Hot tub, gardens and grounds
The Chatterbox pinches 14 acres of Constable country close to the Suffolk coast at Halesworth. Gardens here are a rural revelation, a picture-perfect vision of peace painted in fields, orchards, meadows and woodlands.
Walk the walled gardens, stare at stars from the hot tub, let the dog off the leash (but not out of sight). Practise morning yoga on the stone mosaic carpets laid on the red-brick floor, or just sip your coffee with the treetop morning chorus. Watch out for deer.
Load up at the farmers’ market and sear your steaks in the country air on the coal barbecue or slide your pizzas into the outdoor oven. Propose a picnic out by the ponds where willows weep into the water, or just propose to your partner, as one guest did.
Nip down the lane with your clubs to the nearby golf course (yes, it’s that close) and tee off a friendly tournament before retreating to their top notch onsite restaurant.
Living spaces
Toes toasty warm? That’ll be the underfloor heating, part of an eco-friendly masterplan that also includes a ground-source heat pump and solar-panel heat-recovery system. A stay at The Chatterbox is as green as the gardens that arc away deep into the East Anglian countryside.
Inside, this is a home as Grand Designs as any Kevin McCloud has ever exulted over. It’s a contemporary dream with walled glass, bifold doors that catch the changing seasons, and a striking curved wall made of Siberian Douglas Fir. And yet, it’s a house that never forgets to have a heart.
The Chatterbox feels like a family home. Drop your dirty shoes in the boot room. Warm your toes in the main sitting room around the dual-sided log-burning stove. Catch TV in the mezzanine with the elevated country views. Then head up to the master bedroom for the three-seat hammam.
Cooking and dining
The stunning kitchen’s fully fitted, so don’t think you can take it home with you. It comes with electric oven and grill, induction hob, microwave, dishwasher and fridge/freezer, which you can fill from supermarkets in Saxmundham, Emmett’s butchers, and The Crab and Oyster in Halesworth.
Eat around the long table in the vaulted kitchen/diner with logs ablaze in the burner. Or head out into the Suffolk sunshine for a barbecue on the terrace by the pond, or pizza from the al-fresco oven. Pair your meals with wines from Adnam’s in Southwold. If you want to get out of the kitchen, our pro chefs can stand the heat.
For a lovely beer garden and great pub grub, get down to the Queen’s Head in Bramfield. Consider The Star Inn at Wenhaston for friendly service over a plate of sea bass, mash and samphire, and a glass of golden ale. Or try Laxfield Low House, for a big garden, summer events, grazing boards and three-bean chilli.
Shooting a round? The 19th at Halesworth for roast dinners and chunky chips. Head to The Ship at Dunwich for Hereford brisket and bone-marrow beefburger or dressed Cromer crab. Or book well ahead for the multi-awarded Unruly Pig, for British-Italian gastro and menus that change monthly.
Bedrooms
Peace and tranquillity reign supreme here on the edge of Constable country. Willows do their weepy thing into lily-laden ponds and the breeze ripples gently through the boughs. The Chatterbox sleeps ten in five bedrooms with little prospect of interruption.
The wheelchair-friendly ground-floor master comes with beautiful views across the garden, sumptuous kingsize bed, quadruple wardrobes and an en-suite steam room for three. And bedroom two is a tranquil superking size with dressing table and en-suite featuring a walk-in rainfall shower.
Bedroom three provides twin beds, dressing table and double wardrobe. Bedroom four offers zip-and-link flexibility, dressing table and triple wardrobe. And en-suite bedroom five comes with great views and a deluxe superking.
Virtual Tour
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.
What people say
Birds, llamas and dinosaurs
Walk 500 metres to shoot 18 holes at Halesworth, then shoot clay at High Lodge Leisure, or see real birds at RSPB Minsmere. Ride the Suffolk coast by RIB on Coastal Voyager. Catch some culture at Snape Maltings. Enjoy family fun at Easton Farm Park, a dinosaur day at ROARR!, or llama walks at Camel Park Oasis.
