5 minutes into exploring for our evaluation of Shell Home in Bournemouth, my daughter turned to me and requested significantly if the homeowners may promote for one million kilos – not a nasty first response to our weekend break, a style of luxurious self-catering in Bournemouth with youngsters.
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Alas, neither she nor I’ve one million kilos mendacity round however thankfully a keep at this five-bedroom home prices loads lower than that – plus you’re solely a brief stroll from Bournemouth seafront and seaside, in addition to it being a fantastic base to discover Dorset.
As a result of this vacation home is an actual gem for a household break by the seaside – learn on to see my full evaluation of Shell Home Bournemouth to find why.
Shell Home Bournemouth evaluation: Important statistics
A part of the small Seashore Hideaways assortment, the Shell Home is considered one of two properties providing luxurious self-catering in Bournemouth – the opposite, The Seashore Home, sleeps as much as 20.
The Shell Home has 5 bedrooms and usually sleeps as much as 12, though there’s an possibility so as to add two additional beds and sleep 14.
There are three bogs as properly – two en-suite and one household toilet – plus a rest room downstairs, a small backyard space, together with well-equipped kitchen, lounge and eating room.
It’s dog-friendly in addition to child-friendly, if you wish to carry your (well-behaved) four-legged good friend.
There’s no parking on the property itself, though there’s a carpark a few minutes stroll away which prices £11.50 per day. You possibly can guide in 24-hour slots on Ringgo, and there isn’t a no return coverage, so that you simply want to recollect to begin a brand new parking session as quickly as the primary one runs out.
There may be additionally some on-street parking close by if you could find an area, however do verify the restrictions. Alternatively, Bournemouth station is round 5-10 minutes away by automotive, with a number of points of interest in strolling distance of Shell Home.
Shell Home Bournemouth: self-catering with youngsters
The very first thing you discover as you stroll in to the Shell Home is how trendy it’s. In all places you flip, there’s one other eye-catching element, an expensive contact, an decoration to covet.
Normally in case you guide a luxurious self-catering property, there’s one thing I want I might carry dwelling with me – a bit of artwork maybe, or in a single case an enormously mushy sheepskin rug. I feel the Shell Home could be the primary time the place I’ve wished I might packed the complete contents of the home into my suitcase although!
There’s clearly been an enormous quantity of thought gone into the renovation of this Bournemouth home, from the necessities within the kitchen to the design particulars within the bed room, the color scheme, even the selection of paintings on the partitions.
After a two-hour drive from west London, and a brief stroll from the close by automotive park, letting ourselves in had gone with out a hitch – the check-in particulars had been emailed over earlier that day.
However being greeted by a sequence of welcome treats is at all times an added bonus – a basket within the kitchen was crammed with biscuits, crisps and chocolate, whereas a bottle of rose prosecco rested within the eating room on a gold octopus holder (which caught my eye simply as a lot because the fizz!)
Tempting although it was to sit down straight down in one of many comfortable seats, open the prosecco and put my ft up, there was much more to discover.
Downstairs, the lounge has two enormous squashy cream sofas, all dotted with throws and cushions, and a sequence of little tables tucked within the center.
As we wandered over to take a look at the TV and among the different ornaments on the little tables and partitions, we found there’s even a small passageway operating parallel to the corridor which takes you again by means of to the kitchen.
The 2 armchairs within the kitchen truly grew to become considered one of our favorite spots, with the spring sunshine streaming in and just a little desk subsequent to one of many armchairs for a drink and considered one of our welcome treats.
The kitchen itself has all the things you may want – multiplied by a dozen. Searching by means of cabinets and cabinets, I additionally got here throughout a gold cocktail shaker and matching ice bucket, an ornamental vase which appeared to have been impressed by octopus tentacles, and a few fairly glass plates, for starters.
Fairly other than all the sensible stuff, plates, mugs, glasses galore (together with for white and purple wine, beer, cocktails and who is aware of what else), saucepans, cutlery, chopping boards, sieves, wood spoons…
Definitely there was nothing that we wanted that we couldn’t discover: the fridge had milk and orange juice in too, plus there was tea, sugar and low pods for the Lavazza machine, in addition to numerous different odds and ends.
The home is equally stocked with dishwasher tablets and fundamental cleansing provides as properly, together with binbags and washing up liquid.
The oven had no difficult settings and whereas the dishwasher was barely temperamental the primary time we used it, even that didn’t trigger us any issues.
