| modern rooms with en suite bathrooms provide free wi-fi and flat-screen tvs, as well as tea and coffeemaking facilities. 6 miles of the yachting town of cowes, and the red jet ferry terminal. overlooking the solent strait, this relaxed hotel is within 1. check-in time: 2:00 pmcheck-out time: 10:00 am. there's also an event room with a bar and a balcony, as well as gardens with a bbq terrace. free english breakfast is served from a traditional kitchen offering freshly cooked meals. most have views of the strait
Heathrow Airport 2 hr 42
SeaCity Museum (1 hr 20)
Hands-on venue exploring shipping and the sea, with cafe, education zone and gift shop. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (1 hr 29)
Nelson's HMS Victory plus HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose Museum, with simulators and harbour tours. Amazon World Zoo (24 min)
Conservation-minded venue with over 200 species including tropical birds and meerkats. Tudor House & Garden (1 hr 6)
Restored 14th-c. Tudor house & remains of a 12th-c. Norman home, with 16th-century gardens & a cafe. Osborne (22 min)
Italian-inspired mansion amid lush gardens and filled with Victoria and Albert's former possessions. Isle of Wight Steam Railway (21 min)
Outfit preserving railway history via exhibits, train stations & rides on steam-powered locomotives. Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway (1 hr 43)
Expansive woodland gardens with abundant rhododendrons and azaleas, plus steam train rides. Palace House (1 hr 36)
Private 13th-century country manor with Victorian interiors, offering tours, exhibits & a gallery. Spinnaker Tower (1 hr 28)
Landmark tower with an on-site cafe and a glass-floored platform overlooking Portsmouth harbour. HMS Victory (1 hr 29)
Museum within the world's oldest commissioned warship which gained fame at the Battle of Trafalgar. Portchester Castle (1 hr 44)
Commanding castle crucial to Solent defences for centuries, with audio-tours and picnic space. Carisbrooke Castle (18 min)
Fine medieval castle and museum, where Charles I was imprisoned by Cromwell's Roundheads. Robin Hill (21 min)
Family rides, tractor train, nature trails, falconry and events, plus a woodland tree house. National Motor Museum, Beaulieu (1 hr 37)
250-plus vehicles and World of Top Gear, plus each ticket gives access to Abbey and Palace House. Mary Rose Museum (1 hr 33)
Museum for 16th-century Tudor warship, & King Henry VIII's favourite, built in 1510 & sunk in 1545. | 
