its own unique identity and feel, with bold décor and signature interiors. Rooms vary from 'Cosy', 'Quirky', 'Family' or the 'Spot the Gannet' rooms with stunning sea views. Try the 'Oystercatcher', 'Chough' or 'Kittawake' rooms and find your favourite! With unusual prints and cool coastal hues, the rooms are designed to be a home-from-home, where Sleepy Gannets can relax and enjoy a peaceful night's sleep after a busy day exploring Cornwall.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Trendy
Languages Spoken
English, French, German
Location
St. Ives Road, Carbis Bay, St Ives TR26 2SB England
The Gannet Inn
948 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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The Gannet Inn garners high marks for its service, with staff consistently described as attentive and friendly, even at peak times. The hotel's ambiance is often noted to be homey and welcoming, adding to its elegant charm. While the rooms are commended for their cleanliness and comfort, reviewers have mentioned that they can be on the snug side and occasionally noisy.
Guests enjoy the amenities, like the cozy rooms, delectable food, and spa access, although some have missed having in-room fridges. Opinions on value vary, with some guests feeling the costs are justified, while others expect more luxury for the price.
Atmosphere
Welcoming
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Satisfactory
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We booked this via Secret escapes as a deal. First time through this company, all went very smoothly with confirmation and details sent through quickly.
When we arrived at the Gannet inn, there was a parking area on site. Check in was prompt and receptionist pleasant and efficient. We booked in for the restaurant on site. Our room Seagrass, we had a small view of the sea, the room was spotless, warm, beautifully decorated and bed very comfortable. The bathroom was spacious with its floor lighting a superb feature so as not to disturb each other in the night. Once unpacked and went down stairs to enjoy a cocktail. We were offered a choice of cocktail as a welcome drink , nice touch, rather refreshing and slipped down nicely. The menu catered for most tastes. Our deal included 2 courses of the menu with a small extra charge for the steaks. They also do a special on different nights Very good value indeed on the deal, however maybe considered pricey if separately paying. The food is cooked to order and fresh. My husband chose beer battered haddock which was delightful, I had the pasta. The service was brilliant. Everybody was lovely and professional. Really enjoyed our stay here. Would definitely recommend.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Catherine Duffey, Guest Services / Front Office at The Gannet Inn
Responded 20 Feb 2020
Wow - what lovely compliments. We're so happy that you enjoyed your welcome cocktail & meals and found the staff lovely - we do try! We hope that you will come to stay with us again.
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We had a Virgin gift voucher for this hotel, the voucher was accepted and used easily at time of booking, on arrival was very impressed, in a lovely location. Signs regarding covid around, alcohol gel available throughout the hotel. Very friendly staff, everyone we met where welcoming and greeted us with a smile, at check-in every thing explained, a time slot was allocated for breakfast. The room was a lovely size, very clean, nice bathroom, due to covid restrictions no kettle or cups in room, but you could dial 0 and order complimentary hot drinks to the room which they would knock and stand back leaving you to take cups of the tray. Breakfast was served in dining room which was well spaced out, you ordered at the table, could scan barcode on phone or where given a paper menu, all food served to table no buffet due to covid, good choice of food. Part of the voucher was £65 off an evening meal, this was the only let down for me, the chicken was over cooked and my ceaser salad had far too much sauce on it. In the bar it was table service due to knew restrictions, reasonably priced for Cornwall as far as I know. Would definitely stay here again if I had the chance.
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Catherine Duffey, Guest Services / Front Office at The Gannet Inn
Responded 26 Jul 2020
Thank-you for this great & informative review, we're so pleased that you enjoyed your stay and would like to come again. Many apologies that your evening meal wasn't to our usual standard. We hope to see you again!
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My wife and I recently visited the Gannet Inn for our anniversary and we were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the hotel. The room we stayed in was lovely and had quality furnishings that made our short stay very comfy. Our dinner and breakfast was included and I must say was really enjoyable. The breakfast especially was top quality Cornish produce including coffee that was readily being served to us. A short walk away is the railway which for £2 return took us right into St Ives, so that saved a trip in the car and paying for parking. Overall we were very happy and look forward to visiting again very soon.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from helen price, General Manager at The Gannet Inn
Responded 15 Mar 2020
Thanks for taking the time to review our little Gem, we're so pleased that you enjoyed your meals and the branch line train journey into St Ives. We look forward to welcoming you back!
