Short answer: Porthminster. It faces the opposite direction and is sheltered when Porthmeor is being sandblasted — often the difference between an unusable day and a good one, and it's a ten-minute walk.
St Ives has beaches facing different directions, which is genuinely useful when the wind is up. Most visitors don't realise and just give up on the beach entirely.
It faces north-west into the Atlantic. Superb for surf, miserable in a strong westerly — sand blasting horizontally and nowhere to shelter.
Facing east-south-east on the other side of the peninsula, and sheltered from exactly the winds that ruin Porthmeor. Ten minutes' walk, and often a completely different day.
Small, tucked beside the Island, and sheltered from several directions. Genuinely the sun-trap of the St Ives beaches on the right day.
Tiny, sheltered, and quieter than the others because most visitors walk past it. Worth knowing about.
Check the wind direction rather than just the speed. A westerly means head east — Porthminster or Porthgwidden. An easterly reverses it and Porthmeor becomes the sheltered one.
Tate St Ives, the Hepworth Museum and the run of independent galleries are all within a few minutes and entirely indoors.
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