Rustic Comfort
Review Submitted: 04 May 2012
Date of Stay: April 2012
We recently relocated back to the UK after a stint abroad and rented the Barn for our first week back to act as our "base" while we moved into our new house a few miles away. Some friends, who are regular guests at the Barn, had recommended it to us and we had high expectations based on their descriptions. I have to say now that those expectations were, if anything, exceeded!
The Barn has been lovingly and painstakingly converted/furnished and, immediately upon entering, you are drawn into the cosy, welcoming atmosphere of the place. Ian and Denise have done a fantastic job with the conversion, especially with the subtle use of high-specification modern amenities designed for maximum comfort (super kitchen, underfloor heating, high-tech bi-folding patio doors, bathrooms etc), while maintaining the overall authentic, rustic feel of a barn setting (use of original timbers, tasteful brick and tilework, log burner etc). They also go out of their way to make guests feel welcome and we would thoroughly endorse the comments that others have made on this site in that respect.
As a result, the Barn quickly became our "home from home" and we had to literally drag ourselves away in the morning to go to our "real" home to carry on with the task of unpacking. Similarly, at the end of the day, we couldn't wait to come back to the luxury and comfort of the Barn and to sink into one of the two big leather sofas with a large glass of red wine. Our only regret was that it was never cold enough to warrant firing up the log burner as that would undoubtedly have taken the cosiness to a whole new level.
The Barn is great for families - certainly, our kids had a lovely time running around the garden, chasing rabbits and playing on the swings and the open-plan layout of the Barn itself means that there is enough room for them to tear about indoors too without the adults tripping over them. In terms of local facilities, Ian was kind enough to recommend a local restaurant in Shere which we greatly enjoyed and have visited on several occasions since.
Overall, we were delighted with our stay at the Barn and would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it to others.
Owner's Response: Wow,
What a review! Better than if we had written it ourselves.
We would like to thank Georgina and Toby for their comments. They were recommended by friends of theirs in Hong Kong who stayed with us last year and who will be staying later this year.
Our barn was perfectly located for their move to back to Surrey, and they were able to really focus on their unpacking without worrying about their usual domestic pressures.
We hope we see them again, and wish them and their family good luck in their new home.
Best Wishes, Ian & Denise
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