The Bay Colwell
The Bay Colwell is a small self-catering holiday park on the quiet west tip of the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England, a short walk from the sandy bay it takes its name from. Families come for a beach on the doorstep, a heated indoor pool and soft play for the changeable days and a self-catering cottage or lodge to explore the island's chalk cliffs and downs from.
On this page
- Is it worth it?
- Quick facts
- What the park is like
- Where you stay
- Eating in and eating out
- The pool and soft play
- The beach at Colwell Bay
- Babies and toddlers
- Things to do
- Accessibility
- Dogs
- The area and days out
- Getting there
- Health and practicalities
- Loves and gripes
- How it compares
- When to go and the weather
- Questions
- Photo gallery
Is it worth it?
Who The Bay Colwell suits, who would be happier elsewhere and the facts to skim first.
The Bay Colwell is a small, quiet self-catering park built around its setting rather than its facilities. It sits on the west of the Isle of Wight, inside protected countryside and a short walk from a sandy beach, and it keeps things simple on site: cottages and lodges with full kitchens, one café bar, an indoor heated pool and a soft play room. There's no restaurant, no kids' club and no nightly entertainment, and you'll want a car for the island. What families come for is the calm, the beach on the doorstep and a base to explore the west of the island from, and it rates well for exactly that: 8.5 out of 10 on Booking.com from more than 700 reviews, and a VisitEngland 4-Star Holiday Park rating. If you want a park with clubs, a restaurant and a full programme, this isn't it. If you want a peaceful beach-and-countryside break with somewhere to cook and swim, it's well worth a look.
Best for
You want a quiet self-catering base a short walk from a sandy beach, an indoor pool and soft play for the wet days, and you're happy to cook and to have a car for days out.
Maybe not for
You want a kids' club, an on-site restaurant and nightly entertainment, or a holiday without a car. The park has none of the first three, and the island needs the fourth.
Best ages
Any age, and it suits babies and toddlers well: self-catering for baby mealtimes, an indoor pool and soft play close by and the beach a short walk away.
What stands out
The quiet west-island setting inside an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the short walk to Colwell Bay and two adapted cottages, which is a lot for a park this size.
What to check
Which cottage you're booking, since only some Luxury Cottages have a hot tub and the Beach Lodge has none, and whether you need a cot or highchair, which are on request.
Where is it?
Totland Bay, on the quiet west tip of the Isle of Wight, a short drive from the Yarmouth ferry.
Quick facts for families
What the park is like
Where it sits, what the setting is like and what's on the park itself.
The Bay Colwell is a self-catering holiday park run by Away Resorts, the UK holiday-park group, on the west tip of the Isle of Wight, on Fort Warden Road in Totland Bay. It's a small park of cottages and beach lodges rather than a big caravan site, and it previously traded as Colwell Bay Holiday Cottages before Away Resorts took it over and rebranded it. VisitEngland rates it a 4-Star Holiday Park.
The setting is the reason to come. This is the quiet west end of the island, a landscape of chalk cliffs and heather-covered downs that sits inside an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a nationally protected stretch of countryside, with wide views across the Solent, the strait between the island and the mainland. It's a good deal quieter than the big east-coast resort towns of Sandown, Shanklin and Ryde, so you're trading entertainment and bustle for the beach and the scenery.
On site the park keeps things simple. There are the self-catering cottages and lodges, one café bar called the Bayside Lounge, an indoor heated pool and a soft play room. Guest Services is the front desk for anything you need, open 9am to 6pm on Mondays and Fridays and 9am to 5pm the rest of the week, though the hours vary with the season.
Where you stay
The two grades, what's in the kitchen, check-in times and the WiFi to know about.
The Bay Colwell is self-catering cottages and lodges, all with a full kitchen, and there are two grades to choose from.
| Grade | Bedrooms | Sleeps | Hot tub | Check-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Lodge (unique to The Bay Colwell) | 2 | 4 | No | From 2:30pm |
| Luxury Cottage | 2 | 2 to 6 | On selected units | From 4pm |
The Beach Lodge is the park's own grade, found only here. It has two bedrooms and sleeps four, with a double in the main bedroom and twins in the second, and it comes with sea views. Check-in is from 2:30pm, and it doesn't have a hot tub.
