Last Minute Cottages in Shanklin

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Nicholas - Verified booking

  Alarm bells should have been ringing due to the lack of reviews about this property.

  It just wasn't very clean. The lamp shades were dusty. There were food stains on the crockery. There was a privacy issue as we could look directly into the upstairs windows of the houses opposite and they into ours. Downstairs, passers-by could look in as they walked along the pavement, hence the profusion of net curtains, which made the property decidedly claustrophobic. The ceilings are so high that all cosiness was lost upstairs. The colour scheme of blues and wood grain makes the house seem cold. From the kitchen area you have to cross the entrance hall to reach the dining room, which was a rather narrow, dark room. The games hamper was a bit of a mess with pieces of games spilling out of the boxes. It needed a good sort out. The pub nearby was noisy and we heard late night drunken swearing and arguments. I knew when booking that the property had no outside space, but the close proximity to the neighbours windows and their outside space was uncomfortable; the house was an island. Every morning we didn't enjoy the revving of the neighbour's motorbike. We could never park in the street near the property. We had to park in a public car park in the next street. The owner did give us a free pass for this but nevertheless it was an inconvenient walk. The area of Sandown was really run down. The abandoned and derelict hotels on the nearby seafront were so depressing and the pier was horrible. I have to say it was the worst town and cottage I've ever stayed at. It just doesn't work as a holiday cottage, in my opinion.

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• Sue G. - Verified booking

  Fab-u-lous !

  The Culver Down Manor exceeded all of our expectations. From the moment we were warmly met and shown around by the lovely house manager Sara, until the moment we regretfully closed the door for the last time, behind us, we had the most amazing weekend. The house is beautiful and spotlessly clean. It is evident that so much care and attention to detail of this period property has been made by the owners Laurence and Sharon. There is a wide choice of stunning bedrooms. I can certainly recommend bedroom 4 with en-suite facilities and panoramic views of the garden and the sea beyond. Everyone commented about how comfortable the beds were. You will be equally amazed by the communal facilities of the drawing room, dinning room and kitchen. I have never seen such beautiful stained glass windows in a house before. We were lucky enough with the weather to sit out and appreciate all that the garden has to offer. Without doubt our stay at the Culver Down Manor has created such wonderful memories I don’t think anyone in our party will ever forget. If only I could give it more than 5 stars I would.

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• Ian C - Verified booking

  A real privilege

  When I was looking for somewhere to have my sixtieth birthday celebration, I came across this house, and from the description seemed perfect, but just too good to be true. But I can now say that not only did it live up to expectations, but amazingly exceeded them. The setting is stunning, in beautiful grounds on the the clifftop, but it is the house itself that is the star. Big light and airy rooms, with wonderful furnishings and fittings and decor, all in keeping with the Art Deco theme, made you feel you had stepped back into a bygone age. It felt a real privilege to be staying there, and trusted with this amazing place. The big dining room was a perfect setting for my birthday dinner, and the kitchen had everything you could possibly want to prepare and serve the meal. The owner was very helpful and responsive, and on his recommendation we had food for the meal supplied by Deli Tramezzini, which was great, and a cake from Wight Vintage, which was also wonderful. So it was very memorable weekend for us all, topped off by the lovely warm and sunny weather the whole time.

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• Carle - Verified booking

  Lancaster house, in itself, is steeped in history.

  The wonderful owners have done a magnificent job in bringing this property back to a residential home. Beautiful high ceilings and large rooms are amazing. So much storage space that you won’t bring enough clothing to fit in the bedrooms. Books and games on tap. An historians ideal escape. Anything that you feel that could make your stay more comfortable just contact Steve and he will do anything to make your stay even better. This is an ideal base to explore the whole island. Sandown is a touch run down and in need of an injection of money from the council. The locals are great and love speaking to the visitors. I’d highly recommend visiting Lancaster house. Thanks Steve for letting us stay.

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• Jenny - Verified booking

  Fantastically located house - a 30 second walk to the high street and a couple of minutes down on to the beach.

  The house has no outside space, which wasn't an issue for is but worth bearing in mind. The beds were comfy and the showers had good pressure. The dishwasher was handy in the kitchen. There was a good supply of games to play in the dining room too as well as buckets and spades. Sandown itself is tired, like many seaside towns, but everyone was so friendly. We loved being able to wander down to the beach or pop to Sainsbury's without having to get in the car. Parking wasn't an issue either as we parked in the car park round the corner all week and had no problems. Steve was very responsive to any issues that we had which was great. All in all a lovely week in Sandown for the family.

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