Isle of Wight self catering accommodation, England

COUNTRY:
England
LOCATION:
Brighstone, Isle of Wight
PRICE:
From £445 - £975 per week (sleeps 4)
MORE INFO:
Price inclusive of ferry and depends on season, e.g Low season £445 - £495, Mid season £595 - £735, High season £975. Short break prices for 2 days or more available on request.
AVAILABILITY:
View availability here
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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Isle of Wight self catering accommodation, England

Isle of Wight self catering accommodation, England

How Isle of Wight self catering accommodation, England makes a difference

Environment

We aim to minimise the harmful effects and maximise the beneficial influences that our activities have on the Island’s environment.

We support Gift to Nature, an island project that gives visitors and locals the chance to get closer to nature and protects our precious island wildlife such as the red squirrel and the rare Wall lizard. We also support the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. We provide wildlife books and guides to help guests identify local birds and animals. We have a laminated booklet for snorkellers which illustrates the sealife that can be found around the coasts of the island. We provide a pair of binoculars for guests’ use. We provide bird feeders and food (peanuts, sunflower seeds, niger seeds, suet). We provide a nestboxes for blue tits. We have a “Wildlife diary” where we and our guests record any wildlife we see in the garden.

We have adopted the island’s new waste collection scheme and note that recycling rates have tripled since its introduction in January 2012. We provide a kitchen caddy for food waste and a wheelie bin for recyclable waste. Instructions on waste collection and recycling are clearly displayed in the cottage. We encourage guests to dispose of glass bottles, jars and aluminium cans via the mini-recycling site. We use electronic media as the core of our marketing strategy, advertising on several internet sites so our use of paper is minimal. We provide washing detergents in concentrated formats where available. We provide personal hygiene products in the same kind of formats as the guests may use in their own homes - we do not purchase individually packaged soaps, shampoos etc.

We have a water meter and encourage guests to be careful with their water use helped by the measures we have taken to reduce water consumption in the cottage, i.e. low flow rate showers, displacement device in the toilet, notices that remind our guests not to waste water in the shower or when cleaning their teeth. We have a notice in the bathroom asking guests not to dispose of items down the toilet but place them in the bags provided and dispose of in the rubbish bin. We have one water butt and this is used for watering and thanks to this we never have to use tap water for watering the garden.

We advise visitors (via a folder in the cottage) how they can help us save energy by turning off lights, using the microwave rather than the cooker, not filling the kettle, not leaving appliances on standby etc. We have A-rated appliances and 50% light bulbs are low energy or LED. We have insulation in the loft. We selected Good Energy as our electricity provider as they source electricity from people generating sustainably from wind turbines, solar panels, small hydro and sustainable biomass all around the country, supplying the national grid with only 100% green energy.

Our website and brochure promote the use of public transport. We fund ferry tickets if guests leave their car behind and travel as foot passengers. We provide guests with information on places to visit that are easily accessible via public transport and provides links to public transport providers, including ferry operators and buses. There is a bus stop in the village, opposite the village shop. In the cottage we provide Ordnance Survey and local town maps, walking and cycling guides. We promote the use of Wight Cycle Hire based locally in Yarmouth and they can deliver cycles to the cottage. The island is popular with cyclists and has dedicated cycleways. Our website includes a link to CycleWight, a local organisation which promotes cycling. Guests are given access to the garage so that they can store cycles securely.

We support the responsible use of chemicals and long term protection of the planet’s natural resources. When choosing products from our suppliers we therefore consider the value, performance, safety and wider sustainability impact of their products and operations, i.e. human safety, environmental safety, greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, waste and sustainable sourcing. We use recycled products in the cottage wherever possible including kitchen roll, bin bags and toilet paper. We include a list of suppliers of local produce and local crafts in our cottage. We provide a welcome hamper from the Brighstone Village Shop that includes local produce. We provide Fair Trade tea, coffee and sugar in the cottage. We provide Ecover and / or Isle of Wight Lavender soap and shower gel in the cottage.

Community

We provide leaflets on surrounding cultural attractions, including museums, National Trust and English Heritage properties, gardens, archeological sites, galleries, local events and festivals. We make the local parish newsletter available and ensure guests are aware of local events, e.g. Shorwell midsummer fair at Northcourt and Wolverton Manor Garden Fair. We also share our copy of the NGS Yellow Book so that guests can visit the local village gardens when they are open. We are a lifetime member of the Freshwater Independent Lifeboat and have made a £50 donation to the “Buy a brick” scheme to raise funds for the new boathouse and a £5 donation to the Freshwater Lifeboat Mosaic Appeal. We have joined the newly formed West Wight Marketing Group and work together to share best practices and support the sustainability agenda. We are members of the local Chamber of Commerce and are listed on the IOW Tourism website.

