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The Clifton
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About
4.5
#9 of 30 B&Bs in ShanklinLocation
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Travellers' Choice
The Clifton, Brimming with coastal charm, this oasis of calm is perched perfectly on Shanklin's clifftop, it's the home from home where you can make yourself comfortable in one of 14 individually designed bedrooms. Our conservatory and South facing award winning garden offer an ideal location to appreciate the view across the water. The Clifton is the place to re-engage with the simpler pleasures in life. Come and visit and you'll find we don't fuss, we just do the simple things really well. Our team is always ready to add that little extra to ensure your stay is perfect, the Clifton is one seafront hideaway that you might just want to keep all to yourself. Parking is free in our own car park. Expect to find good beds, powerful showers, free WiFi and an excellent breakfast. Escape for a deserved short break, escape the kids or escape from your conventional corporate business accommodation. Why not escape with your friends or family
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Property amenities
Free parking
Street parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Free breakfast
Beach
Board games / puzzles
Baggage storage
Newspaper
Wifi
Bar / lounge
Breakfast buffet
Complimentary Instant Coffee
Complimentary tea
Special diet menus
Non-smoking hotel
Outdoor furniture
Sun terrace
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Room features
Private balcony
Flatscreen TV
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Ocean View
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
English
Location
1 Queens Road, Shanklin PO37 6AN England
Getting there
Great for walkers
Grade: 100 out of 100
100
61 Restaurants
within 0.3 miles
725Reviews10Q+A100Room tips
ReviewsWe perform checks on reviews.Tripadvisor’s approach to reviewsBefore posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
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We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
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Detailed Reviews
Just back from cycling around the island and we broke up the ride with a stay at this lovely hotel on the clifftops at Shanklin. It is perfectly positioned with lovely sea views and the rooms are clean and comfortable. Plenty of hand sanitiser available and covid secure dining arrangements. They do a lovely array of fresh cakes for afternoon tea and a lovely breakfast which we ate on the terrace overlooking the sea. As cyclist we needed somewhere with safe storage for bikes and this hotel was perfect. A very safe lock-up was available, and the staff were more than happy to fill up our water bottles with cold water prior to setting off again. Although there is a light bar menu, we ate at the Fisherman's cottage which is a 2 minute walk down the cliff path into a very picturesque cove. I'd highly recommend this hotel and will definitely be back.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Beeson, Owner at The Clifton
Responded 20 Sept 2020
Dear Jude H Thank you for your recommendation. we are pleased you enjoyed your stay with us, we do have such outstanding views from our clifftop position close to the seafront and the town. We are pleased that you enjoyed our breakfasts and were able to eat outside on our decking area its a lovely spot to eat your breakfast and enjoy the views. We look forward to welcoming you back in the near future. Kind regards Zoe
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Four couples descended on this wonderfully positioned cliff top hotel overlooking Sandown bay and enjoyed a delightful week's vacation here.The weather was very kind for most of the week making for a great week and enabled us to regularly sit in the excellent garden for which the hotel won the Isle of Wight award for garden in bloom last year.
David,Carys and the Clifton team looked after us superbly both in the garden and the hotel and a special mention to Denis Dyer for late evening bar duties.
Breakfast was first class with varied options including Vegetarian ones and full Clifton breakfasts with optional extras.Sandwiches and beautiful home made cakes were readily available as were basket meals.
Our rooms were all extremely comfortable with sea views and all expected facilities including tea/coffee making facilities and hair dryers were all in situ.
In summary, the Clifton is a relatively small but superb hotel in a wonderful location which we would have no hesitation in recommending to anyone.In fact Jane McDonald has stayed there so it must be good!
For visitors,we would recommend booking restaurant meals out in advance with many establishments finishing early in the evenings.
David,Carys and the Clifton team looked after us superbly both in the garden and the hotel and a special mention to Denis Dyer for late evening bar duties.
Breakfast was first class with varied options including Vegetarian ones and full Clifton breakfasts with optional extras.Sandwiches and beautiful home made cakes were readily available as were basket meals.
Our rooms were all extremely comfortable with sea views and all expected facilities including tea/coffee making facilities and hair dryers were all in situ.
In summary, the Clifton is a relatively small but superb hotel in a wonderful location which we would have no hesitation in recommending to anyone.In fact Jane McDonald has stayed there so it must be good!
For visitors,we would recommend booking restaurant meals out in advance with many establishments finishing early in the evenings.
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Date of stay: June 2021
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â Request balcony room
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Beeson, Owner at The Clifton
Responded 24 Jun 2021
Thank you for your recommendation, we are pleased you all enjoyed your stay with us. The sea-facing rooms do have a lovely outlook across the bay especially the rooms with the balcony where you can enjoy the views and the garden. . Thank you also for the positive feedback on our breakfast, we like to make sure guests are all set for a busy day exploring this wonderful Island. All our staff try and help wherever possible to ensure guest’s stays are as relaxing and enjoyable as possible. We look forward to welcoming you back in the near future. Kind regards David, Carys & The Clifton Team.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The management and staff at the Clifton should have a BIG thank you from us. They should all be proud of themselves as they run such an exceptional hotel. We really don't think the word "No" is in their vocabulary as everything we asked for we got from the packed breakfast that they kindly prepared (we had an early ferry) down to the cleanliness of the room, even thinking to put the air conditioning on when we were out as it was an extremely hot day. The breakfast menu is so extensive you could easily have something different each day for a month! The view was spectacular. Nothing is too much bother for them. We really cannot recommend this Hotel enough.
