Where is the cheapest place to stay on the Isle of Wight?

You may have managed to get to the Isle of Wight for a decent price thanks to our guide to Cheap Isle of Wight Ferry Travel, but where is the cheapest place to stay on the Isle of Wight?

This guide looks at the main types of accommodation on offer to holidaymakers and compares the cost for a family of four staying for a week in August 2019.

Option 1: Caravan sites - good for families

If caravan parks make you think of Father Ted then they probably aren't for you. However, they are a low cost option and some people love them, particularly as they give children more space to run/cycle around screaming.
 
There are two main types of holiday park on the Isle of Wight:
 
Larger family holiday parks with lots of facilities and activities:
Quieter holiday parks on rural sites with fewer facilities: This is just a selection - for more see our guide to 10 of the best caravan holiday parks on the Isle of Wight.
 
Prices vary but for example, I got a quote for caravan sites for the August school holidays 2019 and found a four berth caravan for £565 at the independently-owned Cheverton Copse or £679 at Parkdean Resort's Thorness Bay. That's £20 per person, per night at Cheverton Copse (which gets great reviews).

The Sun routinely does a deal involving cheap accommodation at caravan sites on the Isle of Wight. I've not done one of these holidays myself but the reviews suggest there are extras such as linen, entertainment passes and service charges so it's worth doing some calculations rather than looking at the headline figures. It's also worth remembering that the price is per person per night, so it will soon add up (plus you have to collect tokens) and won't necessarily be much cheaper than going direct (see above). You generally have the option of a 3 day weekend break or a 4 day midweek break.

Several Isle of Wight caravan sites have taken part in the scheme previously. At the time of writing (November 2018), the Trip Advisor reviews for caravan sites offered in The Sun's £9.50 promotion ranged from 3 to 5 stars (St Helen's Holiday Park (4.5, East Wight), The Orchards (4.5, West Wight), Fort Holiday Park (4.5, South East Wight), Thorness Bay (3.5, West Wight), Lower Hyde (4, South East Wight), Landguard (4, South East Wight), Whitecliff Bay (3.5, East Wight), Nodes Point (4, East Wight), Seaview Holiday Park (Can't find review, also known as Salterns, East Wight).

Option 2: Self catering cottages

You may be thinking to yourself, "I'd like to rent a cottage on the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear."

Well, I generally find that self catering cottages are cheaper for larger groups, where the cost is spread out. Their prices fluctuate massively according to the time of year on the Isle of Wight, sometimes trebling during peak weeks (see our guide to what time of year should I visit the Isle of Wight for more on this).
As an example, I searched a few months in advance for a week during August 2019 and found the following deals:​ Search for similar deals on Hoseasons Isle of Wight self catering properties

As you can see, if you can fill up the rooms then self catering can work out as a similar price to a typical caravan site (see #1).

In my experience, the cheaper Isle of Wight self catering accommodation websites are often the ones where the owners handle the bookings themselves, rather than using a letting agent. Owners usually pay an annual fee rather than a fee for each booking so their costs are lower (of course, there are advantages of going through an agent).

You might like to try HomeAway Isle of Wight self catering properties with: 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, 4 bedrooms, 5 bedrooms, 6 bedrooms+

Option 3: Campsites

Camping is almost certainly the cheapest option for an Isle of Wight holiday, unless you can persuade relatives/strangers to put you up.

There are more than 50 campsites on the Isle of Wight, according to UKCampsite.co.uk although we did a bit of digging and found about 20 Isle of Wight campsites which are open to all (rather than members of clubs), including:
Muddy campsite
Why wouldn't you want to camp?
Larger campsites with lots of facilities and children’s entertainment:  
Quieter rural campsites with simple facilities  
My advice would be to start by deciding which part of the Isle of Wight you want to stay in by reading our guide (Which Isle of Wight Town Should I stay in?) to help narrow down your options. Many of the sites featured in our guide to 10 of the best Isle of Wight holiday parks also offer camping and touring facilities.
 
Prices vary according to the size of pitch, whether you want electricity and how many cars you are bringing. I looked at a week in August 2019, and found that a family of four could rent a standard pitch for £264 at Whitecliff Bay. 

Of course, you'll need a tent. You might consider these four man tents from Amazon from about £50, at the time of writing, if you don't fancy living on top of each other all week.

Caravanners might want to read our guide to cheap Isle of Wight ferry travel for caravans.

Option 4: Privately owned seaside chalets

There are various sites on the Isle of Wight where private owners rent out small chalets on shared sites, often at pretty cheap prices.

One big site is Brambles Chine/Linstone Chine in the West Wight which mostly has chalets with a double bed and two children's single beds and in 2019 typically cost £200 - £650 for a week.  Some describe themselves as '6 berth' which presumably would involve two people on a fold out bed in the lounge (hopefully those who go to bed latest).

They are listed on various websites - some larger ones and some private ones. I can't offer personal recommendations, I'm just going on price for 2019. Here are some I've found:
The location is in the quieter West Wight - see our guide to Which Isle of Wight Town Should I stay in? to see if it is what you are after.

