The Idle Rocks

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.

Overall very good. Lovely grand sea room, great food. Upon booking you are asked if it's a special occasion and I let them know it was my wife's birthday yesterday. Not mentioned until we checked out this morning, I wasn't expecting freebies but an acknowledgement on the day would have been nice.

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.

We stayed at Idle Rocks for their Christmas Package. We had a lovely time. The location is fantastic. Our room was perfect. The service was excellent with very friendly staff. We enjoyed all our meals. Perhaps a bit more choice for the a la Carte menu would have been good. Our only criticism was there was too much food on our plate on Christmas day! The turkey lunch was delicious.

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.

Unfortunately something has changed since out last stay a year ago, and not for the better. We had dinner there of Friday 13th December. Maybe that was the wrong day to go! We ordered pre-dinner drinks, a glass of champagne and a vodka based dry martini. When I tasted it, it was sweet so took it back to the bar. The barman had added normal martini to the vodka. When I explained it needed to be dry vermouth he said he'd make me a new one. 5 minutes later he came to us and said they had no dry vermouth, so I had a glass of wine. There were no complimentary nibbles. The menus came but no canapes. We sat down at the table and were offered no bread. My starter was the mackerel and was delicious and my wife had the 'rabbit pie'. It was overly rich and salty and almost inedible. My main was suckling pig (which was actually a piece of belly pork). The sauce was over reduced and salty which spoiled an otherwise decent meal. My wife had the wild mushroom cottage pie which was inedible. It was based on the same over reduced, salty, strong sauce. Doesn't the chef taste the food they prepare? If you charge London prices in Cornwall in the winter you need to pamper your guests. The nibbles and canapes you used to serve were delicious and a lovely touch. The variety of breads you used to offer were a delight. Why have you stopped? Given that, and the poor quality of the food, you present yourself as no more than average as with hundreds of other restaurants in Cornwall. The difference is that you charge a fortune for the privilege. At the prices you charge for drinks and food, you can afford to pamper your guests with small things like canapes and nice bread. That's not expensive, that's what can differentiate you. For the first time in 6 stays, we felt like customers in the restaurant not guests. I should add that all the staff (we didn't meet your kitchen staff) were very friendly and helpful, a real credit to you. The hotel room was great and the bed very comfortable, as usual. And you can't beat the location. If we do stay again next year, we'll probably drink and eat elsewhere in St Mawes.