sykescottages/cott...8&changeover=6
This is the house we have booked for next year, rearranged from earlier this year.
We go to the Isle of Wight almost every year, we all love it there.
The Red Funnel ferry is in my opinion much better than Wightlink, it takes an hour from Southampton and is a lovely start to your holiday.
Cowes is a lovely place to stay, we have often stayed in the Marinus apartments, which over look the harbour and the ferry terminal.
For me some must visits are;
The IOW Zoo, it's not a very big zoo, but worth it to see the tigers.
The Needles, take the chair lift down to the beach and then go on the boat trip out to the Needles.
Monkey Haven, again it's not very big, but well worth a visit, and the keeper talks are really interesting.
Not sure how old your kids are but the steam railway was always my sons favourite when he was young.
Shanklin Chine, the best value ticket is the one where you get to visit at both night and day, nice to see it with the lights on.
Shanklin seafront has some great adventure golf, pirates and dinosaurs. There's also a new dinosaur golf in Sandown.
Dinosaur Isle in Sandown, again it's not very big, only need a couple of hours there, but great for the kids.
Godshill, there is a really nice Model Village there, but there's also the best cafe on the island - The Old Smithy.
Little Gems in Godshill run dinosaur walks on the beach at Brook, these are really interesting and you get to see dinosaur footprints.
Blackgang Chine and Robin Hill, both great for under 12's.
Tackt-Isle Adventures in St. Helens is great for hiring canoes, paddleboards, etc.
My new favourite thing to do is an Alpaca walk at West Wight Alpacas, only discovered this last year, we will definitely do this again.
There is so much to do there that we never get bored, even on a 2 week holiday there's always something we can't fit in.
We started taking our son there when he was 3, as he got older the places we visited changed, but he still wants to visit each year and he is 17 now.
If you book with Red Funnel you can get a discount on some of the attractions, but you have to book them at the same time. I'm sure you will have a lovely time.