The House: You will love this terraced house was built in 1900 probably for workers in the boat building trade. It has been beautifully refurbished and is completely contemporary but retains period charm.
The kitchen is new and has washing machine, dishwasher, fridge freezer, gas hob and electric oven. The open plan kitchen/dining/sitting area has a table with chairs for four (plus two stools to seat 6), and a comfortable seating area.
The loft bedroom has a double bed and the second bedroom can be two singles or a double bed. The bathroom is also new, contemporary and a good size with a shower over the bath and heated towel rail.
The ground floor is laminate flooring (we would appreciate shoes being taken off when you come in to preserve the lovely floor!) and it is carpeted on the other two floors.
The house has gas central heating for cosy off season holidays. The garden is small but private and sunny. It has a table and chairs and room to barbeque. DEDICATED OFF STREET PARKING. (but nothing longer than a Ford Mondeo Estate)
The Town: Cowes is a dear little town, full of shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. A lot of it is pedestrianised so makes for a pleasant stroll. The sailing marinas are really close and are obviously very busy in the summer. Out of season it is quieter of course but Cowes makes a good base to explore the island, walking, cycling, in the car or bus. There is a pleasant, level walk along the seafront from Cowes to Gurnard which takes just over half an hour. Gurnard is a much smaller sailing centre with a pub, cafe and children's play area. Car and bicycle hire are available in Cowes.
Many of the bars, restaurants, cafes have views over the water.
There are several Italian and Indian restaurants as well as some more traditional English outlets. All the pubs serve good food too. There are two fish and chip shops and a couple of tea rooms.
Places to visit: Rosemary Vineyard (Ryde), Alverstone Walk - Easy access ramble (near Sandown), Brading Roman Villa (Brading), Superbowl (Ryde), Dinosaur Interactive Museum (Sandown), Isle of Wight Zoo (Sandown), Steam Railway (Ryde), Owl and Monkey Haven (Newport), Shared Earth Fair Trade Retailer (New Church).
The Isle of Wight: There is so much to do on the Isle of Wight. There are water sports of all sorts all around 60 miles of coastline. Coves, sandy bays: good for surfing and safe bathing.
Lots of family activities, including tennis, golf, parascending, walking, fishing, windsurfing and picnicing as well as all the tourist attractions, ie. Blackgang Chine, Robin Hill ,Osborne House, Dinosaur Isle, Botanic Gardens, model vilage, steam railway. The I W tourist website is crammed with ideas.
For a quiet holiday the walks along the coast and inland are wonderful with bridle paths all over the island. After which you can stop off at a pub or cafe for lunch. Inland there are farms to visit including the now famous garlic farm! There are 6 golf courses, including one in Cowes, plus horse riding, cycling, walking, crabbing and rock pooling for the activist and cafes, pubs, restaurants, for the more sedentary!
The best surfing beaches are Compton Bay, Freshwater, Niton and Shanklin
