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The Isle of Wight is one of Britain's hidden treasures. My mum grew up on the Isle of Wight and most of her family still live down there so it is tradition for us to go down and stay with them every Summer. I have many fond memories of our holidays there from over the years. It is very easy to get to. There are regular ferries from Portsmouth, Lymington and Southhampton as well as regular hovercraft services and it is ever so easy to put a car on them. It takes no longer than 45 minutes.

There is so much to do there which makes me so surprised that it is not completly packed with tourists. First mention has to go to the spectacular beaches. There are 13 award winning beaches on the Isle of Wight which is quite something for somewhere so small.

Other places of interest include historic attractions such as Carisbrooke Castle, The Needles (a National Trust site), Osborne House and the Roman Villa at Newport. There are also loads of art and craft shops and monuments to add to the historic attractions.

The Isle of Wight is full of options for dining out. There are hundreds of country side pubs and restaurants for you to choose from, all of which are great value.

For the sporty ones among you as you can imagine watersports such as sailing and surfing are very popular. There are also a number of excellent golf courses which are absolutely beautiful to play on. When I was younger, I used to absolutely love going to Blackgang Chine which is a small amusement park in truly beautiful surroundings so definitely take your kids there. The Needles Park is also great for kids as it has loads of rides. Loads of zoo's and animal parks as well which is certain to be a hit with the kids. For teenagers and young adults, the Isle of Wight music festival is also very popular with well known acts coming every year.

I couldn't reccommend the Isle of Wight more and I can particuarly reccommend a trip to Bonchurch for the crab sandwiches by the beach-devine. Try and go in the summer if you are visiting there on holiday as they always have fantastic town fetes with loads of goodies to by and loads to do for all the family.

The Isle of Wight is an odd Island, mainly because it seems a bit backwards compared to the mainland. Its lovely to visit for a holiday, as it has sandy beaches, loads of water sports and theme parks. Its also got the needles that go out to sea, by the light house. There are some nice cliff top walks, and you can see Southampton from some parts. Housing and living there is very cheap compared to the south of England mainland. There are regular passenger and car ferrys to and from the mainland. Also there is the hovercraft fast ferry which only takes about 15mins, but this is quite expensive to use and is mainly used by people who work on the mainland or vice versa. Theres loads to do if you are on holiday or just visiting for the day. In the summer if the weather is nice its great, as the beaches make you feel like you might be in the med or something like that!

I have lived on the Isle of Wight all of my life and I have so many good things to say about it. Although it is small and its very enclosed, it has such a lovely friendly atmosphere. We are quite sheltered from all the crime that goes on in parts of the mainland so I feel like it is such a nice safe place to live, which is why alot of people choose to start families here and retire here. Everybody knows each others business here which can get a little annoying but on the brighter side, it means that you always see people you know when you go out. There arent that many great shops over here, we have the usual things like tescos and some high street clothing stores but alot of people tend to travel over to the mainland if the fancy a good old shop. Not many people get off the Island that often due to the cost of ferry fares. If you want to take a car over to the mainland for a day it costs around £40, which is absaloutely ridiculous, foot passengers are around £18 for a day. Residents have been campaigning to lower ferry fare for a long time now but it hasnt happened yet. The schooling system is very different here as well although it is set to change within the next few years. We opperate a 3 tier system, primary school, middle school and high school as oposed to primary and secondary. I think our system is much better as you can grow with each move of schools. During the summer when the weather is nice and the sun is shining, the Isle of Wight is one of the most amazing places to be. With all the lovely beaches and beer gardens that you will find around the island, you will have the time of your life. There are lots of seaside activities that you can get involved in like surfing and much much more. One thing that I will say about the island is that there is not many job prospects here so I know alot of people move off the island to seek better careers. Despite this, it really is a fantastic place to live and a lovely place to go on holiday to.

The Isle-of-Wight is a lovely island just off the south coast, accessible from Southampton, Portsmouth or Lymington. The island has many lovely beaches, among my personal favourites are Ryde, Ventnor, and Compton Bay. Ryde is particularly lovely - it is a man-made beach opposite Portsmouth, with impressive views of the Spinnaker Tower. The town of Ryde is also very nice; it is the arrival point for the Portsmouth ferry, and includes several nice restaurants, including Ryde Castle, which is an impressive looking restaurant and hotel. Newport is the county town of the island, and home to a cinema, restaurants and shopping areas, along with Parkhurst Prison, the Postal Museum, and it is home of the annual Isle of Wight festival, which still attracts big names. The island is also home to Cowes Week, which is an annual week of sailing competitions. In the summer, the town of Cowes is very upmarket and pleasant to visit, particularly to see the yachts in the harbour. It is the home of the Royal Yacht Squadron, which is a prestigious invitation only yachting club. The Isle of Wight is home to a large number of pubs, which include some very good quality ones - the Red Lion in Freshwater has been featured in Michelin guides over the last couple of years, and the White Horse in Whitwell is an excellent choice for a family meal, and dogs are welcome! Aside from the beaches, attractions include a big cat park, dinosaur farm, pearl centre and the theme park at Blackgang Chine. If the weather is nice, it is a very nice place for a family holiday to the beach.