Guests say
Pilgrim's Loft is a well-received holiday rental with guests praising its cleanliness, generous welcome hamper, and comfortable furnishings. The property's location in Ventnor is appreciated for its proximity to local attractions, although parking can be challenging. The apartment's luxurious touches and thoughtful amenities contribute to a pleasant stay, despite some feedback on practicality and maintenance needs.
Guests consistently describe the property as 'very clean', 'neat', and 'inviting', indicating high standards of cleanliness throughout the apartment.
The property is praised for its central location in Ventnor, convenient for exploring the Isle of Wight. However, parking difficulties have been noted, affecting the score.
The apartment is lauded for its comfortable beds and cosy atmosphere. Some guests mentioned issues with water pressure and acoustics, but overall, the comfort level is high.
While the property is equipped with high-quality amenities and a smart TV, guests have suggested improvements in practicality, such as additional showers and storage. There is not enough consistent detail across reviews to provide a definitive score.
The welcome hamper is frequently mentioned and appreciated, showcasing the property's thoughtfulness. However, it should be noted that such gifts are a delightful surprise and not guaranteed for every stay.
About this property
Tucked away in the Victorian seaside resort of Ventnor, Isle of Wight, is this stunning, first-floor apartment, set in a converted church, Pilgrim’s Loft. Enjoying a superb location within the Isle of Wight AONB and a stylish interior boasting luxury furnishings, Pilgrim’s Loft is the perfect base for a group or family of six looking to escape to the Isle of Wight in style. Via external rustic stone steps and then to the first floor, be welcomed into the contemporary, open-plan living space, featuring original church windows and high beamed ceilings. Here you can look forward to cooking up a storm in the well-equipped kitchen, with a handy washing machine and dishwasher, ready to enjoy at the dining table for six. After dinner, why not snuggle up with a good book in the reading nook, or relax in front of the Smart TV with your favourite tipple? Pour in the bubbles and indulge in a soothing soak in the freestanding bath, before wrapping yourself in a toasty towel, courtesy of the heated towel rail. As your eyes grow heavy, retire to one of three well-appointed bedrooms, two king-sizes, one with gleaming en-suite shower room, and a twin, all of which feature original church windows, exposed beams, memory foam mattresses and luxury, hotel-style bedding. Explore your local surroundings, where foodies will have found their haven, with a fantastic selection of pubs, bistros, restaurants and cafes, ideal for when you don’t feel like cooking, along with well-stocked convenience stores. Pack-up your bathing suits, swimming trunks and towels and spend the day on the glorious sands of Ventnor Beach, where you can bathe, paddle the shores or take to the waters on your kayak or canoe. Keen walkers will delight at the close proximity of a range of scenic coastal paths, where you can soak up the best views and scenery in the area. If that isn’t your thing, why not sample the harbour’s freshly caught seafood at the Smoking Lobster. Other attractions in the town include Longshoreman’s Museum, Ventnor Golf Club, The Botanical Gardens and the picturesque National Trust Ventnor Downs. Be sure to check out the nearby Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary, where you can visit the sweet, rescued donkeys and ponies. The budding historians in your party can enjoy the Museum of Island History and the Newport Roman Villa in Newport, or the impressive medieval Carisbrooke Castle. Further afield, you will find Cowes, where you can explore the delights of the Sir Max Aitken Museum, the Cowes Maritime Museum or hop aboard a ferry to Southampton for a memorable day trip. All this awaits with a stay at Pilgrim’s Loft.
The small Victorian beach resort of Ventnor is located on the island's southern tip and is reached by a series of steep curving roads surrounded by stunning landscape. This lovely hamlet, which is sheltered by St. Boniface Down, one of the island's highest points and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has a peculiar mild micro climate that allows tropical and exotic species to thrive. The gradually sloping sandy and fine shingle beaches and bays offer excellent watersports facilities as well as a variety of beautiful coastal pathways to explore, while the harbour serves a wide variety of fresh fish and locally caught seafood. The esplanade is lined with shops, taverns, cafes, and restaurants, and the Botanical Gardens are close by and well worth a visit. With plenty to see and do for the whole family around the island, including great walking and cycling opportunities, mediaeval castles, historic houses, a variety of gardens and waterfalls, as well as the unspoiled fishing bay, this great holiday destination has plenty to offer all year round, and it's easy to see why it's called the prettiest place on the Isle of Wight.
