The Idle Rocks

As others have said, this hotel is in a fantastic location in St Mawes with the dining room, and terrace area outside, overlooking the harbour and out to Black Rock and Pendennis Castle.|We were on a dinner, bed and breakfast package which was excellent value. The staff were very helpful and welcoming, from the moment we arrived to the day that we departed. |Dinner was excellent. There was a focus on seafood, but why would you come to a hotel like this on the seafront if you didn’t like fresh produce from the sea! The starters were varied – we chose oysters. I am not sure how many I could have eaten, but the 4 that I had could have been added to if I wished. The Plat du Jour included Dover Sole which we both selected. Available on or off the bone, this was prepared off the bone next to the table. Sides of new potatoes and vegetables were more than enough.|Deserts were beautiful – my wife enjoyed a really wonderful souffle that. After the meal the chef presented my wife with a chocolate mousse in the shape of a balloon to celebrate her birthday.|Breakfast was excellent; Moet champagne, fresh juices, cold meats and cheese, various home-made yoghurts. I ordered the full Cornish breakfast, my wife selected eggs Florentine. When the breakfast was presented, both were exactly as requested.|Unfortunately we only booked one night at the hotel, but we will definitely return. St Mawes is a beautiful village, and when the sun shines in early Spring as it did on the day we arrived, there are not many better places to be.

5 of us visited the Idle Rocks yesterday for lunch and spa treatments in Sevan Spa. The treatments were first class and lunch - a special Rose' on the Rocks with whispering Angel rose' was perfect for the birthday celebration. The staff were friendly, attentive and very efficient. We had the most wonderful day, travelling from Falmouth on the St Mawes Ferry. I highly recommend to anyone on holiday in Cornwall or locals after a celebrations. The hotel is beautifully furnished and the spa is superb.

Went to Idle Rocks with my wife for a super lunch with a stunning view and excellent service. We had a meat and cheese platter as an intro, mackerel starter, monkfish satay main and a super chocolate pudding all washed down with a chilled rose! Will definitely come back and if the sunshine could be arranged again it will be very special.

A wonderful stay.|We were on a dinner, bed & breakfast package which was good value when you look at the individual prices. |Half the hotel was taken by a large group but other than a slight delay at breakfast we didn’t feel any less looked after. |Room was excellent, we had a lovely welcome and a helpful explanation of the room facilities.|We enjoyed dinner although it would have been better not to have to pay for side dishes on top of the package price. |Breakfast choice was excellent.|Overall a wonderful stay in a great location.

It was a last minute decision to have a break. We really didn’t want a 4 hour car journey, but many other quality hotels which grabbed our attention lost our support because it appeared that receiving dogs was more important than guests. The Idle Rocks does not allow dogs in the main hotel….wonderful, for us! |We booked the three days break and added on an extra night.|Our room was perfect,number 12, with two windows overlooking the harbour and the cleanest, clearest water immediately below. A huge walk in shower with big, soft bath towels, changed daily, was appreciated.|There is water provided twice a day, a fridge, coffee and tea facilities and turn down evening service. A small area with table and chairs offers a grand stand view of the harbour|But I run ahead of myself…..our welcome by Lydia must surely have been a template which I would encourage businesses to pay attention to. Not only were we directed to the car park a few yards up the hill, Lydia went ahead to check there were free places, otherwise we would have parked in the local car park a few steps further along the road. She effortlessly helped unload our luggage and took it upstairs where, when we arrived in our room, it had been placed in the wardrobes.She then talked us through our lovely room. Beautiful chocolates, a welcome letter, a bottle of bubbly added to our feeling that we were welcome!|Our break gave us an A La Carte meal in the hotel, a meal in the sister hotel five minutes walk around the harbour, and a sea food taster menu. We booked an extra night on half board basis.|The food was faultless, except for the taster menu which we found disappointing. Taster was the operative word. The octopus was chewy and portion of the delicious cod was very, very small.This was at odds with the main course of the same fish on the A La Carte menu which was copious. Otherwise the food was always tasty, beautifully presented and of sensible proportions. Breakfast provided everything you could wish for, fresh juices and even champagne!|Staff were young and enthusiastic. Top marks to smiling Camilla who combined professionalism with a friendly demeanour. One waiter ended every sentence with “ no problem “ which is probably a reflection of the youthfulness of staff but…..|The position of the hotel is second to none, right on the water edge overlooking the small harbour where a boat leaves for Falmouth every hour. We chose to explore local creeks and footpaths, the highlight being a few miles coastal walk to St Just with the unique church, catching the bus back to St Mawes.|Yes, drinks are on the expensive side, but to have spent a few days enjoying excellent food, the ambiance of this tastefully decorated small hotel and having the terrace on which to linger over a book or watch the comings and goings of the small port on the mouth of the creek, made such little observations unimportant.|We had a wonderful , restful few days. Thank you all

