Isle of wight

SHEILA54

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am sorry to hear that it has got so run down as I have happy memories of taking my children there.

It seems to be a toss up between Shanklin and Ventnor? I stayed Yarmouth and visited Totland Bay but that is many years ago

NPowerUser

Run down it most definitely is.

Last summer some of the Sandown Hotels were so desperate to fill rooms you could have had a room for a tenner.

You only have to search the Gully Howard website to see all the business for sale on the Island. Try town search.
http://www.gullyhoward.com/commercial-property-south-england.asp?proptype=All&proptown=SHANKLIN

Business rates are so high and where the IOW is reliant on the weather, many can no longer survive 52 weeks of the year. When it costs the average family over £100 to get a car over and then pay £700 a week for a good caravan during the school summer holidays, little wonder why people chose to stay away.

Our only Michelin star chef is leaving the Island. Wetherspoons in Ryde forces you to eat with your kids upstairs so not very child friendly. The main (only) nightclub (Bogeys) in Sandown serving Brading and everywhere south of the Island has shut down.

Even lovely quaint places like Quarr Abbey that a few years ago was a hidden gen has become over commercial charging £24 for 3 sandwiches, 2 coffees and a diet coke.
http://mattandcat.co.uk/reviews/index.php/2011/11/15/quarr-abbey-tea-garden

Best of luck!

gazzak_2

OP, my parents live on the Island so we travel over regularly and they send us the County Press every week. I don't know why many on here are putting the island down, as it's still a very nice place to visit and nowhere near as bad as being made out. The weather over there is always better than on the mainland, and crime is almost non existent when you compare to any mainland town. I do agree that investment is needed in many parts, but to say that the roads will shake your car apart is laughable when it's the same all over the country.

There are fantastic places to stay if you research well. There are also fantastic places to visit, and a bus goes to them all. Blackgang Chine is easy to get to from Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin or Ventnor. Ventnor is closest and a nice place to stay for a weekend. As also mentioned above, West Wight is nice, (but the Needles experience isn't), and if you can I'd highly recommend Flamingo Park, the Garlic Farm and Godshill miniature village.

SHEILA54

NPowerUser wrote: »

Run down it most definitely is.

Last summer some of the Sandown Hotels were so desperate to fill rooms you could have had a room for a tenner.

You only have to search the Gully Howard website to see all the business for sale on the Island. Try town search.
http://www.gullyhoward.com/commercial-property-south-england.asp?proptype=All&proptown=SHANKLIN

Business rates are so high and where the IOW is reliant on the weather, many can no longer survive 52 weeks of the year. When it costs the average family over £100 to get a car over and then pay £700 a week for a good caravan during the school summer holidays, little wonder why people chose to stay away.

Our only Michelin star chef is leaving the Island. Wetherspoons in Ryde forces you to eat with your kids upstairs so not very child friendly. The main (only) nightclub (Bogeys) in Sandown serving Brading and everywhere south of the Island has shut down.

Even lovely quaint places like Quarr Abbey that a few years ago was a hidden gen has become over commercial charging £24 for 3 sandwiches, 2 coffees and a diet coke.
http://mattandcat.co.uk/reviews/index.php/2011/11/15/quarr-abbey-tea-garden

Best of luck!

I live in the South East and try to take my grandchildren away, separately, for a couple of days each Summer so that their parents can have one to one time with the child not going with me. Cornwall would be lovely but too far!! My grandson wants to go to Bournemouth and that is booked but my granddaughter wants to go somewhere different. I am fortunate to have a bus pass, being a pensioner, and hope to use megabus to get to Portsmouth to keep the cost down.

Any tips to save money would be appreciated

miss_scrooge

Shanklin would be the best place as it is on the bus and train route no trains go to Ventnor.Shanklin has alot of shops boots etc.Arcade and so does sandown.In Sandown there's a zoo opposite the beach and dinosaur isle along the road from zoo not far.Hated going on the buses took to long and was like a fairground ride held on for dear life trains are quick places aren't that far from each other ryde -Shanklin.Brading wasn't run down I liked it there chips are nice it's just a little village they have a doll/toy museum not sure if it's still there used to have the wax works not anymore.Crime in iow is the same as anywhere but the crimes weirder.Been to iow 30+ times somebody I know who lived there had their tyres of their car pinched twice.Also the weathers no different to the mainland.Bournemouths run down aswell mainly the roads going towards the beach.Quite a walk from the train station to get to bournemouth beach.Only been to bournemouth 3 times even if a place is run down holiday can still be good also children never notice just remember the fun they had.I've been to margate that was run down but I still enjoyed myself.Can save money by using tesco rewards to get in places. At ferry terminal they have little cards on wall in holders they have discounts on them also isle of wight magazine at ferry terminal have discounts also they have alot of leaflets in the ferry terminals.Could get the hovercraft over saves a bit of money.

SHEILA54

Shanklin it is then. I will definitely go to Blackgang Chine and go to the beach, weather permitting. The rest I will leave to her and show her what there is.

I know Bournemouth well and we always take the open top bus to Swanage. It has a lot going on which suits my grandson, who is now 12.

Thank you all for your help and advice

NPowerUser

miss_scrooge wrote: »

In Sandown there's a zoo opposite the beach

Yes, worth a visit as many months of the year the zoo does not have enough money to pay the monthly staff, they have 13 big cats to feed and working at the zoo is a mission of love. Rolling wages into the following month proves this.

No waxworks in Brading as this too has shut.

Ryde has a nice bowling alley (LA Bowl) but when it was converted all the equipment was second hand, so many of the lanes have a tendency to break down, but a member of staff should be soon on hand to unblock or reset the bowling lane.

If you use Ryde beach between the Slipway and Puckpool Park with the little ones, beware of dog mess as its used as a glorified litter tray all winter and many warm evenings, as no dog patrols after 6pm.

Ventnor has retained its victorian charm, although a bus journey to Ryde (1 hour to travel 11.5 miles) between both towns can test little ones patience. The EF students can be a little noisy on the buses during the summer holidays, just ignore them.