Winchelsea, Brancaster, Norfolk

Winchelsea is a comfortable, well maintained house with a large well enclosed back garden. Easy parking for 3 moderate size cars, four at a pinch. Situated in a quiet residential road, the A149 coast road is only about 300 yards away, making this an ideal base for days out. The 15-20 minute walk to Brancaster beach is very pleasant. Easy access to numerous pubs/restaurants along or close to the A149 from Thornham to Brancaster Staithe and useful to have a NISA supermarket in Burnham Overy Staithe. Also various farm shops and delis within easy reach.

This is the second year we have stayed at Winchelsea. It makes an ideal holiday house for grandparents, children and grandchildren. We love the garden room, bedroom and ensuite downstairs: a quiet retreat for grandparents. The garden room is ideal for older grandchildren to gain peace from the younger ones or as a playroom for the smalls. The kitchen is very well equipped and our chef son-in-law was able to cook some lovely meals. The walk from the house to the sea is a pleasant 20 minute stroll, even at high tide, and there is access to the North Norfolk Coastal Path at the other end of Mill Hill. Access to the beach by car is also easy and direct. We have been coming to Brancaster and Brancaster Staithe since 2011 and as always Norfolk Hideways have provided excellent friendly service.

We went away as a group of 5 adults with our 3 dogs. When we arrived the cottage was very cosy and there was milk and bread left out for us which was a nice touch. Unfortunately as we settled in we noticed the property was in need of a little TLC. Several knobs were missing from the kitchen units (including the cutlery drawer), the shower leaked resulting in a big pool of water on the floor every time you showered and neither of the TV remotes worked. Whilst clean on the service, a lot of the dishes were dirty and it felt like the house hadn't had a proper spring clean in a while (e.g. radiator in the bathroom was very dirty). Overall the property was fine for the weekend however the standard of cleanliness and maintenance did not meet our expectations. This is particularly disappointing as, due to the fact we wanted to take 3 dogs, before we booked we were asked to give additional assurances that the property would be looked after. I called Norfolk Hideaways after we left to inform them of the issues we had experienced, and although they were grateful to me for letting them know I was surprised it was not followed up with a call back or a written apology.