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A bit more about us!
Ben & Laura meet on the Isle of Wight 24 yrs ago, and have been together ever since, they moved to Brighton when they were 21 and have had 2 children in that time.
The Island has always had a special place in their hearts and they decided to buy somewhere on the Island, so their children could have the same experiences as they did when growing up, lovely Sandy beaches and lots of things to do
Laura grew up in Cowes, before moving to Brighton, so that seemed the perfect place to start. A bungalow off the High Street, with its natural history and unique individual shops, the now named “The Nautilus” was bought in December 2019, The next 3 months were spent theming it to the high end deep sea theme you see now, with Ben, Laura, Kath & Jeff (Ben’s parents)
It was inspired by a Victorian steam punk industrial idea and The Jules Vern book, 2000 leagues under the sea. As cowes is world famous for sailing and boats, they wanted to keep with the towns vibe of the sea, but do it a bit differently to the typical Nautical blue and white strips. The garden is also themed to look like a deck coming on board The Nautilus.
Then in March 2021, they were able to buy the now named “The Botanist Rest” a 1840’s cottage in Ventnor, as Ben had grown up in Godshill just 15 mins away and went to school In Ventnor.
Using the towns history, once named as the Mayfair by the sea, it attracted many celebrities who would summer there in the Victorian times, including Charles Dickens, for its pure air. The famous Botanical Gardens and the micro climate in Ventnor was used as inspiration to theme it.
Ben, Laura, Kath and Jeff once again spent the next 4 months creating “The Botanist Rest” A Victorian traveller weary from his journey, settles at The Botanist Rest to investigate his plant findings, while enjoying the edible garden to cook or have a cocktail on the balcony looking out to the sea.
You will truly feel what Ben & Laura have created and feel immersed in history, and themes when staying at either location.
