We spent a wonderful week in July at Morning Cottage. We took lots of lovely walks along the coastal path and through town. The large shops are a bit further away, but there's a small store that has most everything on Norway St. Honestly, nothing is really that far away. The Thursday farmer's market at the town hall had a great selection of local meats, fish, vegetables and baked goods.
The cottage is roomy, lots of windows and very airy. The kitchen is well-equipped, and the washer came in handy! The beds are comfortable and my teen boys loved the loft room - my older son liked sitting in the chair to read or play guitar with the window open, watching the ocean. The views are spectacular, and we saw dolphins one day, seals the next. The two parking spots were larger than I thought (fitting a minivan and a miniSUV). The outdoor shower was convenient for rinsing off sand, and heated to boot! The indoor shower/bath was also roomy and very nice - point of use water heater meant we didn't run out of hot water! The outdoor garden was well-furnished with table and chairs for outdoor dining/glasses of Prosecco, and we used the grill almost daily!
Overall we had a very relaxing and low-key week, with good weather. The only things to watch out for in St. Ives are aggressive seagulls (who like to steal ice cream!) and very narrow streets which make driving a challenge.