You don’t have to travel far for a fabulous holiday. Rowan Mantell enjoys an exquisite retreat complete with a canine supermodel
A basket of eggs sat on the doorstep, multi-coloured and as fresh and beautiful as the morning itself.
It was the kind of cute touch which made staying at Old Hall an absolute delight.
Pausing only to carefully stash the eggs in the kitchen (a wonder of ultra-modern appliances set in reclaimed wood and stone, of which more later) we walked around the glorious Stable Cottage where we had spent an extravagantly luxurious night, past the actual stables, home to actual horses and donkeys, around their paddocks and along a winding woodland path.
We could have sat down to play chess at the board set among the trees, or watched for birds flickering in and out of bird boxes, before continuing to the orchard to greet the family of pygmy goats and flock of multicoloured chickens (a little late to collect their eggs.)
Our morning wander took us back through the beautiful garden surrounding Old Hall in Tilney All Saints, west of King’s Lynn.
Guests can stay in a wing of the hall itself, or two equally exquisitely restored and equipped adjoining cottages.
Owners Gil Morais and Philip Elliott live in the other wing of thatched Old Hall, built in 1553 for Baron Tilney, after whom several local villages are named. The hall glows across a landscape of low-lying fields and lanes beneath that huge west Norfolk sky, its bricks mellowed to pink, windows glinting with history.
Gil and Phil’s hunt for their perfect rural home featured the BBC’s Escape to the Country. A second programme revisited them after they had found Old Hall.
‘We wanted to move to the country and run our own business offering self-catering accommodation,’ said Gil, who grew up in Brazil and moved first to New York and then London for jobs in international banking. Philip still works as an educational improvement consultant after a career in teaching – but has been able to buy a horse and get back to eventing, the equestrian sport combining dressage, cross-country and show jumping.
Guests can even bring their own horses. Many bring dogs – who are provided with dog beds, blankets, treats and toys.
‘People come from London with their children because they love seeing the country life. Guests can help collect the eggs; all the kids can get involved with the animals,’ said Gil. These include dogs Humphrey and Hattie, horses Finn and Dave, donkeys Daphne and Dorothy, plus the goats and hens.
‘I wanted to leave the busy city life and have a different kind of life. I had always lived in big cities, San Paolo, New York, London. Now its Tilney,’ said Gil. ‘I love what I’m doing now. Our days are very long, we get up at 5.30 in the morning and don’t finish until late so it’s not quiet but I like being part of the community. We work very closely with a lot of local businesses.
‘It’s self-catering but we do it differently. We have chefs, we have well-being therapists. It’s very different from normal self-catering.’
Old Hall is set in six acres of land and guests can enjoy its grounds and garden as well as the remarkable attention to detail evident in every fixture and furnishing of the accommodation.
Stable Cottage has been created using recycled wood and stone, much of it from the Netherlands.
It’s the first time I’ve seen a hallway with a cobbled floor and it’s wonderful. It opens into a huge, beamed, double-height living area, light flooding through a vast window. Look up and the mezzanine bedroom floats into view, in front of a freestanding copper bath up in the eaves on more of those cool stone cobbles.
The little touches which spell out dreamy luxury include a laden cake-stand on the kitchen counter, a free-standing wood burner (and basket of wood), a mix of antique chests and gloriously comfortable modern sofas, a huge wooden table, tapestries on the walls, a double rainfall drench shower downstairs with a basin fashioned from reclaimed wood and stone, the almost obligatory white fluffy bath robes, ornate mirrors, lights and lamps and simple, stylish kitchenware.
“What our guests always say is that this is not just a self-catering accommodation it is much more than that; it is an experience,” said Gil. “We wanted something unique and sustainable and rustic so have used a lot of handmade and reclaimed materials. Animal feeders for the kitchen sink, reclaimed wood for the counters, the flooring is all handmade.”
As they created and perfected Old Hall Country Breaks Gil and Phil unleashed such a flair for interior design, and discovering exactly the right suppliers, that they recently launched their newest business, Old Hall Interiors.
And while the accommodation is self-catering, there is also an in-house Thai chef on hand to cook for guests and a pastry chef and chocolatier on call. Afternoon tea can be served in the historic hall. There are picnic hampers and beach bags for excursions and visitors who come without their own horse can borrow bicycles to explore. The private garden in front Stable Cottage was set up with a hammock and rugs and candles for our arrival. The romance of the place is palpable.
It has been awarded five stars, with an additional gold award, by Visit England, and the East of England Tourism Award for customer excellence – and no wonder. It is like staying in an especially luxurious and exclusive hotel, owned by delightful friends who are happy to share their chef and gardens, design genius and local tips, but also allow guests the privacy of their own (fabulous) space.
oldhallcountrybreaks.co.uk