The Luxury Cottage has two bedrooms and sleeps two to six: a double and twins for four, with a sofa bed added for six. A hot tub comes with some cottages but not all, so check whether the one you're booking has one if that matters to you. The dog-friendly units are in this grade. Check-in is from 4pm.
Every unit has a full kitchen with a cooker and oven, a microwave, a kettle and toaster, a fridge with a freezer compartment and a full set of crockery, cutlery, glasses and pans. Beds are made up with linen when you arrive, and there's a Freeview TV, heating throughout and outdoor furniture. Some units have bunk beds to suit younger children.
WiFi is listed as a facility, but in practice guests regularly report it as unreliable or absent in the cottages, and it's the one thing that scores poorly in reviews. If you need to be online for work, or to keep children entertained on a wet afternoon, don't count on it: bring mobile data instead.
Eating in and eating out
Self-catering by design, the one café bar on site and the places to eat a short walk away.
The Bay Colwell is self-catering, so you'll be cooking in the cottage for most meals. There's no restaurant on the park.
The one place to eat and drink on site is the Bayside Lounge, a licensed café bar. It does hot drinks, snacks and light bites, and it's licensed for alcohol, so it works for a coffee after the beach or a drink in the evening rather than as a dinner option. Dogs are welcome inside. It runs on the same seasonal calendar as the pool and soft play.
There's no shop on the park either, so stock up on food and supplies before you arrive or on the way from the ferry. For eating out, three places sit within an easy walk along the bay.
| Place | What it is | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Captain's Cabin | Breakfast, lunches and British dinners such as scampi and ham, egg and chips | 4-minute walk |
| The Hut | A seafood spot on the bay | 6-minute walk |
| The Waterfront | Lunches and seafood dinners along Colwell Bay | 15-minute walk |
All three are an easy walk along the seafront. Totland village, a little further on foot or a short drive, has more cafés and a small supermarket, and Newport, the island's main town, has the widest choice.
One indoor poolThe pool and soft play
The park has one pool, an indoor heated pool that's open to all guests. It's the park's main all-weather draw, and it matters most in the cooler shoulder months when the beach is a walk rather than a swim. A lifeguard is on duty, though it's worth confirming when you arrive, as cover can vary. Dogs aren't allowed in the pool, and last admission is 30 minutes before it closes.
Away Resorts sets supervision ratios by age. A child aged three or under needs one adult in the water with them, one to one. One adult can supervise up to two children aged four to seven. Children of eight and over who can swim 25 metres unaided may swim on their own while a lifeguard is present. It's worth thinking through if one of you plans to take several children swimming at once.
There's no splash pad, paddling pool, outdoor pool or waterslides here: the indoor pool is the only water on the park.
Next to the Bayside Lounge there's a soft play room, open daily on the same seasonal calendar as the pool, described as somewhere for younger children to bounce, slide and play. There's no separate admission charge mentioned for it, and no published age limit.
A short walk to the sandThe beach at Colwell Bay
Colwell Bay is a short walk from the park along a flat coastal road. It's a west-facing bay that's sandy at low tide, with plenty of room for children to play, and narrower and shingly when the tide is high. The views run west toward the Needles, the row of chalk stacks at the far tip of the island. It's a family beach, and it's the main reason most people choose this park over the ones further inland.
Colwell Bay is a public beach rather than a managed resort one, so take what you need for the day rather than counting on a lifeguard, toilets or beach huts there. Captain's Cabin, four minutes' walk from the park, is the nearest café if you need one.
The walk down follows a flat coastal road with no steps reported, though the beach surface itself is unmanaged sand and shingle rather than a groomed resort beach.
Babies and toddlers
What's here for the youngest children, what fills a day on the park and the days out around it.
The self-catering setup suits babies and toddlers well. A full kitchen means you can sterilise, heat food and eat at the times that fit a small child, rather than working around a restaurant. The soft play and the indoor pool are both close by for the days the weather turns, and the beach is a short walk for paddling and digging.
