Hilton Isle Of Man

Not quite A Hilton but a good value

Located in the center of the Promanades, the view from the ocean front rooms is incredible, especially at night with all the lights. However, you’ll have to stand to enjoy the view from your private balcony -- the balcony isn’t very wide and there’s no seating. The bathroom was small but sparkling clean, as was the room. I was very happy with the bed and pillows -- 2 firm, 2 soft -- but my friend who’s used to down pillows found the foam pillows terrible. We didn’t go into the actual casino, but we did enjoy the bingo, slot machines, and very friendly staff in the annex downstairs. Biggest drawback -- finding places to eat dinner. With very few restaurants on the Promanade, you need to go all the way back into town to find any selection. The hotel restaurant is just a carvery and a very poor, overpriced one at that. The downstairs pizza parlor is pretty good but only open Thur-Sun evenings. And we didn’t fancy popping $50-$60 apiece to find out if the casino restaurant was any good. Best dinner we had was fish & chips next door at Moby Dick -- not elegant, but good food served in a pleasant seating area. And they were still open at 9PM.

Traveler's tip on dining

Stand in front of the Victoria Clock & take the left fork. 1/2 block up on the left is Cafe Latte where locals go for their morning latte, cappuccino, and expresso. They serve a great full English breakfast -- bacon, egg, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans & a "doorstep" (traditional Manx thick toast). Under $10.