Coffee with a view
I realised how great the Isle of Wight was by accident, back in 2018, when I was too overwhelmed by life to contemplate a holiday abroad. I had a baby who just didn’t sleep and was ill a lot, and there was no point even trying to plan a holiday, so my mum suggested we stay in the bedsit my uncle had bought on the island. He’d planned to retire there but abandoned the idea and was left with a studio apartment he couldn’t sell, back before the covid property boom. At first I was a bit sceptical – I had never considered the Isle of Wight as a holiday destination. I thought of it as being the kind of dull ordinary seaside resort that coach loads of retirees venture to, and of course with the added risk of “British” summer weather. But free accommodation within a few hours reach was enough to propel me, my husband and daughter on the ferry and for a week in Shanklin. My uncle’s flat was tiny and tucked away behind a fish and chip shop, rather too close to bins full of rancid fish, but it was a stone’s throw from the Shanklin seafront and beach.
And that was where we fell in love with the island. When the baby woke at 5am, I got her in the buggy and took the five-minute walk down to the seafront. As I rounded the corner and saw the sea, orange clouds and glimmers of sun reflecting on the water, I felt less utterly exhausted and enjoyed the long stroll down the promenade sometimes covering several miles all the way to Sandown, exchanging greetings with friendly dogwalkers on my way, hanging out for when the first seafront café opened at 8am, when I could enjoy a much needed sit down for a tea and pain au chocolat (which lasted about one minute before the baby got too cross in the high chair and could not be stopped from waddling around the café interfering with people’s bags). Luckily for us, that year our island was blessed with gorgeous sunny weather which made these sunrise walks possible, and sealed the island as our favourite holiday destination for the next many years – even after the flat was sold. Our favourite activities are to swim in the sea at Shanklin, play on the beach, ascent the stunning Shanklin Chine, enjoy the lush botanic gardens at Ventnor, have coffee and cake in Steephill Cove, attempt body surfing at Compton Bay and visit the incredible monkey sanctuary, Monkey Haven.
The island has so many beautiful beaches, so much natural beauty in the form of hidden coves, cliffs, glades etc, but the thing that kept us coming back was how child and family friendly the island is. Coming from Oxford where there is probably only one or may two coffee shops with any toys/play areas for kids, it was something of a revelation to stop at a café and find it has a play area in the garden, so you can (in theory) chill and sip your tea while your child plays.
The beauty of the island for us when our daughter was young was that was so easy to get there – one hour on a ferry – enough time to feel like we had been on a journey – but short enough to be pretty relaxed. We’d go to the pets area of the boat and look at all the dogs, eat a snack, and then it would be time to go back to the car. And then everything on the island feels like it is set up for you to have an easy time. So many beaches have long promenades where you can easily walk your buggy and get your child to sleep when enjoying the view. It takes 40 minutes to drive across the island and so everywhere is easy to reach. And the best thing is it is nothing like as crowded like holiday resorts on mainland southern England are. There’s hardly any traffic and the roads are easy to naviagate – nothing like the steep and windy lanes of Cornwall.
Now, instead of a grumpy baby/crazy toddler who won’t sit down, we have a pancake-mad seven-year-old who likes nothing better than to linger in a café drawing, colouring or playing cards. This rather pleasing development has allowed us to explore the foodie side of the island, and allowed me to indulge a quest for a good cup of coffee with a view.
Castlehaven
Castlehaven a restaurant on a deck overlooking the sea at the bottom of a winding little track (which says no access by vehicle but don’t panic there’s actually a car park at the end by the restaurant). Delicious fresh food and good coffee from a beautiful cup. This is a real foodie hotspot, you need to book. It’s only open for the summer season.
For more information, and to book, head to http://www.castlehaven.me.uk/cafe.html.
Steephill Cove
Steephill Cove, rugged little cove down a (yes) steep little walking track. Not great if you’re not good on your feet. Challenging but manageable with a buggy if you determined. Not very good for swimming as the waves are rough but great for a coffee and cake or ice cream from the Cove Coffee Shop and to watch the waves. You can park at the Botanic Gardens and walk down there either by road or via the coastal path after visiting the gardens.
