Ayr Holiday Park

This campsite has excellent facilities, with plush showers and toilets and brilliant on-site cafe with a small but nice pool next to it. However, as mentioned above and in the other reviews the main draw of this campsite is the stunning views of the town and beach below. Just on the outskirts of St Ives it is only a 10 minute walk to the centre. Obviously the view comes with a steep old climb on your walk back so bear that in mind after you've eaten your weight in fish for the evening.

The price is high, even for St Ives, and we were a bit disappointed to have been given a pitch directly opposite the kids play park. However, we were late in booking and it was obviously one of the last tent pitches with a car space available. Some prior warning before we paid over the phone would have been appreciated. Something for others to keep in mind.

Overall an excellent site though. Very pleased with our stay. 

 St Ives itself is a picture-perfect little Cornish town and it was great to be only a 5-10 minute stroll down the hill to Porthmeor beach and the town, particularly as it is near impossible and very expensive to park in St Ives. It is worth mentioning that, if you struggle to get about, the hill climb back to the campsite is very steep and could be a bit of a struggle, but it is the hill that makes the vista down over the town and long beach so amazing.

The site was well-maintained and tidy. The shower and toilet facilities were very modern and clean, with hairdryers in the ladies too, and, despite going during the peak season, we never once had to wait for a shower.

There is a little cafe on site, also with an excellent view, that does a very nice cooked breakfast.

The only downside to our stay was that we were placed right by the childrens' play area. Being the middle of the school summer holidays it was quite noisy from quite early on until late evening, the sound of the zip wire was particularly irksome! But it is a family friendly site and, if you have children, the play area looks excellent, and...the zip wire I'm sure is great fun! There was also a party on the Saturday night at the cafe and the music and goings on were quite loud from where we were placed, though it did not go on too late. 

To finish on a positive  note, we couldn't have asked for a better location, the campsite was pricey but so is everywhere in St Ives, and you ARE right in St Ives. The site was well kept, the facilities were excellent and the view made it worth every penny.

This has the most wonderful shower block of any campsite I have been to - spacious, plenty of showers, spotlessly clean and music. It even has private rooms tucked away with a bath which is sheer luxury when camping. Combined with the amazing views and the short walk into town this is the perfect site.

It was a few years ago that we went there, but we're thinking about going back. Beautiful site - facilities were brand new when we were there, and excellent. Only drawback was that it was foggy all week!!  But the site's brilliant.

Definitely the most expensive site we've ever stayed in but so worth the money! You cannot beat waking up to the view every morning or having a BBQ to it in the evening. The only campsite actually IN St Ives and not just near it. Worth every penny. 

The site was immaculate, toilet blocks fantastic and, as we stayed in high season, there was never a problem finding a shower so it wasn't over crowded. 

Family friendly site, it has a park the kids love and if you're feeling lazy of a morning there's a breakfast bar selling bacon sandwiches and tea or coffee although no-one seemed to use it except when it was raining it was still a nice touch. 

Very short walk to the beach and fantastic views again if you go via the costal park which is acccessed from the small camp-field at the back of the site. Beware though: The walk back up the hill is a killer if you're not in peak shape! We'll be returning here many times in the future.

This is our all time favourite camp site. Just a short walk (downhill) into town. The views from our pitch were absolutely stunning. The facilities were modern, a plenty and clean. We can't wait to come back.

As soon as we drove up to our pitch at this site we were blown away by the incredible views. I could have just got a camp chair out of the car and sat and looked at the view for hours. The views are worth the fact that this is the most expensive campsite we have ever stayed in. On a practical note, the toilets and showers are also the best we've experienced camping.  There's a great playground for the children too.  The campsite is at the top of a rather steep hill – which is testing with a toddler, a 5 year old and all the beach gear – but it definitely raises the heart beat, which can't be a bad thing! We stayed last summer (2012) and have booked to go back this summer. We were shocked to be told that we had to book a full week and had to arrive Friday or Saturday, with no flexibility. I advise booking very early if you want school holidays.  We booked in March and got the last pitch for a week in August. 

We stayed for 3 nights in July 2011. Drove in and had a scout around the site (as we always tend to do before committing to camp) and were very impressed with the sea views, level pitches and the standard of the toilet facilities.

The prices were a bit steep but on the upside it was a very quiet campsite with no screaming kids and in a fantastic location, so in our eyes worth the money. The campsite offers a play area for kids and also a small games room which we as a relatively young couple took no interest in. There is no onsite entertainment, just as we like it. There’s no shop, but a supermarket is only a short drive away so you can load up there at reasonable prices. BBQ’s are permitted but must be off the grass and not the disposable type.

The weather was a bit rubbish for the duration of our stay but we still found plenty to do in St Ives and its surrounding areas. We visited Penzance, Porthleven and Helston which were all only a short drive away. St Ives itself is a fantastic base and has everything you really need, great pubs and restaurants and some good coastal walks. It’s only a 5 min walk to St Ives from the campsite, walking back up the very steep hills makes the journey back a little longer.

The sloop Inn is a fantastic 14th century pub right on the harbourside with good ales and a good choice of locally caught fresh fish meals, getting a seat outside and watching the world go by with a pint of Doombar is perfect - although a bit more sun would have made it even better! The fish and chips from a place just a short distance from the Sloop were fantastic, cooked to perfection and better still when eaten overlooking the picturesque harbour.

Positives: Location, panoramic sea views - directly from your tent! Walking distance to St Ives, good toilet facilities.

Negatives: campsite prices were a tad steep.