The Idle Rocks

Visited with my family on a trip to Cornwall, and we were very impressed. The service was welcoming & attentive. The views and location are out of this world. St Mawes is very pretty. The decor is relaxing & beautiful. The food was so delicious, I wish I could eat it all again! Compliments to the chef. It was a real treat, every mouthful was more than delicious, and the presentation was perfect. Our children ordered spaghetti bolognese, a simple dish… but wow, I have never seen them enjoy a meal so much. They both said it’s the best food they’ve ever eaten….! Thank you for an incredible meal & welcoming service. We hope to come back one day!

We have just returned form a three night stay at this amazing hotel for our 25th anniversary. From the moment we entered the reception area and were met by Summer and Sian we knew we would have a lovely time. The room was amazing and the staff were always very helpful and friendly and made you feel exceptionally welcome. The restaurant staff were friendly and efficient and the breakfasts are superb as is the dining room in the evening. We will definitely be returning and cannot thank the staff enough for such a wonderful stay. The hotel is a real treasure and the staff are too!

I still haven't got over the fact that I had to leave! What an enjoyable 2 days. The hotel is stunning. Our suite with 2 rooms on the water was idyllic. The view....sigh! The food is excellent. But what really made it was the staff. Exceptional. Couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. You can see the pride they take in working there. I can't wait for to return

We’ve just paid a visit to idle rocks while staying in St.Mawes to celebrate a special birthday lunch for the mother in law and I couldn’t compliment the staff and food highly enough. From our initial contact when we popped in to see if they provided any vegan options we couldn’t fault them. Communications was great and they were very accommodating offering various options which when served didn’t disappoint; meals were beautifully presented and tasted stunning. The dining room is amazing with great views across the bay and staff were knowledgeable, attentive and pleasant. We finished the afternoon with cocktails (slightly expensive) on the terrace in the autumn sun.

Part of our annual visit to Cornwall includes lunch at The Idle Rocks. Never disappointed by the wonderful setting looking out over the St Mawes harbour watching the sailing world go by. Fixed lunch menu provided plenty of choice and every dish had a wonderful flavour. Good wine selection, topped off with a good dessert wine recommendation. Great service as always. The cloudy skies could not stop anyone from enjoying a visit to this idyllic venue.

We have had a wonderful 2 night break here.If you want a relaxing break where you feel really spoilt.this is the place to go! The food is superb.The staff..especially Lydia and Joe were amazing.the rooms and views are beautiful.we will definately return.St mawes is a gorgeous little village . Plenty do do..cute shops. bars.places to eat..walks and a castle.

My husband and I live 16 miles up the coast. We spent the day cove and beach hopping, and ended up in St Mawes at dinner time. We popped in on the off chance of a table and were happily told they could accommodate us. We had cocktails followed by a three course meal and two glasses of wine (one of which an expensive but delicious dessert wine). The food was exceptional. The bill was £290, so definitely on the expensive side, but the staff, decor and food were all extremely high quality. We were also pretty scruffy (having only planned a day of sightseeing) and nobody other than the couple seated next to us looked down their nose at us, especially not the staff. I would recommend for a special occasion, a romantic meal, or if you are like us, a spontaneous blowout :-D

My wife and I stayed 6 nights at this exceptional establishment. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with the utmost care and attention. The welcome, both professional and warm, was impeccable. The entire team is constantly available and attentive to our needs, and they go above and beyond to ensure we have an unforgettable experience. This establishment creates a true atmosphere of well-being and conviviality, thanks to its dedicated team. We highly recommend this place to anyone looking for an exceptional stay, where everything is designed for our comfort and pleasure.

Went to the idle Rock for Sunday Dinner and to be honest it was one to remember great meal and great service from all the staff. The Christmas pub was one to remember what a wonderful tast. We will be back that’s for certain thank you all. Mark

Fabulous stay in a pretty and quiet Cornish harbour village. Great views of the harbour seeing the boats come and go. Ability to swim in the harbour (hot outdoor shower in the alley way alongside the hotel, and the reception will give you some ‘beach’ towels). Hotel have some new paddleboards which they will lend for free. They were great fun! Great dinner, and lovely breakfast. Goes without saying! Their outdoor terrace if the weather is nice is wonderful to have food and watch the world go by. Very quiet. Rooms quite warm (23C sunny outside during the day), no fans or AC, and no through draft. Can’t imagine what it would be like in hotter times. Only negative is the truly extortionate EV charging if you needed this. They charge £1.20/kWh for a slow shared 7kW charger. There are two bays in their car park 1 min from the hotel. I would recommend using other chargers and avoiding at all costs unless you have an emergency (or like us couldn’t stop twice to recharge on our way back home).