Cots and highchairs may be available to hire on request, subject to availability, so ask when you book rather than assuming they'll be there. It's worth confirming they're held for your dates, as they aren't guaranteed.
There's no crèche or kids' club, so the youngest children's days are built around the beach, the pool, the soft play and trips out. One parent who stayed with a two-year-old rated the cottage, the quiet, the soft play, the pool and how close the beach was, which is the combination most families come here for.
On the parkThings to do
On-site organised activity is light, and the park is open about that. The year-round fixture is Linked Bingo, an online game played at once across up to 20 Away Resorts parks for prizes. In the school summer holidays the park adds seasonal entertainment and pop-up activities, though the line-up varies, so check the Away Resorts app for what's on during your stay. The app is also where you book any activities that are running, look up the park map and check the facility opening hours.
Away Resorts also has a tie-up with Wight Cycle Hire, a local bike-hire firm, with guest discount codes: Away10 for 10% off a hire, and Away5 for 5% off longer rentals with free delivery.
It's worth being clear about what the park doesn't have year-round. There's no kids' club or crèche, no babysitting, no adventure playground, no sports courts, no arcade, no outdoor pool, no waterslides and no spa. Days here lean on the beach, the pool and the island beyond the gate.
Two adapted cottagesAccessibility
The Bay Colwell has two adapted cottages, Cottage One and Cottage Two. Both have wider doors, an accessible kitchen with lower surfaces, a wet room with a level-entry shower and lower sinks and toilet. Cottage One has a hot tub; Cottage Two doesn't. Two adapted units is a lot for a small self-catering park.
Around the site there's ramp access to Guest Services and to the indoor pool, level access to the dining, kitchen, lounge and pool areas and designated disabled parking. The walk to Colwell Bay is along a flat coastal road with no steps reported, though the beach surface itself is unmanaged sand and shingle.
Up to two per bookingDogs
The Bay Colwell is dog-friendly, and Away Resorts markets it that way. You can bring up to two dogs per booking. The Luxury Cottages are the dog-friendly grade; the Beach Lodge isn't. Dogs are welcome in the Bayside Lounge but not in the indoor pool or the soft play. A dog fee applies per stay, so factor that in when you book. The quiet west-island countryside and the Colwell Bay seafront make for good dog walks, which is part of the appeal here.
Days outThe area and days out
With a car you can reach most of the island in under an hour, and the west end has some of the best-known days out close by.
| Place | What it is | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| The Needles and Needles Pleasure Park | Chalk sea stacks at the island tip; the Pleasure Park at Alum Bay has a cable car, glass-making, rides and coloured sand cliffs | 10 to 15 min |
| Tapnell Farm Park | A farm park with wallabies, alpacas and goats, indoor and outdoor play and three places to eat; book online, no dogs in the park | 8 to 10 min |
| Yarmouth | A small historic market town with an English Heritage castle, a working quay and the ferry terminal | About 2 miles |
| Totland Bay | The small seaside town next door, with a traditional pier, a small beach and local shops and cafés | Walk or short drive |
| Blackgang Chine | England's oldest theme park, better suited to older children | 20 to 40 min |
| Osborne House | Queen Victoria's former home, an English Heritage house and grounds at East Cowes | 20 to 40 min |
| Newport | The island county town, with the largest shops and the main supermarket run | 20 to 40 min |
| Sandown and Shanklin | The east-coast resort beaches: sandy, busy and traditional seaside | 35 to 40 min |
Tapnell Farm Park, about ten minutes away, is the standout for young children, with wallabies, alpacas and goats, indoor and outdoor play areas and three places to eat, the Cow, the Farm Park Coffee House and the Snack Shack. Tickets are booked online in advance, and dogs can't come into the farm park itself. It's open daily from late March to the start of November, 10am to 5pm.
