Best friend is getting married next year and we have been throwing around ideas for a stag weekend. We heard from a friend of a friend that isle of man is a real party spot but none of us really believe him. Since alot of gambling sites like pokerstars call the IOM their home i thought this would be a good place to ask. Anyone ever been to the isle of man? [outside of the isle of man TT race]

I went to Isle of Man last March. We were a group of about 10 guys who were all taking high performance vehicles over for the none speed limit fun on the mountain roads. We had a good laugh over 3 days/2 nights. I wouldnt have said it was a real party spot but we stayed in the Hilton Hotel in Douglas, it was pretty cheap, there was a half decent nightclub downstairs which provided plenty of fun and local lasses. We ventured further into the centre and there was plenty of bars but mostly run down in my opinion, there was some classy bars but you certainly paid for your drinks in there, from the run down bars serving for £2 a pint, a bar on the opposite street was £4.50 IIRC. Not really a big issue though.

All in all, its what you make it yourself but I wouldnt be expecting to get VIP treatment in a large club, no better than your average sized town IMO.

I was there for a conference about 2 years ago, can't say it was particularly exciting tbh.

vegas

^^^lol^^^ vegas on the dole

I live there, ask me anything you want.

cool josem, just basic things. is there one main town? whats the weekend nightlife like. Is there a boat that runs from IOM to Northern Ireland on a reg basis? We are all 30 so getting a bit to old for nightclubs but names of lively pubs during the morning/day/evening/night would be great. cheers

I'm 30 years old myself, so take that from my perspective. I'll let some of my colleagues know so they can provide feedback too.

The main town is Douglas.

There are a handful of other towns you could go out in - Peel (west side of Island) and Ramsey (north of Island).

I've lived here for almost a year, been out in Peel once and Ramsey not at all yet.
In Douglas there are a handful of places that are open after midnight on a weekend:

-Bordellos (35-55 years old)
-Courthouse (25-40 years old) (they're both a bar upstairs and a nightclub downstairs)
-Outback (15-30 years old)

There are also a few other places that are trying to be a bit classier like Artisan and Bar George but are open only earlier in the evening and close around midnight or 1am.

All the places I've listed above are within walking distance.

Yes, but only between April and September. There is a Manx2.com flight that runs year round.

The boat can be booked here: http://www.steam-packet.com/en/Timetables

I live with a girl from Northern Ireland and she has friends come over from NI pretty frequently.

Yeah, there's a heap of them around.

If you were to come over on a Friday afternoon, I'd suggest this as a bit of an itinerary:

-Arrive Friday afternoon
-Stay at the Sefton if you want the best option, various other cheaper options are around
-Have dinner (high end place: Macfarlanes; cheap and cheerful: Italian Job)
-Walk to Bar George for a while
-Walk to Artisan if you get bored of that
-Anyone who wants to keep drinking should go to The Outback, need to get there before 1am

Saturday:
-Wake up, walk down the Strand
-Eat breakfast
-Hire car
-Drive south to Port Erin, have lunch down there, they have a pretty beach
-From there, get on the TT track and do a lap
-Have afternoon snooze or walk along Prom or whatever
-Have dinner
-Go to Artisan or Bar George or whichever one you didn't go to last night, then go to Courthouse

Sunday:
Do other touristy stuff you can do if you want:
-View the 'Sound' and the 'Calf of Man' which is basically the southern most point, you can take photos of seals and stuff
-Probably other information sources can suggest other places

So much this. Only place to 'end up' that will be guaranteed full of like-minded people.

Also this. The Bay is a nice pub and serves nice food. You can sit outside under-cover and look at the water. And there's a good ice-cream parlour.


Otherwise, agree with pretty much all of Josem's post.

I would also add;
> If you like old-style big-tin engineering (and who doesn't) then take a look at the Laxey wheel. Lame, but one-of-a kind.
> If you are crossing the island in a rent-a-car... drive over the "mountain road" (if you do the TT course this is already covered).

Also....

