St Ives, Scilly and Glorious Gardens Reviews

3.7

(38 reviews)

A product’s star rating is calculated as the average of all its reviews.

Shop now

Sold by Shearings Holidays

www.shearings.com

•

13.1K Reviews

4.3

The information on this page is based solely on product reviews written by customers of Shearings Holidays via Trustpilot.

Here’s what people highlighted

Quality

3.4

37 ratings

Value for money

3.4

38 ratings

Product details

Brand: Shearings

The romantic gardens of Cornwall exude a timeless, magical quality and on this holiday we visit some of the finest gardens the region has to offer.

Flag this product

All reviews

Oct 5, 2025

The hotel was tired!! In this case the driver was a disaster area!

Quality: 3

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Oct 10, 2025

Good morning Mr Sutcliffe,

Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us whilst you were still on your tour. We’re sorry to hear that the hotel didn’t meet your expectations and that your experience with the driver was disappointing. We completely understand how frustrating that must have made you feel.

I hope we get the opportunity to welcome you onboard another tour in the future.

Kind regards,

Shearings Customer Relations (SC)

Oct 5, 2025

We really enjoyed this holiday the weather was good . Hotel was clean and staff were very helpful. We understood that thehotel is having a revamp next year . So we wish them good luck and hope they have many more years in the business

Quality: 5

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Oct 9, 2025

Dear Mrs Bartram,

Thank you for your 5-star review.

We're thrilled to hear you had a great holiday and enjoyed the good weather, clean facilities, and helpful staff.

We’re grateful for your feedback and look forward to welcoming you on another tour with Shearings in the future.

Best regards,
Shearings Customer Relations (BSM)

Oct 5, 2025

Food good. Well looked after by driver and assistant.Visits well organised. Thank-you.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 4

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Oct 10, 2025

Thank you for your kind 4 star review.

We're really pleased to hear that you enjoyed the food and felt well looked after. We’ll be sure to pass on your compliments to the driver and assistant.

We look forward to welcoming you again on future holidays with us.

Kind Regards

Customer Relations (JS)

Aug 31, 2025

Never again!

Quality: 1

Value for money: 1

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Sep 3, 2025

Thank you for sharing your honest feedback on the St Ives, Scilly and Glorious Gardens tour. I'm truly sorry to hear that your experience left you feeling disappointed. We take feedback seriously, and I’d be grateful if you could share a bit more detail about what didn’t meet your expectations. This will help us better understand where improvements are needed.

Warm regards, Customer Relations

Aug 31, 2025

What was offered was good but not going to the silly isles was a great disappointment. We missed not having Shearings Coach and having 5 drivers who had not done this trip before caused major problems with the journey taking over 13 hours with a very long stay of two and a half hours in a service station waiting a replacement coach to come from Cardiff which only took us down 3 service stations and not getting to St Ives till just after 22 : 40. The extra trip to New Quay had not been thought out with the coach having to park a 30 minutes walk to the center. Why could the coach not have dropped off in New Quay and then parked and then pick up again later with people having to get taxis to get back. The hotel was acceptable but very tried. The Food was good with 3 courses. To sum up this trip was spoiled by Shearing's very poor organisation. Jean & Brian NORRIS

Quality: 2

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Sep 3, 2025

Thank you for your feedback on the St Ives, Scilly and Glorious Gardens . I'm sorry to hear that the experience didn’t meet expectations. Your comments are incredibly valuable and will be passed on to our team so we can continue improving our services.
We truly hope to welcome you back on another tour in the future and provide a more enjoyable experience.

Warm regards, Customer Relations

Aug 31, 2025

Journey was horrendous 4 drivers and 4 coaches and 13 hours later we arrived. Dinner was served at 10.30. After we were given our keys to the room. We got a shock at the state of the room. Thread bare carpets, dirty walls, peeling paper. The noise from the road was so noisy we couldn't sleep as the windows didn't shut properly. Next morning we spoke to the lady manager, she was very rude and said she couldn't change our room as she had 3 coaches coming in . The food was hit and miss. We then was told we couldn't go to the Isles of Scilly as a storm was coming in. This was the reason we had booked the holiday as we had never been there before. Having said that we thoroughly enjoyed the other 3 garden trips and St. Ives. We would go back, but never to that hotel.

Quality: 2

Value for money: 2

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Sep 3, 2025

Thank you for your feedback on the St Ives, Scilly and Glorious Gardens tour. I'm sorry to hear that the experience didn’t meet expectations. Your comments are incredibly valuable and will be passed on to our Tour Logistics team so we can continue improving our services.
We truly hope to welcome you back on another tour in the future and provide a more enjoyable experience.

Warm regards, Customer Relations

Jul 27, 2025

Great holiday brilliant driver and staff just a bit run down hotel but enjoyed it

Quality: 4

Value for money: 4

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Aug 2, 2025

Dear Kelvin

Thank you for your positive comments. We’re delighted you enjoyed the holiday and appreciated the efforts of our driver and staff.

