Burrow Retreat sits within a half-acre slice of Somerset. It’s as English as it gets. The striped lawns are primed for croquet or cricket, the oak trees sway gently against the big skies, and the landscaped gardens seem to cry out for a picnic and a Pimm’s.
Fire up the gas barbie and feed 16 or so out on the terrace, walk the grounds before dinner, chase your dog across the lawn, live the good life in the grand English manner.
At night, pile into the two eight-man hot tubs, sip Prosecco and watch shooting stars from another time and another dimension.
This is a world of vast spaces, old oak beams and latched doors, with flagstone floors a treat to pad over barefoot. Pick from three reception rooms, each cosier and more homely than the last. Burrow Retreat is home from the time of Shakespeare but the entertainment is much more 21st century.
Choose from four smart TVs, two of which sit in the immense Inglenook fireplaces, ready to serve up a match or a movie streamed on Netflix. Set up the soundtrack to your stay through the Bluetooth TV soundbars. Broadband whistles around the place at 200mbps. It’s all far from ancient history.
Choose to be together in the main lounge, or split off for a little reading or gaming in the snug. For breakaway factions, the reading lounge is ready and waiting with alternative TV channels. Sofas are deep and welcoming, the ambience is warm and the memories are waiting to be made.
If you want to prepare it all yourself beneath the oak beams on the granite chopping boards, you’ve got two electric ovens and two hobs. Alternatively, let our chefs step in for a fully catered break or just a one-off celebration. Put your feet up; get your lips around some Burrow Hill cider.
Pick up essentials from the Hambridge Village Stores – stay for a pizza, a latte and a slice of Rocky Road. Keep the party fed with a BBQ box or salmon side delivered from Brown and Forrest’s family-run smokery. Keep everyone merry with a Malbec or Prosecco from Majestic Wine in Taunton.
You’ll get 18 around the chunky dining table beneath the oak beams in the open-plan kitchen, or head outdoors to the sunken terrace to smoke meat and fish in the Somerset sunshine. Going out? Try some gastro at the Lamb and Lion (subsidised minibus trip possible) or homemade fresh fare at the Firehouse in Langport.
Head into Taunton for pizza and pasta at Ciao Amore, seafood at Blue Ocean, Indian at Guddi and Gikki, or Chinese at Mei’s Buffet Restaurant. There’s local cuisine on offer at Silver’s Pantry and The Bank, and scones, cakes, tea and coffee at Rumwell Farm or Jenny’s.
Burrow Retreat sleeps 16 with a sofa bed, or 17 with a Z-bed by request.
Seven bedrooms come with oak floors, high beams and 24” TVs, perfect for long, lazy lie-ins.
Bedroom one is a kingsize with its own bathroom just outside. Bedrooms two and three offer twin single beds and a shared bathroom. Bedroom four is a king with luxury en-suite, while bedroom five is also a king with sofa bed and en-suite.
Bedroom six offers a kingsize bed and shares a bathroom with bedroom seven, which comes with three single beds. You’ll sleep deeply on luxury sprung and memory-foam mattresses, sandwiched between crisp cotton sheets. Two towels per person are offered as standard.
Gone are the days when the only way to view a house was solely by way of poring over flat and sometimes confusing floor plans. With the emergence of 360-degree video we have an exciting new way of being introduced to the layout of a house.
With a few clicks you can be leisurely making your way through living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens and bathrooms – the whole house in all its beauty waiting for you to step on in for an effortless and insightful virtual tour.
