As befits a property in the centre of an artisan flower business, the planting’s beautifully done, framing the terrace where you’ll eat al-fresco in the sunshine with shish kebabs from the coal barbecue and finish off the last drops of the Prosecco at night under the stars.
Burn off some energy and enjoy some friendly competition with family and friends on the playing fields, set up with football goals for your fun. Children will spend hours clambering and winging at the playground. And then take a towel out there for impromptu dips in the seven-seater hot tub.
Inside, life revolves around the central cooking, dining and living space. Warmed by burning logs on the woodburner and lit by spotlights, it’s cool, contemporary and classy. Pick a squishy sofa – any squishy sofa – and settle back in front of the 58” smart TV. Don’t forget your Netflix login.
But where would The Flower Barn be without a USP? Here, the clue’s in the name. There’s a flower-growing business on site and a studio room given over to crafts. If you’re up for it, you’ll be invited to take part in flower picking and crafting with Anna, the resident qualified florist. Or why not book the studio for other onsite activities?
Bring your friends, bring your family, bring a couple of dogs – they’ll love the fire – and see if there’s a latent flower-arranger inside any of you. When you’re done with that, you can post your crafty picture to Instagram on the full fibre-to-barn BT broadband that whistles around the place at around 90mbs.
Do they build dining tables big enough for your party? They do here. Eat and drink with your friends and family around the chunky hunk of oak in the middle of the living space. You’ve another ten chairs if you need them. Or eat out on the terrace in the sunshine with sticky ribs and sausages from the coal barbecue.
If you fancy subcontracting the catering, we’ve got the private chefs who’ll create all things from a buffet to a banquet on the two electric fan ovens and five-ring induction hob, and then load up the dishwashers afterwards. Book anything from a one-off celebration to a fully catered break. Or just enjoy some delicious drop-offs.
Tuck in to takeaways from Golden Valley Chinese, kebabs, pizza, burgers and fried chicken from the Leaning Tower of Pizza, and good old fish and chips from Queens. Stock up on local fruit, beer and bakery products from Broomsfield’s of Holt, and cheese, meat and more from the Top Barn Harvest Shop.
Eat out at The Vernon for Thai green veg curry or steak-and-ale pie or The Chequers for stonebaked pizza or Cornish slow-cooked shoulder of lamb. Head to All’Angelo for seasonally driven Italian, to Bullocks Bistro for Thai, or to Spice Fusion for exquisite, flavoursome Asian artisan cuisine in an intimate and ambient setting.
The Flower Barn sleeps 22 in the main barn with two more in the annex. In rural Worcestershire, there’s little to get in the way of deep slumber except the call of the night owls and the wind that trickles through the trees.
On the ground floor, bedroom one is a king and bedrooms three and four are doubles, while bedroom two is a twin. Bedroom one is a luxury en-suite, bedroom two has a private bathroom and three and four share a bathroom.
On the first floor, you’ll find three double bedrooms, a twin and the family suite bunk room which has a double and two sets of bunkbeds, perfect for a family to share. With bedrooms five, six, seven and nine enjoying an en-suite. An annex sleeps two more and six of the rooms will take a cot.
No need to leave anyone at home in this huge barn conversion in rural Worcestershire. So kids will be surrounded by 22 of their nearest and dearest, including two of their four-legged best friends. Maybe get them involved in a new hobby? Book a flower-arranging or wreath-making class with Anna.
Older kids will enjoy a dip in the seven-person hot tub and there’s plenty of lawn out there for picnics, cartwheels and general malarkey as well as a playground, and playing fields with football goals for the sporty bunch. In the evening, sit out with the grown-ups on the terrace table and stare at the stars while you munch your burgers from the coal barbecue.
Back inside, there’s plenty space and plenty bedrooms (nine) in which to wear each other out over hide and seek. And there are spaces here to be as sociable as you like or to retreat a while with drawing books or headphones. Get a grown-up to get the woodburner going, then cosy up with the 58” smart TV and your Netflix account.
Stream and surf on the 90Mbs full fibre-to-barn BT broadband. At night, stay up way past bedtime on the army of squishy sofas, then sleep deeply in crisp cotton sheets in twin rooms and bunks. Two cots with linen and two high chairs are available for younger children.
