You may not have thought to visit the Isle of Man before, unless like me, you’re an avid follower of the TT. It’s always looked great on the TV so we decided to check it out for ourselves.
Our visit in February 2017 didn’t coincide with the racing, so we now see that as an excuse to return at a later date in order to revisit the great food and friendly atmosphere we discovered.
We took the Friday evening flight with Easyjet from Bristol. Even though the flight was fairly late (1915) we had done our research beforehand for ideas of where to eat when we arrived so were confident that this wouldn’t hold us back. After a short 50 minute flight over Wales and the Irish Sea, we touched down in Ronaldsway airport and jumped in a taxi to our hotel in Douglas.
We were staying at the Best Western located on the Central Promenade. Called the Palace Hotel, it had good facilities such as a bar, restaurant and fitness centre with a pool. On top of that, it is home to the only casino on the island; you even get a free £5 gambling chip with your stay, although we lost ours within two minutes of entering the premises. Undeterred, we invested a further £10 of our own money in a few games of blackjack but that was gone within the next two minutes. We called it a day at that point – don’t gamble kids, it’s a mug’s game.
We dropped our bags in our spacious room with a balcony and panoramic sea views before heading down the prom to Esplanade Mews where we found the Taj Mahal Indian restaurant. This had been recommended to us by a number of people on a vegan Isle of Man Facebook group so we thought it was worth a try having been told that this was our best bet for finding a good meal given our landing time. The staff were friendly and attentive, plus it was nice to get into the warm and out of the biting sea breeze.
The menu consisted of the usual Indian cuisine and, at risk of being overly adventurous, we chose our usual dishes. In addition, we splashed out on a range of sides and poppadums which, as I’m sure happens to us all when we visit an Indian restaurant, turned out to be far too much food. It was fantastically tasty though, if not a tad more expensive than we are used to back in Swansea at around £9-10 a dish (plus sides).
We got up early the next morning to utilise the pool and gym before heading for breakfast. After a ‘workout’ which consisted more of lazing in the Jacuzzi and sauna than hitting the treadmill, we set out for Noa’s Bakehouse located near to the quay on Fort Street.
Stepping through the front door, we were overwhelmed by the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries drawing us into the café. Rhian had avocado on toast whilst I opted for the eggs and bacon. The in-house, freshly baked sourdough bread was fantastic and the organic ingredients were stacked with flavour. There was also a range of hot drinks available with soya milk for vegans. The lady who served us was more than happy to discuss all the vegan options available as well as give us some handy tips on where to go and what to do with our weekend which was most welcome! Definitely visit for breakfast or brunch.
After breakfast we had a wander around the main shopping street and were pleased to find a couple of shops to buy some of the tacky souvenirs we love so much. I even purchased a fetching bobble hat from the TT memorabilia shop to protect against the freezing February air.
After a bit of retail therapy we made a beeline for the Manx Museum which you could get to from the shopping centre by using the footbridge at the top of the multi-storey car park. Whilst a little unconventional, it saved a drag up a pretty steep hill. The museum itself was interesting and broadly documented the history of the Isle of Man. More than that, it will always be fondly remembered by us for having a display case of Action Men dressed up as Manx miners; history at its best. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to see the whole display as we had a lunch reservation and could not return the next day as the museum is closed on Sundays.
We had made bookings for lunch and dinner having been caught out whilst in Jersey where every restaurant we fancied was full and we ended up with a bad food experience. As such, we had booked 14 North for lunch (as it was booked up for dinner, outlining the previous point!).
Wow! The food was simply spectacular. Rhian had a delicious vegan tagine whilst I had a hearty steak and ale pie. Both meals were beautifully presented and tasted as good as they looked. On top of that, you could wash down your food with a tasty Hooded Ram craft beer from the local brewery. Deciding the experience was too good to end, we splashed out on some desserts. I had crème brulee whilst Rhian had the vegan pecan and chocolate slice which was the best dessert she has ever had (her words not mine!). One of the waiters was even kind enough to let us know how it was made so we could give it a go at home.
Friendly staff, modern feel, good beer and even better food. No complaints from us. Worth noting though, the menu itself did not have any vegan options but the staff are more than happy to accommodate any dietary requirements, so just let them know when you book. Additionally, the prices were reasonable during the lunch sitting (around £10-12 a meal) but are more around the £20 mark at dinner. So go early for a great meal at a good price, or go for dinner if you are looking to splash out a little more.
Completely stuffed, we headed to the pub to watch Wales get, well, completely stuffed by England in the Six Nations. Okay, so that’s an exaggeration, but we did lose. Regardless, we had a good afternoon of sampling the local Manx beer (Okells) whilst watching the game in the Samuel Webb sports bar.
After that, we headed to Quids Inn which was notable for the turnstiles on the way in which would admit you in exchange for (you’ve guessed it) a quid. The beer was cheap (if not spectacular or diverse) at £2 a pint and the music was good.
We went off for dinner in Just Pizza and Pasta. Again, we had booked in advance which was just as well because it was extremely busy. We both decided to go for pizzas which were really tasty and reasonably priced. They even had vegan cheese which was fantastic news for Rhian! Definitely worth checking out whilst you are in Douglas.
We had intended on visiting Peel the next day but by the time we got up and went for the obligatory dip in the pool time had got away from us so we decided to stay in Douglas and have a chill out day.
After a late brunch back in Noa’s, we had a wander around the shops before heading to Waterstone’s for a cup of tea and the intention to plan a future trip (look out for some articles on Central America coming to the site later in the year!).
Deciding we may as well find somewhere to watch the Swansea City game, we made our way back towards the quay area as we were looking to try out a pub called the British which we had heard good things about. Unfortunately they weren’t showing the football, however, a little further down North Quay we found the Hooded Ram’s brewery tap housed in a stunning building which I believe is the former site of Clinch’s Brewery.
We walked into the modern pub with plenty of screens for the sport and even a shuffleboard table. There was a large range of the brewery’s own concoctions on tap as well as a selection of Indian food on the menu. It was encouraging to see that the menu came complete with a list of dietary requirements too. We both had a selection of Indian foods which was good and came in large portions. Worth noting though that all of the main meals themselves seemed to have dairy in them. So probably good to go for some beers and pieces to pick, but maybe not for a slap up meal. Having said that, we really enjoyed the food we had and you’ll struggle to find a better pint in Douglas in my opinion.
I have to say we had a fantastic time in the Isle of Man. The Saturday was simply food heaven with some great beers thrown in to boot. I couldn’t say we wouldn’t recommend everywhere we ate but Noa’s and 14 North go down as must visits for us. We were disappointed not to have time to see anywhere else on the island but will be back again for a visit and hopefully take in the TT at the same time!