Another site is Gurnard Pines near (West) Cowes which has properties such as Willow View Cottage. 
See our guide to Brambles Chine and Linstone Chine self catering properties

Option 5: Independent Hotels

There are plenty of hotels towards the budget end of the market on the Isle of Wight, generally around Sandown, Shanklin and Ryde (as well as plenty of luxury hotels – see our guide). In November 2018 I searched for rooms available during August 2019 (so, high season) and found a family of four could get a week at the Gracellie Hotel for £700 (3.5 out of 5 on Trip Advisor).
New Holmwood
Best Western, Cowes
If you can stretch your budget a bit further, there are several others which have better reviews such as:  
You can search for Isle of Wight hotels via Expedia here or see our guide to luxury hotels.

One other option to consider is a bundled deal of a coach journey, ferry ticket and hotel. For example, two people travelling with Shearings Holidays can get picked up from York (or anywhere else) and spend three nights in a hotel in Sandown for £89 each in mid December including the ferry and half board. 

For my comparison week, a week was  £1032 for two people, although these holidays are generally not aimed at families.

Option 6: Chain hotels (Travelodge and Premier Inn) 

The Isle of Wight's Travelodge hotels are in Newport and Ryde (see our guide to which Isle of Wight town should I stay in). 

The key is to keep an eye out for the release of more bargain rooms (through their deals page and mailing list) and to book as long in advance as possible - the bottom price is generally £29 which for a 'family room' (double bed and two small pull out beds) works out at about £7 per person per night.

I did a search (in November 2018) and found that rooms in August at the Newport Travelodge were about £70 a night, September was about £60 per night, December was about £40 per night.

​A family of four could book a week in August 2019 for just £328 when I searched, but I would expect that price to increase nearer the time.

It's not good value if you leave it late or try to book on peak, but it is good for short off peak stays, such as a wedding.
The Isle of Wight has two Premier Inns. One is in Newport on the Isle of Wight Festival Site. It's worth looking at their prices if you are visiting for a day or two, particularly off peak and if you can book long in advance. Look out for sales and you can get sometimes get a room for £29, which can squeeze 2 adults and 2 children into it.
Isle of Wight festival
Premier Inn is on the IOW Festival site
Bands at the Isle of Wight Festival stay here, so you might end up in Paul McCartney's bed.

The Isle of Wight's other Premier Inn is described as Sandown (Merrie Gardens) but it is actually more Lake than Sandown itself. It is near a train station and walking distance to the sea, but don't expect a sea view.
 
When I searched for August 2019 - it came up at £412 in Newport or £429 in Sandown. It would be a bit cosy for a week with 4 people in one room, but that works out as about £15 per person per night.
 
Bear in mind that I searched in November 2018, prices increase as you get nearer the date.

Option 7: Glamping

If you can’t quite tolerate camping (or perhaps you don’t own a tent) then you might consider Glamping as a cheap Isle of Wight accommodation option. Some of the big holiday parks and some smaller providers offer big fancy tents which typically have full kitchens, double beds and the like.

​Whitecliff Bay has canvas cottages, bell tents and vintage caravans - a 4 person bell tent was £849 for a week in August 2019. 

Other Glamping options include:
​See our full guide to Isle of Wight Glamping

Option 8: Bed and Breakfast

Is there anything more English than avoiding conversation with an adjoining table at a Bed and Breakfast, whilst also eavesdropping on their conversation? Anyway, I looked at B&B accommodation for a week in August 2019 and found options from £630 for a week (that was Old Church House B&B in Newport).

If there are just two of you, other cheap B&Bs with good reviews included Park Lodge B&B in Ryde and The Royson in Shanklin. Both were about £500 for a week for two in August 2019.

Search for Isle of Wight B&Bs at Expedia

Option 9: Youth Hostel Association (YHA)

The Isle of Wight has two hostels run by the YHA.

The YHA Totland Bay (West Wight) has 50 beds, whilst the Brighstone YHA has 12 beds. I didn't have any luck searching for accommodation this time, but in my previous searches I found beds from as little as £15 to £30 per night. 
​
If you aren't sure about Hostels, there is a useful Q and A on the YHA website. It's worth saying that most hostels don't have age restrictions, despite the name.

My advice is that the YHA venues seem particularly good if you are travelling alone and on a budget.

Option 10: A House Swap

If you live in a tourist hotspot then you might consider attempting a house swap to get your holiday cottage on the Isle of Wight for nothing. At one stage there were quite a few of these onlines, with Owners Direct and Home For Exchange offering properties. However, more recently most of them seem to have vanished. Perhaps people don't the idea of a stranger rummaging through their drawers.

Anyway, I've left it on here as an option. 

Option 11: House Sitting

House sitting involves offering your house for free in exchange for your plants and pets being cared for by strangers. The biggest site I've found is Trusted House Sitters - last time I checked there were two 'house sitting assignments' on the Isle of Wight in East Cowes and Newport. Obviously you need to be an animal lover and willing to fulfil owner demands such as daily walks.

It costs £29 - £49 to become a registered sitter, but if you can get a week's holiday accommodation for that then it's a bargain.

Conclusion


For a comparison, I looked at a week in August 2019 when booked a few months in advance (I searched in November 2018). The prices for 2 adults and 2 children that I found were:​So, the cheapest option from my small survey seems to be either a house swap, camping (if you can tolerate it) or hiring a self catering chalet on a shared site.

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