Our Isle of Man Lockdown version 2.0 is, thankfully, no more. With the UK situation still so very unpredictable, nobody could blame you for feeling ready for a holiday. The cold snap of winter will soon make way for the bright, fresh new dawn of spring. There’s plenty to look forward to in the coming months.

Struggling for ideas this Valentine's Day? Come and discover your perfect romantic getaway and share it with your loved one.

Whether you'd like a seaside retreat or a countryside escape, we have the place for you!

The accreditation has been launched by Visit Isle of Man in conjunction with tourism and hospitality quality assessment provider; Quality In Tourism (QiT). QiT has been assessing hospitality and tourism properties to set and improve industry standards across the UK for over 15 years, with Visit Isle of Man having worked with the assessor for over 13 years.

Like so many others, our travel plans were thwarted when Covid19 hit the world. My husband and I had been about to embark on our honeymoon in March, when lockdown struck. Finding the silver-lining to the cancelled-honeymoon-cloud, a friend of ours had the great idea of suggesting that we have a staycation, when lockdown eased sufficiently enough for us to do so.

In a spirit of COVID-19 induced inspiration, Island Escapes have teamed up with Isle of Man Travel Services to support demand for self-catering holiday experiences on the Island.

'Only' 32% of Isle of Man residents would consider an Island Staycation, and we think that's brilliant! Here's a glass half-full spin on things from our perspective.

The north west of the island is a great place to explore on foot – with uncrowded beaches, hills, hidden glens, keeills, and tholtans. Local guide, Catriona Livingstone shares with us a selection of her favourite walks around Kirk Michael and Ballaugh.

“Wow! It’s a walker’s paradise” or “I never knew that the Isle of Man has so many beautiful and varied landscapes to offer walkers”. These are phrases our visitors often tell us when we are out guiding and showing off our island on foot. But it’s not a surprise to us with a near unlimited choice of routes and landscape to choose from and stunning views around every corner.

Due to its biodiverse landscape the Isle of Man has been given UNESCO biosphere status. This, therefore, is “foraging heaven” according to chefs that visit the Isle.

The dramatic coastline of the Isle of Man lends itself well for watersports, and Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) as it gets called is growing in popularity on the island as more and more people discover the sport. Michelle from Saltworks SUP tells us some more about this new paddlesport.