Hoy Cottage is described as “a truly exceptional architect-designed contemporary cottage” and it definately lives up to this. We arrived in Whitstable at 3.30pm on Friday afternoon (it took us an hour and a half from Brighton and would be similar from London) to be greeted by Hilary, the agent, who gave us a tour of the cottage which really is vital if you’re to understand the technical side of this gorgeous cottage; she showed us all the switches, buttons and numerous remote controls. One of the real luxuries of this property is that the fridge and larder are stocked with organic milk, butter, water, lager, a bottle of wine, bread, tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate biscuits, chocolate and most excitingly of all a Nespresso coffee machine which we loved!
The interiors are beautifully simple with fantastic attention to detail. The cottage has 3 bedrooms, one with a super king bed, one with 2 single beds and one with a single bed where you can also fit a cot. All bedrooms were very comfortable with luxurious white bedding. If you’re visiting with babies or toddlers your every need has been considered, there’s everything: travel cots & 1 full sized cot (all with bedding), monitor, buggy, baby bath, steriliser, toy box, hand blender, dvd’s, books, games, children’s table & 2 chairs, highchairs, beach sun tent, children’s cutlery & plates, potty & toilet training seat, garden games, changing mat, nappy bins, stairgates, bouncy chair, first aid kit, safety covers, catches & stops, bedrail and mattress protector. So as you can see, you could arrive with nothing and be perfectly set up – a real luxury!
The lounge is spacious and comfy and comfortably seats 5/6 people. There’s a flat screen TV with Sky+, DVD and a multi-zone digital musical system including an ipod dock. There’s a lovely garden room with glass doors leading out to the gorgeous decked garden which can be beautifully lit at night (not forgetting the remote controlled water feature!!). There’s under floor heating throughout, indoor and outdoor dining tables and also a steam room in the fabulous bathroom (with the largest bath I’ve ever been in!).
We were particularly lucky with the weather and had a sunny October weekend. Whitstable comes to life on the weekend and it’s lovely to wander along Harbour Street looking at the lovely shops and galleries. The beach is about a 30 second walk from the cottage and Jake, my 3 and a half year old, loved exploring and collecting shells. You can have great walks either left towards Seasalter or right towards Tankerton and Herne Bay. We also enjoyed walking round the working harbour where you can savour Whitstable’s famous oysters for 50p each. Canterbury is a short drive away and definitely worth a visit if you fancy shopping or seeing the stunning cathedral.
On the Saturday afternoon myself (5 months pregnant) and a friend (8 months pregnant) went to ‘PURE indulgence by the sea’ (01227 772176, www.purebythesea.com) to have a mother-to-be massage which was great. I would recommend any mum to escape there for an hour or two of indulgence.
I must mention ‘Windy Corner Stores’ one minute from the cottage which is a delight. It’s a shop/deli which sells an eclectic mix of produce, including delicious homemade cakes – you must check it out.
Also around the corner (behind the cottage) there is a green on Cornwallis Circle where there is a little playground which Jake loved.
The combination of Whitstable and Hoy Cottage create the perfect bolthole at any time of the year. Dawn and Chris have created a beautiful holiday home which I urge you to visit. For more information on Hoy Cottage go to www.babygoes2.com/g_uk_selfcat.asp#hoy or contact us to check availability or request a quote.