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Date of stay: September 2021
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Rooms facing east which overlooks the cliff and sea
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Beeson, Owner at The Clifton
Responded 26 Sept 2021
Hi 453wendj Thank you very much for your recommendation, we are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your stay. Thank you also for the positive feedback on our breakfast, we like to make sure guests are all set for a busy day exploring this wonderful Island. The breakfast bags are a real help if our guests have to leave early for any reason at least they will have something to eat as they have missed breakfast. All our staff try and help wherever possible to ensure guests’ stays are as relaxing and enjoyable as possible. We look forward to welcoming you in the not too distant future. Kind regards David, Carys, and The Clifton Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Price of GBP 195,00 per night that we paid for a room with sea view & balcony don't justify the services provided by the accommodation. We arrived on sunday May 1st & didn't get any clean towels until on wednesday evening, 4th May we had to ask the reception for clean towels. On thursday when we asked for fresh orange juice were told that they have run out of oranges despite that there were only two guests staying in the Clifton. In the bathroom were not adequate bathroom amenities. Apart from having a nice location with sea front we didn't experience nice stay for the price we paid.
We will not be visiting this Accommodation in future.
We will not be visiting this Accommodation in future.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amazing! We cannot recommend this hotel highly enough. All the staff were so friendly and helpful. When we arrived we got upgraded to the larger sea view room with uninterrupted views of the sea which was excellent and with tea making facilities including a good range of quality teas, coffees and biscuits. Our room and en-suite. shower-room were spotless, warm, quiet and equipped to a high standard with comfortable bed, iron, ironing board, hairdryer and a range of toiletries. Everywhere in the hotel was very. clean and beautifully maintained including the garden which has won awards. The breakfast was really good with a good choice of cereals, juices and main courses. Parking on site was a bonus although it could be tight if the hotel is fully booked. Perfect location for walking along the coastal path and visiting all the main places of interest on the island. Many good restaurants are within walking distance although we ate mainly in the hotel and could not fault it. We would definitely stay here again as places like this are extremely rare and difficult to find. Thank you to all the staff and the owners for providing such a fantastic service and beautifully kept place to stay.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I can find almost nothing to fault with this establishment. If you really want niggles, there is no lift, the breakfast black pudding was a bit dry and the biscuits in the room were not topped up on a couple of days! That's as bad as it gets!!
The price is reasonable, the rooms are clean and well-kept, and the staff are friendly and extremely helpful. The breakfast menu would put many 4 star hotels to shame. There is no restaurant for lunch or evening meals, but a cafe-style service is offered with a limited, but perfectly acceptable, menu. There is sufficient car parking for all guests and Isle of Wight ferry crossings can be arranged at discounted prices.
My wife and I booked the Premier Suite and we thoroughly recommend this. It is spacious and comfortable and has a covered balcony with magnificent sea views.
We have stayed in very many hotels worldwide and, of its type, this ranks with the best. It is a guest house, not a hotel, but, if you accept this, there can be few better. Congratulations to owners, David and Carys, to the Manager, Dennis, and to the ever helpful Alison, Terri, Zoe, the housekeeping team and the two younger trainees. (Forgive me if I have omitted anyone).
The hotel is apparently staying open till late November and seemed to be filling up fast post-lockdown, so get your booking in quickly!!
The price is reasonable, the rooms are clean and well-kept, and the staff are friendly and extremely helpful. The breakfast menu would put many 4 star hotels to shame. There is no restaurant for lunch or evening meals, but a cafe-style service is offered with a limited, but perfectly acceptable, menu. There is sufficient car parking for all guests and Isle of Wight ferry crossings can be arranged at discounted prices.
My wife and I booked the Premier Suite and we thoroughly recommend this. It is spacious and comfortable and has a covered balcony with magnificent sea views.
We have stayed in very many hotels worldwide and, of its type, this ranks with the best. It is a guest house, not a hotel, but, if you accept this, there can be few better. Congratulations to owners, David and Carys, to the Manager, Dennis, and to the ever helpful Alison, Terri, Zoe, the housekeeping team and the two younger trainees. (Forgive me if I have omitted anyone).
The hotel is apparently staying open till late November and seemed to be filling up fast post-lockdown, so get your booking in quickly!!