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Having paid a hefty price for a sea view room I was quite hopeful for our stay. I was firstly underwhelmed at the size of the room but also noticed simple things like marks all over the walls and doors had clearly not been touched up in some time. This wouldn’t have been a deal breaker as we did have a beautiful sea view but the noise of the hotel simply ruined it.
We stayed in room number 2 which was right above reception and you could hear the reception phone ringing regularly, thankfully this stopped around 11pm but still not the background noise you’re after for a relaxing stay. The noise did not stop here though.
The walls are paper thin and our neighbours en suite caused a racket when they turned any taps on. We could hear the staff tidying up downstairs after dinner service had finished (cutlery being thrown back into trays etc) and people saying their goodbyes at reception not overly quietly.
The main toilets for downstairs were under our room so we had the pleasant hum of the hand dryer regularly and again late into the night.
There are doors slamming left, right and centre - I appreciate you have to have heavy fire doors that close on the bedrooms however a simple contraction that causes these to soft close would easily solve this problem (most other hotels have it). A lack of courtesy for other rooms was also a huge problem, elephants running up and down the stairs and thin ceilings also as you could hear everything above.
The bathroom radiator was on full blast all the time - I thought I’d solved this by turning the radiator down to number 1 however it turns out there is a control panel outside the bathroom door that controls this which I am sure I would have asked about if we stayed more than 1 night however I don’t feel the need to have the radiator on full blast in August, never mind when we have just had a heatwave.
The food was delicious and the location is great for Carbis Bay and St Ives but unfortunately the stay was simply not worth the money.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from helen price, General Manager at The Gannet Inn
Responded 16 Aug 2020
We're so sorry that your stay was disturbed by noise issues. These were caused mostly by the fact that we're currently keeping doors open to allow good ventilation and less contact points during this Covid period (reception, main restaurant door etc) and sincerely apologise that this impacted on your stay. We will absolutely check, & where necessary adjust, the closers on the bedroom doors - thank-you for flagging this. We have passed your compliments on to the kitchen team regarding the delicious food.
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Stayed at The Gannett Inn and paid £310 per night for a family room which we was just a ‘larger’ room meaning all the family sleeping together in one do space. The kids beds were Mattresses pushed against a radiator on the floor for the kids underneath the wall mounted tv, which also meant all other furniture was pushed to the sides making the chairs and desk unusable as they were pushed to the walls. Kids kept banging their heads on the metal radiator which was their headboard for our stay and we had to go to sleep when they did as no additional space and the TV was right above their head so couldn’t watch a movie or anything. We weren’t told that the pool was under construction and the spa also, would have been good to know this before so we didn’t disappoint our kids on arrival. The rooms are boiling hot, no air conditioning or fans so not a great nights sleep. Due to Covid we were advised ‘the room is yours for the trip, we won’t be entering’ this means no clean towels, no replenished tea bags or cups etc which is fair enough given the circumstances but they could have left them outside the room if it was unsafe to enter the room. We couldn’t get a reservation in the restaurant to eat whilst staying so opted for room service, food was lovely.
£930 for 3 nights stay, definitely not worth it at all and wouldn’t return to this hotel. Not great for families especially with the outside noise from the pub beer garden just outside the rooms. Only managed to get parking the first day at the hotel as the others days spaces were filled by diners in the restaurant.
Also, we paid extra for a sea view but I wouldn’t recommend that as although we could see the sea it was only just visible over the houses etc (see photo)
We felt so exhausted after leaving this hotel due to the terrible sleep we had there due the rooms being too hot, badly spaced family room and noise from the pub outside. Plus the bin collection that happened right outside our window at 5am one morning.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from helen price, General Manager at The Gannet Inn
Responded 16 Aug 2020
Thank-you for taking the time to review your stay at The Gannet Inn. We're so sorry that you had a few issues and would welcome the opportunity to discuss these with you. Please can you call The Manager at your convenience? We look forward to hearing from you.
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Great location in Carbis Bay, a short walk to the beach and about half an hour walk into St. Ives.
