A Stay at The Hollies

Recently, our ‘satellite review team’ enjoyed a stay at The Hollies Bed & Breakfast at Carrington House in Snettisham. This was their feedback;

“The Hollies is an impressive building, believed to have been built as a Dowry House for Snettisham Hall.

Historically, the house, which has doubled in size since it was originally built and has the distinction of having exactly the same profile from the front and back, was a girls school, a doctors surgery and most recently a successful Bed and Breakfast business.

The interior of the house is stunning in the use throughout of intricate wallpaper, furnishings and lighting (renowned interior designer Shaun Clarkson is co-owner and responsible for the incredible interior scenery).

On the ground floor there is a large dining room with a table that will seat sixteen (a massive feature mirror on the end wall), a television room with luxurious wallpaper (which we were told was originally from a hotel in Hollywood) and a sitting room decorated with similar high-style.

There are five bedrooms in The Hollies and a further three bedrooms in the adjoining cottage.

We stayed in The Trellis bedroom, an en-suite facing to the front of the House, which is decorated in a green trellis-patterned wallpaper with curtains to match. Deep pink soft furnishings and plenty of classical styling on the furniture make this a very striking and romantic room.

There is also a very grand bathroom and a cellar, set out for games and karaoke. Outside are pretty gardens and seating with a pergola under a large copper beech tree. You will also find a hot tub. There is parking for possibly five or six cars.

We received a warm welcome from Andrea when we arrived and were served with tea and coffee in the television room. The décor and furnishings in the bedrooms are all to a very high standard and the bed in the room that we used, the Trellis Room, was very comfortable indeed.  In the morning, we were served with a very enjoyable full English breakfast in the strikingly beautiful dining room.

We were delighted to be joined at breakfast by Paul Brewster, the co-owner of The Hollies/Carrington House. Paul is a Textile Designer and he told us the background to their business.

Paul works in London mostly, but comes to Norfolk at weekends. They originally bought Cliff Barns at Narborough, which is often used for corporate events along with accommodation (Paul mentioned that they were that week putting up 90 residents for a corporate event). They are also registered for weddings.

Carrington House can be booked in it’s entirety, but at times when it is not hired as a ‘whole house’, it lends itself very well to operate on a B&B basis. Hence The Hollies.

They have also bought a property in Hastings and one in Southern Ireland, which is now available for letting.

We asked about the theme of the décor and Paul said that Cliff Barns was inspired by the popular, long-running US soap opera, Dallas, while Carrington House was related to Dynasty (in other words, wonderfully decadent and over the top). He said the interiors are intended to be ‘larger-than-life’, so you wouldn’t necessarily choose the themes for your permanent home, but as a guest experience they offered something exotic and magical, which of course, holidays are meant to be.

While all the décor appears very luxurious and expensive, Paul explained that many of the furnishings and fittings were actually constructed from reclaimed materials. The table in the dining room was once Parquet flooring, for example. They work with a man who sprays extremely expensive supercars, and a lot of the furniture has been similarly sprayed and looks magnificent. Apparently the beds in the Bijou bedroom (one of the smaller bedrooms in between the Trellis and Versace bedrooms – ideal for children) are sprayed with Ferrari Red Paint (as in the exact red paint used on Ferraris). We like the way these little nuances give The Hollies a unique character above and beyond other ‘luxury’ or ’boutique’ style B&Bs.

We enjoyed our stay at The Hollies and would fully recommend it as a remarkable and lovely place to stay to enjoy the North Norfolk Coast. Location-wise, it is excellent. Sandringham is nearby and The Rose and Crown Pub is within 5 minutes walk, where they serve excellent food.

The Hollies is the ‘real deal’ when it comes to high-end, unique accommodation. These guys know their stuff. Yet, rather wonderfully, it is also completely unpretentious. Nothing has been overlooked in terms of comfort, from King Size beds with rich Egyptian cotton sheets to REN toiletries in the room. The Hollies is a real find.”

Rooms from £90 – £120 per night including breakfast.

The Hollies B&B at Carrington House.

12 Lynn Road, Snettisham, Norfolk, PE31 7LS.

Tel: 0870 850 5468.

Email: info@the-hollies.net

Website: the-hollies.net