I recommend Harbour Lights (they have a website with the menu - varied and nice) for a tea-room type place. Also the Alpine for hearty and fresh hangover-breakfast (the staff are all girls, if that's important).

I like Tanroagan - great fish, swanky and the most city-style place on the rock. 14 North is good too.

If you guys like a bet (and again - who doesn't) then a very pleasant afternoon can be had sitting in the Irish pub - I forget the name - to watch the day's races ... there's a bookies pretty much either side so you can scamper in and out with your fivers and slips like a degen. All the while drinking your roll. Awesome if you like that sort of thing.

Also, I'll take the overs on this.

Bar is great and a necessary visit for a stag. However if it happens to be quieter than you like, the Outback is seconds away OR you can go downstairs and listen to some excellent music in the little club. My best night in the rock have either ended in the Courthouse Club or the Outback.





(In the interests of disclosure it is also worth pointing out that apparently there are no nudie bars or similar on the island.)

[Another resident reporting in]

IMHO, the "glens" are one of the most beautiful features of the island. They're rivers ("streams" or "creeks" by American standards) that flow from the mountains down to the ocean, through beautiful wood glades, often with carefully maintained wood footpaths.

My "home" glen (and thus my favorite) is Groudle, which is an exquisite two-mile walk all downhill to the sea. I suggest starting here, which is actually called "Molly Quirk's Glen", just northeast of the village of Onchan.

Park on the northeast side of the bridge (away from town) and then walk down the path into the glen. You can head upstream, but the path ends shortly after, taking you into a semi-rural residential area. However, if you head downstream, you will go into Groudle Glen. Just follow it all the way down until you pop out into an open area with some summer cottages on your right. You will also be smack at the Irish Sea. Go down to the beach and enjoy.

Now come the hard bit. You can either walk back up the glen, or take a short (but steep) climb out on the road that services the cottages. You will be on King Edward Road. Turn right and voila, a pub and refreshment will await you. Call a cab from there (01624 629 191) and have them take you back to your car in Onchan.

Alternatively, when you get to King Edward Road, turn left and climb the long (but not terribly steep) hill, where you will get a stunning view across the Irish Sea to Cumbria and Scotland (on a good day, they're crystal clearly visible). Continuing down King Edward Road another 1.5 miles, you'll reach Port Jack, where there's a good chippy, a Spar, and plenty of taxis.

Doing IoM without getting a good sense of its natural beauty means you kinda missed the island, imo.

Regards, Lee

P.S. While at any beach, spend time scouring the beach pebbles for the perfect card protector. I have a rock (from Port Erin) that is almost paper thin. Josem prefers a big lumpy (but smooth as silk) golf-ball size card protector from Point of Ayre. Port Erin has some nice restaurants and pub. Point of Ayre has SFA.

Jabberwocky (on the Strand between Victoria Street and Lord's Street) has a really nice vibe and delicious food - they'd be perfect for a post-hangover breakfast (though they don't open until 11:00 on Sunday). They do a killer pancake breakfast (American-style pancakes, with maple syrup). Good falafels too.

Downtown Diner (can't swear to the name) is a new place (also on the Strand) that replaced "Duke's" (which I think had been there since time immemorial). It's between Marks and Spencer's and Victoria Street on your left if you're walking from M&S toward the quay. They've got really good omelets and somehow have sourced moderately real bagels. They open earlier on a Sunday.

Both places make a good cappuccino.

Regards, Lee

I moved to the Isle of Man a fortnight ago, been pointed to this thread by a mate

Because of that being... a fortnight ago... not sure I can tell you THAT much, but I can probably tell you more than someone who went here on holiday once

Edit: I just read above a bunch of answers by peopl who do know what they're talkinga bout. So ignore me

Edit2: I second recommendatipons to a) visit groudle glen and b) if you have any kind of interest in motorsport at all, you must drive the mountain road. And don't forget, there's no speed limit!

And don't forget, half a dozen people get killed on our roads every year because they're going faster than their skill and/or equipment permits. Please, get your mate (and all the groomsmen) to the wedding in one piece.

Regards, Lee