| Carbis Bay Hotel | |
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| The large hotel building can be seen in the distance from the beach | |
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| Location in Cornwall | |
| Location | Carbis Bay, Cornwall |
| Coordinates | |
| Opening date | 1894 |
| Architect | Silvanus Trevail |
| Owner | Stephen Baker |
| Rooms | 28 |
Carbis Bay Hotel is an AA 3-star hotel in Carbis Bay near St Ives, Cornwall.[1] It is the most prominent building in Carbis Bay, overlooking the beach.[2]
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It was built in 1894 by Silvanus Trevail, Cornwall's most notable architect of the 19th century.[3] As of 2003, the hotel was owned by Stephen Baker and his family, although it was previously owned by the Monk family.[3][4] Virginia Woolf stayed at the hotel in the spring of 1914 for three weeks whilst recovering from a bout of mental illness.[5][6] She would later base her 1927 novel To the Lighthouse on the Godrevy Lighthouse nearby. Acclaimed film director David Lean also once stayed on the hotel.[6]
Author Rosamunde Pilcher features the hotel (renamed as The Sands Hotel) in her novels The Shell Seekers (1988) and Winter Solstice (2000).[7]
The hotel is a traditional cream painted building, three storeys high with two large bays at either side. It has six chimney stacks, two on top of either bay and two in the middle. It has several extensions and an extensive conservatory at the front, overlooking the beach. The lawn is kept closely cropped, leading down to the beach and the Sand's Restaurant, which also runs on the beach. It serves Cornish cuisine and fresh seafood.[8] As of 1980 it contained 28 single and double rooms.[9] The hotel is also a notable entertainment facility, hosting cabaret, dancing, snooker and pool, and children's shows.[3] The hotel is regularly used for wedding receptions. It also has an outdoor swimming pool.[8]