We note your feedback about the hotel and will share it with our partners to help improve future stays.

Warm regards,
Customer Relations Team

Jul 13, 2025

Excellent holiday, the journey there and back is long obviously and more than two 20 minutes breaks would have been useful. Be aware you will at the hotel most likely be asked to go straight to the restaurant for dinner on arrival before going to your bedroom. The hotel staff were mostly very pleasant. The coach driver was careful, considerate and efficient.

Quality: 5

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jul 17, 2025

Thank you for your kind 5-star review.

We're so glad to hear you had an excellent holiday overall. We appreciate your comments about the journey — we'll certainly take that on board and review the break schedule to make it more comfortable.

Thank you also for highlighting the dinner-on-arrival arrangement and the helpfulness of the hotel staff and coach driver. It's great to know they contributed positively to your experience, and we will be sure to pass on your comments.

Kind Regards

Shearings Customer Relations (JS)

Jul 13, 2025

Beautiful St Ives but hotel and food 2 star and the drivers 1 star they gave the passengers nil information.

Quality: 1

Value for money: 1

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jul 17, 2025

Thank you for your 5-star review.

We're so glad you enjoyed the beauty of St Ives—it's truly a special place. We're sorry to hear, however, that the hotel, food, and communication from the drivers didn’t meet expectations.

Your comments are important, and we'll be sure to pass them on to the relevant teams to help improve future experiences. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.

Kind Regards

Shearings Customer Relations (JS)

Jul 13, 2025

This holiday was incredible value for money! The hotel was basic but. fine and evening meals were good; its position facing the sea and beach was lovely. All the days out were well planned. We especially enjoyed the minibus tour of St Mary’s. Our driver for the week was cheerful and helpful. The coach was comfortable. The big disappointment was the very beginning and end of the coach journey. Being picked up at 8 am in Bolton it took 2 hours to reach Lymm to join the coach, driving around Wigan, Ashton in Makerfield, etc! It’s only a half- hour drive away! On the return journey we had to have suitcases outside bedroom at 5 am, breakfast at 6, the coach left St Ives at 7 am. We stopped for half an hour at Exeter services but with long queues for toilets there was no time to get a coffee. Another stop at Gloucester but only 20 minutes , just time to grab the one and only cheese roll there was and coffees; we got a new driver who never spoke a word to us. We did not have a single other stop all the way home…..this took hours and again changed coaches at Lymm and no time for cafe ( one lady rushed to the toilets but this driver was a very sour, bad tempered individual), then all around Wigan etc so we didn’t arrive in Bolton until 7.15 pm. So we were 12 hours on the coach journey home,, one half hour stop, one 20 minute stop, half a bread roll shared with my husband and one cup of coffee , in all those 12 hours. Dreadful. Plus 2 unfriendly drivers. We are 88 and 81 and had enjoyed lots of activity at Eden project, the Scilly isles etc, but the return coach journey has put us off doing another Shearings holiday.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jul 18, 2025

Dear Mr Mason,

Thank you for taking the time to share yourfeedback of the St Ives, Scilly and Glorious Gardens holiday.

We are glad to hear that you appreciated the hotel’s seaside location, the quality of the evening meals, and the variety of excursions, including your enjoyment of the minibus tour of St Mary’s.

Regarding your comments on the coach journeys, we understand that travel times and breaks are important considerations, especially on longer tours. Our operations aims to efficiently manage pick-ups and drop-offs across multiple locations to best serve all passengers. The timings and stops are arranged to balance journey duration, road networks, and passenger needs, and we continuously review these arrangements based on customer feedback.

We note your observations about the limited stops and the experience with different drivers on your return journey. Our drivers work hard to maintain safety and schedule adherence while providing the best possible service. We appreciate your feedback on their communication style, which we will pass on to the relevant teams.

Thank you again for your thoughtful review. We are pleased you enjoyed many elements of the holiday and hope you will consider travelling with Shearings again in the future to experience more of what we offer.

Best regards,
Shearings Customer Relations (MP)

Jun 24, 2025

Destination was good but hotel experience was not up to my expectations.

Quality: 3

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jun 25, 2025

Good Morning David,
Thank you for your4 star-review.

Receiving feedback is incredibly rewarding and provides valuable insight into your tour experience, allowing us to continuously enhance our tours.

We regret any that the hotel didn't meet with your expectations as we always aim to provide a positive experience. Please rest assured this will be passed on to our Operations Team for improvement.

Once again, many thanks for your review and we look forward to welcoming you again soon.
Warm regards
Shearings Customer Relations (JS)

Jun 22, 2025

Loved the holidays but didn't like the length of time it takes to get to and from the holiday destination. Almost 10 hours each way.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 4

Jul 26, 2024

Travel arangements were poor it took us over 3 hours to travel from Sheffield to Rotherham should have been advised of alternative travel arangements, hotel room was only average, good job that we had a very good driver, have been to better gardens up north (that is nothing to do with Shearings)

Quality: 4

Value for money: 4

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jul 30, 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on our "St Ives, Scilly and Glorious Gardens" tour. We appreciate your comments and value your opinion as it helps us improve our services.

