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We went to the Enchanted Manor in October. The trees were shedding their leaves and creating a wonderful, autumnal confetti as we walked up the drive.
The door was opened by Ric, our welcoming host, and as I stepped inside I could not help but smile. There’s hardly a surface left unadorned—no mirror left bare when it could be hung with sparkly beads, not a shelf empty when it could be filled with fairies, and no corner left drab, but brightened by a golden cherub.
The five-star Enchanted Manor bed and breakfast is the brainchild—and passion—of Maggie and Ric Hilton, who transformed it from the rundown Windcliffe Manor in just six months. It has seven suites—in the Enchantment Suite the four-poster bed is hung with golden drapes. Net curtains, delicate as fairy wings, hang in the windows looking out to the sea.
Breakfast is excellent, and served in the conservatory overlooking the outdoor pool. In the evenings, you can sit here and watch the badgers and foxes. The hotel is also licensed for weddings.
Ric and Maggie know that their B&B won’t appeal to everyone, but that’s fine because they want their guests to be like-minded.That’s not to say you have to be interested in fairies or fantasy to love the Enchanted Manor, because the fairies are mere china, the murals are just paint. The real magic—although they’re unaware of it—emanates from Maggie and Ric.
The Enchanted Manor, Niton, Isle of Wight.
Tel: 01983 730215; www.enchantedmanor.co.uk |