Overview

Are you searching for the perfect family holiday spot? Look no further! The House in the Clouds is one of the most famous follies in the country. This unique self-catering holiday home offers spacious accommodation for your family, including five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a drawing room, a dining room, and a magnificent “room at the top”, providing Suffolk’s finest views.

Activities

This super cool holiday home is the ultimate choice for a fantastic family getaway! With space for the whole family (including grandparents and the family dog), it has a roomy dining area for sociable family meals. And if that’s not enough, a games room with a pool table is waiting for you on the top floor.

The House in the Clouds is on a 1-acre private property overlooking the stunning Thorpeness Golf Course, Thorpeness Meare, and the beautiful Suffolk Heritage Coast. You’ll have plenty of space to run around and play lawn tennis or boules on the private grounds. Thorpeness has a Country Club with tennis courts and a long stretch of beach popular for swimming. This leads to the seaside town of Aldeburgh, two miles from Thorpeness.

And guess what? Between Easter and September, you can even go boating on the Meare – this 60-acre boating lake is just a five-minute walk from the property.

Food

This lovely self-catering property boasts a fully-fitted kitchen and a spacious dining room with a dishwasher for easy clean-up.

If you don’t like cooking, you can walk to the Dolphin (0.2 miles away), a dog-friendly village pub with a dedicated kids’ menu that will delight even the fussiest eaters. It’s open every day of the week for lunch and dinner, and on weekends, they also serve a delicious breakfast between 9 am and 11 am.

If you prefer something lighter, check out Meare Shop & Tearooms or the Kitchen at Thorpeness.

The coastal town of Aldeburgh is just a few miles away and is a great place to shop. You’ll find a Tesco Express, Co-op, and plenty of excellent independent shops and restaurants.

And if you’re looking for fresh produce, you won’t want to miss Friday Street Farm Shop! It has an integrated butchery, a delightful delicatessen, an on-site fishmonger, a walk-in cheese room, and a kitchen serving wholesome meals every day. During the summer, you can even pick your own raspberries and strawberries.

Accommodation

As you enter the house, you’ll find yourself in the entrance hall, which leads to the ground floor cloakroom/WC, dining room, kitchen, and utility/boiler room. On the first floor, you’ll come across a cosy drawing room that features a double sofa bed. Moving on to the second floor, there are two twin bedrooms and a lovely bathroom with a WC, bath, and electric shower.

On the third floor, you’ll discover a spacious king-size bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. If you need it, there’s also a travel cot in the wardrobe at the end of the room and bedding for the drawing room sofa bed in the cupboard to the right of the bathroom door.

Heading up to the fourth floor, there’s a twin bedroom, a double bedroom, and another bathroom with a WC, bath, and electric shower.

Finally, on the fifth floor, you’ll find a fun games room waiting for you! Children’s books and toys are provided, with options for children aged 2–5 years old, 5–10 years old and 10+ years old. And don’t worry about the stairs – there are 67 total, but they’re easy to climb, and there are resting seats on each landing. The iron staircase on the fifth floor leads to the upper gallery.

Nearby

The enchanting coastal village of Thorpeness is famous not just for its meare but also for its charming shingle beach. The beach is just a short walk from the village centre, where you’ll find plenty of cafes, pubs, and ice cream kiosks.

The Meare is a fantastic water playground where you can hire over 100 boats, including rowing boats, kayaks, canoes, punts, dinghies, and sailing boats. It’s open every summer until the end of October half-term, and there’s a vessel to suit everyone. It’s no wonder that Ogilvie once dubbed it “The Child’s Paradise.”

Just two miles away from Thorpeness is the world-renowned coastal resort of Aldeburgh. There’s a pebble beach with fisherman’s huts selling the daily catch, and the promenade is lined with pastel-coloured 19th-century holiday villas.

If you’re looking for a great place to enjoy nature on the Suffolk coast, you should check out RSPB Minsmere. The visitor centre is very welcoming, and you can choose from leisurely walks through beautiful woodland, wetland, and coastal scenery. After exploring, take a break in the nourishing café and enjoy picturesque views of Minsmere. RSPB Minsmere is also an excellent place for families to build a den, explore the trails, and play in the Wild Zone’s sand martin tunnels.

You can follow the seasonal self-guided trails in search of Minsmere’s wildlife and participate in family-fun activities like pond dipping or minibeast hunting with friendly volunteers during school holidays.

RSPB North Warren is another delightful nature reserve that is superb for wildfowl in winter, butterflies and dragonflies in summer, and breeding marsh harriers, nightingales, and bitterns.

Summary

Live the high life at The House in the Clouds. This charming property has plenty of comfortable bedrooms and bathrooms, so there’s space for the whole family to relax. If the weather’s good, there’s an acre of outdoor space to enjoy and outdoor play equipment for the kids. Whether you enjoy long beach walks, boating or wildlife spotting, this is an excellent spot for your next relaxing family getaway.