We apologise for the inconvenience you experienced with the travel arrangements. We are sorry to hear that the hotel room did not meet your expectations. We strive to provide comfortable accommodations for all our Travellers.

We are pleased that you enjoyed the company of our driver, and we will share your compliments with them. They work hard to ensure a pleasant journey for our guests.

While we are disappointed that the gardens on this tour did not impress you, we appreciate your feedback.

Thank you again for your review. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and provide a tour that meets all your expectations.

Warm regards

Shearings Customer Relations (MA)

Jun 19, 2024

OK but too far for too little of the Isles of Scilly

Quality: 3

Value for money: 4

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jun 29, 2024

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on your recent trip to the Isles of Scilly. We appreciate your honest feedback and are glad to hear that overall, your experience was satisfactory.

However, we are sorry to learn that the travel distance for the trip felt too long in comparison to the time spent at the destination. Your comments are valuable to us and will be taken into consideration as we review and plan our itineraries to ensure a more balanced experience for our guests in the future.

We hope this experience does not deter you from considering future holidays with us. We are committed to continually improving our services and ensuring that our guests have enjoyable and worthwhile experiences.

Warm regards

Shearings Customer Relations Team (TT)

Jun 19, 2024

Nice hotel rotten view for the price I paid the food was OK. The coach was 1st class very comfy and lovely lady driver so nice and helpful. The problem started when we got back to Lymm for 3.30pm to have to wait for another coach that didn't arrive till 5pm we were then told we could only be taken as far as Stockport then a mini bus would take us onto Ashton u Lyne. We arrived at 6pm no mini bus it took another 40 mins for this to turn up we took 3.5 hours to do a 30 mine journey from Lymm this really puts me off for the future as it's not the first time a taxi/minibus hasn't turned up.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jun 26, 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on your recent St Ives, Scilly, and Glorious Gardens tour. We’re glad to hear that you found the hotel nice, enjoyed the food, and appreciated the first-class coach and our lovely driver.

However, I am very sorry to hear about the issues you encountered with the transfer arrangements on your return journey. The long wait and subsequent delays are not the level of service we strive to provide, and I understand how frustrating this must have been for you. Please rest assured that we are looking into these concerns to prevent similar situations in the future.

Your experience is important to us, and we appreciate your patience and understanding. We hope this does not deter you from traveling with us again, as we are committed to ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable experience on your next journey.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you on another tour soon.

Warm regards

Shearings Customer Relations Team (TT)

May 29, 2024

St Ives Bay Hotel was reasonable overall, but poor management response to issues about the en suite let it down. The kitchen produced a tasty and varied menu, which was served very efficiently by polite and helpful waiting staff. Thank you to them. Most aspects of the holiday represented good value for me, apart from the very high single occupancy room supplement (£349 for seven nights). Excursions were varied and interesting, and our driver (Brandon) was a credit to Shearings. I wish all tour drivers could be as competent, helpful and good humoured.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

May 31, 2024

Thank you for your excellent 4-star review.

Receiving such positive feedback is truly gratifying as it offers valuable insights into your tour experience and understanding what resonates with our customers empowers us to consistently refine and improve our tours.

We appreciate your comments regarding our drivers, your kind words will certainly be shared with them directly as they will be thrilled to hear your appreciation of the service they provided.

Your constructive feedback provides us with the opportunity to evaluate the tour for any necessary enhancements, ensuring complete satisfaction.

We eagerly look forward to welcoming you on board again soon and providing a tour that exceeds all of your expectations.

Many thanks, Shearings (BW)

May 29, 2024

A good mix of interesting places to visit and time to explore St Ives.

Quality: 5

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

May 30, 2024

Thank you for your wonderful review!

We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the mix of interesting places to visit and the time to explore St Ives. It's fantastic to know that our itinerary provided a well-balanced and enriching experience for you.

We look forward to welcoming you on another exciting journey soon!

Warm regards,

Shearings Customer Relations (HB)

Oct 11, 2023

We booked this holiday thinking it was lovely gardens how wrong we was. The gardens we went to was jungles/forest with very very steep hills

Value for money: 1

Oct 11, 2023

The St Ives trip was lovely just need a few different excursions

Quality: 4

Value for money: 4

Sep 20, 2023

The holiday was let down by the hotel which was badly run, dirty and the food quality was poor. Cleaning seemed to be something the Hotel did not believe in; our shower room wasn't cleaned which we found very lacking following the recent pandemic. The duty manager had been well groomed with a series of standard 'not our fault' answers to each complaint. The fire doors to the lift shaft were also wedged open at all times. Apart from the good weather, the only other satisfactory thing about this trip was our driver, Johnathan, he was first class.

Quality: 3

Value for money: 2