Bonchurch

Travel Guide

Pretty (but a bit eerie) little church hidden amongst the houses in Bonchurch
Pretty (but a bit eerie) little church hidden amongst the houses in Bonchurch
This is a photo of listed building number
Photo by Wolmars (page does not exist) (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0)
Located on the Isle of Wight UK. Lovely day out. Ventnor Botanic Garden is a botanic garden located in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. It was founded in 1970, by Sir Harold Hillier, and donated to the Isle of Wight Council. The garden is free to visit, except for parking charges. Its collection comprises worldwide temperate and subtropical trees and shrubs organised by region. These grow in the open air, the location favoured by the moist and sheltered microclimate of the south-facing Undercliff landslip area on the Isle of Wight coast. The garden is on the site of the Royal National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, a sanatorium that was established there to exploit the same mild climate. Founded by Arthur Hill Hassall and opened in 1869 as the National Cottage Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, it offered 130 separate south-facing bedrooms for its patients. The hospital was closed in 1964, made obsolete by drug treatment of tuberculosis, and demolished in 1969.[1] In 1970, the site was initially redeveloped as the Steephill Pleasure Gardens before Sir Harold Hillier's involvement in its more extensive development as a botanical garden. Despite the generally mild weather, plants had to be carefully selected to tolerate the shallow alkaline soil and salt winds, and the garden suffered serious damage in the unusually hard winter of 1986/7, the Great Storm of 1987 and another major storm of January 1990. The garden is still owned and managed by the Isle of Wight Council, and continues to develop with numerous new features. The current curator of the garden is Simon Goodenough. The garden is located on the A3055 road, has a large car park, and public transport is provided by buses on Southern Vectis' route 6 and Wightbus' route 16. In September 2008, a woman died after eating Amanita phalloides (death cap) fungi that a relative had picked in the vicinity of the gardens.[2] Police briefly closed the gardens during the investigation, but did not believe the death to be suspicious. A common UK species, death caps are not cultivated at the garden, and those picked appear to have been growing wild on the site.
Photo by Ronald Saunders (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0)
Looking down on The Spyglass Public House and across Ventnor Bay. This shot was taken climbing up the notorious Zig-Zag road.
Photo by Ronald Saunders (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0)

The Annual Holiday Sale

Members save up to 40% on hotels. Plan this year’s big trip and save.
Book now
The Langstone Quays

The Langstone Quays

4 out of 5
Northney Road Hayling Island England
Stay at this business-friendly hotel in Hayling Island. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, free parking and a beach locale. Our guests praise the breakfast and the pool in their ...
7.8/10 Good! (1,003 reviews)
Staff lovely.

Reviewed on 2 Mar, 2026

Get rates
The Langstone Quays
Royal Maritime Hotel

Royal Maritime Hotel

3 out of 5
Queens Street Portsmouth England
Fully refundableReserve now, pay when you stay
The price is S$112 per night from 20 Mar to 21 Mar
S$112
20 Mar - 21 Mar
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this hotel in Portsmouth. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, breakfast (surcharge) and room service. Our guests praise the breakfast and the helpful staff in their reviews. ...
8.8/10 Excellent! (1,008 reviews)
This is not just a hotel, it is a Maritime Club, with special offers and support for Navel personnel... The building and rooms are currently undergoing refurbishment and I will hopefully be back to see it when it is finished. Wonderful staff, qwerky and delightful, great clean accessable room... ...

Reviewed on 3 Mar, 2026

Royal Maritime Hotel
ibis Portsmouth Centre

ibis Portsmouth Centre

3.5 out of 5
Winston Churchill Avenue Portsmouth England
The price is S$77 per night from 26 Mar to 27 Mar
S$77
26 Mar - 27 Mar
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this business-friendly hotel in Portsmouth. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, breakfast (surcharge) and parking (surcharge). Our guests praise the breakfast and the ...
8.2/10 Very Good! (1,003 reviews)
The check in guy remembered me, only stayed once before, that was nice Room clean, beds comfortable, everything you need in the room, a small fridge would be nice

Reviewed on 1 Mar, 2026

ibis Portsmouth Centre
See all 2,614 properties in Bonchurch
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Mill Rythe Coastal Village

Mill Rythe Coastal Village

2 out of 5
Havant Road Hayling Island England
Stay at this campsite in Hayling Island. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, free parking and an indoor pool. Popular attractions Portsmouth International Port and Gunwharf Quays ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (52 reviews)
Extremely disappointing first stay. We arranged a 2:30pm check-in, but the accommodation was not ready until 30 mins later. On arrival, we were told to return in 10–15 minutes, only to be told again that it still wasn’t ready. This appears to be a recurring issue based on other reviews. The soft ...

Reviewed on 16 Feb, 2026

Mill Rythe Coastal Village
Gunwharf Quays Apartments

Gunwharf Quays Apartments

3.5 out of 5
Gunwharf Quays Residential Portsmouth England
Stay at this apartment in Portsmouth. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, parking (surcharge) and cable TV channels. Popular attractions Gunwharf Quays and Portsmouth Historic ...
8.2/10 Very Good! (67 reviews)
The apartment was compact and had everything we needed. Great location, amazing shopping centre on the doorstep. We would love to return.

Reviewed on 22 Feb, 2026

Gunwharf Quays Apartments
Pinnacle Suites

Pinnacle Suites

3 out of 5
104A High Street Cowes England
Stay at this aparthotel in Cowes. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, daily housekeeping and conference space. Popular attractions Royal London Yacht Club and Cowes Harbour are ...
9.8/10 Exceptional! (26 reviews)
The room was great!

Reviewed on 13 Feb, 2026

Pinnacle Suites
See all properties in Bonchurch
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Popular places to visit

Ventnor

Ventnor Beach

If a restful holiday is part of your travel plans, Ventnor Beach might be the perfect place to visit during your trip to Ventnor. Wander the gardens and seaside in this quaint area.

Ventnor Beach
Visiting the donkey sanctuary in Ventnor, lots of chatter between the donkeys 😂❤️

Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary

Visit the native and exotic animals who live at Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary during your travels in Wroxall. Wander the area's beautiful beaches or simply enjoy one of its lively bars.

Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
Beautiful cove, well worth the steep walk ☀️

Steephill Cove Beach

Why not spend a lazy afternoon at Steephill Cove Beach during your trip to Ventnor? Wander the gardens and beaches in this quaint area.

Steephill Cove Beach
Walk towards St Catherine’s Lighthouse

St. Catherine's Lighthouse

You can find out about the history of Niton and Whitwell with a trip to St. Catherine's Lighthouse. Wander the beautiful beaches and seaside in the area.

St. Catherine's Lighthouse

Blackgang Chine

Enjoy a fun-filled day at Blackgang Chine during your trip to Chale. Wander the beautiful beaches and seaside in the area.

Blackgang Chine

Godshill Model Village

You can spend an afternoon exploring the galleries in Godshill Model Village during your travels in Godshill. Wander the beautiful beaches and seaside in the area.

Godshill Model Village

Things to do

Isle of Wight: Osborne Admission Ticket

Isle of Wight: Osborne Admission Ticket

S$14
per traveller
100% of travellers recommend
Isle of Wight: Osborne Admission Ticket
See all activities in Bonchurch
Stunning little sheltered beach with colourful huts ☀️

Shanklin

Explore a world of travel with Expedia