Nettlecombe Farm

Situated on the southern side of the Isle of Wight, Nettlecombe Farm nestles in typically rolling and extremely picturesque Isle of Wight countryside, a working farm that offers luxurious self-catering holiday accommodation, coarse fishing and yoga retreats. The farm, which has been in the Morris family for over a century, has no less than nine converted self-catering properties, three coarse fishing lakes as well an area to get up close and personal with a variety of the farm's animals, including alpaca, donkeys, goats, reindeer and even an emu. It's a glorious setting, and a super-friendly place, with owners who are not only keen and proud to share their family farm with others but are also entrepreneurial enough to know what makes a perfect family holiday, partnering with local beauty therapists, childcare providers, caterers and fitness coaches to help guests get more out of their holiday. And that's before you've joined one of their weekly yoga sessions or the regular morning feeding tours of the farm itself. 

Not surprisingly they have been highly commended in Visit England's awards for excellence and self-catering holidays. The accommodation is many and varied, with three self-contained 2–3-bedroom properties in the converted Farmhouse, a 4-bedroom cottage and a 2-bedroom converted Forge and various other re-purposed stable blocks and milking parlours that each sleep between 3 and 10 people. Perhaps the nicest part, though, is the location, which is a stunner – your very own slice of unspoilt Isle of Wight countryside for a week. For all that, civilisation is never far away: Whitwell claims to have the oldest pub on the island, as well as a petrol station, church and bus stop; neighbouring Niton has shops and a post office, and Ventnor and all its seaside attractions is just a mile further on.