Review: The Royal Hotel Ventnor with kids
If you’re looking for a luxury hotel on the Isle of Wight, you can hardly do better than one which has had the royal seal of approval – but what if you’re visiting The Royal Hotel Ventnor with kids?
review stay*
The four-star hotel, in the south of the Isle of Wight, has counted Empress Elisabeth of Austria among its guests, along with Charles Dickens, while Queen Victoria was a fan of The Royal’s afternoon tea, which has been served here for over 180 years.
But if you’re picturing a formal, rather stuffy place to stay, think again. With an outdoor pool, welcoming staff and a children’s menu in the restaurant, there’s plenty to tempt families to The Royal Hotel Ventnor with kids.
The Royal Hotel Ventnor: Vital Statistics
There’s been a hotel on this site for almost 200 years, since an inn was built in the 1830s, when it was known as the Ventnor Hotel.
Since renamed The Royal Hotel, today it has 51 bedrooms, including family rooms as well as various double rooms and some singles, all individually styled and some with views out across the gardens to the sea.
Some rooms are also dog-friendly, while many are accessible (although there are steps to some areas of hotel, so it’s worth checking the specifics if you need).
There’s a restaurant in the hotel with dinner, bed and breakfast packages on offer, as well as B&B, plus afternoon tea and a bar.
You’ll also find free parking at the hotel with a small car park opposite the main entrance and another slightly larger car park a few minutes walk away up the hill which also has EV charging points.
The hotel is also walking distance from Ventnor Beach, Ventnor Botanic Garden and from Ventnor itself, while it’s an easy drive from many of the island’s attractions – the donkey sanctuary is only around 10 minutes away by car, Wildheart Animal Sanctuary in Yaverland is 20-30 minutes, and even the Needles on the island’s western tip are only around 40 minutes away.
Check out my pick of the best things to do on the Isle of Wight with kids
The Royal Hotel Ventnor with kids: review
Escaping the hottest day of the year in London, The Royal Hotel was our base for a short break on the Isle of Wight, only around half an hour from the Red Funnel ferry port in East Cowes.
And after my car’s air conditioning decided to break down part-way through our journey, a spot of luxury felt very well deserved indeed.
The outdoor tables were full of people enjoying an afternoon tea, sipping a cold drink, or just chatting in the shade with family and friends. While the hotel’s heritage is distinctly grand, the atmosphere today is far more relaxed – this isn’t somewhere where families are seen and not heard.
The outdoor pool, for example, has no restrictions on when kids can swim, unlike plenty of other hotels we’ve encountered. It’s also heated, although with temperatures soaring above 30C, it felt deliciously cool – turn up early to grab one of the comfy loungers under an umbrella, although I didn’t struggle to find a couple of chairs and a shady corner.
Otherwise, the hotel manages to balance traditional style with a warm welcome – staff were always polite and friendly, but without being too formal, and overhearing a few conversations in the restaurant, it was obvious they had quickly got to know any regulars.
The food itself was delicious, with plenty of locally sourced ingredients, a separate menu for vegetarians and vegans, as well as a children’s menu for younger ones.
At 14, my daughter was very far from the youngest guest staying and far more interested in the mocktails to go with her own dinner – impressively, there was already a note of her dietary requirements on hand and staff had checked ahead so they could highlight anything that wasn’t suitable.
Top tip: if the mango souffle is on the menu, order it fast, it was utterly delicious. My only regret was feeling too full the next morning to work my way through more of the cooked items on the breakfast menu – you can order from both the continental and cooked menus, with cereal available to help yourself to.
Along with classics like a full English (and veggie version), or smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, field mushrooms on sourdough with a truffle mayo were a temptingly decadent start to the day. There are also lighter options including toast, pastries, fruit and a greek yoghurt pot with compote and granola.
Our room featured the same balancing act of comfort and traditional style: hugely comfortable beds, a dressing table and proper wardrobe, plus little sachets of oat milk alongside the tea, coffee, biscuits and complimentary water (fresh milk was also available on request).
In the bathroom, you’ll find a set of Era toiletries – white tea and jasmine fragrance – and plenty of fluffy white towels.
With new owners in 2024, there are plans to refurbish and upgrade some of the rooms and a few modernising touches would definitely be a bonus – there are no plugs by the bed, for example, which has become fairly standard in recent years.
There’s also no air conditioning, although we had an impressive fan, combined with a sash window you could actually open, which kept us cool even in the heatwave.
But the traditional charm is definitely a huge part of the hotel’s appeal, so while I wouldn’t say no to USB sockets, I can’t help hoping that doesn’t vanish entirely.
Charles Dickens would agree. Visiting in the late 1830s, around the time Oliver Twist was published, he quickly became a fan of both the hotel and the island, saying: “I think it is the prettiest place I ever saw, in my life, either at home or abroad.”
Check out my guide to the Isle of Wight with kids for more ideas for families, as well as the best beaches on the Isle of Wight and my pick of the best things to do on the Isle of Wight with kids
Disclosure: My stay was free for the purposes of review, courtesy of the hotel and Visit Isle of Wight – all opinions on staying at The Royal Hotel Ventnor with kids are my own (and my daughter’s)
Images copyright MummyTravels
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