The Enchanted Manor & Koala Cottage
When Australian Ric Hilton and his English wife Maggie opened the Isle of Wight’s first five star B&B in early 2006 they had no idea that just under a year later they would be putting the finishing touches to an even more ambitious project: the complete restoration of a country manor house by the sea.
They had already struck gold with Koala Cottage, a stone country cottage tucked away below the famous church in Godshill, one of Britain’s prettiest villages. Designed as a hideaway retreat for couples with something to celebrate, Koala Cottage is small and intimate in scale with just three suites. But those suites are the height of romance, a testament to Maggie’s design flair. There are huge antique-style pine beds draped with plush damask, ornate French chandeliers and Victorian bathrooms with claw foot baths plus a separate brass shower for the eco-inclined. Guests take gourmet breakfasts in a Victorian-style conservatory and can indulge themselves in the spa and sauna.
Ric and Maggie have applied the same winning formula to The Enchanted Manor, which stands in an acre of woodland that stretches down towards the sea at south coast Niton. But there is one big difference. Maggie came across the fantasy paintings of Josephine Wall and loved them so much that the couple decided to use her imagination to create a magical, mystical atmosphere in the old Victorian manor.
The first thing that hits you as you enter through the front door, decorated with a scene from one of Wall’s fantasies, is the huge Beauty and the Beast painting in the reception area. This sets the tone for a mesmerisingenvironment that’s overflowing with colourful, fantastical paintings, murals and stained-glass windows. There are even fairies – not real ones of course (or perhaps they are) – and a hall bedecked with glittering lights. It’s far from being a Disney-style hotel though. The effect is, quite simply, unique – serene and tranquil, a special place for people to come and relax.
Upstairs, no two rooms are alike. Each one has its own individual character defined by one of Josephine Wall’s artworks and is large in dimension with the high ceilings characteristic of this type of Victorian house. And most are bathed in the strange southern light of this part of the Isle of Wight. Ric and Maggie have added to original features like the marble fireplaces in theEnchanted Manor suites with ornate hand carved French four posters, Venetian glass chandeliers and exquisite bathrooms. These feature roll top baths, deluxe showers with water jets and cast iron basins that come with a resident angel. Rose petals scattered on the beds add to the romance.
Sumptuous decor that's five star all the way
On the door step
The rugged coastal scenery of St. Catherine’s is a stone’s throw from the Enchanted Manor as is the south coast ‘Undercliff’, a semi-tropical landscape of lush vegetation.
Going Green
Ric and Maggie built Koala Cottage from scratch and incorporated energysaving features to make the B&B as eco-friendly as possible.
- 3 deluxe suites at Koala Cottage; 7 luxury suites at The Enchanted Manor
- bed & breakfast only
- picnic hampers and barbecues arranged
- coastal walks in dramatic scenery at St. Catherine’s Point
- pick-ups arranged from the ferry
- badgers and red squirrels in the Manor’s private woodland
- wide range of local produce including Godshill Organics
The Enchanted Manor
Sandrock Road
Niton
PO38 2NG
http://www.enchantedmanor.co.uk
Koala Cottage
Church Hollow
Godshill
PO38 3DR
www.koalacottage.co.uk