The Enchanted Manor, Isle Of Wight – review

If it`s a touch of magic and romance you`re after then you may just want to consider a trip across the Solent to The Enchanted Manor in Niton on the Isle of Wight, a corking little retreat geared up for couples only and perfect for a relaxing tranquil break. Lovingly restored by the current owners, Maggie & Ric, The Enchanted manor is a stunning classical Victorian manor house that has had a fair sprinkling of fairy dust – literally!

Thanks to Ric & Maggie The Enchanted manor has bagged heaps of awards, made numerous TV appearances and attracts a huge variety of customers from all over the globe. It is at its heart a 5 star B & B, with impressive Victorian splendor including 8 large luxury suites, a snooker room, full wedding facilities (for small weddings of around 40 persons), a mystical garden to explore, a woodland hut (Finnish BBQ hut) and heaps more. Whilst it may not be to everyone`s tastes, it definitely has no airs or graces about it only an incredibly warming, welcoming vibe.

We recently had the opportunity to go find out for ourselves what all the fuss was about and this is how we got on!

Getting there
Ric & Maggie can organise for your Red Funnel ferry crossing over, which takes around an hour from Southampton. There`s something about sitting on a ferry that immediately takes you away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland – a great start! The Enchanted manor is approximately 30 – 40 minutes from the ferry terminal at East Cowes, on the side of the island that looks over to France. In fact, on a good day you can actually see France!

On arrival
The moment you arrive at The Enchanted Manor, a `happy spell` is cast on you for the duration of your stay. You`re transported to a place where you can only smile and relax – and boy, were we ready for it!

Ric & Maggie are the live in owners and are totally devoted to you enjoying your stay. As soon as you arrive the door will swing open to two incredibly welcoming people who are absolute personalities. Their creative quirkiness and humor is infectious and you`ll see immediately why they`ve been so successful at this game.

The décor
What can we say – this is a magical land where it`s hard not to feel `enchanted`. Fantasy artist Josephine Wall has captured Maggie & Ric`s vision of `enchantment` incredibly well, adorning the walls with her vibrant colours and unique style of art, and the owners have simply run with her theme adding their own dusting of fairy dust along the way of course.

The suites
Most of the accommodation is made up of grand Victorian suites, each with a bathroom (bath & shower), luxurious settee, tea & coffee facilities, TV & DVD player, unique artwork, super comfy four poster bed and unique styling related to the name given to the room. We stayed in the Atlantis Suite with views out to sea and recommend you to try and book this suite if you can, it was fantastic with loads of fantastical features including its own mermaid mannequin.

Each suite is unique in its own way so make sure you check out the choice here before you book.

The facilities
Whether you fancy a game of snooker, a relax in the hot tub, a BBQ in the woodland hut, kicking back and watching a DVD or simply exploring the miles of surrounding countryside, the Enchanted Manor has it all at your finger tips.

Getting married
The manor is very much geared up for small wedding parties, holding a marriage license and offering a choice of getting married indoors or outdoors with a range of catering options. As with everything Ric & Maggie have created here, your wedding will have nothing but a fairytale ending. There are too many choices to list here so you are best checking out the wedding page here.

Packages
Maggie & Ric have put together a fantastic package (the Enchanted Package), which is in essence a Three night weekend Fri – Mon or Four night Mon- Fri (Includes one night free), with loads of added extras – click here to see more.

Also available is a Champagne High Tea, more about that here.

Eating
You`re never too far away from a decent eatery on the Isle of Wight and The Enchanted Manor is no exception with the historical `Buddle Inn` just 2 minutes walk away. Saturday nights are especially fun with live music, well priced delicious food and a cracking selection of real ales on tap, well worth a visit!

So, to sum up, The Enchanted Manor is fun, bags and bags of fun. Not to be taken too seriously and somewhere you can truly escape. We`ll definitely be back!