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Farmhouse
Houghton Farmhouse is a 7 bedroom, 4 bathroom period farmhouse that can comfortably sleep 18. There is a choice of 2 large receptions, including dining room for 18 and smart TV room. The gardens are extensive and include a separate games room.
The house has been furnished to a modern and extremely comfortable standard with all imaginable conveniences; a fully stocked kitchen to enable your culinary juices to flow free, be it for a quick snack for all or that 5 course banquet for 18 people to celebrate the special occasion.
Houghton Farmhouse is ideal for family gatherings; to celebrate that wedding anniversary, special birthday, or simply to get friends and family together under one roof.
The garden is c. 1 acre in size and very private. We have converted one of the period barns into ...Houghton Farmhouse is a 7 bedroom, 4 bathroom period farmhouse that can comfortably sleep 18. There is a choice of 2 large receptions, including dining room for 18 and smart TV room. The gardens are extensive and include a separate games room.
The house has been furnished to a modern and extremely comfortable standard with all imaginable conveniences; a fully stocked kitchen to enable your culinary juices to flow free, be it for a quick snack for all or that 5 course banquet for 18 people to celebrate the special occasion.
Houghton Farmhouse is ideal for family gatherings; to celebrate that wedding anniversary, special birthday, or simply to get friends and family together under one roof.
The garden is c. 1 acre in size and very private. We have converted one of the period barns into a games room, to include table tennis, pool, darts and numerous games etc.
The kitchen benefits from a walk-in larder and separate utility room, with washing machine, dishwasher and separate large fridges & freezer.
The lounge has soft seating for 18 with an open fire-place (logs can be provided for a fee). There is a wall mounted Sony Smart TV, with surround sound cinema system, connected to the internet and with a library of films for those rainy/lazy days in. If you have your own lovefilm or similar account, you can access them via this TV setup.
There is a heated swimming pool, with enclosure for all year around swimming and we have recently installed a 6-person sauna also.
House Rules
Pet-friendlyKid friendlyNo smoking
Dogs are allowed with prior agreement. There is a £30 per dog surcharge with a limit of 4 per booking. Should you wish to increase this number, please check with the Property provider before booking.
Bedrooms
5 Fulls8 Twins2 Cribs
Bathrooms
2 Full baths1 Attached (ensuite)1 Shower
Meet the host
Property M
Hosting since August 2008
Languages spoken: English
Response Rate: 100%
Response Time: Within a day
Interaction with guests: With current COVID-19 protocol at the house, we have an extensive cleaning rota in place which means that until further notice, the entry time to the house on arrival day is from 5pm and guests must leave by 9am on departure day. This is for the safety of our guests and teams that look after the house and we ask that the times are respected accordingly.
We had a large family gathering to celebrate a 90th birthday and there were 16 of us in the house.
As with many of the previous reviews, the furniture, especially in the lounge, and the decor are really in need of some serious attention. The “shabby chic” look furniture is also very tired looking. We had a serious problem with flies, kitchen windows had to be open due to heat from the Aga, we thought the 3 cans of fly spray which were left would be too much but we had to get more stuff to keep them at bay!!
The number of steps and floor levels could be described more fully, although we managed to cope with them others may not.
The pool and games room kept our younger members amused(and some of the older ones!!)
Lovely location, a bit more TLC would make it a special place to stay.
Visited August 2023
Written August 21, 2023. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Inspire24353565237
Thank you for your review. Houghton Farmhouse does have a mix of old and new furniture and is not marketed as luxurious because it isn’t. It is in the mid price bracket and we put more emphasis on it being a place that families and friends can relax in. We see this as part of its charm but we appreciate that everyone has their own expectations. Summer bookings have just finished so we will be carrying out maintenance work now we have some empty gaps.
The house is lovely and very clean with a myriad of rooms. It is also very warm in the winter with its AGA and wood burner. Conversely, in the milder months, flies are common in countryside properties. This property is on the edge of the village so there will be livestock in fields nearby at times and the AGA stays on as it is part of the charm of a country kitchen that most people will not have in their own home.
We are pleased to hear that the swimming pool and games room were a hit and combined with a sauna and a shepherd's hut, we agree it is a lovely location. We have also added more specific details about steps in our FAQs to help future guests.
