LA Bowl - All Under One Roof! (La Bowl (Ryde, Isle of Wight))

Member Name: newby2

Product:	La Bowl (Ryde, Isle of Wight)
Date:	13/03/09 (71 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lots to offer

Disadvantages: sticky and run down

LA Bowl, Ryde, Isle of Wight...

LA Bowl is the one and only place where you can play bowling on full sized bowling lanes. There are other places on the island where bowling is available but the lanes are smaller and I guess it would not be classes as proper bowling.

LA Bowl is situated on the esplanade along Ryde seafront. It is clearly visible from the road and easy to find with directions given on many sign posts. There is a large car park out the back of the complex with plenty of space even in the summer, even if the parking in charged.


LA Bowl itself seems rather shabby and run down inside the building there is a small arcade area with games machines and a few slot machines. There is a small bar which has plenty of sticky tables and in the summer there is seating outside. The café inside the complex is small and fairly greasy and only handy if you need a portion of chips when playing bowling.

There are around 22 lanes which you can bowl on and it is advisable to book before going as these do tend to get rather booked up. There are horrible sweaty shoes to hire and these must be worn when using the lanes unless you have your own correct bowling shoes.

The bowling alley is open all year round from 10am till late at night. It is all on a ground floor and easily accessible for wheelchair users as there are no stairs. The prices do vary depending on what night you play or indeed if you are paying per game or per lane per hour. I think the usual cost of one game for one person is around £5 which I think is a fairly reasonable price.

The LA Bowl complex also has a nightclub upstairs which is called "The Balcony". This is opening weekend nights and is again another rather sticky place to visit with cheap entry and cheap drinks it draws in many of the islands less desirable characters but I can confess to ending up there most of the time when I hit Ryde on a night out. They play different kinds of music depending on what evening it is and they have their own website so that you can keep up to date on events that are happening.

All in all I think that it is fair to say that although the whole LA Bowl complex is rather old looking and fairly run down it is certainly needed for entertainment here on the island. Offering a place to drink, eat, bowl and party all under one roof is not a bad combination and I would assume for it to still be going that it must make a nice bit of money each year.

I think a rating of 4 stars is apt for this complex and a slight recommendation to visit if you are in the area (especially in winter). It has a lot to offer and although could do with a re-vamp it is fitting with island life (all of which could do with a re-vamp).

I hope this has been of some help to you. Thanks for taking the time to read. xxx

Summary: Lots of things to do