Location, facilities, host

Nothing

4 mins walking distance to the cliff got a great view of the sea, easy to park in front of the property and free of charge, owner and staff are friendly, very comfortable and very quiet to stay, especially during the festival

good location for beach and town amenities

actual premises fairly acceptable

Very quiet, peaceful and comfortable.

Nothing. Isle of Wight is a beautiful place to visit and Clarence House is a great choice for accommodation.

It was lovely. We felt very comfortable in the light and cosy cottage, and loved the privacy and the outdoor area. Very convenient for walking along the cliffs and into town. Rosamund was very welcoming and communication was excellent. We would definitely come again!

A wonderful Victorian styled guest house with an entertaining host in Rosamund the owner. If you are looking for a touch of the Hotel Portofino with old world charm, communal drawing rooms, an extensive kitchen and a beautiful balcony to enjoy evening drinks then Clarence House is for you. Little touches like lavender pouches, magazines and books to read add up to a homely environment once your island day is complete. Another of Rosamund's passions and businesses (handbags) enriches your senses as wafting through the air is the heady scent of Italian leather. You have the freedom to come and go, be private in your own room or mingle with others. A lovely quiet street to base yourself for adventures in Shanklin, Ventnor and further a field.

Not much to criticise. The house delivers what is expected and promised.

This is a superb property in every way. the tranquility, privacy and comfort it offers is uncommon.

The garden and private balcony

Well presented & functional little cottage at the bottom of the garden. Very private & secure entrance, with parking on the road. Town area a short walk away (for breakfast). Nice pub also a short walk away. Neat & tidy & clean on arrival.

Never actually met the hosts - all communication via email or texts (could be a "plus" for some people, but I found it slightly impersonal)

Alexander Apartment: Location close to the beach and high street with good facilities and garden/patio. ** Great inside wall for large scale Film/TV projection - see attached image **

Minor issues / Nitpicks : 2 bedrooms but main bedroom is not a wall separated room but more a separate open plan area/partition even if well decorated. But in the end it was not a big deal. Water pipes sometimes noisy.

Great location, convenient for public transport, restaurants and bars and the beach. The bedroom was clean, comfortable and well equipped, with clever use of space given the relatively small dimensions (be aware that Charlotte room really is a 'cosy' double so possibly not somewhere you'd want to spend a huge amount of time in during the day if you're visiting as a couple - fortunately the weather was great for our visit so we were out and about all day!). By contrast the bathroom is very spacious and has an excellent shower.

As mentioned in another review there's an automatic sensor light in the bathroom (which seemingly can't be disabled) that casts a bright light into the bedroom as soon as you cross the threshold which was quite disruptive to sleep if someone wanted to use the bathroom overnight and the wardrobe door had a very penetrating creak which could benefit from some WD40. At the time of booking there wasn't great clarity about what form the breakfast would take and this now seems to have been updated in the description and changed to an optional extra (which is for the good). With the benefit of hindsight I'd recommend against this option for stays or more than 1 or 2 nights as you'll quickly get fed-up with bananas, long-life orange juice and very sweet pastries which we felt obligated to eat to avoid food waste but wasn't a very nutritionally balanced or enjoyable breakfast. Also, whilst I understand not having in room cleaning during the stay as a Covid safety measure, if they're going to follow this approach then 1 small bath-towel per person for a 6 night stay isn't really adequate - at least provide a couple so that one towel gets a chance to dry and you're not having to use a slightly damp one throughout your stay. Finally, it was a bit odd to have zero contact with the owner or any member of staff over the course of 7 days we were there - keys obtained from a lock-box and a text message at the start and end of our stay were the extent of the interaction. None of these are major issues and we enjoyed our stay overall but it just feels as if we visited during a time where Clarence House is transitioning from a more traditional apartment house with a handful of B&B rooms to a full-blown hands-off 'Airbnb' style format, fell between these two stools, and it didn't quite hit the mark as a result.

Due to Covid situation we had our breakfast delivered outside our door (Artisan breakfast). Therefore able to get up at a leisurely pace.

Not a case of didn't like but observations to improve the room. The wardrobe doors squeaked which sounds OTT but the house was so quiet that every time we opened the doors next door could probably hear it. The bathroom door did not shut properly (therefore ajar), from the outside and so if you went past it the sensor light came on which when you went to the loo at night it was like a search light shinning out towards the bedroom. Obviously this did not spoil our stay but oil, fixing the bathroom door to shut and the sensor light be reduced in brightness can improve the situation. I hope you appreciate these findings.

It’s a stunning property and beautifully furnished. It’s be a luxurious place to stay in whilst visiting the IOW pop festival.

Great location within walking distance of Shanklin but nice and quiet at night. Room was large with plenty of space for family of 4. Nicely decorated and clean.

There was a lovely view and great shower.

There was no matress protector or pillow protectors which I would expect when the bed is used by lots of people, it's common practice to provide such items. The bed was very uncomfortable.

Peaceful and quiet Easy access to town centre and beach

Street parking, not difficult but needed to find a suitable parking space.

Location was ok

No fan in the room and completely ignored my request for one as we were in 26 degree heatwave so had to go to b&q to buy one!! Slippy and VERY dangerous shower tray the shower Soaked the windowsill when showering totally unavoidable by guests. the bathroom door doesn’t shut properly so the bathroom light kept coming on all night !!! Filthy windows No mattress topper or pillow proctor !!! Washing towels on patio set on arrival and throughout our stay obviously not professionally cleaned. No tv aerial connection to the house only a portable one that if you move off the bed it looses signal Light shines thru the badly painted glass panels in the door and the landing light is left on full until the early hours. Breakfast paid for 2 adults and received enough food for one person and most of that was sugary pastry’s over ripe banana and warm orange juice hung on the door the night before so not even cold juice or fresh pastry. Considering the amount we paid it was totally over priced and not to our satisfaction very disappointed. When I contacted the host to request lacto free milk she txt me to say buy your own our tea coffee and biscuits are a good will gesture! Again NOT what we booked If I wanted a “room in a shared house” I would of booked that

The house is in a perfect location for the town of Shanklin and a good base to explore the island.

Clarence House is a lovely modernised victorian villa well positioned in Shanklin. The host is very chatty but wished to point out that she provided a room but absoltely no additional services like cleaning etc. I have never experienced this in any other holiday accommodation anywhere in all my years. The Charlotte Room was very crammed, a double bed was provided with no room for anything else, not even a chair or stool. The room was reasonably clean however the ensuite was not. A very small TV attached to a rotating wall mount was provided that had an infuriating standalone aerial to get an picture. The room had a fitted repainted and horrible wardrobe which I couldn't use to hang up my clothes as a small fridge impeded me and the TV limited access. The room boasted a sea view...I have also posted a pic of that wonderful view. The ensuite appeared to be clean but my illusions were shattered when the water wouldn't drain from the shower tray. I have attached a pic of what I found...not what I wanted at the start if my hols. I stayed for the 7 days which I had booked but had there been anything available nearby I would have cut my losses. In that period, the ensuite room was not serviced at all. I bought toilet roll and cleaning materials to ensure that the place was habitable. Towels were not replaced, although I believe I could have done this at additional cost but didn't feel comfortable going through the palava. I experienced an H&S interrogation before an iron and ironing board were made available to me, just on the one occasion. There wasn't even a toilet brush...I dont believe I am actually discussing such a mundane issue but it is really important when your toilet isn't being cleaned daily! There are extensive gardens and terraces at the house but I was not provided access or advised that I could make use if them, including the public room on the house ground floor.