Hideaway Barn (4), Thornham, Norfolk

This property could be lovely but has a few problems at present. Where to start - there were lots of house flies which kept on appearing on mass each day. There is very, VERY little natural light, apart from the front door, all the windows on the ground and first floor have heavily obscured glass and the windows can only be opened ajar. The property details did state that ‘some’ windows have restrictive opening, light but it doesn’t s state that it is only the 2nd floor bed and front hall that actually have any natural light. The lights need to be on all the time in all the other rooms. The decor is lovely but the wooden floor boards downstairs and in the bathrooms need a good clean, the rustic lay of the floor has left considerable gaps between the boards which are full of dirt, hair, fluff and dust, lots of dust. Also, there is a musty smell in the lounge area, possibly coming from the leather sofas that are falling apart in places. My husband and I both have mild asthma which was considerably worse while we were in this property, thank goodness we had packed an inhaler. The mechanics to raise the tv at the foot of the master bed was broken, not that it actually mattered to us as we wouldn’t have wanted to use it. The picnic bench advertised is directly outside the front door in the parking area, we had next doors car parked right up against it. From what we could see, the other properties at this site looked much better with normal windows and small private back gardens. At weekends there is only a telephone number for contact in an absolute emergency. The village has some great pubs and the beach walking was amazing, our dogs had the best time!

We had a lovely weekend stay at Hideaway Barn. The location is ideal for pubs, restaurants & the beach The barn has been beautifully decorated with every comfort in mind. It was unfortunate that there was no paperwork on arrival to explain how things worked like the tv, heating, WiFi, showers, microwaves, ovens, etc that we usually get in other rental properties. It is a shame that the windows on the ground & first floors are frosted & can only be opened a few inches as it means the house is pretty much in darkness so you have every light on all the time. This was mentioned in the small print but until you’re there it’s hard to imagine. Also for a property that welcomes up to three dogs an outside tap & hose would be a great help!

Hideaway Barn is a spacious property in a lovely location. The interior design is stunning and it certainly has the wow factor. Unfortunately once you move in and actually live here for a week some annoying little issues creep up on you. Firstly, no welcome pack of any kind. The vast majority of rental properties of this quality [and price] in our experience, at least gift a welcome bottle of wine, and invariably more - possibly biscuits and or cake ? For a self catering property that sleeps six, with a large open plan kitchen space, adequate food and provisions storage should be available. The fridge here is quite small and additional empty kitchen cupboard storage space virtually non existent. There is a small freezer in a cupboard in the hallway but at the time of our arrival it was blocked in by child stair screens, brooms etc and needed de-frosting. One of the drawers contained old food presumably belonging to a previous occupant. We contacted the agent about this at it was not obvious to us that the freezer was actually for guest use. It is. The marketing of Hideaway Barn alludes to the lack of natural light from some the windows. In fact only natural light [and view] is available from the master bedroom on the second floor, the rest of the property being dependant on artificial lights. Most if not all the other windows are screened or blocked for some reason. Not a massive problem in November [our stay] when it gets dark at 5.00pm and if you are out all day, but could be quite depressing in the summer. One other niggle is the freestanding tap feeding the bath in the master en-suite. It has been installed too far from the bath and unless you turn it on to full pressure straightaway and rather quickly, water just falls on the floorboards !! On the subject of floorboards they are [apart from the bedrooms] the flooring of choice everywhere. They are impressive look at and in keeping with the overall design brief. However be careful to wear slippers or something similar at all times as they are rough in places and my wife got splitter in her foot mid way through our stay. It does seem churlish to list problems with this beautiful property but if you want it to be your home for a week and self cater somethings need a remedy. If you want to eat out all the time [thus making the property akin to a very large hotel suite] these issues will bother you less. I do feel the property is a triumph of style over substance and as a rental property which will attract a diverse customer base, more thought should have gone into the practicalities. We did pass on some of the above to the letting agent.

Having won a short break here in a prize draw we loved our stay in this quirky but comfortable cottage. Really comfortably furnished and equipped with everything you could need. It's quietly tucked away in the corner of a collection of barn conversions with parking outside. The only thing we were disappointed with was the lack of natural light and no ability to see outside from most of the rooms.