Accommodation
First-floor apartment.
Three bedrooms.
1 x king-size with en-suite walk-in shower, basin, heated towel rail and WC, 1 x king-size, 1 x twin.
Bathroom with freestanding bath, handheld shower, basin, heated towel rail and WC.
Open-plan living space with kitchen, dining and sitting area
Pilgrim's Loft Silver winner of Best in South Coast England and Isle of Wight in Sykes Gems 2023.
Central heating.
Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine, dishwasher.
Smart TV, WiFi.
Fuel and power included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Highchair and travel cot available.
On-street parking.
Secure bike store.
Sorry, no pets and no smoking.
Shop 0.1 miles, pub 0.2 miles, beach 0.5 miles.
Note: Guests must supply their own beach towels.
Free roadside parking is available opposite the church & in the surrounding roads, but it is available on a first come first served basis.
There is a pay and display car park 2 minute walk away.
It is helpful to note Isle of Wight Tourist Parking Permits can be purchased on the the council's website and are helpful particularly if travelling around the island.
Ferry Discount available through property manager.
Nearby points of interest
- HMS Warrior
- Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Reviews (12)
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Michelle
While it boasts some appealing features, several areas could use improvement to enhance the guest experience: Location and Accessibility: The property is hard to locate after dark due to inadequate lighting, signage, and directions. The lack of dedicated parking poses inconveniences, especially for guests with luggage or mobility issues. Interior: The spacious main room suffers from poor acoustics. Though well-equipped, the kitchen lacks guest food storage and has impractically high shelving for dishes and glasses. Steps to be provided. Replace bookcase with a cupboard for food & crockery storage. Comfort: While the beds are comfortable and the property is well-heated, steep external stairs and poor lighting can be problematic for elderly guests. Amenities: Essential items like a hairdryer were missing. The main bathroom would benefit from a shower over the bath. A nice touch of bubble bath was absent, leaving the tub unused. Decor: The interiors are beautifully dressed, but the paintwork and doors need refreshing. A softer colour scheme would better complement the building's character than the current stark white. Communication: Attempts to reach management about the missing hairdryer were met with unresponsiveness or unhelpful replies. A thorough pre-handover check of amenities would be beneficial. No welcome basket of goodies was provided, despite other guests mentioning receiving one. A guide to recommended local restaurants would have been helpful. Despite these issues, the property was clean, warm, and provided comfortable beds for a good night's sleep. With improvements to lighting, accessibility, and kitchen layout, Pilgrim's Loft could become an exceptional Ventnor accommodation.
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Jörg
I sprayed a little bit of oil (WD40) on to the hinges to improve it.
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Vincent
Ventnor is a beautiful little beach town and the location of the property was good. It was easy for us to use Pilgrims Loft as our base and travel around the island. Pilgrims Loft provided a great central location meaning that no single journey was more than 30 minutes. On arrival, the accommodation was clean, neat and very inviting. And it was an unusual treat to staying in a converted church. Would I stay there again with my family? In short, no. I can see how many people would love staying at Pilgrims Loft, but if we had to do it again, I would not stay there. I suppose this could have been avoided if I had also a lot more research... The key reasons for this are: 1) Parking is an absolute pain. While there are a few (less than 10) spaces in front of the church, it was near impossible to get a spot. Every time we came back I had to circle the block in the hopes to find an available spot and regularly found myself walking more than a block to get to the accommodation. Plus with the super narrow roads my mirror was also hit by another car trying to pass us once we had found a parking. 2) There was only 1 shower. The accommodation has 1 ensuite and 1 other bathroom. The 2nd bathroom has a bath with a shower head, but as the bath is free standing, you can't shower without wetting everything else in the bathroom. With there being only 1 shower, "bath time" was a constant juggling act moving people through the only shower (in the ensuite). This is not easy with 5 people and would've been far better if there were 2 actual showers. 3) No garden / balcony and as a result, no view. We were incredibly blessed that we had wonderful weather for our whole stay and were able to get outside as much as possible. A garden would've been great to get out into to enjoy the sunshine while at the accommodation. A view in the morning would also have been nice. A garden would have been useful for the kids who would not have needed to run around the house and could at least unload some energy outside. After a week it did start to feel like we were living in a box. For our next visit to IoW, we will definitely do a lot more research and make sure that the basics for a family vacation are in place.