Scilly Isles holidays: Guide to travel, accommodation & best days out!

Let’s start with the basics!  When I shared some photos on social media whilst in the Scillies I had lots of people commenting that they had idea where they were.  Many admitting that they went on Goggle maps to find out.  You may be surprised to hear that the Isles of Scilly are located just 28 miles from the coast of Cornwall, it honestly feels like you are on the other side of the world though in a subtropical paradise.

Confusingly the Isles of Scilly are also referred to as the Scilly Isles and the Scillies, although the locals apparently prefer to call them the Isles of Scilly.

An area of outstanding natural beauty

How to get to Isles of Scilly? 

Isles of Scilly travel options: Scillonian ferry and Skybus 

There are two ways to get to the Isles of Scilly.  Both offer the chance of a unique adventure, particularly when travelling with kids and both can be booked via Isle of Scilly Travel. We travelled across on the Scillonian III, a passenger ferry service which has been the islands lifeline since 1977.

Ferry – What to expect onboard the Scilly Isles ferry -Scillonian III 

My boys were literally bouncing up and down with excitement whilst we were waiting to board the ferry in Penzance.  The first thing they did was run around the decks checking out all the indoor and outdoor seating areas before investigating the snacks on offer in the café bars.

The 2 hour 45-minute journey from Penzance across to St Mary’s harbour flew by.  They kept themselves quite happily entertained looking for dolphins. (They didn’t find any but apparently friendly pods are quite frequently seen and it was great to have some peace for a while whilst they concentrated on the waves!)

We took our own picnic onboard which we started off eating on deck and then moved indoors to the comfy reclining chairs when the coast line of Cornwall was far in the distance and it became a little chillier.

When the Scillies came into view we went back outside to experience our arrival into the bustling St Mary’s harbour where we were welcomed by fisherman and boaters waving.

2019 Scillonian III ferry adult fares available from £48 for a day trip return crossing, available from mid-March to October. 

Addresses: Penzance Harbour – Wharf Rd, Penzance TR18 4AH.  St Mary’s Harbour – The Quay, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly TR21 0HU.

Flights to Scilly Isles

If sailing is not your thing or you wish to reduce the travelling time and experience great birds eye views, Skybus is the fastest way to and from the Scilly Isles.  The journey is just 15 minutes from Land’s End to St. Mary’s, (30 mins from Newquay and an hour from Exeter).  We’ve already said for our next visit, (as there most certainly will be another visit!) we will sail one way and fly the other to get the best of both view points.

2019 Skybus adult fares from £125 day trip return, available year round.  Address – Lands End Airport, Kelynack, St Just, Penzance TR19 7RL

Isles of Scilly helicopter 

Family friendly Scilly Isles accommodation

One of the many reasons my family and I fell in love with the Isles of Scilly and can imagine returning year after year is the range of accommodation available. It suits all budgets from luxury hotels to self catering cottages, B&B’s, a family friendly hostel and campsites with literally the most incredible views you’ve ever seen!  (Pooch owners will be happy to hear that many of the places welcome dogs).

Karma St Martin’s

We were fortunate to stay at Karma St Martin’s a luxury 30 bed resort located on a stunning white sandy beach.

We stayed in two interconnecting family ocean view rooms (shown in the video below).  This arrangement worked perfectly for the four of us as hubby and I were able to pop our boys to bed and sit out and enjoy the sunsets followed by the darkest most star studded skies I’ve ever seen in England!

The location, customer service and food at Karma St Martin’s was of the highest standard.  We felt very fortunate to stay in such a wonderful place and really didn’t want to leave! Our full review can be found here – Review Karma St Martins, Isles of Scilly

Prices for Karma hotel St Martin’s range from £135 – £575 pn. Check out up to date rates here. 

Address – Karma St Martin’s, Lower Town, Isles of Scilly TR25 0QW

Other family friendly Isles of Scilly hotels

For other family friendly Isles of Scilly hotels check out Tregarthen’s Hotel & Star Castle Hotel in St Mary’s, The New Inn in Tresco and a few more options including self catering and B&B’s here. 

Isles of Scilly self catering options

There are lots of self catering options in the Isles of Scilly including cottages and campsites.  We met several families during our stay who were camping and I have to say they completely convinced us to pack our camping gear for our next visit.  Jumping from one island to the next and pitching a tent at one of the five family friendly campsites sounds like something straight from the pages of an Enid Blyton book.

Camping Isles of Scilly

The campsite located next door to our hotel was highly recommended to us – St Martins Campsite. (Pitches available for a bargain price of just £10.50 pp a night and if you fancy splashing out on a meal Karma St Martin’s welcomes non residents). 

Pre erected and full equipped Bell tents are also available if the idea of lugging your camping equipment on the ferry doesn’t appeal.  Check out Isles of Scilly camping options here for more info.

Family friendly days out in the Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly are truly one big adventure playground in paradise for families.  With 5 inhabited and 140 uninhabited islands to explore, playful seals and puffins to spot, crabs to catch and exotic gardens to discover your kids will never be bored.

