Been coming to Isle of Wight for for years and this time was lovely to stay in a well run guest house and have a sea view room to watch the sun rise.

Shanklin is a great base for visits on the Isle of Wight. Driving was a challenge for this American - the country lanes are very narrow - hard to think they're two-way streets! - but that's the norm for this country in many places. And it was worth it. So many beautiful places, starting with the old village of Shanklin with its thatched roofs, and lush, tropical Shanklin Chine, then on to the sailing center of Cowes, Steephill Cove and the Botanical Gardens, Queen Victoria's home at Osborne House, the Needles, drives through green-cloaked downs and tunnels formed by overarching trees and so much more. And I have to add a note about dining - fine dining at Thompson,The Little Gloster, The Grill and Morgans among a long list of excellent IOW restaurants.

The most picturesque and beautiful place! We adored it. After touring the whole Isle of Wight, we felt we had picked the perfect place with easy location to everywhere, the best sunrises imagineable, just enough restaurants to suit us the nights we stayed close to home but close enough to other culinary delights in neighbouring towns to not require huge travel time. Lots to do. Check out the huge variety of shows at Shanklin theatre which was superb as well as so many amazing things to do and see. We absolutely love it here and will be back.

Castle Lodge Guest House (where I was staying) is actually located in the village of Carisbrooke, which is just outside the town of Newport. The main reason for my visit on this occasion was to take part in the Autumn Walking Festival. Because of this and therefore visiting other parts of the Isle of Wight, I didn't spend very much time visiting Newport itself. However, it's a pleasant town. In reality, I would probably grade it half-way between 'OK' and 'Great'. It is easy getting to other parts of the Isle of Wight from Newport, as bus routes generally radiate from here. I didn't eat in Newport, as there was an excellent pub much nearer where I was staying.

Sandown is lovely.it has wonderfull long beaches,dog friendly and good promenade walks very suitable for the less agile,the walk along prom from sandown to shanklin would suit anyone in a wheelchair or moility scooter.Plenty of shops for groceries and lovely quaint gift shops,cafes etc.Shanklin being a mile or 2 along the coast is just beautifull any time of year,If your not driving the buses go all the scenic routes along the coast with amazing views to be seen.For walkers id recommend walking up the cliff towards yaverland up to culver down where the views are terrific.You can drive up to culver down if the hill is too much.At late night if you drive up to the car park at culver down and look up at the sky,you can see the entire universe it seems,only on a clear night,even with the naked eye..the whole of the isle of wight is in my opinion an island paradise.!!

East Cowes - and the rest of the Isle of Wight - is simply charming and exudes history at every turn. This was our second visit there and we will be back again. Be sure to visit Osborne House and Carisbrooke Castle. Even if you're not a history buff, you will love them. The people here are simply lovely!

Places to visit include: The Needles - Monkey Haven - Isle of Wight Zoo - the bus service is superb and covers the whole island - a weekly ticket costs £24 and is well worth the money - lots of reasonable places to eat - we didn't get to Amazon World, Butterfly Haven or the steam train but we'll pick that up on our next visit

The ferry to the Isle of Wight is uncomfortable, very expensive, and unreliable. I only visited one pub, and found a barman complaining about the Scots, all EU citizens, the euro, ... I hope rather than expect that he was not typical of the locals. I was there for 4 days, and felt ripped-off by almost everyone. I did not have one good meal in a restaurant, but did get the worst coffee anyone has ever served me. I will not return.

Freshwater has a bit of everything including a few surprises. Dinosaurs, beaches, Roman Villas, Botanical Gardens. All within a short distance and easy to get to. Don't miss Military Road and Alum Bay. The entire Isle of Wight is a treasure.

A delightful little village that was the base for visiting other sites on the Isle of Wight. It was easy to get to busses and the train as well as walks to pubs and places to eat.