We were very disappointed by our experience at Idle Rocks today. We arrived hoping to enjoy some afternoon drinks on the terrace, only to be turned away without explanation. This was especially surprising and disheartening as just the week before, we had visited with a party of ten and were warmly welcomed and well accommodated.||||We own a luxury holiday let in St Mawes that sleeps ten and have always recommended Idle Rocks to our guests, both in conversation and in the literature provided at the property. Sadly, after today’s reception, we will no longer be doing so. We expect a consistent standard of hospitality from an establishment of this calibre, particularly one we have supported and promoted over time.

From the moment we arrived until we left, Idle Rocks and the whole team were 1st class. Especially as we had our 6m old baby. Nothing was too much. The food was excellent, octopus and the beef being a highlight and the Mother’s Day afternoon tea, a delight! |Thank you

Fabulous cocktails on the idyllic harbour front terrace. I also really enjoyed delicious, top quality food at a well organised event with Spanish wine pairings.The staff are amazing and very hard working too!

I happened to see the terrace of this restaurant as I was coming in on the ferry. It looked like a peaceful place to have lunch with lovely views. It turned out to be part of the Relais & Chateaux Hotel group which I've stayed in, in Napa. Anyway asked the staff if I could be seated for lunch as only one table was occupied, they indicated they would have to ask the chef as they had a lack of staff. Anyway, I was seated and offered a wine and drinks list. Got a lovely Aperol spritz made correctly! The menu is small platoshich was great as it was a very warm day and you wouldn't want anything heavy. I chose the gazpacho and then burrata with heirloom tomatoes and pesto. Both dishes were very good. The tomatoes in the salad were perfectly ripe and the pesto was outstanding. The gazpacho was very good also, very flavorful and spiced just right, not overwhelming the vegetables. The service was slightly distracted, for instance no spoon was brought with the gazpacho and as no one checked to see if the food was ok for quite awhile, I had to wait to eat it. All in all though a lovely setting, wonderful food and a great place to be on such a beautiful afternoon

What a spot! Historic location with a fresh revamped face. They push it the extra mile with the details. The atmosphere and decor is colourful and fresh with a tasteful flair. The drink selection and wine list has a want for everyone and the menu is top notch. Delicious choices that cause salivation and excite every taste bud. The service is the extra cherry on top, Diego is a veteran and a delight. You can Expect this level of restaurant in central London, and to find this gem in one of the most desirable locations to visit in the south of England is truly wonderful.

If you busy at Mawes (which isn't a big place!) this hotel is a good place to stop of a coffee or bite to eat-perfect views over the harbour and surprisingly quiet, so you can watch the world go buy. I've not tried the food, or seen the rooms, but it's very elegantly decorated. The children's playroom is great-I spent a while in there with my nephew! Relaxed atmosphere:)

On our recent visit to Cornwall, we booked into Idle Rocks for Sunday lunch, not having being to St Mawes before, a car ferry ride later and we parked up at the nearby municipal car park, within easy walking distance of the hotel. It must have been a good choice, because the near incessant rain we had experienced since we arrived in Cornwall, was starting to ease and a bright object in the sky was making a rare appearance! Inside Idle Rocks, the restaurant is stunning, a variety of tables that all make full use of the spectacular view across the harbour. There are round tables and long country kitchen type tables for groups, and other more conventional tables for couples. There is even outside seating, but on the day we visited that was only for the very hardy, as rain showers and a myriad of wasps made dining outside taxing. The menu for Sunday lunch was a relatively concise one, a choice of about four starters, of which we picked two, the saffron infused arancini doused in parmesan was particularly good, and the hummus with celery, cucumber and carrot, was a fresh palate cleanser. The complimentary freshly cooked rolls (including sourdough), with accompanying balsamic and olive oil, was also a nice touch. We rarely eat a traditional roast dinner on a Sunday so unless the other dishes stood out, we were going for the roasts; there were two to choose from, along with a vegetarian risotto, and sardines on toast in the substantial dish part of the main courses, there were lighter bites too. The roast chicken was beautifully cooked, with a spinach reduction sauce, and just the right amount of accompanying roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables, it was just as I hoped it would be. My wife's roast pork although beautifully cooked and packed with flavour, was just a little too fatty, I know it adds flavour, but it was a little disappointing. We opted remarkably to skip dessert and have coffee in the adjoining lounge to soak in the wonderful views of St Mawes harbour; Idle Rocks is a great place to wile away a few hours. Opulent surroundings, good food and a stunning view across the harbour, one of the highlights of the holiday; not cheap, but definitely worth it!