During our family vacation to England, the four of us and my parents took a few days for a road trip to Cornwall. In all the years I’ve been visiting England, I’ve never been to Cornwall, despite always wanting to visit. I’ve heard it is a gorgeous holiday destination, and it absolutely lived up to its reputation.
We chose to stay in St. Ives, which is a seaside town known for its beaches and art scene. We decided to do our trip right, so we even booked rooms in this hotel:
![Tregenna Castle Resort in St. Ives, Cornwall, England](https://charlottegeary.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Tregenna-Castle-Resort-3.jpg)
Yes, that is an actual castle! We stayed at Tregenna Castle Resort, a former privately-owned castle with extensive gardens that has been converted into a hotel. It sits high on a hill overlooking the rest of St. Ives and the ocean.
![Tregenna Castle Resort in St. Ives, Cornwall, England](https://charlottegeary.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Tregenna-Castle-Resort.jpg)
![Tregenna Castle Resort in St. Ives, Cornwall, England](https://charlottegeary.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Tregenna-Castle-Resort-1.jpg)
One of my favorite parts of the trip was our evening ritual of sitting outside the castle, surrounded by hydrangeas, eating ice cream and/or drinking wine as we looked out over the St. Ives skyline.
![St. Ives Harbour, Cornwall, England](https://charlottegeary.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/St-Ives-waterfront.jpg)
During the days, we headed down into the town and explored the winding streets of St. Ives and the tidal beaches.
![Surfers on Porthmeor Beach in St. Ives, Cornwall, England](https://charlottegeary.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Surfers-in-St-Ives.jpg)
I was enamored by St. Ive’s narrow, winding streets, traditional English stone architecture, tropical plants, crisp white paint, and clear blue waters. The town felt like a combination of the Greek islands and the English countryside.
![St. Ives, Cornwall, England](https://charlottegeary.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/St-Ives.jpg)
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