anyone self -catered at the priory bay hotel, isle of wight

[emmaij]

am thinking of booking a holiday here in may? has anyone been? and what was it like?

Also, what is the isle of wight like as a place to visit. my daughter will be two. will we find enough for her to do and us to do for five days or so?

any advice /ideas please

[miggy]

loads to do, all slightly tacky but loved by children! I took a 2yr old and 5 yr old on my own a few yrs ago, we stayed in a log cabin thing on a holiday park. Lots of theme park type places,zoos, bird sanctuaries, we didnt have time (or weather!) for the beach. Everyone I know who has been with small children has found lots to do.
Could recommend the hospital there too as we found it very good when the 5yr old shut the 2yr olds finger in a door!

[donnie]

Hey emmaij, you should look into the Old Park hotel near Ventnor: my hubby, I and my year old daughter went there for a long weekend in november and it's great, they have baby monitoring and provide a nice 3 course dinner and breakfast for adults, kiddies teas between 4 and 5.30 ( huge selection of nice appetising food)and in addition have well equipped play areas indoors and outdoors, an indoor toddler swimming pool and are unbelievably cheap !!!!!! we paid next to nothing, out of season admittedly. There's a bar, it's near a beach etc, ideal. Rooms are a bit naff and dusty but perfectly ok and the kiddies facilities are v good.The website is www.oldparkhotel.com.We would definitely go back there. Hope this info os useful.

[Marina]

Miggy is right about the slightly tacky Englishness of the island but it has beautiful countryside and heaps to do for small people and their families. Good, clean beaches, steam railway at Havenstreet, Carisbrooke Castle, Osborne House, zoo at Sandown (carefully repositioned in today's market as a big cat sanctuary, have not been myself I must confess), kitsch galore at Blackgang Chine, I could go on and on. Tbh there is even MORE to do for slightly older children, Emmaij, but provided you are lucky with the weather you will have a lovely time.
Never been to the Priory, it looks ever so smart, but have self-catered all over in cottages etc. We like West Wight best, bit quieter and less brash than Sandown & Shanklin. Ventnor is a pretty resort with stunning botanical gardens and Freshwater Bay is atmospheric but has a small, shingly beach.
Eating out - you may find yourselves practically living in the Wight Mouse at Chale, a superbly child-friendly pub near Blackgang Chine - it has an indoor play area, for a start. If the weather is nice, lunch in the Red Lion at Freshwater (children not welcomed in the pub but in the pretty garden), the food is great. We also enjoyed Dimbola Lodge (the home of photographer Julia Margaret Cameron), which does nice home-made lunches, and Sandpipers at Freshwater and the Seaview Hotel (in Seaview) both seem nice (never been, but supposedly child-friendly).
Try the local wine too - Adgestone vineyard does a good, very dry white.

[robinw]

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[emmaij]

thanks everyone!

shame that no one has tried out the s/c at the priory bay hotel.

but thanks for all other ideas .. keep them coming