Visit Sandown

Sandown offers a checklist of traditional seaside charms with its Victorian pier, amusements and lovely, soft sands. Here you can enjoy all the British holiday favourites: sculpting sandcastles, savouring vinegary fish and chips and dozing under the sunshine in a deckchair.

To shake things up, head to Yaverland Beach, north of Sandown, where you can put your bucket and spade to new use hunting for dinosaur fossils! You can see the island’s prehistoric residents up-close at nearby Dinosaur Isle, which has the remains of an almost complete iguanodon and animatronic models.

For close encounters with other marvellous creatures, visit the Isle of Wight Zoo. You’ll come face-to-face with various big cats here, including lions, tigers and jaguar, alongside cute meerkats and loveable wallabies. And the animal adventures continue at nearby Amazon World Zoo Park, which provides a sanctuary for over 200 species including armadillo, ocelot and penguins.