Isle of Wight recommendations please

[MumUndone]

My husband turns 40 in May so I'd like to book a self catering break on the Isle of Wight for him and our children (2 and 7) for half term week. Any recommendations for which is best area to stay, things to do, and cottage rental companies? Thanks.

Shanklin or Sandown are ideal if you are looking for a classic British seaside holiday - but not if you are looking for privacy and peace. They are packed full of hotels with sea views, the beaches are sandy and the sea is clean for swimming.Their beach fronts are full of amusements, minigolf courses and cafes selling chips with everything. There’s also the Amazon World Zoo Park, the Isle of Wight Zoo and Dinosaur Isle nearby. Sandown feels more shabby than Shanklin. The old town in Shanklin has some quaint tea rooms and a couple of well-regarded restaurants. Shanklin beach is more shingly with patches of gritty sand. We think Sandown bay is prettier than Shanklin.
Ryde is easy to get to and is very family-friendly (bowling alley, swimming pool, canoe lake, paddling pool, playgrounds) and the beach is sandy and huge. There are lots of wet-weather activities and there are normally family-focussed events throughout the year. It’s also great for shopping - lots of boutique and gift shops.
Personally I adore the West Wight, particularly the beaches along the military road. The coastal walks are great but terrible for buggies. If you are after peace and quiet then the West Wight is perfect. There's also plenty of self catering. Yarmouth is in the West. I think it’s a pretty town with a sleepy waterfront and gorgeous old buildings. Some lovely cafes and one-off shops.

Look at Tapnell Farm. Your kids would love the soft play - if it's open. You can hire a hot tub and look out across the hills to the sea.

Fivemore that’s a really good summary. Just like to also say west of the island is beautiful and in May it will be stunning on a nice day. Beautiful views and walks with plenty of good pubs.

Try www.westwightcottages.co.uk/ - they have some lovely places.

Or for a stay with a difference www.vintagevacations.co.uk/ - we love their Airstream caravans and it's a great place for kids to play and meet others.

There is SO much to do on the island, we never tire of going there.

Nodes point is beautiful

Sandown is a bit of a dump to be honest. I don’t know why a pp has recommended it. It’s probably one of the worst places here.

Ryde is much better and Bembridge/St Helen’s/sea view are all lovely.

Like another pp says, the west side of the island is beautiful and quieter. Yarmouth and Totland Bay are great places to stay.

Tapnell Farm, Robin Hill country Farm and Carisbrook castle are great for a day out, as are the needles.

Give black gang chine a miss, it’s expensive and very dated.

The Garlic Farm. Absolutely lovely, and close to Arreton which is an incredibly pretty rural area, close to just about everywhere as the island is diddy and it's pretty well in the middle. They have lots of options for places to stay and a very nice restaurant on site, too - great coffee, fabulous breakfasts. Get up early enough to get a table by the terrace, and you can watch red squirrels feeding.

Lots of the places by the sea are very old style touristy, which can be fun for a day trip but less so to stay in, IMO. Bembridge is lovely though, and if you want somewhere quiet but not rural, by the sea, it's a good bet. But as it's small and charming it's really expensive, from memory. Godshill is inland, and like a village from an Enid Blyton or Miss Marple tv series - super pretty, but also a total tourist trap.

Personally, I'd stay in Ventnor if I didn't want rural. Very foody, and clustered against a steep hill down to the sea so exceptionally pretty, but doesn't feel like a toy town in the same way as some of the other places can. Feels like people still live there - same with Cowes and Ryde but they're also just normal towns to some extent. Bembridge and Ventnor feel distinct as a village and small town in that specific part of the world, and so does Arreton.

If you message the wonderful people at the ice cream place, Crave, via their Facebook page they will advise on the best places to stay and eat around Ventnor. They've ranked best ice cream place in the country on Tripadvisor and their lovely kind service is a large part of why - they know everyone and everywhere. We always ask them where is currently best to eat and they've never steered us awry! Sure they can do the same about places to stay, too. Incidentally, if you ask them to make any flavour at all, ready for your arrival, then they can and will. My kids arrive on the island and we go straight to Crave, where two of their slots have tubs of their requests ready to scoop. And that's the norm - they do it for anyone.

Love the Isle of Wight. It's really special.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions and advice.

Sandown beach is fabulous, and you have everything on hand in Sandown. It's a good base to explore the rest of the island from.

Hmmm. Depends how close to things you want to be. I'd not stay near Sandown etc, I'd go to west Wight (Yarmouth to Freshwater Bay area) for walks and views or Bembridge/Seaview. The latter has more beaches in close proximity plus more pubs etc, in normal times. Nowhere is very far from anywhere else!

Ventnor ..I love it there!

www.islandcottageholidays.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAmfmABhCHARIsACwPRACwYhiccu-VI3dp7lY0CVhBOusuVvVdPSn0ArN0j7hqHSxvv5G5voMaAkm6EALw_wcB

We stayed in Ryde last summer with kids nearly 8 and just 3 and loved it. Others have said most of what I would have, but I'll add a recommendation for Classic.co.uk for your accommodation - they treated us really well with all the pandemic uncertainty (we booked pre pandemic, so there was all sorts of will we / won't we going on).