+2

We all agreed that this was the best Sunday lunch we had ever had. Absolutely incredible and still dreaming about it the next day! Gorgeous setting and a real treat. Not to be missed!

We came with friends and families as a larger group and had a really great time! The hotel and rooms are very pretty, sea view was incredible! The staff were genuinely warm and welcoming, they look after us with such good care that we felt really at home and relaxed. Food was delicious too.

My wife and I had such a lovely 1-night stay at the Idel Rocks. Dinner in front of the water was great and the food was terrific. In the morning the buffet breakfast and cooked options were both ample. We had a sea view facing room with a roll tub bathtub and it was very spacious even with a cot. The staff were so hospitable and accommodating for our 7month daughter. Highly recommend.

Perfect stay and wonderful food. Staff were more than spot on. We had our 6m old baby, and nothing was too much.

Dined here today. The pre starter bread was divine. Beautiful main course, cooked to perfection. We both had the baked cod. My dessert was a little disappointing. Whilst the strawberries and jelly were delicious there was far too much cream for the topping. Found the staff very helpful, smartly dressed and attentive. The views from the restaurant lovely needless to say overlooking harbour waterside. As locals, we would definitely dine there again as such a relaxing ambience and generally a good experience. Thankyou.

We popped by for drinks early evening. The staff couldn’t have been more helpful, seating us at a beautiful outdoor table on the harbour wall. We enjoyed some delicious rose accompanied by delicious almonds and olives, we even asked for some bread and butter and the team so kindly obliged. Liam was fantastic, a genuine credit to the Idle Rocks. But even beyond Liam, every staff member that we encountered was polite, conscientious, and thoughtful, making our evening, incredibly special. THANK YOU!!

Absolutely amazing! Visited Idle Rocks for a meal last night and the food was off the scale delicious! Staff were really friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and helpful. It all led to a really special experience. Oh, and not to be forgotten, the cocktails are pretty damn great too!

The Idle Rocks does not disappoint. The property is thoughtfully and elegantly curated. The restaurant is the real gem with both food and service putting Michelin Star restaurants to shame. The food was outstanding with plenty of options - including for vegan diners! The service was unlike any other. Brad went above and beyond to make our first formal dining experience post lockdown memorable while Harry was incredibly attentive and eager to facilitate misc. requests. The space is truly unique within St.Mawes but the world-class, internationally experienced staff is what will keep me coming back. Thanks Brad, Harry, and the whole team!

we found this place by accident and it has the most amazing, and best, view of St Mawes for sure. I could have stayed forever. The food was absolutely delicious and the staff were very accommodating by creating a vegan starter and main for me - one of the best meals I have ever had in my life. The new German waiter was very friendly and chatted with us for quiet some time (which I hope he didn't get into trouble for). Thanks to his recommendation I found the perfect birthday present for my brother :)

A celebratory birthday lunch booked by my sister. A warm welcome from a very proffessional young team and service throughout was excellent. Our meal was superb, an exquisite range of flavours and textures throughout each course . 5 stars for presentation, Michelin worthy! I rounded off this memorable meal with an expresso Martini....what can I say.....heaven in a glass!

Great location. Food was lush, waiteing stff were so knowledgable and gave service with a smile ( forgot to ask their names tonight). Front desk staff Sian and supervisor Lydia made sure I was comfy, welcomed us warmly and looked after our needs. All the staff ensured that my dietary requirements were met. I was happy staying here due to comfort and welcoming staff that were proficient in excellent customer satisfaction and care. Great people skills. Will highly recommend it. Thank you all the staff on duty on 18,19 20th April 2024.

well, what an amazing setting! Beautiful 5 star hotel & restaurant set out on the rocks in St Mawes. we booked well in advance so was lucky to get a table as i'm told they no longer acceot bookings other than hotel guests due to covid. lovely patio for pre dinner drinks looking out into st mawes harbour. the food was amazing, the decor modern and sylish and helpful frindly service. very expensive but you get what you pay for :) will defo be back another time.