Sadly, my positives ran out from here on in... We checked into our cosy room (NB. When it says cosy room, it simply means small), walked through the door and was the most ridiculously sized room for £430, 2 night stay. Before we unpacked, I noticed the smoke alarm was decorated with used chewing gum and wrapper, not a great first impression. We informed reception and advised we could go to a different room that was again small, I mean “cosy”. That night, after opening the window for ventilation we notice the bedroom door occasionally rattled in its frame caused by the draft, obviously not fitting correctly. Note for other customers staying here I sorted this out by wedging a sock between the frame and door when closing it. Our nights sleep was OK however noticed that the heavy fire doors around the hotel need to be looked at as they do provide a loud noise when being closed/slammed and could easily be heard from our room, a simple soft closer would be required.
We stayed here in late August and Covid19 rules and regulations were in full flight however we were not pre warned that the hotels facilities would be completely out of action.
Location and breakfast were good, very overpriced. Will not be returning!
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Date of stay: August 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Catherine Duffey, Guest Services / Front Office at The Gannet Inn
Responded 9 Sept 2020
Thank-you for taking the time to review your stay. We were absolutely mortified by the gum-on-the-smoke detector left by the previous guest & can not apologise enough for not spotting this. We thank-you for flagging the rattling door & have rectified this, along with the torque on the fire doors. Had you pointed these issues out during your stay we would have rectified them at the earliest opportunity. Our cosy rooms are just that - they have the full facilities (great bed, pillows, linen, bathroom products, fluffy towels etc), but ARE small - we're sorry if you felt that our categorisation was misleading and are disappointed that you won't be returning.
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This was our second stay at The Gannet and on both occasions we have been extremely satisfied with everything about this little inn. The staff are very helpful and pleasant and also gave us the privacy we wanted during our stay, which is important to us. Both of the rooms we have stayed in have been beautifully furnished and we slept brilliantly in the very comfortable and huge beds. Breakfast was delicious every morning and this time we also ate in the restaurant in the evening and had a very pleasant meal. Food was delicious and service was again attentive yet discreet. We would also like to acknowledge and thank staff for their diligence regarding Covid-19 safety procedures. We felt very safe and were grateful for staff encouraging other guests to consider everyone’s safety.
We have found The Gannet a great base for exploring Carbis Bay and the surrounding area. We liked staying just a bit outside of St Ives as Carbis Bay is quieter, and we love walking so very much enjoyed the walk along the coast path to St Ives itself, which takes around 30 minutes. We also got the train in both directions, which allowed us to explore a little further out on the coast path. It’s a five minute walk down the hill to the train station so very convenient. Carbis Bay itself is also a beautiful beach and the water is crystal clear, so perfect is you enjoy a swim in the sea. All in all we have had two wonderful holidays staying at The Gannet and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to others.
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Date of stay: August 2021
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from helen price, General Manager at The Gannet Inn
Responded 3 Sept 2021
Wow - lovely & informative review, thank-you very much! We're so happy that you enjoyed all aspects of both of your stays with us and hope that you'll visit us again!
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It was our first time in Cornwall and we decided to stay in this little hotel in Carbis Bay and we were so pleased with it!
As soon as we arrived we were greeted by a lovely lady who helped us to park (the car park was full but they do have an overflow car park across the road which is handy).
We were checked in very quickly and we stayed in the Wagtail room. As soon as we walked in to our room we were taken away with the stunning decor and standalone bath tub. It was spotless and just felt so clean.
Our only critique was that the room was unbearably hot! We did ask if the room had aircon but it didn't. The lady at reception did advise that there was a fan in the wardrobe and that they could provide us with another one if needed. We're really not sure why the room was so hot as although it's summer time it wasn't very hot during our holiday. We also made sure the radiators in the room and bathroom were switched off and they were. As it was so hot we had to keep the windows wide open and so the (very) annoying sound of the seaguls woke us up very early!
However, despite the above, from start to finish the staff were so so friendly and welcoming. We had breakfast and dinner at the hotel and we enjoyed all of the food so much! Quick, tasty and well-priced food!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this little hotel to my friends and family. It's also in a great location as just out of St.Ives (about a 30min stroll away, if you enjoy walking) and so you can explore and take in the extraordinary views on your way into town. Carbis bay beach is also beautiful and much quieter than Porthminster beach!
Thank you Gannet Inn!
Danielle & Connor
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Date of stay: June 2021
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from helen price, General Manager at The Gannet Inn
Responded 3 Jul 2021
What a lovely & informative review - thank-you very much for taking the time to post this. We will pass your compliments on to the staff and will have a word with seagulls to not disturb you so early next time, sorry! We hope that you'll visit us again.
