Green Getaways
Welcome to Green Getaways...
…in which Wightlink spotlights – and salutes - hotels, guest houses, private self-catering houses and a camping park on the Isle of Wight that are actively embracing green tourism and striving for eco-efficiency.
The properties that we are featuring individually have each been rewarded for a caring commitment to improving their environmental performance with Gold Standard Awards. These are made annually by Green Island Tourism, the groundbreaking organisation dedicated to developing a more environmentally sensitive tourism industry on the Isle of Wight. You can find out more about their work and the green initiatives being made Island-wide at www.greenislandtourism.org.
Our Gold Award winners range from stone manor houses and charming rural B&Bs to one of the UK’s most decorated camping parks and a trio of seaside hotels in the sandy-beach resorts of the Isle of Wight’s south.
The common denominator running between them is that they are all doing their best to protect the environment for future generations. It’s very much a case of “work in progress” with ongoing investment in energy and water saving devices including the installation of showers and double flush toilets or the use of solar panels and low energy lighting. It’s not a new fad, just a way of life.
Much of the Isle of Wight landscape is ‘green belt’ and classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. No wonder then that many visitors prefer to stay in the heart of the countryside. That’s why we are also including the Isle of Wight Farm and Country Holiday Group, who offer fabulous rural accommodation on or close to farmland.
Read on and find the accommodation that best suits your taste – and enjoy a greener break on the Isle of Wight.
Download the guide (3.3mb PDF)
Northcourt Manor House
Northcourt isn’t just a fine Grade II listed manor house; it is, quite simply, the largest manor house on the Isle of Wight - an immense historic stone house recognised by English Heritage as being one of only eight on the Island of national importance. ...more
Gotten Manor
The first things you’ll notice on a stay at Gotten Manor are the individual touches: fresh flowers, fluffy bathrobes, candles, crisp white sheets and flowing muslin drapes that decorate the huge claw foot iron baths which intrude into the rooms....more
Sentry Mead
One of a clutch of imposing 19th century mansions built in Totland by wealthy Victorians who flocked to the Isle of Wight in the wake of Queen Victoria’s move there, Sentry Mead’s grand, ever so slightly gothic, turreted exterior is a complete contrast to the informal atmosphere inside. ...more
Heatherleigh Hotel
It’s all smiles from the minute you cross the threshold of the Heatherleigh Hotel, yards from Shanklin, one of the UK’s best loved beaches. Mother and daughter team Mary and Kim Gregory are eal livewires; larger than life personalities with a simple philosophy for their little hotel: make people comfortable, attend to their well-being, keep things flexible and the guests will go home happy....more
Grange Bank Hotel
The same is true of Grange Bank House, located in picturesque Shanklin Old Village. Chris and Mike Spiller are the latest family members at the helm of this welcoming Victorian guest house, a tradition that dates back to 1972, and, like as not, you’ll find them in the sunny gardens, tending their drought-happy plants or adding to the compost heap that’s one of many environmental touches...more
St. Maur Hotel
In another of south Wight's beach resorts, Ventnor, peals of laughter ring out from the kitchen of the St. Maur Hotel at breakfast time....more
Hobbit House
Despite its name, Oswald and Julie Hoskyns’ home is not a haven for Lord of the Rings devotees, but it is a place where you’ll find hobbit-like friendliness, curiosity and sheer enthusiasm for the task in hand....more
The Enchanted Manor & Koala Cottage
When Australian Ric Hilton and his English wife Maggie opened the Isle of Wight’s first five star B&B in early 2006 they had no idea that just under a year later they would be putting the finishing touches to an even more ambitious project: the complete restoration of a country manor house by the sea....more
Frenchman's Cove
Visitors arriving at Frenchman’s Cove understand immediately why this little guest house gives an Ordnance Survey grid reference alongside its address. Sue and Chris Boatfield’s Victorian house is buried not, as its name suggests, on the coast but in deep countryside beneath Tennyson Down....more
Niton Barns
New for summer 2008, the Isle of Wight’s most luxurious self-catering properties have been cleverly carved from existing farm buildings in one of the most attractive parts of southern Wight....more
Southland Camping Park
After dark you could hear a pin drop in the quiet and pleasant environment of Southland, one of the UK’s top rated camping parks. There are campsites and campsites but Southland is definitely among the elite, a five star park and winner of eight major awards including the David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award....more
Orchard Lee
Wightlink has added this year’s most eco-friendly Isle of Wight property to its Green Getaways holiday programme after the geothermally-heated Orchard Lee carried off Green Island Tourism’s Accommodation Provider of the Year award at the 2007 awards ceremony, which was held at Cowes Yacht Haven on 4th October....more
Really Green Yurts at Afton Park
Wightlink has added this year’s most innovative eco-friendly holiday to its Green Getaways programme after The Really Green Holiday Company set up three Mongolian-style Yurts and two cosy Bell Tents in the Afton Park apple orchard. New for 2008, the concept offers eco-friendly holidaymakers an alternative to camping – a relaxing holiday that makes minimum impact on the environment without compromising on comfort....more
Isle of Wight Farm & Country Holiday Group
“When people ring us up to book a stay, one of their first questions is “are there animals on the farm?” and when we tell them they’ll see plenty, they can’t wait to get here,” says Susan Holland, who runs Kemphill Farm, a working farm at Upton, near Ryde with husband Ron....more
A fresh taste of Wight
The mild climate of the Isle of Wight and its acre upon acre of fertile farming land helps to explain why the Island has such an abundance of fresh, seasonal produce. ...more
Fresh Air Pursuits
If you are interested in unusual plants – wild and cultivated, walking or cycling, the Isle of Wight has much to offer....more
Map of the island
Map of the island...more