Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2009 | Page 99

FOOD & DRINK Details like nautical artwork soften but don’t detract from the firm, contemporary lines of the décor, which can easily be dressed according to client’s wishes. With the natural backdrop of the lake, with beautiful reflections of the surrounding woodland, it is hardly surprisingly there are already plenty of bookings for weddings. The pretty gazebo by the water is licensed for civil ceremonies, as is the formal restaurant and one of the largest Private Function Suites on the Island, which has plasma monitor on which photographs of the day can be displayed. Such thoughtful touches will ensure Lakeside’s success, too, as a venue for conferences. If the Island has an image problem – or is remembered fondly but none-too-smartly as a place of childhood holidays of sea and sandcastles – then the unabashed luxury on offer life here will come of something of a surprise. “I believe we must strive not only to be the best but to be different,” says Robert Tether. So the bedrooms and the suites differ only in amount of accommodation – they share the same meticulous quality. There are three suites, which all have decking down to the lake, which meet different needs, depending whether you need a separate area for private business meetings or a totally open space. In both rooms and suites there is an unusual amount of storage. Drawers and wardrobes, in unostentatious matt-finished walnut, are generous, and there is a lockable laptop-sized safe– a nice touch for the conference delegate. The en suite bathroom fittings are high-end as you’d expect – but when you find the loo lid has a slow-action drop to avoid night-time disturbance, and The Island's new funky radio station www.wightFM.com 99