Last time we checked Wikipedia, Ocean Village was described as follows:

Ocean Village is a large, mixed-use marina, residential, business and leisure development on the mouth of the River Itchen in Southampton, on the South Coast of England. Ocean Village is currently undergoing a major £70m re-development project and is set to become one of the main leisure destinations in Southampton.

Current recreational facilities include two cinemas, cafés, wine bars and restaurants including Banana Wharf and Pitcher & Piano. The recently opened multi-storey car park has space for 776 vehicles.

While this is a reasonable overview, it’s is only part of the picture. It fails to encapsulate all of the really great reasons for choosing Ocean Village as a place to live. Here at Ocean Village we have so much to be thankful for and, while it is true that many past promises have come to nothing, the marina continues to develop and provide a great environment in which to live.

Eat, drink, watch a film, enjoy the outdoors…

Here you can find a multitude of great places to eat and drink within the the charming ambience of the marina or very close by in Oxford Street. You are spoilt for choice for cinemas: you can watch the latest blockbuster movies at Cineworld or something a little more cultured at the Harbour Lights arts cinema. And all of this is just outside your front door. In addition you can take a stroll around the marina itself and appreciate the picturesque views and perhaps take a boat trip should you want to do so.

With more to come…

On the horizon we have the prospect of the completion of the Admiral’s Quay development and the addition of eight bars and restaurants. And MDL are still looking to build the Millennium Ocean Village Hotel – a 4-star deluxe, 15-storey, glass-sided facility with 225 luxuriously appointed rooms, a spa, waterside restaurant, and bars.

The local neighbourhood

And if all of that isn’t enough then we only have to broaden our range a little further to bring in all that is great about Southampton. At Ocean Village we have the city centre within walking distance. If you have grown weary of the restaurants and bars on your doorstep then Southampton city centre has a great deal more to provide. We are close to a growing airport, major motorway links and a direct train service to London Waterloo. The local football stadium (St Mary’s), with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the South of England, outside of London and the Quays Swimming and Diving Complex hosts world-class diving facilities, used by numerous Olympic divers.

In Southampton we are steeped in medieval history and walking the old city walls, and examining the many ruins en-route makes for an interesting day. The interconnected city centre parks provide an attractive backdrop to the city with numerous opportunities for sports and recreation. If shopping is more your thing then look no further than the West Quay development which provides numerous quality retail outlets. If this isn’t enough then explore the shops in and around Above Bar Street or venture further north to Bedford Place with its quirky and specialist stores and eateries on offer here. In addition we have regular markets, farmer’s markets and periodical specialist markets such as a Christmas market.

Always something to see

Southampton is also the largest cruise ship terminal in the UK and, with the increasing popularity of cruising, there is barely a day when one ship or another is not in port. Some of the ships, like the Cunard Queen Mary 2 and the Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas are absolutely enormous and are among the largest cruise ships in the world. The cruise ships, along with the numerous container ships, which also use Southampton, are well worth watching with a particularly good vantage point being Mayflower Park. And, near here, at the Town Quay you take the car ferry or the faster Red Jet service across to the Isle of Wight.

Ocean Village, Southampton truly is a great place to live.