The Needles themselves, the chalk stacks at the far tip, are free to drive out to; the neighbouring Needles Pleasure Park at Alum Bay, with its cable car and coloured sand cliffs, charges for entry and rides. Yarmouth, the small market town by the ferry, is about two miles away, and Totland Bay, the small seaside town next door, has a traditional pier and a little beach of its own.
Getting there and getting around
The ferry routes, the discount and why you'll want a car once you're on the island.
The Isle of Wight has no bridge, so you get there by ferry. The closest crossing for The Bay Colwell is Wightlink's Lymington to Yarmouth car ferry, which takes about 40 minutes and lands at Yarmouth, roughly two miles and five to ten minutes' drive from the park. The other routes, Wightlink's Portsmouth to Fishbourne and Red Funnel's Southampton to East Cowes, arrive further east and mean a longer drive of about 35 to 45 minutes across to the west.
Book your crossing through Away Resorts and you get a discounted rate through its Wightlink and Red Funnel partnership. It's booked separately from the holiday rather than bundled into the price. If you'd rather not drive the whole way, Lymington, where the closest ferry leaves from, is about an hour and three-quarters from London by train.
On the island you'll want a car. The park runs no transfer service, the local bus network is limited and the day-out attractions all need driving to. The beach is the exception, a short walk that needs no car. In peak season it's worth booking your ferry car space in advance, as the Yarmouth car park is small, and worth factoring the cost of the crossing into the total when you're comparing the trip against a mainland self-catering break.
Health and adminHealth and practicalities
The island's only A&E is at St Mary's Hospital in Newport, about 11 to 12 miles from Totland, roughly 25 to 30 minutes by car and longer in summer traffic. For a pharmacy, Freshwater is about ten minutes away, and Newport has the widest choice on the island; it's worth bringing enough of any regular medication, as island pharmacies can be short on specialist items.
What guests sayLoves and gripes
What families love
- The quiet, beautiful west-island setting, the thing reviewers mention most.
- The beach being a short walk from the door.
- The indoor heated pool, an all-weather option outside the summer.
- Friendly, helpful staff, the highest-scoring category in reviews.
- Spacious, well-equipped cottages.
- How dog-friendly it is.
- The peaceful atmosphere, which suits younger children.
Common gripes
- No restaurant on the park, so it's self-catering or a walk out for every meal.
- Fewer activities than the bigger island parks.
- Unreliable WiFi in the cottages, the one category that scores poorly.
- Floor cleanliness in some units and kitchen supplies that don't always cover the whole stay.
- Tight parking, awkward for larger vehicles.
- No shop on site.
Across the review sites the park does well. It scores 8.5 out of 10 on Booking.com from more than 700 reviews, 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor from around 580 reviews, 4.4 out of 5 on Hoseasons and 82% on IoW Guru's composite rating, and it holds a VisitEngland 4-Star Holiday Park rating. On Booking.com the standout categories are staff and location, both 9.1, with comfort, value and cleanliness at 8.8 and facilities around 8.4 to 8.5; the one weak spot is free WiFi, which scores just 5.1.
Against the other island parksHow it compares
Away Resorts runs four parks on the Isle of Wight, and The Bay Colwell is the quiet, nature-led one.
| Park | Where | Beach | Pool | Kids' entertainment | The vibe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bay Colwell | West, at Totland Bay | A short walk, sandy at low tide | Indoor only | Linked Bingo year-round, plus seasonal pop-up activities in the summer holidays | Quiet and nature-led |
| Whitecliff Bay | East, at Bembridge | A private, residents-only cove | Indoor and outdoor | A full year-round programme | Busy and activity-rich |
| The Lakes Rookley | Central, inland | No beach; a drive to the coast | Indoor and outdoor | A full year-round programme, with watersports | Active, with watersports |
| St Helens | East coast | A short drive to the coast | Outdoor only | Not confirmed | Quiet |
Whitecliff Bay shares the same composite rating from IoW Guru, but for a different kind of stay: it has enough on site that a family could fill days without leaving the park, a fuller entertainment programme and both indoor and outdoor pools, though its beach is a private cove for residents only. The Lakes Rookley has no beach at all, so any beach day means a drive off the park. St Helens is closer to The Bay Colwell in pace, a quieter park with an outdoor-only pool and a beach a short drive rather than a walk away. If you want a beach a short walk from the door, an indoor pool for the cooler months and a calm, nature-led base, The Bay Colwell is the one of the four that offers that combination; if you want more organised activities on site, one of the larger parks will suit better.
