Victorian elegance, spectacular space and a dream location all come together in Orlando. This is a well used, practical, comfortable and friendly home from home just behind the beach in Aldeburgh. The view and soundtrack are the sea. The buzz of Aldeburgh's restaurants, shops and galleries is a minute away. And the history of Suffolk's Heritage coast is all around you.
The house is named after Orlando, the Marmalade Cat, the star of BBC children's radio and a series of books which were inspired here. It has six bedrooms, four bathrooms, and space for 9 adults and 5 children to holiday together in comfort. All the comforts of home, including a cosy blue Aga, make the house perfect for large groups, family reunions, anniversaries and special celebrations. It's bright & breezy in the summer, warm & cosy in the winter. Repeat visitors and advance bookings are testimony to its charm.
The ground floor has a kitchen that's very used to catering for big groups. It has an Aga, dishwasher, CD player, two dining tables and plenty of seating. The utility room has a large freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer and a WC. There is a cosy snug with a wood burning stove and a window seat overlooking the beach where you can watch the world go by.
On the first floor is the main living and TV room, which has stunning views across the beach. Bedroom 1 on this floor has a double bed, single and cot. Bedroom 2 has a single plus a pull-out. Between the two is a shower room and WC.
The second floor has two bedrooms. Both have large double beds, en-suite bathrooms, plenty of space for clothes and wonderful sea views.
The top floor is known as The Dormitory, and is perfect for children. Bedroom 5 has a single bed and 1 single divan while Bedroom 6 has two sets of bunk beds. Both rooms have built-in wardrobes and share a bathroom.
These include:
Washing machine
Tumble dryer
Dishwasher
Microwave
Cot (but no stair gates).
Right beside the beach in Aldeburgh. From here it's a lovely walk, cycle ride or drive to the highlights of the Suffolk Heritage Coast, so popular with Londoners and second-home owners. Tesco Direct can deliver groceries here. There is a Waitrose in Saxmundham. Buses run regularly from Aldeburgh to Ipswich, Thorpeness, Woodbridge etc.
Airport: Stansted (1.5 hours)
Station: Saxmundham (15 mins)
To stay in the centre of Aldeburgh is to have every seaside holiday facility at your fingertips. The house is four minutes’ walk from the(mainly pebble) beach, and everyone is in and out of the sea throughout the summer. Aldeburgh attracts a lot of Londoners, both holidaymakers and second home-owners, and as such has a burgeoning High Street of surfwear outlets, specialist clothes shops, designer home ware and gift shops, organic food stores and a superb butcher, bakery and bookshop.
The restaurants specialise in fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, and the pubs serve real beer. The local fishermen sell the night’s catch direct from their huts on the beach every morning, and the two fish and chip shops draw queues down the street in the high season.
The entire coastline is worth exploring and Aldeburgh is the ideal from which to do it. There are galleries and arts venues in abundance, including Snape Maltings concert hall (home of the Aldeburgh Festival and Proms), two local cinemas, Minsmere Bird Reserve, Southwold, Walberswick, Dunwich, Framlingham Castle, two renowned golf courses (Aldeburgh and Thorpeness) and the annual Aldeburgh Festival (third Monday in August).
This is a popular base for sailing (there are two sailing clubs in town), fishing, walking, cycling, ornithology and horse riding.
There’s a popular art house cinema in Aldeburgh, and a more mainstream picture house plus a leisure centre with a good pool in Leiston (two miles).
Weekend (Fri/Mon): £850
Midweek (Mon/ Fri): £850
Weekly: £1,400 low season; £2,100 mid; £2,700 peak.