After the response to our last post, we thought we’d tackle a few more misconceptions that come up when people book with us or ask about visiting. Some of these are honestly quite funny, but they do put people off coming, which is a shame because they’re missing out.
“It’s Part of England, Right? Or Scotland?”
This one comes up all the time and it’s completely understandable because even well-travelled people get confused.
We’re neither. The Isle of Man is a Crown Dependency, which means we govern ourselves. The King is our head of state, and the UK handles our defence and foreign relations, but beyond that, we run our own show. Our parliament, Tynwald, has been going for over a thousand years, much older than Westminster by quite a bit.
This setup means we have our own tax system, our own laws, even our own language. Manx Gaelic is still spoken and taught here. It’s not just historical stuff either, it affects everyday life and gives the island its own character.
When guests stay at The Waterfront, they often comment that it feels British but also distinctly different, that’s because it is. We’re not trying to be England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales, we’re just doing our own thing, and we’ve been doing it successfully for centuries.
“Everything Shuts Down After TT”
This myth really needs to die. Yes, TT fortnight in late May and early June is crazy. The island is packed, there’s racing and the atmosphere’s electric. But then people seem to think we all go into hibernation until next year.
Douglas doesn’t shut down. Restaurants, shops, pubs and attractions all stay open year round. In fact, lots of locals deliberately avoid TT because it’s so busy and prefer having the island to themselves the rest of the year.
Autumn here is gorgeous, the colours in the glens are stunning. Winter brings dramatic coastal walks and cosy pub evenings. Spring is when everything comes alive again with wildflowers everywhere. Each season has its own appeal.
There’s always stuff going on too – Food festivals, music events, art exhibitions. We keep a list at reception of what’s happening because guests always ask. The island doesn’t need 50,000 bikers to be interesting.
“It’s All Fields and Sheep, No Mod Cons”
We’ve had guests genuinely surprised that Douglas has, you know, actual shops and reliable WiFi.
Yes, we have beautiful countryside. Yes, there are sheep (quite a lot of them actually) but Douglas is a functioning modern town. The internet’s fast, mobile signal’s good, you can get decent coffee, buy clothes, go to the cinema. All that normal stuff.
The town’s got this nice mix of Victorian buildings and newer developments. At The Waterfront, we’re contemporary and comfortable, but you’re also within minutes from the historic quarter and promenade, you get the best of both worlds.
We haven’t sacrificed our character for modernisation. You can visit a farm making cheese the traditional way in the morning, then stream Netflix in your hotel room at night. It’s not one or the other, the island’s just worked out how to do both.
“That Manx Language Thing is Just Tourist Board Marketing”
Some visitors think the Manx language is extinct or just kept alive artificially for heritage tourists.
Actually, there’s been a massive revival. Kids learn it in schools now. You’ll see bilingual signs everywhere. There are regular events with Manx music, dancing and storytelling. It nearly died out in the last century, but people fought to bring it back and it’s actually worked.
The culture here is alive, not stuffed and mounted in a museum. Local craftspeople still weave, make pottery and create contemporary art inspired by Manx heritage. The three-legged symbol you see everywhere isn’t just tourist tat, people genuinely wear it with pride.
We love chatting to guests about this stuff. The island’s history isn’t just something that happened ages ago, it’s still part of daily life here.
“You’re Stuck Out in the Middle of Nowhere”
Because we’re an island in the Irish Sea, some people imagine we’re miles from civilisation.
On a clear day, standing on the prom near The Waterfront, you can see the Lake District, the Northern Ireland coast, and Scotland. We’re surrounded by other places. We’re just not physically attached to them, which is quite nice actually.
The island’s always been outward-looking. Centuries of maritime trade means we’ve never been isolated. Today, the international business sector brings people from all over the world. Douglas has Italian restaurants run by actual Italians, Thai food made by Thai chefs, all sorts. The arts scene gets visiting performers from across Europe.
We’re connected to the world, we’re just selective about how much of it we let in. It’s a balance that works.
“Hotel Options Are Grim”
We understand this concern. Some smaller destinations have limited choices, and not all of them are great.
The island’s hospitality has come a long way. Yes, there are traditional B&Bs, and some people love that experience, but there are modern options too. The Waterfront is contemporary, comfortable and well-located. Our rooms look good, the facilities work and the restaurant serves quality food using local ingredients. We’re not stuck in 1985.
Beyond hotels you’ve got luxury cottages, boutique guesthouses, camping, glamping… whatever suits you. The choice is better than people expect, and the quality is generally high because the competition is healthy and we all know we rely on visitors having a good experience and coming back.
Come and Prove Us Right
These myths persist because people just don’t know enough about the island, we’re not some backward forgotten rock, we’re not impossibly hard to reach, we’re not extortionately expensive and we’re not only for certain types of visitors.
The Isle of Man is a place that has kept what makes it special whilst moving forward. Ancient and modern coexist here without either diluting the other. You can walk Viking paths and get 5G signal. You can eat food made from traditional recipes and pay contactless.
Book a few nights at The Waterfront and see for yourself. We’re confident that what you find here will be very different to what you expected. And that’s exactly why people keep coming back.
