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5 best Isle of Wight holiday lodges
I’m a big fan of holiday lodges, which provide a slightly classier option than the wobbly walls of caravans. They are often based on holiday parks and spa resorts with decent facilities such as indoor swimming pools and restaurants, as well as sea views and beachside locations.
Many lodges also have hot tubs, so you can spend your holiday indulging in an outdoor bath and a glass of Cava.
Here are 5 of the best holiday lodges on the Isle of Wight:
Many lodges also have hot tubs, so you can spend your holiday indulging in an outdoor bath and a glass of Cava.
Here are 5 of the best holiday lodges on the Isle of Wight:
1. Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat and Woodside Coastal Retreat (hot tubs, restaurant, beachside - good for couples)
Woodside Coastal Retreat and Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat are two adjacent beachside sites on the east of the Isle of Wight. They aren’t the cheapest holiday lodges on the Isle of Wight but both sites get very good reviews from visitors (9/10 generally).
The lodges are in Wootton, which is very near to the Fishbourne ferry port, so very simple if you’re travelling from Portsmouth. The site doesn’t have a swimming pool, but there is a spa, gym and restaurant. You can use any of the facilities regardless of which of the two sites you stay at.
The slightly newer lodges are at Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat so I'd look there first. There are private hot tubs attached to some of the accommodation and there’s a shingly beach which is only a pebbles throw away.
The park is around the spot where the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival was held, when Bob Dylan’s performance was watched by 150,000 people including John Lennon.
Cheapest price at Woodside Coastal Retreat and Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat for one week in August 2019:
The lodges are in Wootton, which is very near to the Fishbourne ferry port, so very simple if you’re travelling from Portsmouth. The site doesn’t have a swimming pool, but there is a spa, gym and restaurant. You can use any of the facilities regardless of which of the two sites you stay at.
The slightly newer lodges are at Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat so I'd look there first. There are private hot tubs attached to some of the accommodation and there’s a shingly beach which is only a pebbles throw away.
The park is around the spot where the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival was held, when Bob Dylan’s performance was watched by 150,000 people including John Lennon.
Cheapest price at Woodside Coastal Retreat and Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat for one week in August 2019:
- 4 berth lodge at Woodside Coastal Retreat from £1058 (check latest prices) or £1337 for a lodge with a hot tub
- 4 berth lodge at Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat from £905 (check latest prices) or £1382 for a lodge with a hot tub
2. St. HElen's Coastal Resort (hot tubs, near to the beach, outdoor swimming pool)
St Helen's Coastal Resort was previously called St Helen's Holiday Park, before it was bought by Aria Resorts and revamped in 2019.
Reviews are consistently excellent, averaging about 9/10 on most sites. There's an outdoor heated swimming pool for those who are optimistic about the weather, as well as fields for playing sports and a playground.
It's a quiet park on the Isle of Wight's east coast near to some pretty beaches with shallow water, which are ideal for paddling but less practical for swimming (Priory Bay and St Helen's are my two favourite in the area). Ryde is also nearby for a bucket-and-spade day out.
There are two and three bedroom lodges on offer, some of which have hot tubs.
Cheapest price for one week at St Helen's Coastal Resort in August 2019
Reviews are consistently excellent, averaging about 9/10 on most sites. There's an outdoor heated swimming pool for those who are optimistic about the weather, as well as fields for playing sports and a playground.
It's a quiet park on the Isle of Wight's east coast near to some pretty beaches with shallow water, which are ideal for paddling but less practical for swimming (Priory Bay and St Helen's are my two favourite in the area). Ryde is also nearby for a bucket-and-spade day out.
There are two and three bedroom lodges on offer, some of which have hot tubs.
Cheapest price for one week at St Helen's Coastal Resort in August 2019
- £1751 for a 'superior lodge' with hot tub (check latest prices). The cheapest caravan was about £1000 for a week.
St Helen's Coastal Resort
3. The Bay, Colwell (indoor swimming pool, hot tubs)
The Bay, Colwell was previously called Colwell Bay Holiday Cottages. It's a fairly small and simple site in the West Wight with an indoor swimming pool, tennis and a play area.
The cottages/lodges sleep 4 to 6 people and the more expensive ones have outdoor hot tubs. Reviews average about 8.5/10.
The local beach is a 5 minute walk away and is the closest point to the mainland. I would avoid trying to swim across unless you want to visit France. Colwell Bay has not got a lot of sand at low tide, but it’s on the West side of the Isle of Wight which has several unspoilt beaches.
If you want to trek across to the busier tourist resorts of Sandown, Shanklin and Ryde then it will take about 45 minutes. Most Isle of Wight residents don’t like to travel far and only attempt a journey of this distance on special occasions but I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Price for a week in a lodge at The Bay, Colwell in August 2019:
The cottages/lodges sleep 4 to 6 people and the more expensive ones have outdoor hot tubs. Reviews average about 8.5/10.
The local beach is a 5 minute walk away and is the closest point to the mainland. I would avoid trying to swim across unless you want to visit France. Colwell Bay has not got a lot of sand at low tide, but it’s on the West side of the Isle of Wight which has several unspoilt beaches.
