We have just come back from an enjoyable weekend in this lovely "Olde Worlde" guest house.
We had an evening meal which can only be described as superb....and we were offered "seconds" which frankly we wouldn't have had room for.
Super hosts....super cat and more Teddies than the Teddy bears picnic!!
Big thanks to the host.......
ps Try the Deli in Winchelsea....cake to die for..... and we don't even eat sweet things!!
It is home to the dwarfs and fairies and magic of England. Low knock you noggin beams. Thick mud and wattle walls. A tiny bit crooked and a lean here and there and the magic you saw in every illustrated child book you ever read. Admittedly our room had the smallest bathroom I have ever been in .. think of an airplane toilet with a shower squeezed in .. seriously! But manageable. Seriously. A cat that begs to be petted and the over stuffed furniture we see in Ms Marple tales. The hosts were made for the business and breakfast is superb. If you love the mysterious magic of England you must stay here.
We stayed for a Bank Holiday, never having been there before, and had the Hastings Room, part of a more modern conversion in a separate building from the rest of the house and ideal for my partner who is 6 foot 4 inches tall and struggles with typical Tudor-height ceilings. Had a private patio area overlooking the fields which was surprisingly quiet given the closeness to the main road, but if you are staying in any of the rooms in this annex, bring a torch as there is limited lighting from the main building and it's a bit lethal along the path between the two after dark. Make full use of the lounge in the main building - it has an honesty bar and if lucky, a rather friendly cat to curl up with so bring a book. We were disappointed that they were already full for Christmas as we would love to have returned then, but it's clearly a popular place which says it all really.
We paid a little more than we normally would for what is essentially a B&B, to find that our bedroom contained a reproduction four poster bed and the kind of "old " furniture that can be bought at Age Concern. The en-suite shower room was pokey and difficult to access - one had to side step a chimney breast to get in. We have lived in older houses all our lives, so appreciate the difficulties and limitations of conversion. However, at £150 a night, this was unexpectedly poor value.
We stayed for a weekend in Rye Bay Cottage - situated in the garden of Strand House. We had the 'Hastings Retreat Room'. It was very well appointed, comfortable and cosy with a lovely view over the fields (and lots of rabbits!). Obviously this is a modern building so doesn't have the quirkiness of the Strand rooms but it does have all mod cons and great comfort!
The owners, Mary & Hugh, are very nice people and really care about their guests. In fact, all the staff are excellent. Breakfast was very good, with a varied and tasty choice of food available.
The cost of a stay here is relatively high but you do get what you pay for - I have no hesitation in recommending the Strand for a very enjoyable and relaxing stay in this area. You will struggle to find better!
We arrived at Strand House at about 6pm after a terrible journey and were delighted to find a cold bottle of bubbly (complimentary as promised as the booking was to be a surprise for my wife) which we quaffed in the garden in the late evening sun. This reinvigorated us and set us up for the rest of the evening.
Strand House has its origins in the fourteenth century and has many charming features: low ceilings, narrow doors, beams, original fireplace. We were in the Tudor room which although not huge was bigger than many hotel rooms and certainly with more character and charm. Our bed was a four poster and very comfortable. The feature was the period stone fireplace part of which extended into the small bathroom.
Dinner was excellent and was the highlight of our stay. Our starter of smoked duck salad with a gooseberry sauce was delicious complimented by a selection of freshly baked bread. Our main of lamb cutlets, locally sourced, were tender and perfectly cooked in a delicious jus. There was a wide choice of fresh vegetables supplied by the owners' gardener. A very appealing Rioja was a perfect accompaniment, reasonably priced. We barely had room for our dessert of Eton mess but guess what, we managed! We adjourned to the lounge for coffee and mints. What a lovely evening.
After an early morning walk along the adjacent canal, we returned to be confronted with a wide variety of foods for breakfast. There is something for everyone. We plumped for orange juice, fresh fruit and the freshly cooked to order Sussex breakfast, eggs, bacon, sausage (all sourced locally) with Hugh's home made baked beans. Excellent.
We stayed for two nights. Our room was £150 night which may seem high for a b&b but compared to some hotels for the same price or more we felt it was excellent value. Our dinner was £38 each for three courses and given the quality of the food we had, extremely good value for money.
The owners are clearly people who know what they are doing, know what their customers want and do it very well.