Written September 8, 2023. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
lol628
Upminster, United Kingdom19 contributions
Great holiday home but in need of some TLC.
This farmhouse is great for a family get together, very spacious with a lovely cosy farmhouse feel. Nice big kitchen with choice of an aga or electric oven. Lovely big dining table (we easily fitted 12 round it), comfortable lounge and bedrooms. Lovely heated swimming pool at end of the garden with sauna and cute changing rooms. The games room was adequate with table tennis and pool table. Unable to give this property 5 stars as the decor and furniture is very tired looking and the double beds seemed very small. However, we had a great weekend there and loved the location.
Visited September 2022
Written October 15, 2022. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jill L
2 contributions
Dirty needs wear and tear addressing and poor company response
We stayed here in July 2021. Despite the COVID cleaning regime the house was dirty in most areas including the bathrooms, kitchen and kitchen equipment. There was a filthy mop left for our use that I can only assume was used to clean prior to our arrival. A previous occupant had left a big bag of medication which was not found during the ‘deep clean’. One of the bedrooms had terrible damp and the lounge smelled damp so we didn’t use it. I could go on and I have a lot of photographs to show all this. The marketing photographs on the website were taken a while back I guess and don’t reflect the wear and tear. The company (big house holiday rentals), especially the managing director was dismissive, offered no apology or understanding of how it had affected our holiday., just excuses and a defence for each issue we raised. We were offered a 10% refund but on the basis all 14 of us signed a NDA (we refused as the party included elderly parents and teenagers) and we had difficulty getting our deposit back. I wouldn’t go there again or use this company.
Visited July 2021
Written September 12, 2021. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lau9925768
24 contributions
Great house, farmhouse stele. Some areas in need of refresh
Good size and excellent location. Clean and spacious. Fabulous garden. New BBQ
Pool at top of garden and the pool roof slides open which was fun. Pool was big enough for 2 aside volleyball- but not for 3+ aside. It took us 3 days to work out how to use the Sauna - despite following instructions- we probably should have googled!
Great kitchen, with lots of crockery etc and plenty of fridge space. Large useful utility. Table in dining room is massive so was great for meals and family games. We spent most of the “ inside time” in the dining room and kitchen.
This is a nice property, and it looks very like the photos on the big house website (garden furniture is only really change).
Overall, we felt the value for money here wasn’t as good as other houses we’ve stayed in- as it had more dated decor/ interior and felt in need of TLC and refresh. It’s definitely got the farmhouse vintage feel, wooden/iron beds, but it wasn’t at the levels of shabby chic.
A few in our group were over 6ft and said they didn’t get a great night sleep as found the beds weren’t long enough- but our group/bedroom number didn’t allow for room swoping.
The Games room is in an outside barn which felt damp and fusty, despite us having very warm weather- although could have been the recent wet weather before that- however it meant we didn’t really use it for this reason.
We’ve stayed at 4 other self catering houses for 16+ people over last 8 years, all located in northern England/north Wales. This house was 2nd most expensive of the 5, but we didn’t feel it was delivering the same value as the other 4 - and 3 had pools and all 4 had a games area/room in the house. The cost was not inflated due to covid. the other 4 were much more up to date decor/ interior wise, has lots more add ons- like providing hotel quality bath towels, modern coffee machines,fancy sound system, hot tubs and a Bbq hut and they still had the cosy, shabby chic feel. It may be that the cost for this house is simply because of the location in Norfolk - but as you still need a car to get to the beach/places of interest, we’ve realised we value the higer interior standard and other perks over the location.
Visited August 2021
Written August 7, 2021. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Richard_Vicki
Welwyn, United Kingdom61 contributions
Great property but so in need of some TLC!
We recently spent a week at Houghton Farm & I hope this is a honest review! - the house is lovely & spacious & accommodated all our family; it was spotlessly clean. The kitchen was well stocked with crockery & cutlery. The garden was a great space for the family & the pool & games room were well used. We didn’t see any evidence of a pool cleaning but someone did test the water. The garden furniture was very uncomfortable pub style table/chair combo’s - one was rotting & dangerous, a replacement arrived but who wants to sit on pub style tables! so uncomfortable. We used our own beach chairs round the pool - would advise taking your own cushions if you want to enjoy eating out al fresco.
