Newclose Houseboat

3.6 ( 17 Reviews )

Bembridge

Sleeps 6

From £186 per night

Houseboat on the Isle of Wight: Situated in picturesque Bembridge harbour, this dreamy retreat is sleek and stylish, offering a touch of luxury and glistening ocean views from every angle.

Overview

This eye-catching hideaway is the perfect island escape for the whole family. With its ever changing view, sit back, relax and watch pretty yachts come and go. Newclose Houseboat has been lovingly restored with luxury and comfort in mind, and is just a short stroll away from beautiful beaches, independent shops, sweet little cafes and lovely restaurants. Soak up the sun on the main deck or head up the spiral staircase and enjoy dining alfresco on the upper deck. Marvel at the breathtaking panoramic views, pour a glass of bubbles and watch as the sun dances across the glistening ocean.

Step Inside

Newclose Houseboat welcomes you on board, where you will find a private entrance just over the road from the parking space. Step inside this characterful retreat and into the entrance hall, decorated with pretty ocean themed art and a unique wooden wine rack. From here, walk up the few steps past the handy cloakroom (with WC and wash-basin), to enter the gorgeous open-plan living space. With its large bi-fold doors, natural light flows through the hideaway with ease. Bright and spacious, the sociable living space boasts idyllic views of Bembridge Harbour. The kitchen has a contemporary flair and is complete with everything you’ll need to cook up a delicious meal for all the family. Gather around the large dining table, the perfect place for a board game or to simply reminisce about the day's adventures. Immaculately presented, you will also find the comfy corner sofa, unique decor and Smart TV in the living area. Bedroom 1 is on the main deck too, accessed from the entrance hall. It is complete with a comfy king-size bed, en suite shower-room and patio doors to the outside deck.

Head downstairs to the lower deck. First, you will find the utility room, complete with washing machine and tumble dryer. Make your way along the corridor where bedrooms two and three can be found. Both bedrooms have king-size beds and their own en suite shower-rooms.

Outdoors

The outside deck turns daydreams into reality. Sit and enjoy watching the tide ebb and flow, as resident swans glide past. You will find the idyllic outdoor seating area through the living room bi-fold doors. Complete with deck chairs, perfect for soaking up the island sunshine. Or sit on the comfy outdoor sofa and get stuck into a good book, whilst listening to the peaceful soundscape. For more panoramic views climb the spiral staircase to reach the upper deck, the most incredible location for alfresco dining. On a balmy summers eve enjoy the sunset as it casts a golden hue over the glistening harbour. Newclose Houseboat is the dreamiest haven for a family getaway, where special memories are made.

Explore

Your island adventure begins from the moment you step on board the ferry from the mainland. Bembridge harbour is a lovely location, with the village just a short stroll away. Head into the village to find a fabulous bakery, fishmongers, farm shop and the renowned Woodfords butchers, where you can stock up on the very best local produce. You will also find a collection of shops, cafes and family-friendly pubs, including the welcoming Pilot Boat Inn, just a few minutes walk away from the harbour itself.

Bembridge is home to the last remaining windmill on the island, make sure you add this to your itinerary, along with the spectacular lifeboat station. There are plenty of beautiful sandy beaches to explore nearby and outdoor enthusiasts will love the great selection of inland walks through marshland and beautiful countryside. At high tide, try your hand at sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding, exploring your pretty surroundings and idyllic coastline.

If you prefer to be on land, you can go horse riding, fossil hunting, cycling or simply explore some of the island's fascinating sites. Including a steam railway, botanic gardens and garlic farm. A little further afield, visit Osborne House, once the home of Queen Victoria and now kept by English Heritage. With its extensive gardens, private beach and original bathing house, a whole day can be spent here. Travel to West Wight along the breathtakingly beautiful Military Road and be captivated by the stunning coast around Freshwater with crystal clear waters, coves and inlets. Of course, a visit to the iconic Needles should not be missed if you are in the area. However you decide to spend your days on the stunning Isle of Wight, you will love returning to your heavenly haven, watching the sun set beyond the harbour and getting a restful night's sleep.

Layout

Ground floor:

Entrance lobby

Bedroom 1 with king-size double bed (5') and en suite Shower-room with shower, WC and wash-basin

3 steps to Open plan living-room with kitchen and dining areas. Smart TV. Electric hob, electric oven, microwave, fridge/freezer and dishwasher

Cloakroom with WC and wash-basin

Lower ground floor:

Utility-room with washing machine and tumble-drier

Bedroom 2 with king-size double bed (5') and en suite Shower-room with shower, WC and wash-basin

Bedroom 3 with king-size double bed (5') en suite Shower-room with shower, WC and wash-basin

Important Information

Please take care while on board, especially on the spiral staircase to the upper deck and supervise children at all times.
As Newclose is situated on a harbour, there may be surrounding noises from houseboats and the harbour as well as your usual seaside scents, such as seaweed.

Extra Information

Please note that there are rails in the bedrooms to hang clothes instead of wardrobes.

More Details

  • Short breaks available
  • Private parking for 2 cars
  • Superfast WiFi
  • No smoking
  • Pub .5 miles
  • Balcony furniture
  • oil-fired ch

Availability, reservations and pricing: From £186 per night

Need more time? Reserve any hideaway for up to 24 hours before booking Choose to pay the balance in monthly instalments, once you've paid the deposit
available unavailable

Newclose Houseboat Reviews

3.6

(17 Reviews )

Good or bad, we publish all the reviews left by the guests who have stayed at this property. Reviews policy

8 written reviews

Lisa

4

April 2026

The view from the living room is just gorgeous & upon entering the upstairs section, it's light filled & gives you a WOW factor. The kitchen is fully kitted out & the presence of fresh flowers, jar of chocolates, milk & a bottle of Prosecco were lovely touches. If you like sleeping on a boat & an uninterrupted view, then this is perfect.

