The Coach House - A romantic hideaway in Suffolk

Last December our little trio (that's me, hubby and Ralphy the dog of course) headed to Suffolk for a relaxing pre-Christmas holiday. As soon as I saw The Coach House on cottages.com I was smitten - it's a beautifully decorated, rustic, detached converted stable featuring it's own 2 acre woodland! Set in a lovely rural location between the historic market towns of Framlingham and Saxmundham, and while it's an wonderful spot for walking, rambling and cycling, it's also perfect for exploring the quaint little villages of Suffolk and spending the day at the idillic seaside towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh. As you know I usually prefer my holiday cottages to be completely secluded, but while the owner does live close by, you can rest assured you'll be left well alone (though he's such a lovely man it was a pleasure bumping into him when we did.) This was our stay at The Coach House.

Where is it: Suffolk
Price from: £441 for a week
Pets: 2 welcome
Sleeps: 2

What's it like inside?

Inside The Coach House it is light, spacious, beautifully decorated and full of lovely artistic knik-knacks. A lot of love has clearly gone into the renovation of this property, and it is filled with all the things that make a cottage holiday house a home: a wood burning stove, antiques, books, DVDs, games, blankets and lots of fun little touches. As it was close to Christmas, the owners had even decorated the beams with fairy lights and decorations and we arrived to a lovely bottle of wine, Christmas nuts and chocolates! Very thoughtful indeed.

... and where are my chocolates??

The Kitchen 

The kitchen was by far my favourite room of the house. It's a wonderful space for relaxing, cooking and planning the day ahead. It's well-equipped and has every utensil you can think of. I loved the rustic drawers and cupboards that were made out of the old stable doors! The kitchen looks out onto the woodland and stream than runs by the cottage so do be aware of that if you're taking small children and dogs - though Ralphy simply took one look and poodled off in the other direction ... he only likes to get his paws wet.

Bedroom & Bathroom

The bathroom is a lovely high ceiling stone wet room, complete with underfloor heating - which was a nice welcome after a long day of rambling and walking. I did miss having a bath but having warm tootsies made up for that. The bedroom was comfortable and cosy, though I'm not too sure it would be ideal for very tall people as the bed was quite small - though hubby and I are little hobbits so it suited us perfectly. 

Out and about in Suffolk and Southwold

I absolutely love Suffolk. We've visited the area many times now, and there is always plenty to do and see, even in the cold month of December. It's surrounded by lovely little quaint rural villages, antique shops, art galleries and restaurants. The towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold are quintessential idyllic seaside towns located on the Suffolk Heritage Coast, and Southwold boasts an award-winning pier. Both towns are well worth a visit - they have beautiful beaches, wonderful seafood shacks and winding little cobbled streets that house arts and craft shops, boutiques and family-run restaurants. There are some wonderful coastal walks, both along the water and some that head into the countryside. If you're unsure of where to visit, The Coach House is well stocked with walks, restaurants and suggestions of places to visit and things to do ... and if you don't fancy venturing out? you can always do a little turn around your own private woodland and simply snuggle up in front of the fire.

If you'd like to read more or book The Coach House
visit www.cottages.com by clicking here.