Where to stay in Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight ( WYTE) is an island off the south coast of England. It is a unitary authority and also a ceremonial county.

Historically the local economy has moved from being dependent on smuggling and farming to tourism with the coming of the railways. There is also considerable light engineering and yacht building. The local newspaper is the Isle of Wight County Press, which sells 23,000 copies to a population of 140,000 (2017), and is published from Newport every Friday. Any event will be advertised here. There are car boot sales nearly every day in summer advertised here. Thanks to a southerly latitude and sheltered location, many parts of the Isle of Wight enjoy a mild and sunny climate.

There are Premier Inn hotels in Newport, by the harbour, and just outside Lake, as well as Travel Lodge hotels in Newport and Ryde. There are also independent hotels at most budget levels. The Isle of Wight Tourist Board maintains a vacancy list. There are a number of farms that provide accommodation and holiday cottages. Holiday cottages are often quite difficult to book late and relatively expensive compared with the rest of England. There are numerous campsites and holiday parks scattered around the island, with the usual park chains operating at least one. Prices rise dramatically in the summer school holiday season (mid-July to early September). Many pubs also provide accommodation.

Getting in

It is easily and quickly accessible by multiple sea routes from the mainland cities of Southampton and Portsmouth. There is over a century's worth of proposals to create a fixed link between the Isle of Wight and the mainland, but nothing has ever materialised. Most visitors will need to rely on ferry service to and from the island. Access is across the Solent, a narrow stretch of sea between the mainland and the island, by regular ferry, hovercraft or fast-cat.

Getting around

The island is covered by a wide but expensive bus network (by the standards of a rural area) run by Southern Vectis, including spectacular open-top services in West Wight and near Ryde. Tickets can be bought from drivers and options include singles (minimum price of £2.50), "rover" passes (adult price of £10 for one day, £15 for two), evening "NightRider" passes (£7 after 7PM), and various discounts to cater to students and the island's retired population.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.