If you want to trek across to the busier tourist resorts of Sandown, Shanklin and Ryde then it will take about 45 minutes. Most Isle of Wight residents don’t like to travel far and only attempt a journey of this distance on special occasions but I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Price for a week in a lodge at The Bay, Colwell in August 2019:
- £1167 for a family of four in a premium cottage. A lodge/cottage with a hot tub was about £400 extra when I checked (check latest prices)
4. The Lakes, Rookley (indoor swimming pool, hot tubs)
The Lakes, Rookley was formerly known as Rookley Country Park before it was bought be Aria Resorts and renamed in 2019. Historic reviews aren't as good as West Bay Club or Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat but most refer to the park before it was taken over. Onsite it's got indoor and outdoor swimming pools and fishing lakes.
They also added some new lodges in 2018 which look good and the posher properties have hot tubs.
Rookley is inland, so the nearest beach is about 15 minutes away by car but it's a convenient central location for exploring to the Isle of Wight. You can get anywhere within 30 minutes.
You'll also see it advertised at Rookley Park.
Price for a week in a lodge at The Lakes, Rookley in August 2019:
They also added some new lodges in 2018 which look good and the posher properties have hot tubs.
Rookley is inland, so the nearest beach is about 15 minutes away by car but it's a convenient central location for exploring to the Isle of Wight. You can get anywhere within 30 minutes.
You'll also see it advertised at Rookley Park.
Price for a week in a lodge at The Lakes, Rookley in August 2019:
- £1486 for a family of four in a Lakehouse. There are caravans from about £950 but the lodges are more expensive (check latest prices)
5. Landguard Holiday Park (indoor swimming pool, hot tubs, kids activities - good for families)
Most of the accommodation at Parkdean Resorts Landguard Holiday Park is caravans, but there’s a decent choice of lodges which get much better reviews (8 or 9 out of 10) and are worth a look if you like the location and facilities.
Landguard is in Shanklin which is a classic bucket-and-spade resort which claims to be the sunniest spot in England (although a few different places claim that…). The park is about 20 minutes walk to the beach, so there’s no sea view, but it’s a very well-equipped park with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, restaurant, shop and playground.
There’s also a busy schedule of kids and grown ups entertainment and sports, if that’s your sort of thing. The park itself scores about 7.5/10 from most reviewers.
A similar alternative is Lower Hyde, which is also owned by Park Resorts. It’s a 15 minute walk away and gets similar reviews but the indoor swimming pool is smaller.
Cheapest price for a week in a lodge at Landguard in August 2018:
Landguard is in Shanklin which is a classic bucket-and-spade resort which claims to be the sunniest spot in England (although a few different places claim that…). The park is about 20 minutes walk to the beach, so there’s no sea view, but it’s a very well-equipped park with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, restaurant, shop and playground.
There’s also a busy schedule of kids and grown ups entertainment and sports, if that’s your sort of thing. The park itself scores about 7.5/10 from most reviewers.
A similar alternative is Lower Hyde, which is also owned by Park Resorts. It’s a 15 minute walk away and gets similar reviews but the indoor swimming pool is smaller.
Cheapest price for a week in a lodge at Landguard in August 2018:
- £1519 for a family of four. A week in a caravan is much cheaper (from about £800). A lode with a hot tub at Landguard was £2099 when I searched (check latest prices).
6. West Bay Club and Spa (indoor swimming pool, exercise classes, kids activities - good for families)
West Bay Club is a good choice for families looking for a posh lodge with decent facilities for kids. There’s a mix of cabins, cottages and two storey houses on a large site with more than 100 properties.
Onsite, there’s an indoor swimming pool, adult exercise classes, tennis, workshops for children (pizza making, arts and crafts etc), a spa and a restaurant. They don't have hot tubs as far as I can tell.
West Bay Club is in Yarmouth, which is a rather well-to-do town in the West Wight (the quieter side of the Isle of Wight). It's a 10 minute walk to the pretty harbour at Yarmouth or a couple of miles to a beach for swimming (Colwell Bay is nearest).
The cost of the Isle of Wight ferry is included in the booking, which will save you somewhere between £50 and £200 depending on the time of year and which way the wind is blowing.
Reviews are outstanding, averaging 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor when I checked.
Cheapest price for one week at West Bay Club in August 2019
Onsite, there’s an indoor swimming pool, adult exercise classes, tennis, workshops for children (pizza making, arts and crafts etc), a spa and a restaurant. They don't have hot tubs as far as I can tell.
West Bay Club is in Yarmouth, which is a rather well-to-do town in the West Wight (the quieter side of the Isle of Wight). It's a 10 minute walk to the pretty harbour at Yarmouth or a couple of miles to a beach for swimming (Colwell Bay is nearest).
The cost of the Isle of Wight ferry is included in the booking, which will save you somewhere between £50 and £200 depending on the time of year and which way the wind is blowing.
Reviews are outstanding, averaging 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor when I checked.
Cheapest price for one week at West Bay Club in August 2019
- 4 berth cottage for £1229 (check latest prices)
Which Isle of Wight lodge would you choose?
- If you're looking for high quality accommodation and family friendly activities in a quiet and picturesque part of the Isle of Wight, I'd choose West Bay Club.
- If you want to be within walking distance of a beach, I'd choose Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat (this one also seems to be popular with couples) or St Helen's Coastal Retreat.
- If you want family friendly activities but would rather be in a busy tourist resort, I'd choose Landguard.
- If you want a central location to explore the whole Island I'd pick The Lakes, Rookley.
The-Isle-of-Wight-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer™ The information on this website is correct, as far as we know, but please contact us if you find anything inaccurate.
