Gurnard cottage is a great place to stay and relax. We had fantastic walks, with our little dog Murphy, saw lots of wildlife and because the Isle of Wight is not huge it is a great place to explore the island. We were a bit disapointed that it does not have a DVD player but instead we found out that it has Iplayer, Netflix, Youtube, Freeview etc. and good internet so no grumble there. I would also give 5 stars to the people looking after the cottage, Jan & her husband, as they were very friendly and helpful. The only downside about this holiday is with Rural Retreats as they have stopped the welcome hamper which we really looked forward to, therefore we had to visit the local supermarket, 2 miles away, to purchase a few items. I suppose it is to save money but i would rather pay a little bit more and have the hamper. This though didn't spoil our holiday and we will return to Gurnard Cottage next year.

This is a beautiful house in a wonderful location. Being lulled to sleep by the swirling lighthouse beacon is a true delight. You can see the sea from most rooms... eating at the dining table watching the sea or standing at the sink looking out across fields to the sea. The house is spacious and well furnished. Everything in good working order. Everything comfortable and well appointed. You walk a lot tho... it seems like a long was from the kitchen to the living room. This is why we ended up eating in the dining room, which is a good thing, but asking "would you like a cup of tea" to someone watching the TV involves a bit of a hike. I loved opening the front door to find the world waiting outside. I loved coming back to it at the end of the day. It took us a long time to realise we're already in the best bit of the island and so don't need to go anywhere else. I was sad to leave and would go back tomorrow if I could.

If you like relative isolation and a great view of the sea with the added curiosity of a working lighthouse this is the cottage for you. Has a large fenced garden which was good for the dog. Wifi, TV and phone signal all a bit intermittent. Cottage was nice and warm, well equipped and clean. Hot water is a little slow to run through but don't panic, once it gets going it's super hot and plentiful. Plenty of walkers pass by doing the coastal walk but not close. The Buddle pub is about half a mile away up a steepish hill but then of course it's downhill back when you've had a few. Pub was good, staff very friendly and served good pub food and apparently gets very busy for Sunday lunch. Lots of grocery shops around for self catering and if you search just a little bit you can find really good local produce.