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10 of the best Isle of Wight luxury hotels
Do you need to make it up to a spouse for forgetting an anniversary/birthday? If so, three days on a campsite isn't going to cut it. So, bite the bullet and enjoy one of the Isle of Wight's best luxury hotels.
There are smaller boutique places to stay, 3 star, 4 star and 5 star hotels, as well as large luxury accommodation brimming with spa facilities and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
There are smaller boutique places to stay, 3 star, 4 star and 5 star hotels, as well as large luxury accommodation brimming with spa facilities and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
1. Royal Hotel, Ventnor
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The Royal Hotel in Ventnor has had a reputation for luxury for decades and has won multiple awards since it opened in 1832 (it has been listed in every Michelin guide since it started in 1911). Highlights include spa treatments and an outdoor heated pool. The style at the 4 Star hotel is 'English country house' and a room for two costs from £190 per night. It also does a good afternoon tea if you fancy a taste of opulence without an overnight stay.
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Ventnor seafront
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2. Auckland House Hotel, Shanklin
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Auckland House Hotel opened in 2019 after a company called Carlauren bought up one of Shanklin's guest houses which was looking a little past its best. The whole place was gutted and turned into a smart 25 bedroom hotel. It doesn't have a swimming pool or sea views, but there is a hot tub, valet parking and a swanky modern restaurant and bar. Double rooms start at about £100 per night (2019) with breakfast as an optional extra.
For those who don't know the Isle of Wight, Shanklin is a traditional English seaside resort with a clifftop walk, sandy beach and enough sticks of rock to rot a thousand teeth. |
Cushions-a-plenty at Auckland House Hotel
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3. Hambrough Hotel, Ventnor
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There are just seven rooms at the 5 Star (AA) The Hambrough, where it is a case of quality over quantity. Like much of Ventnor, the sea views (from six out of seven rooms) go on for miles. The hotel's attached restaurant recently had a Michelin star (it doesn't at the time of writing but is still highly regarded). Prices are from £130 per room, per night, as of 2017.
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Hambrough Hotel, Ventnor
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4. Lakeside Park Hotel and Spa, Wootton Creek
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There are plenty of facilities for a relaxing break at the luxurious 4 Star Lakeside Spa, as well as treatments such as massages. There's an indoor swimming pool and I must admit I'm intrigued by the 'experience shower'. The setting is lovely - not especially rural but it overlooks a 20 acre lake and it is very close to the Portsmouth to Fishbourne car ferry. A good option for spa breaks. Rooms range from about £150 per room per night (2017 prices).
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Lakeside Spa, Wootton Creek
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5. Seaview Hotel
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Another of the luxurious boutique hotels with about a dozen rooms, some of which are modern and some are more eclectic. Unsurprisingly the Seaview Hotel is in pretty (and quite posh) Seaview which has the paradisical Priory Bay as its main beach. The restaurant has a Michelin Bib Gourmand which is an award for good value posh nosh.
A room at the 3 Star hotel for two is from about £100 per room per night at the time of writing (2017). |
Priory Bay in pretty Seaview
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6. Haven Hall Boutique Hotel and Flats, Shanklin
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Haven Hall in Shanklin opened in 2017 after a big refurbishment with 14 bedrooms, half of which have their own lounges and kitchens. It's a sort of semi-B&B, semi-self catering place with breakfast on offer as well as decent facilities. As far as I can tell they don't do evening meals, but there are plenty of nice places on Shanklin seafront.
The grounds and decor are really well done. It's in a prime location with sea views across Shanklin and the coastal path is pretty much in the back garden. It's also got an outdoor swimming pool. Rooms start from about £125 per night. |
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7. George Hotel, Yarmouth
This 17th century luxury townhouse is in a fabulous town centre location, with the Solent pretty much in the back garden. The George Hotel is metres from Yarmouth Castle and the Wightlink ferry so it is a busy spot. There are 19 rooms at the 3 Star hotel priced from about £140 per room per night for B&B or more if you want to experience the upmarket restaurant. I seem to remember reading something about Pippa Middleton visiting The George. Presumably she liked the royal name.
Fancy staying near the Isle of Wight Festival? See our guide to rooms in Newport.
8. Koala Cottage, Godshill
Another 'boutique' hotel option, which at the time of writing has five stars from the AA. The decor at Koala Cottage is described as 'opulent' and a stay is described as an 'experience' with various options such as spa treatments. The breakfast menu uses mostly local and organic ingredients. Prices start from about £100 per room per night for two people.
