Isles of Scilly -Advice Please.

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

It’s been a long time dream to visit the Scillies. Has anyone been and got any tips? It looks impossible to find anywhere to stay that’s decent for the price.
Thinking about self catering, are the shops very expensive for basic groceries? Is it better to BnB? Although with DC I like to have use of a washing machine with beaches and wet clothes etc.

Any advice would be really helpful.

• [Title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

Expensive to get there (don't even think about the boat, unless you have a stomach of iron - you have to fly!) and accommodation is expensive and limited - but after that costs are no different than mainland Cornwall. The expense of getting and staying there means you're paying for empty beaches and lack of crowds.

There really isn't much to do other than explore and have meals - it's a very outdoor holiday - but if the weather is nice, it's utterly stunning. However, if you're unlucky with the weather you may feel it was a very expensive trip for what it was. There are no real indoor options other than dining and one tiny museum.

Be warned, the clear water looks very appealing but is astonishingly cold, even in August / September when it should be at its warmest. It felt much colder than the beaches off mainland Cornwall, for some reason. I was a bit disappointed with that.

Recommend staying on St Mary's for a first trip as the boat connections to off-islands (smaller islands) are good and you can visit them all in the space of a week if you want to. It still feels tiny and cute but there is a little bit more to do, more than one pub / restaurant etc. Plus bike hire, riding stables, small village with multiple shops, museum etc.

Tresco feels different as it is privately owned and operated as a posh holiday resort. Beautiful scenery and the Abbey Gardens are probably the biggest attraction on the entire archipelago but I didn't love the vibe; it was my least favourite island.

You can't be choosy about accommodation if you're going in school holidays. It's more what is available. You're unlikely to find any accommodation on the off-islands in high summer unless you're very lucky and chance upon a cancellation, or put your name down a year in advance and take anything that comes up.

Tresco used to be our least favourite island but it does feel different when you stay there. St Mary's is definitely best for a first timer though.

We’ve looked at Jersey, but it’s just under 4k for 3 of us self catering. Too expensive.

Went every year for our summer holiday when I was a child, very happy memories. Took DS when he was little, went on the Scillonian, never had such a terrible boat trip, the weather was horrendous, think DH was one of the only people who wasn't being sick, even when DS puked all over him and then fell asleep, so DH had to sit through the rest of the journey covered in sick!

The journey took twice as long as normal as going against the wind. A number of people were doing a day trip, I felt so sorry for them thinking they had to do the return journey in only a couple of hours time. There was quite a long queue at the helicopter travel desk with people begging for seats so they didn't have to do the return journey on the boat.

Apart from that we had a lovely time.

Be prepared for flights to be delayed by fog. And it will be an expensive holiday

My family go every year. It's really beautiful, but honestly it's not worth it, especially when you factor in the drive. The accommodation and restaurants are poor quality and exorbitantly expensive. I've not seen any hotel that I'd count as luxury. Nothing is climate friendly, they're still running as if it's 1970. Last summer Tresco were running out of water and were asking guests not to shower despite the 1000s it costs to stay there. You can't drink the tap water and on several of the islands the sewage still goes straight into the sea, but they don't tell the tourists which beaches have sewage pipes! It is very pretty though, even in a storm.

It’s beautiful and I love Scilly. Stay wherever OP, it’s worth it for the location. We flew from lands end. If you can stay on St Marys there will be more places to eat. Then go down to the quay in the day and get one of the little boats that go to the other islands. Our favourite island was St Martins - absolutely gorgeous beaches there. I really loved the whole feel and atmosphere of the whole place. Stunning sunsets too. I’d go back but it’s so expensive!!

@DobbyTheHouseElk Where were you looking in Jersey, if you don't mind me asking? There's some really expensive s/c properties (Les Ormes, La Place Cottages etc) here while Guernsey to the best of my knowledge has some more middle-of-the-road but still decent options.

You absolutely can drink the tap water and there are several excellent places to eat. Can't get away from the expense though!

Merlin House I think, La Place and Les Ormes but discounted the latter when we saw it was next to the airport and trip advisor said it was noisy due to the airport.

we looked at serviced apartments, self catering. Plus flights and it was under 4k for a week. This wasn’t high season summer holidays either.

Wow, I’m shocked regarding the tap water. Is that right?

We would be flying from Exeter, we live in the SW so we are very close to the airport. So the drive isn’t a problem.

I’m not looking for a budget holiday, but equally don’t want silly money.

End of June/ start of July. Not main summer school holidays.

I’m sure we drank the tap water but that was a few years ago, not heard that you can’t drink it

@DobbyTheHouseElk Les Ormes is right next to the airport but the airport is only operational from 7am to about 9pm and even then it's a few dozen flights a day, not 100s, so it's not terrible. The accommodation is lovely though!

I think you would find cheaper accommodation in Guernsey, and it's much much easier to island hop from there, but the more expensive flights with Aurigny might off-set the saving 

You can absolutely drink the tap water, and sewage isn't pumped 'straight' into the sea - most of the islands' properties operate on septic tanks. Sewage pipes are few and far between, having lived there in a past life I couldn't actually tell you the location of any pipes.
Actually the islands are really embracing sustainability through the Smart Islands project - and you'll be able to eat local produce from within a 2 mile radius - fresh fish (from small local boats), locally produced meat and most islands have vegetables on sale from various honesty stalls etc.
Admittedly the 15 min flight is not a carbon efficient mode of transport - but once on the islands you will not struggle to have a climate friendly holiday - if this is something that concerns you, you could always offset your holiday by donating to the local Wildlife Trust.
As for luxury hotels - the Hell Bay & Karma are of a very high standard and (not that it matters) but Tresco attracts lots of high profile visitors, A list actors & Royals - and they are hardly known for slumming it!

Scillies are magic (Cornish family here - we say 'the Scillies', but I know it divides opinion). We've had several brilliant family holidays there.

Accommodation just is more expensive that its equivalent on the mainland. And the weather's a risk. There's no getting away from either of those things.

We always go on the boat. I'm not the best sailor, but I've been on it about 10 times now and only had one trip where I felt properly queasy. Rest of our family of 5 have always been fine. I do know people who've had really awful experiences on the boat too, but it's a risk rather than a given. And we've seen whales, dolphins, sunfish etc from the boat - on a good day it's amazing.

Try Sorel Ashton who is a Travel Counsellor. She got us in last year. Not cheap but she got us nice accommodation.