I grew up in Seaview, so this is one of my regular watering holes…read more Two bars, the smarter front bar with lots of tables outside, and the cosy "sunshine bar" further in serve good local beers, and good pub grub. The hot crab ramekins are especially recommended. The restaurant is smart, with an older front room and a newer "notting hill" rear dining area. Food is good, and professionally served. Wine is good, but priced high. During the summer this is one of "the" places in Seaview. Come on in for a drink, or a Pimms... don't mind if I do ;)

I'm very surprised this hasn't been reviewed before. I lived on the Island for 7 months and as part…read moreof my research (!) as manager of a 5* B&B I tried out a lot of the restaurants and pubs to see which were worthy of my recommendation to our guests. This was always the first place that sprang to mind. The food is wonderful here - beautifully prepared with good quality fresh ingredients. The surroundings are warm and welcoming and the staff are professional and friendly. Parking can be very difficult if you arrive during a busy period, so keep that in mind. You should also book ahead, particularly if you want to sample their lovely sunday dinners which is very popular and often booked up way in advance. It's not cheap here but it also doesn't require a second mortgage. If you want a treat during your time on the Isle of Wight, head here.

Time to let off some steam at the Isle Of Wight. With this Steam Railway no less…read more This is a little old steam railway on the Isle of Wight, so if you're making the Isle of Wight your holiday destination, this would be a great part of it. It's one of the many Heritage Railways in the UK and one of the prettiest. I've loved it for a very long time and probably always will. It's actually a good way to get around the island as well, which is funny because it's not really a method of transportation per se, and yet it is because it's such a small island and a lot of people don't bring their cars over here.

I wonder how many people reading this actually travelled by steam train when it was a daily mode of…read moretransport rather than a novel journey to remind of how it used to be? I ask because I did. Do I miss it heck, yes - the intoxicating unique smells, the noises, the sounds, especially the thump of huge slabs of heavy metal, hitting heavy metal yet staying unmarked and gold, red and black lacquered steam engines, dozens of yards long, breathing and hissing as if alive. Many's the time I got to be up with the driver and coalman as we chugged along - the intense fiery heat, sulphur smells and coal being fed continuously - real men of steel with hands that could crush you. Here at the Isle of Wight is a beautifully preserved railway with lovingly restored steam engines with comfortable period carriages and charming rural stations. It is charming and worth supporting but I suspect with its location it'll rarely ever draw a crowd. The staff are dressed in traditional Southern Railway uniforms from a different era of time that will never return. All that's left is five miles of Steam Railway and an electrified eight mile main line from Ryde to Shanklin from a railway system which once extended over 55 miles of mostly rural Wight. The first line opened in 1862 between Cowes and Newport and in 1900 a second railway delivered a complete island rail service. It's now a revenant to haunt those of us on what we had and stupidly allowed greedy politics to ruin letting them enrich only themselves - those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing; some things will never change as long as we stay stupid and the evidence is right in front of us from 1O Downing Street to Mar a Lago. The price of our stupid is already intolerable and fast becoming incalculable as we lurch toward fascism which is dictatorship lite.

Cheap but not really that cheerful…read more I used Redline a few times as they were cheaper that most other local firms - they have fixed prices for local and regular trips. But having suffered lateness, surly drivers and dirty cabs, I've decided that it's not worth saving a few pence when you're not getting a reliable service. One time they were 15 minutes late even though I'd pre-booked the day before. I missed my ferry and therefore my train to London. Luckily SWT let me use my ticket on the next one, but they didn't have to and that would have been a big problem. OK when timing doesn't matter and you just need to get from A to B as cheaply as possible, but don't rely on them.

Not a lot at here, costa, sitting area, toilets. however the area where you sit is quiet nice,…read moretriangle glassed ceiling, windows for the view. This is were the catamaran leaves to Portsmouth & returns.

It's at the end of a 1/2 mile pier. The Wightlink Catamaran service to Portsmouth Harbour Station…read moreoperates from here. Journey time is 22 minutes. There is a train service from the adjacent station to Shanklin operated by IslandLine Trains.

The reputation of Isle of Wight glass had been haunting me for years. I had lived in and visited…read morethe United Kingdom for many years and been made aware that the sense of pride for Isle of Wight glass. So finally I made the pilgrimage. Or so I thought. Couldn't find it. Took directions on Yelp, nope not there. Tried Google... ok. maybe. The point is.... the place has moved. And shrunk to half the size (according to my friends who remembered the Isle of Wight from years gone by). There was a setup for glass blowers to show their chops. I guess they were good. I wouldn't know. The time it took to find the place (ie. driving to opposite sides of the island from where the Yelp Directions offered was kidnapped and they were closing up shop by the time we arrived. The new location is in a kind of fun fair theme park stuck in the mid-60's without a sense of irony. Keep walking, keep walking wind around to the very very very back. Ok. Found it. Look around. A few nice samples of wares, and a tiny museum that you can easily mistake for the gift shop.....aaaannndd you're done! I hope that they expand and keep the glass blowing tradition alive and flowing.

Isle of Wight Studio glass produces some of the most beautiful glass items made in the whole UK…read more They have a collectors club and you can visit and see the glass items being hand blown in their studio. It is an amazingly skilled and fascinating process to watch. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone who values beautiful objects made by skilled craftsmen. They also have a very detailed website so look them up!

The team which Sussex Event Staff provided for our wedding were exceptional…read more We had given some direction via email before the event, but there was a lot of detail which we had forgotten to give. Once the staff arrived they took charge straight away and everything started going very smoothly. The team were able to realise what needed to be done and just get it done. They were organised and friendly throughout the day. By the end of the evening, they had washed and packed all of the hired Waitrose glasses which were due to be returned the following day and packed all of the other hired cutlery and crockery away into the correct boxes. This saved us a massive amount of work tidying up the next morning. Thanks to all of the staff, you were all brilliant! Matt and Sam.

From the owner: We specialise in providing our clients with experienced waiting and bar staff to work at their…read moreevent. Whether it be a small dinner party or a large wedding we can ensure that you are provided with a team who will be there to take on the demands of the day, allowing you the time you deserve with your guests. We have clients ranging from full time caterers who call on us for all of their catering requirements throughout the year down to the one off call for someone who needs some help at their garden party. With an ever growing team we are able to cover jobs on a very last minute basis so please do not hesitate to get in touch and we will do our best to help you achieve your perfect event.