Discover boutique hotels in Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
Of the five inhabited islands, St Mary’s is a sort of hub, in that it has a school, a hospital and a (nine-mile) road network; it also has air and sea links, so it’s likely to be your first port of call. Car-free Tresco sports rocky outcrops, castles and calm beaches; its sub-tropical climate helps 20,000 exotic species flourish within Abbey Gardens, the island’s key accessory. Two-mile St Martin’s is calm, with remote swooshes of sand and a vineyard. St Agnes is a mere mile across, peppered with quaint cottages and flowery fields. And Bryher is a rugged beaut; it’s got the Hell Bay Hotel, a golf course and lots of hilly hiking. Boat between if you fancy, or pick your spot and take a deep breath. Explore the islets, take long dips in the sea and feast on local produce. Scillonians take it slowly.
When to go
With a mild climate that rarely sees frost or snow, the Scillies are pleasant year-round. Winter can still be brutal on the beach – this is still Blighty, after all. But it’s also difficult on a practical level because flights are fewer, the ferry parks up (between October and March), and – unhelpfully – the once-popular helicopter service was cancelled in 2012. While summers can actually be a shade cooler than on the mainland, plenty of sunshine and clear skies more than make up for it.