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We received a lovely gift from my partners parents for a night away booked for the Gannet Inn via the groupon deal, which included drinks on arrival, 2 course dinner, B&B and spa access to the Carbis Bay. When booking our stay weekends were already pretty full to stay at the Gannet inn so we got offered to stay at the sister hotel The Atlantic, being told that the rooms were bigger as well as the bar area (which is just a sports bar). This didn’t bother us although it would of been nice to stay in the Gannet, the gannet decor and atmosphere is so relaxing and inviting. All of the staff are very welcoming and happy to assist in both hotel. Cocktails, dinner and breakfast was amazing and absolutely delicious, although the full English breakfast could of been slightly bigger (you only get one sausage, one bacon, one egg etc).
Although everything else was perfect our actual stay in the Atlantic was not great - we had the worse night sleep ever! Our room was to the side of the house right next to a chapel. Unfortunately we had awful weather that night and all night a very loud banging noise kept us awake seeing every hour of the night. I called down to reception at around 4.30am and spoke to the night porter who said he would go and have a look for me around the building to see what might of been causing the banging noise. The noise stopped for a short period of time but then started again around 7.
Upon check out I made a complaint about the noise and said how awful I felt after not getting any sleep which I was very much looking forward to! The manager was very sorry and said he was unsure to what could of caused the noise, he took down my number and said he would speak to his manager and call me later that day. When leaving the car park the manager came up to us and said that the porter had logged the issue in his book at it was a gate that belongs to the chapel which was causing the banging noise, he then went on to say that unfortunately it was not there problem as it was nothing to do with them that was causing the problem. I felt very sadden with the response and has currently put me off staying there again.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from CatherineD3617, Manager at The Gannet Inn
Responded 6 Feb 2020
Thank-you for the lovely review of your get away at our annex hotel, the Atlantic Bay. We're really sorry though that you're saddened and put off staying again by circumstances totally out of our control (stormy weather accompanied by a faulty gate catch on an adjacent property). We do hope that you will reconsider and visit us again in the near future.
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We arrived on 7th September 2021 for a 3 day break. We were met by stacks of hotel cleaning products and a huge box containing a new individual vacuum cleaner in reception so it was almost impossible to reach the check in desk. The entrance hall was shabby with threadbare carpet and scuffed shabby paintwork all the way to the top floor.
The room was shabby with threading carpet, a shabby throw, dirty dusty old bedside lamps, bedside tables placed side on because they didn’t fit the room, dirty filthy window frames, no guest information folder or fire escape information, a dirty shower frame but clean towels and a comfortable bed!
The food was good and the staff polite but the dining room wall has wires hanging loose where light fittings have not been replaced.
Outside was just as bad. The flower beds hadn’t been attended to in months, flower planters withering and dry, shabby terrace and old shabby garden furniture. I could not have had any pleasure from sitting there. The paintwork of the hotel was peeling, dirty and in need of a complete overhaul. There is a shabby little hut to the right side at the back doors to the garden. That was full of junk, rubbish and fag ends!!!!
After we left the hotel I sent an email to register my upset and received an email back admitting the hotel is in need of refurbishment! I feel duped. The photos on their website must be years old and in reality this hotel is nothing like the photos.
To add insult they suggest it was my fault for not bringing this to their attention at the time of our stay! Well I hardly think new carpet and new decor can appear during a 3 night stay! I didn’t want to spend my short break arguing or shifting to another room because the whole hotel is so shabby.
Without calling me or negotiating I was told I would get a partial refund no negotiation on the amount and the exact wording was ‘that is the end of this matter’ They don’t take into account the cost of my travel, my time off work, my upset at being misled by a glossy image online that is so out of date. I don’t feel refreshed and came home extremely unwell with an infection!
How rude they are and taking advantage by charging for a shabby hole thats not based on true advertising.
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Carbis Bay area.
PRICE RANGE
£150 - £175 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandCornwallSt IvesCarbis Bay
NUMBER OF ROOMS
16
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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THE GANNET INN - Updated 2024 Reviews, Photos & Prices
Frequently Asked Questions about The Gannet Inn
Which popular attractions are close to The Gannet Inn?
Nearby attractions include Carbis Bay Beach (0.3 miles), Carbis Bay to St Ives - Walk - South West Coast Path (0.3 miles), and The Parish Church of Saint Anta and All Saints Carbis Bay (0.3 miles).
