Bed & Breakfast Lyndhurst House (Sandown, United Kingdom)

The main people you see are those serving breakfast. They are perfectly friendly and the meal itself is fine. The service received from the people you meet is spot on… you just don't see very many of them!

The island itself isn't huge but, if not coming by car, it's a useful advantage to have the bus and railway station within a few minutes' walk of the hotel

Gone are the summer season days when comedian, Cyril Fletcher and his wife, Betty Astell, presented their long seasons of ‘Summer Masquerade' at the Pier Theatre. (Gone too, is the Pier Theatre itself!) Sandown was then-and remains, now-very much a family resort, with attractions such as the Dinosaur Museum appealing to today's families.

he wind blows and the windows rattled. Rooms (*on the small side) are less than perfect and the owners are nowhere to be seen. Roll on the summer when, hopefully, things will get better.

This is a very strange set-up! You don't actually meet anyone. You collect keys from an outside point. There's no reception; just one of those bells to ring for service … so after dithering, you'll probably take the coward's way out and not bother. You even order breakfast the night before ... and remotely. Sometimes, you'll get what you actually ordered. Very strange.

‘Luke warm' is the term to describe breakfast which is obviously cooked in advance … and then waits for you. Another niggle is that towels are thin and tiny. It's all very clean, but homely and with a friendly ambience? Naah!