Amazing food, if there was 6 stars I would give the starters and mains 6. The desserts not as good. I had cheese and biscuits but didn't like the biscuits too strong tasting they didn't complement the cheese. The menu is a set price 3 courses. Drinks are expensive. Wine prices were varied, we had excellent wine at reasonable price. I would go again tomorrow, if I could afford to

Fantastic room location, overlooking the sea. 😉 Friendly, professional staff always willing to help.👍 Dog friendly 4 star rooms with dog bowls, bed and treats 🐾 Restaurant a little expensive due to Michelin status but plenty of other pubs or restaurants to choose, some nearby.😉 Sky TV didn't include Movies which was a bit of a let down for a 4 star hotel and staff did not seem to know this 🤭 Also the bedroom phone didn't work as it would not charge properly 🤭 Overall though, a wonderful birthday weekend break for my wife & I with our little dog... 😉👍🦋🥁🐾

The views, the decor, the drinks, the FOOD... Oh my! So gorgeous on a sunny day, to sip drinks outside, watching the world go by.. The food is absolutely delicious and the bloody Mary's are superb too! Staff are friendly, polite and knowledgeable about the food and drinks. A fabulous place that welcomes everyone, despite the super classy feel. (even if you're windswept and wearing your anorak!) 😂

We live in Cornwall and enjoy a trip to the Idle Rocks Hotel because the location is fantastic. We booked a table for lunch outside. We arrived early and asked if we could sit outside and have a drink, enjoying the location. When told this wasn't a problem, it clearly was. Pushed into ordering, then told twice that our table was ready despite asking to be left alone to enjoy our drink. Food is good but I think they just wanted us in and out as quickly as possible. Lovely weather, great location, expensive food but good, almost perfect day out.

As other reviewers have already said, great view and perfect location. Food pretty good but not amazing, almost felt like they were trying too hard to give great food. We had the tasting menu, it was very nice but not 'amazing'

View and location is spectacular, food is good enough and service/experience is perfectly average. Go for the view and location if you’re prepared to part with your cash, but don’t set your expectations too high.

We had dinner here the other night after seeing it was listed in the Michelin guide. The location and venue can't be faulted, it helped that it was a beautiful evening amd we started with a glass of champagne outside overlooking the sea, it couldn't have been a better start. We then moved inside for dinner. The decor is lovely and we had a great table however, this is where the positive experience stopped. Unfortunately the food and service was not good, in fact, the main we ordered, lobster tagliatelle, was terrible. The lobster was good as it was fresh but the pasta was overcooked, stuck together and had no salt, it was so disappointing. We also had to wait a long time to get the wine and the waiters seemed like they didn't know what they were doing. It is such a shame for such a beautiful setting, we had such high hopes and left feeling very unimpressed.

I've been coming to St Mawes since I was a small boy, and the Idle Rocks holds many fond memories. However since the new owners have taken over the service is just woeful. For the price I'd expect a far better more attentive standard. Interestingly, the St Mawes Hotel, same owner, has some of the best service experienced.

Great location next to a beach. Dog-friendly . Restaurant offers fantastic sea view . Spacious room with sea view and good size bathroom. Breakfast buffet and a la cart menu are excellent! We called the hotel before booking the room and were told that EV charging is complimentary. It is not. The charging point is up the slope with tight corners. Two charging points are next to 3 or 4 carpark spaces making it difficult to manoeuvre. Charging cost is much higher than Tesla Superchargers. The nearest Tesla superchargers are one hour drive but worth driving two hours and charging time to use Tesla superchargers. The hotel carpark is across the road but we received parking ticket from local council after first night of parking. We asked hotel staff why we got ticket even though we parked at Idle Rocks Hotel designated parking space. Turned out the hotel did not give up a laminated sign to put in the car proving we were hotel guests. A bit annoying.

+6

This is restaurant review, not a hotel stay. Perhaps it was our mistake to eat a tasting menu on a Monday night, but this was seriously disappointing. The menu sounded good and at £105 per head, it was priced to impress. Sadly so many elements fell short. Biggest transgression was the crab tortellini. The pasta was so thick in parts it was positively chewy. The chicken breast was very bland and the skin rubbery. It doesn’t help that we had a similar dish at the wonderful Coombeshead Farm a few days earlier. The courgette flower batter was very heavy and oily. The desserts were fine, particularly the strawberry and mint. Perhaps the pastry chef was running the whole kitchen. The sea bass skin was crispy in places, not in others and the fish was Monday fish! The staff were young, but friendly and did their jobs well. The views are beautiful and they gave us a free glass of fizz to celebrate our anniversary. We’re off to Nathan Outlaw’s for two days next. His menus are cheaper, and on previous experience a whole world ahead. We left quite a bit and when asked how things were I said it was okay. They did have the chance to get feedback. Such a disappointing meal.