In actual fact, there’s a lot within the kitchen, that I utterly failed to identify one other cabinet for a number of hours – opening it, it turned out to include a canine bowl and treats, numerous tins and different odds and ends.
Past that, the eating room was already set for 2, though you possibly can simply match 12 individuals on the benches across the desk for a giant household meal.
The bathroom is tucked away on the again, whereas the doorways open onto the little backyard, with one other desk, additional chairs and a barbecue for good climate.
The garden is astroturf, so that you received’t be as much as your knees in mud in case you’re unfortunate sufficient to be staying after heavy rain both.
By this level, we had been already totally received over, earlier than even exploring the bedrooms.
Throughout our keep, the additional bedrooms had been locked so I didn’t get to peek inside, however there are two additional rooms with king beds (every with area for an extra roll-out mattress), and one other with king mattress and two single bunk beds.
Nonetheless beautiful they’re, I nonetheless assume we got here off properly, with a four-poster mattress and en-suite toilet in every.
The primary had a mushy purple color scheme, in addition to loads of the – by now anticipated – luxurious particulars, together with seaweed-themed artwork mirroring among the items on the steps and within the hallway.
The second, in the meantime, had jungle print artwork and a inexperienced color theme, with curtains drawn again across the four-poster king measurement mattress.
And, like Goldilocks, I attempted each to search out out which king measurement mattress was juuuust proper. With squashy pillows, and a stunning supportive mattress, I slept superbly in every.
Each en-suite bogs had a rainhead bathe over a shower (plus a handheld bathe, so it pays to show the knob the fitting manner except you need to be unintentionally sprayed whenever you change it on!) and a few beautiful Noble Isle toiletries.
There’s loads of area in your personal toiletries across the sink too – considered one of my largest bugbears is when there’s room for a toothbrush and never a lot else.
Plus a separate household toilet on the highest flooring with twin sinks and a walk-in bathe, so even if in case you have extra individuals staying, there shouldn’t be a lot of a wait within the mornings!
As ever, it’s the little particulars which set the entire place aside – starfish knobs on the drawers, shells dotted round, seaweed paintings, vegetation (largely synthetic however the type that are so convincing, it’s a must to rub the leaves to verify).
It’s not arduous to see why my daughter fancied proudly owning the Shell Home and residing right here completely!
So are there any downsides? Fairly truthfully, not many. You do have to think about the price of parking on high of the keep, and in case you’re planning an extended go to than our weekend break self-catering in Bournemouth, it’s value dropping the baggage off by the home in case you can.
The stroll is barely brief, nevertheless it’s barely uphill – we had no bother however solely wanted to carry sufficient for a few days quite than a fortnight by the ocean.
The streets close by aren’t at all times essentially the most picturesque a part of Bournemouth both, nevertheless it’s a trade-off we had been completely satisfied to make for its comfort.
Solely a brief stroll to the West Cliff zigzag path main down from the clifftop to the seaside, you’ve acquired seven miles of sand to get pleasure from, in addition to supermarkets and loads of locations to eat inside strolling distance as properly.
You might be on the Bournemouth Oceanarium in lower than quarter-hour, in addition to the pier, whereas it’s solely round 20 minutes to the Alum Chine tropical gardens within the different path. If you’re driving, you might be at Poole in round 20 minutes too.
On gloriously sunny days, it’s tempting to spend your complete time on the sand or out on the water. However on a cloudy March weekend, I wasn’t sorry to be spending time indoors.
With our fish and chips on among the ornamental plates, a fantastic evening’s sleep forward, and loads of locations to twist up and chill out, this explicit style of Bournemouth self-catering with youngsters is definitely probably the most trendy methods to benefit from the seaside.
Guide the Shell Home: luxurious self-catering in Bournemouth
You possibly can guide Shell Home immediately through the Beachhideaways web site (in addition to the Seashore Home in case you’re searching for someplace larger).
The property can also be accessible on different web sites together with reserving.com.
For extra concepts of one of the best issues to do in Bournemouth with youngsters, try my high picks in addition to concepts of issues to do in Dorset with youngsters and concepts for Dorset within the rain with youngsters
Disclosure: My keep at Shell Home Bournemouth was free for the needs of evaluation – all opinions stay my very own (and my daughter’s). This put up incorporates affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I’ll obtain a small fee
Seashore picture courtesy of Depositphotos, all different photos copyright MummyTravels
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