BBC Gardeners’ World star Alan Titchmarsh owns a luxurious second home with a beachfront location in the heart of the Isle of Wight’s idyllic Cowes – and while he’s selling his lavish Hampshire farmhouse to downsize, it’s thought that he won’t be surrendering his beloved bolthole in Cowes. It’s the same location loved by Princes William and Harry, who famously went yacht racing and nightlife-hunting there to celebrate their cousin Peter Phillip’s lavish stag do.

As the princes know all too well, every August it plays host to Cowes Week, one of the oldest and most fabled regattas in the world. Next year, it’ll celebrate its 200th anniversary, but I thought I’d pay the famous seaside town a visit ahead of those crowds, and find out exactly what is so irresistible about it. I checked into the budget-friendly New Holmwood Hotel, which is Best Western-branded and has a stunning seaside location, while those looking for more of a B&B vibe would love the family-run Villa Rothsay, where sunsets from the balconies of the Victorian building can feature both Solent views and a huge British pride flag waving in the breeze.

Unsurprisingly, there’s no shortage of up-market eateries, but the multi-award winning Asian fusion restaurant Smoking Lobster is one that truly lives up to the hype. After a seafront stroll along the promenade to Cowes High Street, I devoured the menu.

Although I could eat my entire body weight in melt-in-the-mouth tempura prawns, there are many other menu items to enjoy too, with many diners opting for a tapas-style menu with up to six small plates tp share between two people.

The yuzu miso black cod with pickled rice and locally-caught crab did not disappoint, while another strong favourite was the Valrhona dark chocolate mousse with hazelnut ice-cream.

There’s also another branch of Smoking Lobster on the other side of the island, on the Ventnor esplanade and it’s even been voted the island’s best restaurant two years running. If, like Titchmarsh and myself, you love Asian fusion food, you will find True Food Kitchen on Ventnor High Street equally irresistible.

I had the best spicy Mai Tai cocktail of my life here, which was billed as having an added Thai-inspired twist – and the glowing burn in your belly afterwards would make a perfect winter warmer for anyone visiting in the Christmas season.

The blue cheese ice-cream will be an acquired taste and, like Marmite, you will either love it or hate it, but no-one could fail to fall for the chocolate fondant with caramel, candied hazelnuts and raspberry ripple ice-cream.

A few doors down on the same street is TV chef Tom Kerridge’s favourite, Stripped Brasserie; Tom visited last year shortly after the grand opening and praised the scrumptious locally sourced ingredients, while the Mediterranean and Romanian-inspired dishes had his seal of approval.

TripAdvisor reviewers rated the venue the No. 1 romantic restaurant for 2025 – and, having checked it out myself, I can confirm it is bursting with fresh flavours.

If staying overnight in this part of town, the best hotel within walking distance of the food scene would be The Wellington. Amy Winehouse stayed just two years before her death when she headlined at Bestival (held on the Isle of Wight in those days).

Although reports suggest she was dramatically smuggled out of the hotel in a duvet the next morning, a little worse for wear, the area is famed for having the cleanest air in the country, so the troubled songstress may have found respite from her developing emphysema there.

Meanwhile, the hotel itself has steps leading directly onto the beach, while all rooms have stunning sea views – and some boast bath-tubs in the living room.

It’s not the only side of town that celebrities have loved, either – in Shanklin, the clifftop Haven Hall Hotel, with its award-winning landscape gardens that owner David Barratt proudly declares are the best on the island, has been a favourite of Colin Firth.

The BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winner has tried out numerous rooms across the property, but David tells me the Victoria and Albert room is his ultimate favourite; everything in it, from the chaise longue to the chandelier reminds me of the royal rooms in nearby Osborne House, where the late Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had their most prized holiday home in real-life.

While visitors to the royal house can trek down to the private beach they owned, the seaside views at the two-acre Haven Hall are just as stunning, and can be seen from the bedrooms, alongside flower-filled gardens in many different hues.

There’s a heated pool, a tennis court and a Victorian style gazebo on the spacious two-acre grounds, making it perhaps the best accommodation option on the entire island.

For those on a more modest budget, the nearby Clifton Hotel – a family-run Victorian mansion on a cliff-top – is an uplifting seaside option too.

Whether it’s following in the footsteps of the royals at the Cowes regatta that captures your heart, visiting English Heritage sights like Osborne House and Carisbrooke Castle, or taking a chairlift ride down to the beach at the famous Needles Landmark Attraction, there’s a corner that’s got you covered – and it’s no struggle to see why Alan Titchmarsh chose to make this charming island his second home.