As a local, and somebody who visits from time to time for both food and drinks, I was dismayed at the service, or lack thereof. I wanted to enjoy the last of the sunshine with a drink on the terrace on my own. Despite an almost empty terrace, I was turned away due to the ‘staff to guest ratio’ as if that mattered when all you want is to sit down for half an hour with a drink whilst the sun sets. I expect better, usually the staff are reasonable and pleasant to deal with.

Restaurant review: Stiff and outdated approach to service ruined our experience. While the food was good and presented immaculately (see photos) in any major town this restaurant would not get away with its pricing. London/Bristol restaurants, and even many in Falmouth, beat this on flavour at half the price (one in Falmouth with compatible situation overlooking the rocks too). Service was from the 90s, with waiters checking our table at least every 3 minutes and topping up glasses after every single sip, we felt suffocated. It actually seemed like the waiters were a little scared - I’d suggest they’re doing as instructed by management. Pastry dishes were standout, excellent and probably justified the price but not the other courses. Oddly the cheaper sister restaurant at Mawes Hotel had none of the above problems (though an incomparable menu). 2/5 because this was our least enjoyable dinner in Cornwall so far (even regardless of price) mainly due to service.

What a shame had waited a year to come here but on arrival we were told that the roast was not available- not really a problem But it continues You can only sit inside despite booking in advance We said could we sit outside They said well you can but it’s a big table ok that’s alright they got us a big table for 2 of us They did not have any cold Prosecco So they gave us 2 glssses on the house but we were told we would have to wait for the bottle to go cold before drinking Ok that’s fine Then main meal was not cooked so sent back then it came back the same not able to eat Just not really what is expected of a 4 star hotel Disappointed

We arrived in St Mawes and headed straight for The Idle Rocks! Having pre booked the restaurant! It was our big holiday treat. A table for 4! 2 cocktails, 1 bottle of wine (most affordable and we had a bottle in the fridge at home) and a few beers. And 4 x tasting menu. We left the restaurant less than 2 hours later having paid in excess of £600! The food was not exquisite or particularly special! We were served by very young and uninterested staff. Each course or I should say mouthful, was served and replenished without a word. And when we left, not one member of staff could look us in the eye. Aside from the receptionist who showed us out. Very poor.

Great location, and decent food, but poor service. There were many faults and lack of service throughout. However, I was particularly upset by a patronising and unpleasant front of staff or maybe bar manager. He had a very unhelpful conversation with me when I went inside to order a glass of wine, and then brought it out and incorrectly put it on front of my partner, whilst saying "I assume this is for you and cider is for you". It wasn't cider, it was my partner's beer. By the way my wine glass had a chip on a brim. Won't be coming back again only due to service.

Disgraceful. Visited lunchtime with 2 friends for a birthday lunch and was very disappointed. Set lunch £55, food was very small portions despite having the same description as the main menu and costing £1 more. (scallop £6 monkfish £35 choc delice £13 =£54 on main menu). I came last week with my husband so I was expecting the same quality but the dishes were completely different. Every dish was half the size and the delice was simply a scoop of mousse until I complained and they put the choc delice on. Joe the ginger bar man waiter basically said it’s the set menu it’s all half the size then proceeded to slag me off on his way back to the kitchen not realising I was following him, when confronted he actually smirked at me. Asked to speak to a manager and was told there aren’t any working today (Saturday lunch???). You can brag about having a Michelin chef, and the waiter did confirm it was she that served the food, but if the food and service is this poor it really doesn’t matter. If you are using the same titles and descriptions at a higher price then you have to serve the same food, I am referring this place and the misleading menus to trading standards as I think musings actually unlawful. Beware and go elsewhere.

+1

Called in today for coffee and we were turned away abruptly (along with another respectable senior couple). We are also disabled. The receptionist was in the middle of a personal telephone conversation and tersely told us that they were not taking any bookings. She should have ended the call and politely explained the reason. We are staying at another high end hotel in St . Mawes. We will not consider staying at the Idle Rocks!

1 star or none if possible because I’m going to think for a while at why they judged the four of us and a couple after us, and said we are full, I phoned at one o’clock and told they aren’t busy, should be space after 2 when lunch has finished got there at 5 and told they are busy come back in one hour, after asking if that’s correct and can they check they let us in, Honestly the place and view is amazing I’ve been to a few places live it before, the problem is they are stuck up and prejudging people, let in the people with money and not the ones that seem lower class. I get it. Your rooms are £500 you want the place kept elite. Well you either have it for hotel guests only or let people in. We were two couples. And just to clarify all the time we were there they had probably 5 tables empty outside on the patio. Such a shame and I can’t believe it goes on.