Season and weatherWhen to go and the weather
The park is open from February to December and closed in January. Guest Services, the Bayside Lounge, the pool and the soft play all run on that same calendar. The indoor pool closes on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and the other facilities may follow suit, so check the dates before you rely on them over Christmas.
The Isle of Wight has a mild south-coast climate. Summer days sit around 20°C in July and August, with cool evenings even then, dropping to 14 to 15°C at night. The shoulder months are cooler, 8 to 18°C by day from February to May and September to December, which is when the indoor pool and soft play matter most. The west coast is windier than the sheltered east, and even in high summer you'll get seven or eight rainy days in a typical month, so pack for changeable weather whenever you go.
Prices are seasonal, with a strong premium in the school holidays, and the park sits in the mid-range for UK holiday parks. Away Resorts runs early-booking discounts fairly regularly, so it's worth looking for a code when you book, as the terms change.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | 8.5° | 3.5° | 74 mm | 11 | 8° |
| March | 10.5° | 4.5° | 60 mm | 10 | 8° |
| April | 13° | 6° | 54 mm | 9 | 10° |
| May | 16° | 9° | 52 mm | 8 | 13° |
| June | 18.5° | 11.5° | 54 mm | 8 | 16° |
| July | 20.5° | 13.5° | 52 mm | 8 | 18° |
| August | 20.5° | 14° | 67 mm | 8 | 19° |
| September | 18.5° | 12° | 72 mm | 9 | 18° |
| October | 15° | 9.5° | 113 mm | 13 | 16° |
| November | 11.5° | 6.5° | 118 mm | 14 | 13° |
| December | 9.5° | 4.5° | 119 mm | 14 | 10° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. The park is open February to December and closed in January.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official page worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Do we need a car?
Realistically yes. Everything past the beach, which is a short walk from the door, means a drive, whether that's the ferry, the shops or a day out. If you'd rather not bring the car the whole way, Lymington has trains from the mainland and the Yarmouth crossing from there is the closest to the park.
Is the ferry included in the price?
No, the crossing is booked separately from the holiday, though booking it through Away Resorts gets you a discounted rate through its ferry partnership. Add the cost of a car space to your budget when you weigh the trip up against a mainland break.
Can we get online in the cottage?
Not reliably. Cottage WiFi is patchy, and it's the one thing guests consistently mark down, so plan to use mobile data for anything you can't do without, whether that's work or keeping the children happy on a wet afternoon.
Is there anything for the children on rainy days?
The indoor pool and the soft play next to the Bayside Lounge are the on-site wet-weather options, both open across the season. There's no kids' club, though Linked Bingo runs all year and pop-up activities run in the summer holidays, listed on the Away Resorts app for your dates. For a bigger indoor day, Tapnell Farm Park has undercover play a short drive away.
Can we hire a cot and a highchair?
Both are listed for hire but subject to availability, so request them when you book. There's no shop on the park to fall back on, so it's better to pin them down for your dates than to hope they're free on arrival.
Can we bring the dog?
Yes, up to two dogs, booked into a Luxury Cottage rather than a Beach Lodge. They can come into the Bayside Lounge but not the pool or soft play, and a dog fee applies per stay that isn't published up front, so check it when you book.
When's the best time to go?
The park runs from February to December and closes only in January. July and August are the warmest and busiest; late spring and September are quieter and still mild, though the sea and the evenings stay cool. Whenever you go, the indoor pool and the soft play cover the rainy days, of which there are usually a few even in summer.
See more Bay Colwell photos
Open the Bay Colwell photo gallery →
Useful links
- The Bay Colwell: the operator's own site for accommodation grades, facilities and booking.
- Isle of Wight with little ones: our guide to the wider island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 17 July 2026.