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Date of stay: August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Beeson, Owner at The Clifton
Responded 22 Aug 2020
Daer Julian F Thank you for taking the time to leave us a great review, we are pleased that you had a great stay with us all our staff try and help wherever possible to ensure guests’ stays are as relaxing and enjoyable as possible. We look forward to welcoming you back to The Clifton in the near future. Kind regards Zoe
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
From the moment we arrived, to the moment we left, there was nothing to fault this hotel - Breakfast is lovely, with plenty on offer, the rooms are very clean. The staff certainly know a lot about the hotel and surrounding areas and nothing was too much trouble for them. The hotel is within walking distance of the town, but far enough away not to be bothered by any noise. there is direct access (path) to the beach, but this is via a steep walk away - ok on the way down- torture on the way up, but a nice Cream Tea makes it all worthwhile. If I had any criticism of the hotel, it would be that you aren't allowed to take 'takeaway food' into the hotel, I would've loved to be able to eat fish and chips from the local chippy in the sun room looking over the sea, but totally get the smell isn't to everyone's choice. I would happily go back to this hotel
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Date of stay: October 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â Sea view balcony
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Beeson, Owner at The Clifton
Responded 13 Oct 2020
Dear Colette Thank you for taking the time to leave us a great review, we are pleased that you had a great stay with us all our staff try and help wherever possible to ensure guests’ stays are as relaxing and enjoyable as possible. We are pleased you enjoyed your cream tea with homemade scones, We look forward to welcoming you back to The Clifton in the near future. Kind regards Zoe
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Our standard deluxe room was fantastic: clean, spacious, with fresh unobstrusive decor. Bathroom was spacious and had natural light (so often not the case); recently refitted and the shower was fantastic with a rain shower or ordinary showerhead as alternative. We loved the lack of plastic: milk in the bedroom and water were both supplied in re-usable glass bottles. Only downside was that we didn't have a seaview. Breakfast couldn't have been better and included freshly squeezed orange juice and homemade marmalade and jam, and butter from a local farm. Helpful staff and a family atmosphere. Location of the hotel was perfect, close to the beach and the Shanklin Chine.
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Date of stay: April 2022
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Reception Team, Guest Services / Front Office at The Clifton
Responded 3 May 2022
Seeing that you had a 5-Star experience is the best thing we could hope for! Your review means a lot to us. Thank you for choosing The Clifton. We look forward to hopefully seeing you again soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
It was our first trip to the Isle of Wight. Customer service began once we had booked the hotel. They were able to book the ferry for us at a discount, the week before we stayed they sent us information about things to do on the Island, places to eat and their phone numbers.
On arrival at the hotel Zoe checked us in and offered to help with our luggage. We had room 2 which has recently been refurbished to a high standard. The bed was huge and exceptionally comfortable and the towels big and fluffy. There were ceiling fans in the room which were most welcome in the hot weather. The rest of the hotel continued this high standard even in the garden and public places.
The service we received from all the staff was faultless nothing was too much trouble for them, they were happy to share their local knowledge with you in order to enhance your experience.
We would highly recommend this hotel and happily award them 5 stars we are hoping to return next year.
On arrival at the hotel Zoe checked us in and offered to help with our luggage. We had room 2 which has recently been refurbished to a high standard. The bed was huge and exceptionally comfortable and the towels big and fluffy. There were ceiling fans in the room which were most welcome in the hot weather. The rest of the hotel continued this high standard even in the garden and public places.
The service we received from all the staff was faultless nothing was too much trouble for them, they were happy to share their local knowledge with you in order to enhance your experience.
We would highly recommend this hotel and happily award them 5 stars we are hoping to return next year.
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Date of stay: August 2022
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here for our 10th anniversary, the hotel itself is in an enviable position with tremendous views. We had an average breakfast served by bored looking servers, no one asks if you’d like a coffee refill or if they can get you anything else, the rooms were cleanish - dirty mirrors though. One of the complimentary dressing gowns had a big yellow stain on it and there were pubic hairs on a supposedly clean bath towel. I subtly mentioned this to a staff member who gruffly replied it would be dealt with but received absolutely no apology. The balcony suite though has the most amazing view and was very comfortable. The couple of issues we had made it unlikely we’ll return though.
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â The view from the balcony suite is amazing.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
"A bit of a challenging walk down to the seafront for the less mobile, but the nearby cliff lift makes it easy."Read full review
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PRICE RANGE
£89 - £130 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the clifton hotel shanklin, clifton hotel shanklin
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandIsle of WightShanklin
NUMBER OF ROOMS
14
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Claim Your ListingTHE CLIFTON - Updated 2024 Reviews, Price Comparison (Shanklin)
Frequently Asked Questions about The Clifton
Which popular attractions are close to The Clifton?
Nearby attractions include JURASSIC JIM (0.2 miles), Shanklin Theatre (0.2 miles), and Shanklin Beach (0.1 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at The Clifton?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and a lounge.
What food & drink options are available at The Clifton?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, a lounge, and complimentary tea during their stay.
Is parking available at The Clifton?
Yes, free parking and street parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to The Clifton?
Conveniently located restaurants include Pendletons, Pencil Cottage, and Amici.
Are there any historical sites close to The Clifton?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Godshill Church (3.6 miles), Arreton Barns (4.7 miles), and Appuldurcombe House (2.7 miles).
Does The Clifton have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the ocean view available here.