We were due to stay for three nights and extended our stay for an extra night as there was just so much we wanted to see and experience.  For our next visit we will stay for at least a week, ideally two.

Island hopping Isles of Scilly

We spent our first full day island hopping on a Sealegs Amphibious Rib and Powercat organised through Isles of Scilly Boat Hire. Richard, the owner picked us up from the beach outside our hotel.

I missed the Sealegs coming out of the water and onto the sand as I was too busy rolling up my jeans to wade into the water.  You can imagine my surprise when I looked up and saw this towering in front of me!  (It was literally the only time during our five days that I saw a crowd on a beach as we normally had the beaches to ourselves).

I can highly recommend hiring a boat for the day, it was so much fun and a great way to get to familiarise ourselves with the islands and get a better idea of where we wanted to spend the rest of our time in the Scillies. We spent the first hour whizzing around with Richard as our skipper, learning about the various islands and getting close to a group of friendly seals much to the delight of my boys who immediately started asking if they could have a baby seal as a pet!  We then transferred onto a Powercat which we took out on our own.

We spent 7 hours calling into secluded beaches, fishing, crabbing, playing around on the tender boat and dining on delicious fresh seafood at the Ruin Beach Cafe on Tresco beach.

Cost – You can hire a self drive boat for the day from just £100 which is exceptionally good value for money.  My husband is a keen boater and found the navigation system onboard very easy to use with a clear path to follow to avoid shallow waters etc. 

As an alternative they offer skippered boat trip such as a two-hour skippered ride on a Powercat (£40 pp) which is an absolute must do for any boating fans.  We couldn’t wipe the smiles of our faces it was such a brilliant experience and one we found ourselves still talking about days later as other visitors recognised us from arriving in style up onto the beach!

St Martin’s, Isles of Scilly

We spent a full day exploring our base, St Martin’s. At just two miles long it is very walkable, even with young children.

We admired the incredible views, rare birds and flowers along the coastal path, checked out the village stores and art gallery before popping in for a chat with the local jewellery maker. St Martin’s is known for having some of the best beaches in the British Isles and we were fortunate to have a couple to ourselves all afternoon…

Even though St Martin’s only has 120 full time residents you are spoilt for choice with places to eat.  We enjoyed the catch of the day at the local pub Seven Stones Inn (where we actually met the fisherman who had caught our fish!), a fabulous meal with sunset views at Karma St Martin’s and delicious fish and chips (with freshly caught island fish and home-grown potatoes) from Adams fish and chips…

Abbey Gardens and Tresco, Isles of Scilly

When researching the Scillies the attraction that kept popping up was Tresco Abbey Garden. We visited Tresco on a rather overcast day so didn’t get the full colourful experience of the famous attraction however, the lack of blue skies didn’t put my boys off exploring.

They loved meeting the resident golden pheasants and red squirrels who live among the 20,000 exotic plants from around the world.  The attraction is a must for any garden and maritime enthusiasts.

2019 entry prices – Adults £15, kids 5 – 15 £5, under 5’s free.  Address – Tresco Abbey Gardens, Tresco, Isles of Scilly TR24 0QQ

Water sports & bike hire Isles of Scilly

The Scillies are the perfect family holiday destination for water sports fans, walkers and bikers.  On the ferry we noticed that many visitors had packed inflatable kayaks, you can also hire kayaks, windsurfs and sailing boats from places such as The Sailing Centre.  Many were also travelling with their bikes but again you can hire them from places such as Tresco Bike Hire.

A couple of experiences firmly at the top of our wish list for when we return to the Scillies are snorkelling with the seals which just looks like an incredible experience (minimum age 8) and hiring an electric cart. Whizzing along on the coastal paths sounds like a pretty perfect way to spend the day!

Cost of Isles of Scilly family holiday?

An important consideration when booking a family holiday is of course the cost.  Some accommodation options are expensive however, with campsites from as little as £10.50 pp a night, eating out costing roughly what you would spend on the mainland and the budget friendly option of getting there on the Scillonian ferry I would say that a family holiday in the Scillies can accommodate ALL budgets.

One thing to keep in mind when planning your holiday budget is that the main attractions – the incredible views, beaches, wildlife and coastal walks – are of course free!  You do need to factor in the cost of boat trips if you wish to explore more than one island, but I promise this is money very well spent.

The cheapest way to travel is with St Mary’s boatmen’s association. (You can buy books of ten tickets for a discounted price which we didn’t know about until the day we left!).  However with return tickets costing £9.50 per adult and £4.75 for a child it is definitely worth considering hiring a self drive boat with Isles of Scilly Boat Hire (as discussed above) as up to 7 people can explore for a full day from just £100 and visit numerous islands without the restriction of ferry times.

I hope you have found this Isles of Scilly family holiday guide helpful.  If you have any questions please do pop them below, I’m happy to help.  More details can also be found at – Visit Isles of Scilly.

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For further reading check out our first impressions of Isles of Scilly written shortly after we returned home.