OK, so I am breaking a LOT of Scillonian rules here by revealing the secrets of this paradise archipelago 30 miles off the coast of Lands End. I have just (June 2008) spent 5 wonderful days on the islands (based in Hugh Town, the ‘Capital’ of St Mary’s) but visiting all the other islands too. The Scillies truly are idyllic. Quiet, ‘everyone-knows-everyone’ island life against a backdrop of Caribbean-coloured (but not temperature!) sea, white sandy beaches and tropical flowers. But then anyone who’s got as far as reading this review probably already knows how amazing the islands are said to be, so rather than the fluffy stuff, I thought I’d give some practical advice!

Accommodation:
We stayed at Pellistry Cottage with Anne King (see my review of it, was PERFECT). Most people stay in private homes on a B & B basis, and would recommend this over the hotels, which are seriously overpriced and full of elderly guests. The only exception are the two luxury hotels (St Martin’s Hotel on St Martin’s and the Island Hotel on Tresco), which are obnoxiously luxurious and worth a couple of nights if you can afford it (my parents stayed there for a week after I went home!)

Restaurants:
There are a lot of superb restaurants on the islands. We only ate on St Mary’s, where the majority are. Would recommend ‘Blues’ and ‘Julliets’. Avoid the pubs.

Getting Around:
St Mary’s is the biggest island and you can walk all around it in a day (if you’re fit). Would definitely recommend hiring bikes and cycling around the islands though as they’re made for it! Bike hire place on the main road in Hugh Town, St Mary’s and next to the ‘Tresco Stores’ in Tresco (which, incidently, has a superb deli).

Inter-island transport is on regular boats. Private boatmen offer ‘day or half day’ trips to certain islands for about £15pp. But actually, the larger ‘taxi boats’ are only £7.50pp return and we didn’t consider it worth the extra.

Money:
Everything is imported to Scilly and because of this it is VERY expensive. In just 5 days, we managed to spend almost £800 on the two of us on just food and transportation.

Have a fantastic time!

There are five inhabited islands, Bryher, St.Agnes, St.Martins, St.Marys, and Tresco. The main island of St.Marys is the destination of helicopter, plane and ferry services from the mainland with local ferry links to the other islands. Tresco is also served by the helicopter. On St.Marys the vintage single deck bus tour round the island is well worth sampling. If you are only staying for a few days try and book a place on one of the small "Island Hopping" boat trips which take in three or more islands in one go as it is difficult to visit them all by ferry in a limited time. They are all worth seeing! The Abbey Gardens on Tresco are a must (be prepared for a lot of walking). For souveniers I would suggest locally produced items such as pottery or farm produce. Buy some some bulbs or plants as a lasting reminder.

the weather was perfect, the locals were friendly and there is so much to do and see. This is an ideal location for a few days away from the real world.
In three days, we visited four islands, saw puffins, seals and magnificaent bird life. The sea was every shade of blue.
There were some great pubs and restaurants with excellent seafood. We recommend the Harbourside Hotel at St Marys. It is right on the quay - just perfect for travelling to the other islands and right in the heart of all the nautical activities.
We visited in July 2004.

I always associated the Isles of Scilly with the flower industry. After a recent trip I know that there is more than the Soleil d'Ors. And I am not only talking about rhododendrons and Kiffir lilies. There are serene beaches, bird excursions, boat trips to other islands. nice cafes. Last and not least, I must mention the elderly gentleman in a boating jacket who picked up the camera I forgot on a bench and ran after me to hand it over. Once again a great big thank you, whoever you are.