Lesley

4

September 2025

We had a week in late September so the weather could have been unkind but the lounge feels sunny all the time - we were lucky. We could have gone to restaurants with great views and atmosphere but it was all there on the boat - the kitchen design is first class so we ate in for the most part. The Butcher in town is as good as it gets - the pies are the best I've ever had (ask for cooking instructions though:-) - bacon is great too. Fishmonger is super - dressed crab picked by the fishermen, ready to serve is enough for 2 for just over a tenner. The Welcome supermarket has a great selection of local veg - the tomatoes are obviously not for export - they are so much better than the stuff we buy up here.
Lots of live music to be found on the island too, worth looking out for.
Also - Tony's fish and chip shop in Ryde is great - we ate in - order the home made tartare sauce..
Great comms with the owners too - they answered a daft query about the heating very quickly by text..

Reply from Unique Hideaways:

Thank you very much for this brilliant review, it really sounds as though you fully emersed yourselves into the local community and had a fantastic time doing so! We always love to hear recommendations from those on holiday and any future guests will surely appreciate you taking the time pass this on too! Thank you again and we certainly hope to see you back at this truly unique property again soon! Joel, Customer Support

Ginny

3

August 2024

We had a wonderful week aboard the Newclose Houseboat. The location, with the everchanging view across Bembridge Harbour, was enchanting. The setting was very peaceful but with lots to do and explore on the Island. The Houseboat itself is extremely spacious with excellent accommodation and is very well equipped making for a wonderful home from home holiday.

Amy

4

July 2024

This house boat is lovely and has amazing views and plenty of space. We had a great stay here

G A C

2

May 2024

The property was not that clean, we found sweet wrappers, lots of cobwebs and even bird poo on the inside of the doors.
Lights were hanging out of the ceiling in the main living area, a cable passed through the doors to the outside lights was dangerous as this had been damaged and crushed. thus the outside festoon lights were intermittent, but more importantly, this has the potential to cause an electric shock as the doors are aluminium framed and good become live with the damaged cable.
BBQ was unusable and was a health hazard with mould growing on the grille.
Fire escape blocked with bean bags!
There were no wardrobes in any of the bedrooms, just hanging rails! given the issues above, for £2600 this was very overpriced and I would not recommend this property to anyone! given that we have been holidaying with Classic for almost 20 years, i have to say that this is the worst one that I have come across.

Reply from Unique Hideaways:

Thank you for reviewing your stay at Newclose Houseboat.
We are very disappointed that you found a few areas that you weren't happy with.
Your comments have been discussed and therefore rectified by the owners so thank you for passing on these invaluable insights.
The safety of our guests is one of our main priorities.
The cable you mentioned has been removed and we have updated the property description to make others aware that this property provides rails for clothing instead of wardrobes. We have also taken away the mention of the BBQ as this is not for guest use.
It is a great shame that we did not have the opportunity to assist with these issues during your stay, we openly encourage our guests to contact us upon discovery of such findings so that we can help solve any issues.
Newclose Houseboat is a lovely property which is furnished to a high standard and has good quality structure throughout. It is such a disappointment that on this occasion it did not live up to expectations. However, due to your feedback we have had the opportunity to improve and for that we are very grateful.
We hope to see you again soon. Chloe, Customer Support.

M

3

September 2023

The houseboat is absolutely beautiful. Everything you could possibly want is included. Had a lovely family holiday in our favourite place.

Reply from Unique Hideaways:

We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed this unique property! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.

Lucy, Customer Support

Anja

5

July 2023

The houseboat is a lovely and extremely well maintained place, with all amenities in place that we could think of. The immediate surrounding of the Newclose Houseboat is a harbour, and not all the houseboats there are as well maintained as the Newclose Houseboat, but it is easy to ignore them.
It takes not much more than five minutes to walk out of the harbour area, and then you will find yourself in a beautiful scenery with beaches, nice villages, restaurants (we loved the Chinese restaurant in Bembridge) and some shops.
During our stay, there were two minor (technical) issues where we needed support from the local Classic Cottages staff, and in both cases friendly, immediate, and helpful support was provided. Excellent.
Believe us: we actually thought about problematic things one should know before renting the Newclose Houseboat (and as Germans we usually identify something), but in this case we couldn't find anything.

Gianni

4

June 2023

We were a bit trepidatious about booking Houseboat Newclose because there were no reviews available. But our stay was fantastic. The houseboat is spacious and generally equipped and furnished to a high standard. The view is beautiful, whether or not the tide is out. It does get noisy at night in the front bedroom when the tide comes in. The location is good. Nowhere on the island need take more than 55 minutes drive (to the Old Battery at the Needles), but most of the places we visited took no more than 30 minutes to get to: Osborne House, Carisbrooke Castle, Brading Roman Villa, Ryde, Arreton Barns, the Garlic Farm. Great beaches at Compton Bay and Seaview. We can strongly recommend a visit to the Bembridge RNLI station, open daily between 2 and 4. Once a fortnight on a Tuesday evening you can visit and watch when they do a practice launch of the All Weather Lifeboat: that was truly thrilling.

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Location

The location of attractions is intended only as a guide. Distances are 'as the crow flies'.