Here we go again.... but this time it is different..... the kids are at school..... work continues for some (not the hospitality business)..... it's autumn and the sun is not shining!!
We have rung all our guests and asked them to transfer their bookings to another time, all of whom have asked to come in December! Do they not know we have no central heating? Staying at Lisle Combe in the Autumn/Winter really is a step back in time to an era when a constant heat was not available. Here you can experience the chill of the morning and pleasure of the woodburner within minutes of getting up!

Instead we have time to consider what we are doing at Lisle Combe. What works best for us and the house? We were lucky enough to hold a wedding here in October - just for 15 - and it was glorious. Small, micro weddings - elope to Lisle Combe - could be our new byline!  
Time to reconsider the ways in which we present ourselves to the world - time and time again our guests tell us that the website/internet doesn't do us justice! How do you get the message across?

Not the usual Bed and Breakfast!
If you want fast internet, power showers and 500 TV channels - we're not the place for you. But if you want to spend time recharging, resting and enjoying the surrounding garden and countryside then we are definitely the right place to be!

So many changes this year due to things out of our control! So we thought we would dramatically alter our approach to weddings at Lisle Combe. Why not enjoy the changes and embrace a small, micro wedding for just you and your loved ones. 
Here’s the deal.
You stay at Lisle Combe for 3 or more nights, during that time you stop, relax, get married and enjoy a moment in time with just four guests.
Day 1 - enjoy an afternoon tea with fizzy on the patio or in the drawing room on arrival, make the final plans for your wedding day at Lisle Combe. Last minute wedding. Spend the evening catching up with news and eating at a local restaurant or meal at LC.
Day 2 - over a glorious breakfast at LC plan the day ahead….. spend the day being pampered, with massages and relaxing spa treatments at the award winning local spa, 
OR…… take a walk around the local area exploring rocky coves and rugged coastline (maybe a swim, if you’re keen), 
OR ….. plan your special wedding meal and prepare for the celebration of food and love with local nutritionist LW, 
OR ……. spend the day sight seeing around the IOW, planned to your tastes by LC, 
OR….…we can help design a special event/activity for you and your guests from sailing to painting to pottery.
Evening meal at local restaurant/pub  - say good bye to your fiancé!!
Day 3 - Wedding day …. hair & make up, photography, all arranged by Lisle Combe. Enjoy the ceremony in the dining room/hallway/drawing room/outside - celebrate your wedding with a glass of champagne and then a special wedding breakfast at Lisle Combe.
Day 4 - wake up to your new life with your husband/wife and enjoy a relaxed breakfast with your guests.  Depart during the morning, back to your life as a newly married couple!

Additional ‘honeymoon’ nights are available if you with to prolong your stay!

All bed and breakfast accommodation, wedding breakfast and evening meals included. Additional charges for the wedding license, lunches, alcohol, spa treatment, hair and make up and the activity package. 

Four months of lockdown, time to get out and about. Perhaps the Great British public will take this opportunity to explore parts of the UK they have never experienced? Who knows? We hope that some will try new places, adventures and come to visit us on the Isle of Wight. In our small part of the world it's been like a ghost town, a really pleasant one - sunshine, beaches, gardening, family - we've all had time to do different things. 
How will the kids survive with guests again? They (we all have) have got used to an existence of Sunday morning breakfasts on the veranda, homeschooling in the dining room, throwing wet swimmers everywhere, Roxy our family dog wandering around and settling at the toes of one child, zooming about on their bikes. 
It's all a bit strange.
We live in a stunning house with masses of history, beauty, tranquility and in an amazing location, I think we've all fallen in love with Life at Lisle Combe during our lockdown. Perhaps now is the time to share it again!
We look forward to welcoming our guests to our home.

Life at Lisle Combe has changed dramatically this Easter. Bedrooms sitting empty, breakfasts just for us, bread making and cookie cutting. We have no guests and no events for the next few months - vastly different from our planned start of the season! Back in January we were watching the events developing in China, thankful that we were no where near, checking the calendar for gaps when we could fit in potential guests!  Every weekend from the end of March until October, busy with something going on!! 
Instead this Easter, we are chopping wood, digging the vegetable beds, planning some painting and spending so much more time with the children.  How life changes and throws in those challenges ;-)
We are so lucky to live here and able to enjoy the garden (daffodils and tulips looking good) and space in the house. 
Keep safe and stay well everyone, we look forward to welcoming our friends, guests and neighbours back to Lisle Combe in (we hope) the not too distant future!

Welcome to 2020, the start of a new decade, can you believe that we hadn't even seen an iPad in 2010!! Technology is changing life so quickly, even in Lisle Combe where life can at times be 20th century! We have attempted to update the WiFi over the past year and with some success, it now reaches into our twin bedded room and the Drawing room, which means we are all set for a new direction of business meetings and brainstorming. No interruptions, peace and quiet in a stunning location! Gets the creative business mind galloping. Please contact Ruth for details.
​We are closed for B&B during the months of January, February and most of March, which means we can catch up with the dreaded paperwork, decorate rooms and make home improvements! The sun was shining today (a rare occasion it would seem) and so we have been clearing drains and guttering, oh the joys!!  
Our events calendar continues to grow with both private and our own events. This year we have pop up pubs, breakfast week, cream teas, weddings and sewing retreats, so watch this space for details throughout the year.

Best wishes and Happy New Year, Ruth & Rob & the boys
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