Holiday lettings and accommodation on the Isle of Wight

From New England-style beach houses to large holiday homes, there are plenty of options for Isle of Wight holiday rentals. Visitors can also consider staying at traditional rural cottages for an experience of local-style living.

The Blackgang Chine is an adventure park-cum-playground that has various themed areas, rides, and plenty of other attractions for an entire day of fun. Favourites here include the dinosaur section, giant pirate, and Underwater Kingdom. The park also offers spectacular coastal views.

Spend time with farm animals, wallabies, and meerkats at the Tapnell Farm Park. The indoor play barn, toddlers’ play area, and outdoor space with go-karts, swings, slides, and a climbing tower keep children busy for hours. The park’s café serves locally-sourced snacks and drinks.

Visit the magnificent Carisbrooke Castle where children can learn about the history of the island, along with the thrill of exploring an actual castle. Your kids' imagination will take over as they discover armour, cannons, and ramparts. The vast open grounds are perfect for little ones to burn off energy in.

The Needles Landmark Attraction has a chairlift ride taking people to and from the Needles Rocks, with stunning views all around. There is also a lighthouse, a shop where you can create sand ornaments, glass-blowing, sweet-making demonstrations, and a 4D cinema experience.

For a nice family outing on the water, visit any of Sandown, Shanklin, and Ventnor beaches. These are classic local favourites, with their timeless beach huts and fish and chip shops. Ryde Beach, with its soft sand, funfairs, and restaurants is another good choice.

Wherever you stay, your Isle of Wight holiday home is sure to be near a piece of history either millions of years, or decades, old. Animals and people alike have left their mark across the island. The dinosaurs came first, leaving us fossilised footprints at Hanover Point and fossilised remains along the western coast. To learn about them, get transported back in time at Dinosaur Isle at Sandown, or join one of the number of organised tours along the beach.

The Stone Agers - or, if you’d prefer, the Devil and St. Catherine - were responsible for The Longstone, followed by the Romans (Brading Roman Villa), and then by a medieval man who stole monks’ wine and built the ’Pepperpot’ as atonement.

After Henry VIII built Yarmouth Castle, which offers picturesque views of the Solent, an unwilling Charles I stayed in Carisbrooke Castle, just outside Newport. Today, the partial ruins of the medieval castle offers wall walks, museum displays, and the rather interesting spectacle of watching donkeys draw water from a well.

Despite being just across the Solent in East Cowes, Queen Victoria’s family revelled in the privacy of Osbourne House, which combines beautiful interiors with insights into their family life. To blast back into the modern world, visit the Needles Old Battery and New Battery to learn about secret rockets and admire its sea views.

Beaches will be within easy reach of your Isle of Wight holiday letting, whether you are camped right on the coast or in a country cottage. The sandy beaches of Ventnor and Shanklin to the east are perhaps the most family-friendly.

The multi-coloured sand of Alum Bay at The Needles - Landmark Attraction is also a must. The park’s 4D cinema, Sand Shop, and water activities are sure to keep you occupied for some time: to reach Alum Bay take the stairs or chairlift, and take either a relaxing pleasure cruise or exhilarating high speed boat to see the Needles up close. For a higher vantage point, reach one of the three viewing points at The Needles Old Battery, or board the open top double-decker Needles Breezer bus.

Everywhere is walking country here, but the western coast is particularly scenic: brush up on Tennyson’s poems before embarking on the Tennyson Trail and head to Freshwater Bay.

Look out for red squirrels in Parkhurst Forest, walk with West Wight Alpacas, get up close with vultures (Appledurcombe House) and falcons (Haven Falconry), or ride a horse along the beach before heading back to your Isle of Wight holiday cottage to relax.

Monkey Haven in Newport

The Monkey Haven is an award-winning sanctuary for gibbons, lemurs and eagle-owls, offering marmoset encounters and informative talks. You can also relax in the lovely tea room and gift shop.

Godshill Model Village

This charming attraction features models of Godshill and Shanklin Old Villages as they were in the past, including model trains. Round your visit off with a walk through the delightful gardens that surround the site.

The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary

Located between Ventnor and Shanklin, this sanctuary provides a home for abandoned donkeys, horses and ponies. By visiting, you are supporting the great work done here.

Osborne House

This former summer retreat for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert has numerous exquisite interiors to explore, as well as pristine gardens and special children's attractions.

Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Popular with adults and children alike, this heritage railway runs through 8.9 km of unspoiled countryside, from Wootton to Smallbrook Junction.