The owners of a unique church-turned-holiday home are celebrating after scooping gold in a national travel awards programme run by leading UK holiday rental firm, Sykes Holiday Cottages, for the second consecutive year.
Locals Sarah and Julian Russell beat off competition to take the top spot in the Best in the South Coast and Isle of Wight category for the aptly-named Chapel House in Chale.
The couple, who both grew up on the Isle of Wight, bought the church in 2015 after it had sat empty for more than a decade. Sarah and Julian decided to take on the project after renovating another church in Yarmouth, where they now live, and turning the town’s old railway station into ‘Off the Rails’.
The husband and wife team tackled the conversion themselves, with Julian handling the building work and Sarah leading on the interior design.
Since then, the couple’s hard work has reaped rewards as Chapel House has become a popular place to stay with holidaymakers looking to explore the Isle of Wight. The 3-bedroom holiday let is ideal for families and retains many of its original Victorian features, including beautiful stained-glass windows and decorative organ pipes.
The Sykes Gem Awards celebrate the best in holiday cottage accommodation across the UK and are judged by a panel of industry experts including Jeanette Howse from Visit South East England. Now in its second year, the awards received thousands of entries from all corners of the country.
Judges were impressed by the style and facilities on offer at Chapel House, along with its occupancy rate and guest feedback on cleanliness, comfort, location and value for money.
Julian Russell, said:
“We could see the potential in the place when we bought it and wanted to turn it into a unique place to stay. Sarah and I had experience in these types of conversions and thought we would put our winning formula to the test.
“I love holiday letting as you get to meet lots of interesting people from different parts of the world. We especially enjoy reading their comments in the visitors’ book – one family even left a poem about their time here!
“We’re so pleased that we’ve been able to maintain our unbeaten record, but the pressure is definitely on for next year – here’s hoping for the hat-trick!”
Graham Donoghue, CEO at Sykes Holiday Cottages, added:
“I’ve been impressed by this year’s entries, with more of our owners across the country getting involved. The winners really do represent the best holiday let accommodation there is out there so it’s great to recognise and reward everyone’s efforts.
“In the last year we’ve seen a boost in bookings to the Isle of Wight with Brits choosing staycations over holidays abroad. This is a brilliant opportunity for those in the area with a second home or money to invest, and I’d just encourage anyone thinking about holiday letting to get in touch.”