9. Bembridge Coast Hotel
Bembridge Coast Hotel is not perhaps quite as 'luxury' as some others in this list (it has 3 AA stars rather than 4 stars or 5 stars) but I've included it because of its range of facilities and its enviable seafront location overlooking the Solent in the lovely village of Bembridge.
A stay includes, 'Archery, Cross Bow, Pistol and Rifle shooting, Pitch & Putt, tennis, French Boules, mini putting, Walks and talks, Indoor and outdoor bowls'. There's also a leisure club with an indoor swimming pool, steam room, sauna and gym and there is a discount on the Isle of Wight ferry if you book through them (£50 anytime as of 2017). Bembridge Coast is one of two Warner Leisure Hotels on the Isle of Wight (the other being Norton Grange in Yarmouth).
Prices vary, but I found a two night stay for two people for about £100, or £50 per night.
See our comparison guide of Warner's Bembridge Coast Hotel and Norton Grange Coastal Village
A stay includes, 'Archery, Cross Bow, Pistol and Rifle shooting, Pitch & Putt, tennis, French Boules, mini putting, Walks and talks, Indoor and outdoor bowls'. There's also a leisure club with an indoor swimming pool, steam room, sauna and gym and there is a discount on the Isle of Wight ferry if you book through them (£50 anytime as of 2017). Bembridge Coast is one of two Warner Leisure Hotels on the Isle of Wight (the other being Norton Grange in Yarmouth).
Prices vary, but I found a two night stay for two people for about £100, or £50 per night.
See our comparison guide of Warner's Bembridge Coast Hotel and Norton Grange Coastal Village
10. No Man's Fort, Middle of the Solent
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Not strictly speaking on the Isle of Wight but the Solent is home to a number of dramatic circular forts built by Lord Palmerston in the 19th century to defend us from those pesky French invaders. The threat seems to have subsided so No Man's Fort is now open for luxury retreats. Prices start at around £450 per room, including a meal and transport to the fort.
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Not your usual B&B
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11. Albert Cottage Hotel, East Cowes
Albert Cottage Hotel was part of the Osborne House estate, so you'd expect it to be one of the luxury Isle of Wight hotels. It is relatively small with 10 bedrooms, but it has two acres of land and it tends to be popular as an Isle of Wight wedding venue. They also do ferry discounts for guests if you book through them. The standards rates are from about £110 - but I have seen deals around from time to time (2017 prices).
12. West Bay Club, Yarmouth
West Bay Club is not exactly a hotel, but it's a posh country club and spa with more than 100 'New England' style chalets and cottages. There are loads of facilities, including an indoor swimming pool, yoga, gym classes, squash, badminton and tennis.
They'll also arrange for you to have surf, scuba or paddleboarding lessons if you can squeeze into a wetsuit without falling over. It also has various kids' activities, so it's not just one for adults unlike a lot of the posher hotels on the Isle of Wight. The spa has lots of Liz Earle themed things and there's a Clubhouse Deli restaurant. Prices start from around £100 per night, for two people (2017 prices).
They'll also arrange for you to have surf, scuba or paddleboarding lessons if you can squeeze into a wetsuit without falling over. It also has various kids' activities, so it's not just one for adults unlike a lot of the posher hotels on the Isle of Wight. The spa has lots of Liz Earle themed things and there's a Clubhouse Deli restaurant. Prices start from around £100 per night, for two people (2017 prices).
13. Woodside Bay Lodge Retreats, Wootton Creek
If you are looking for a luxury holiday cottage on the Isle of Wight because you want a bit of privacy then you might like Woodside Bay Lodge Retreats which offer modern self catering lodges with easy access to a shingly beach and woodland walks. As well as the lodge facilities, there is also an air conditioned gym and spa facilities. The site has seen various uses over the years, including as a Warners Holiday Park and a naturist camp. Visitors are now requested to keep their clothes on. Prices start from around £225 for three nights for two people (so, about £37 per person per night).
14. Hillside Hotel, Ventnor
Hillside Hotel is an 18th century thatched luxury country house with a modern interior and rave reviews. A room for two is from about £150. There are 12 bedrooms, alongside a number of apartments most of which have sea views (pretty much everywhere in Ventnor has gorgeous sea views as the town is on a steep slope). The attached restaurant has a 'Scandinavian twist', which I'm assured does not just mean lots of meatballs.
Looking for something a bit cheaper? Try our Isle of Wight holiday park guide
Prices checked January 2017 unless otherwise stated.
