Sentry Mead Hotel

Sentry Mead Hotel

, Madeira Road, Totland Bay, Isle of Wight.

At the far western end of the Isle of Wight, close to the Needles and Tennyson Down, there is the Sentry Mead Hotel. It's a relaxed and friendly, owner-managed, licensed hotel in a Victorian villa directly opposite Totland Bay, which faces onto the Solent.

The well-tended garden is large and really beautiful, with lawns, paths, statuary and specimen trees and shrubs. The house blends smoothly into the garden via a conservatory and terrace, and all these are great places to enjoy a drink or a snack, or even to bring back a take-away for an easy evening meal.

The new Gin Bar is an exciting addition to Sentry Mead offering a wide choice of gins, including several locally-distilled Isle of Wight gins. Don't like gin? No problem! There is also a great selection of other spirits, wines, beers and lagers, cocktails, mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.

Breakfast is big at Sentry Mead. There are all the usual fruits, cereals, pastries, juices and yoghurt. Then the Sentry Mead grill offers a wide variety of hot dishes including full English, smoked salmon and eggs, eggs benedict, eggs royale, eggs portobello, eggs hebridean and kippers. You can even mix up continental and English with a croissant sandwich of bacon and egg. Last but not least, vegetarians are not forgotten, with Linda McCartney vegetarian sausages and all the trimmings.

The nine bedrooms are traditionally furnished and have king-size or super-king beds, with some rooms having the option of twin beds. Each room has an en-suite bathroom with a bath and shower (or just a shower in one or two). They include luxuries like bathrobes and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries along with wi-fi, a television, hairdryer and tea and coffee making facilities.

The hotel is pet-friendly and also ideal for cyclists, with a special store for guests who bring their own bike. Both north and south coasts of the island are within easy reach, with The Needles, Freshwater Bay and the military road being most notable. Of course the Isle of Wight is a small island so all the towns and attractions are within a short distance by car.