For more information, head to https://www.steephill-cove.co.uk/cove-coffee-shop.
Ventnor Botanic Gardens
Ventnor Botanic Gardens – café with a deck overlooking the gardens. Sit and pretend you are in a more exotic country. There’s a playground there, as well as all the beautiful flowers. And turtles in the pond.
Head to their link to find out more: https://www.botanic.co.uk/
Shanklin Chine
Shanklin Chine tea garden. The chine is really fun, it’s a lush hidden area inside the cliffs at the coast in Shankin. There are dinosaur statues for the kids, a waterfall, awesome views and sitting in the tea garden is lush. Often live music plays there too and it’s lit with colourful lights in the evenings.
Head to their link to find out more: https://shanklinchine.co.uk/
Blueberries Cafe
If you walk up the coastal path from Shanklin beach – or just drive and park in nearby car park – you’ll find Blueberries, which overlooks the sea. Out of this world cake and I think the full-English breakfast went down a treat too. It has a very small indoor seated area.
https://blueberryscafeiow.co.uk/
Salix Cafe
Salix Café, Small Hope Beach, Shanklin. We love Small hope beach at Shanklin. It’s much less crowded than the beach near the shops and take-aways and it has this gem of a café which we spent many a happy breakfast time in. The food is not exceptional, but it’s hearty and yummy, there’s ice cream, the staff are so friendly and the location is perfect. Often with live music playing too.
Head to their link to find out more: https://thesalixcafe.co.uk
Woodvale Hotel Restaurant, Gurnard
Woodvale Hotel Restaurant, Gurnard. This has got to be one of the best places to enjoy the sunset. The food took an age to come though, the place was packed. It was pretty averagely good, nothing memorable, but the view from the terrace is awesome. It has a garden area to the back which is great for kids to run around and had some good climbing trees.
Link: https://www.thewoodvalecowes.co.uk
The Spyglass Inn, Ventnor
The Spyglass Inn, Ventnor. Just wow. This pub is one of the best we’ve ever been to. The food is delicious. The scampi blew us away. One of the best meals of our 2024 holiday and look at the location. It’s also very friendly and the inside is fun too – full of pirate and sailing artefacts, including a pirate skeleton with a sword!
Head to their website to find out more: https://thespyglass.com/
The Dell
The Dell, overlooking Appleby beach. Yummy food and huge ice creams right by this lovely sandy beach which has a playground nestled behind it. Booking recommended.
For more information, visit: https://thedellseaview.com/
Lily’s Coffee Shop
Lily’s Coffee Shop, Seaview. This café does wonderful milkshakes and delicious pancakes. It doesn’t exactly have a view of the sea, but it’s a short walk from Seaview beach is lovely for swimming and has rocks that are fantastic for climbing.
Priory Bay
And at the end of that beach is Priory Bay which is pretty next level. Nothing commercial just jungle-like trees and golden sand. This area seems to attract quite a posh crowd – probably because of the sailing club. 4x4s a plenty.
Freshwater
Freshwater – no view but what a great café, and oh the pancakes, just wow and the café has kids books and board games. Brilliant place.
Head to their website for more: https://www.freshwatercoffeehouse.co.uk
Accommodation
Accommodation – after all the years of the studio tucked away without any kind of view we felt like we owed ourselves a place with a view. We love Shanklin, but thought we’d try a different side of the island – Ventnor, which is a bit less commercial. I spent a lot of time researching this, using google earth to scope out Ventnor Villas. This is a small holiday park right on the water, a short walk on the coastal path to Ventnor. The “villas’ are nicer versions of mobile homes – made of metal – so probably very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. It wasn’t too hot when we stayed so we didn’t have any problem and we loved how quiet the area was and having that sea view made our stay so special.
Find out more here: https://ventnorvillabreaks.co.uk/