Landscape

We provide a wealth of information to our guests on how to enjoy the local landscape. With a spectacular coastline, rolling hills, green countryside, historic buildings and welcoming pubs, the island makes a great location to explore on foot or by bicycle. We provide an Ordnance Survey map and walking / cycling books & leaflets. As members of Hampshire & IOW Wildlife Trust we also share their newsletter and events diary. Have a look in our own wildlife diary to see what has been spotted in the garden - and please add any unique sightings of your own.

Isle of Wight self catering accommodation, England

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The story of the provider of Isle of Wight self catering accommodation, England

My love affair with the Isle of Wight began in 2001 thanks to my then boyfriend who chose it as our first weekend away! He had spent many happy times on the island whilst learning to paraglide or on the beach looking for fossils. His love of the island was infectious & many more visits followed. We fell in love with the property as soon as we saw it & kept it as a holiday let so other people could share our passion in its beautiful location. We spend as much time on the island as we can, taking our dinghy out fishing or walking the landscape. We love stepping off the ferry to such peace!

Accommodation provider no: 628

Isle of Wight self catering accommodation, England

Reviewed 25 Sep 2011 by Jane Haynes5 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Arriving at our holiday cottage and discovering it exceeded our expectations in every way. Also the wonderful sunset whilst having supper at the Sun Inn in Hulverstone.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Bring your walking boots as the island is so full of footpaths which are clearly marked. Also the buses are frequent and well-supported by locals and holiday-makers alike so try leaving the car behind and come over by ferry as a foot-passenger. A car-free holiday would be wonderful and is really possible here. Do the walk from Freshwater Bay (have coffee first at the Dandelion Cafe) to The Needles on a blue-sky day for stunning views.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Yes definitely. We shopped locally on a daily basis (didn't go near a supermarket the whole holiday). The Welcome Pack and key collection arrangement from our local shop certainly encouraged this. We walked to our local pubs and ate there. We visited local open gardens on foot and supported venues such as Ventnor Botanic Gardens and The Garlic Farm. Found all the staff at these places friendly and welcoming. Within our cottage we followed the recycling system and took on board the suggestions to conserve water and save energy. If the cottage was mine I would remove the bath with the shower attachment overhead and fit a walk-in shower only to further conserve water and heat.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


10 out of 10 at least!! We cannot wait to come back soon. The Visitor's Book in our cottage was full of praise for the cottage.

Reviewed 16 Apr 2011 by Christopher Vasey4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


The shear enjoyment of walking the lovely Isle of Wight countryside and sea shore and visiting some of the islands excellent hostelries.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


If possible try to use the local bus services, They are not particularly frequent but by intelligent use of the Vectis timetables, you can visit everything on the island without any difficulty.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


By not taking our car we feel we benefitted the local environment. As we were self catering we shopped locally in Brighstone and ate at local pubs. We made sure we observed all the recommendations in the cottage brochure regarding saving water, energy etc and tried to recycle as much as possible.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


We had a lovely time. My parents took me to the island nearly 60 years ago, we brought our children here and they loved it and it is still a great place to go.

Reviewed 23 Oct 2009 by Jennifer Geraghty3 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


The coastal walks, Roman villas and trip to Osborne house.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


To check bus timetables before going as they finnish early.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


It benefited the local people as we used the local shop very often and visited the museum there. The property was a short walk away from the village and had messages reminding you of the environment all over the property.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


We had a good time on the Island and would like to explore the Island more.

Reviewed 28 Mar 2008 by John Spiegelman5 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Walking along the seaside cliffs near the cottage.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Bring your raingear!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


We gave the town business (through the pubs, etc.), so it benefited the people and we also did not use a car for 8 days.

Read the operator's response here:

It does not always rain on the Isle of Wight - a survey to determine the quality of life across Great Britain has named the Isle of Wight second only to Eastbourne as the sunniest place in the country. The study, undertaken by the Halifax, noted that the Isle of Wight enjoyed an average of 34.2 hours of sunshine a week.
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