The bedrooms were a great size & the beds comfortable but the quality of the furnishings need an overdue upgrade! - most of the carpets were stained & worn.
We did have a great week with fantastic weather, we loved the house & would rebook again but feel a review should reflect your experience as it was.
We enjoyed Brancaster beach, West Runton, Sherringham & Wells - lovely lunch & family breakfast at North Creake Abbey & a great fishing trip out of Brancaster Staithe & we loved Holt & Walsingham!
,
Visited July 2021
Written August 5, 2021. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Coastal281079
Dunstable, United Kingdom2 contributions
Awesome
Comfy beds, spacious dining room with wide table, well equipped kitchen, games room great fun and swimming pool was the icing on the cake
Visited May 2021
Written June 5, 2021. This review is the subjective opinion of an individual traveler and not of Tripadvisor LLC nor of its partners. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Curious47312753053
Huge, family friendly and homely
We spent a very enjoyable winter weekend here with family. The party included 5 grandchildren, who loved the pool and games room. The adults loved cooking on the Aga! I hadn't realised there would be so much to do and see in the area, so we'll definitely have to come back!
Visited February 2020
Written February 7, 2020. This review is the subjective opinion of an individual traveler and not of Tripadvisor LLC nor of its partners. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
_kimbowazz
Leicester, United Kingdom1 contribution
Family celebrations
Stayed here the last weekend of April. Horrendous weather!! Luckily the house was cozy warm..
Lovely spacious house. Comfy beds. Well equipped kitchen. Fabulous large dining table. Large sofa.
Really enjoyed it. High chance of a return visit.
☺️
Visited April 2018
Written May 1, 2018. This review is the subjective opinion of an individual traveler and not of Tripadvisor LLC nor of its partners. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lin T
2 contributions
Fabulous farmhouse
Had a great weekend staying at this comfy and cosy farmhouse with a great location and easy drive to the coast.
Kitchen was very well stocked, loved using the Aga, large dining room and lounge with plenty of seating for everyone. Kids, big and small loved the pool and the games room.
Would definitely stay here again.
Visited October 2016 Traveled with family
Written October 24, 2016. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
shorek2014
Sleaford, United Kingdom1 contribution
Spacious, well equipped and gorgeous farmhouse.
We were a group of 18 ladies on our annual weekend away. Leading up to the break Clair kept us fully informed and gave us very detailed info ready for our stay.....right down to the best place to stand for a O2 signal.
We arrived on a sunny Friday night to a clean spacious farmhouse, well kept gardens and a some welcome bottles of wine for the group. The bedrooms were all spacious and the kitchen was more than fully equipped.
We had caterers in to cook for us on the Saturday night from Dereham called 'Tall Orders' .....highly recommend.
Overall we all loved the cottage and can't speak highly enough of it. We filled it to the full capacity of 18 and never felt on top of each other. Many thanks Clair
Visited June 2014
Written June 16, 2014. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Houghton St Giles lies between the two fabulous villages of Great and Little Walsingham, the site of medieval pilgrimage still popular today. This is one of the most sought-after locations in Norfolk, ranking highly with holiday-makers year after year, due to the fantastic beaches and excellent local attractions.
Whether you want a day at the Races (Fakenham course is 10 mins away) or walks on the famous beaches, strolls over undulating countryside or time spend in the many traditional and contemporary pubs, bars and restaurants, Houghton Farmhouse is superbly located as your luxurious base.
Access
Car required
Activities nearby
Fishing spots availableGolf course (within 30 mins drive)Horse riding facilities
Things to know
Check in / out timings
Check in after 5 PM • Check out by 9 AM
Cancellation policy
100% refund within 24 hours after booking (provided the stay is at least 60 days away).
No refund available once booking is confirmed
Notes from owner
Up to 4 dogs are welcome per booking and there is a £30 surcharge per dog.
There is also a security deposit of £1,000.
Please check with the property manager for full details on the terms and conditions for this property. 50% to book, balance paid 6 months before visit.
About this property
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