Lots of our guests come and stay at a Sleeps12 large group holiday house to celebrate a special occasion; they gather together their best friends and closest family and bring them down to our luxury group accommodation in the West Country to celebrate in style. And what better way to do so than by tucking into a scrumptious top-notch feast created and cooked by a professional chef in the comfort of your big holiday house? We work with highly reputed caterers who will provide an outstanding service to our guests and we’d like to introduce you to the latest to join our ranks – Kitchen Consultant Chef, Joe Draper.

You know sometimes how you feel that something is so good you want to shout about it? Well, that’s us right now, after our visit to Coombe Farm Organic in Somerset. The Coombe Farm estate covers some 2,000 acres and has been farmed since the 1940’s; tucked away in a peaceful valley not far from Crewkerne, the landscape is one of lush pastures and rolling hills dotted with small copses.

We’re always looking for ways to make finding the perfect holiday home easier, so we keep an eye on what people are searching for when they use the internet to help them find the ideal large group holiday accommodation. We’ve noticed ‘house sleeping 20 with pool’ cropping up a number of times so we’ve got our behind the scenes team on to it, helping to make finding and booking that dream holiday house hassle free.

It’s always best to find large self catering accommodation if you’re planning a holiday or a weekend away with a big group. It’s just so much easier than a hotel, so much more relaxed, and you don’t have to share your space with anyone else – with strangers, which, let’s face it, isn’t what you want, especially if you’re looking to have a few days away celebrating a big birthday or an anniversary with the special people in your life.

Sleeps 12 have a lot of large group holiday homes in Somerset. Tell you why; apart from the fact that we live here, it’s one of the most popular parts of the West Country for holidays and the draw is understandable. It’s not just the beautiful countryside, the picturesque villages with centuries old thatched cottages and the busy little market towns where farmers sell their wares, but it’s also the pace of life – it all slows down a bit, things drop a gear or two, and that’s part of the charm.

We’ve noticed that we’re getting a lot of enquiries lately for cottages for large groups with a hot tub, and we were talking about it in the office, trying to pinpoint why. We concluded that there’s no particular reason, just that sometimes we all need a break from the hectic pace of modern life – you know, work, the school run, the washing, the ironing, the gardening, it goes on and on, and sometimes you just want to escape to somewhere where you don’t have to think about any of those things. A holiday in the country with a group of friends or family helps you to unwind, especially if there’s a lovely warm hot tub for you to have a soak in.

Our photographer’s been out to Frog Street this week, to capture the essence of this Somerset holiday house following a significant revamp from its former days as a successful B&B. And wowsers, what a result! As you can see from the pics, this big holiday cottage for 12 (plus 2 more at an additional charge per person) is a wonderful blend of gorgeous interiors and traditional country charm, and with a hot tub, 5m swim spa, BBQ lodge, play area and games room it’s got everything you need for any large group stay.

Where’s Spring gone then? Just when it looked like it had taken centre stage it’s gone all cold and blustery again! It’ll pick up of course but It goes to show that you can’t rely on the English weather and that’s why if you’re planning a holiday in the UK for 8-30 people it’s always wise to find large group holiday homes with indoor swimming pools. Add to that games rooms, covered hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms and you’ve got it covered; it matters not if the sun has got his hat on or not, you’ll all be fine.

This year kicked off with a big event in our family – my father’s 70th birthday; he wanted to mark the occasion by doing something that meant a lot to him – a celebration but not a party. “You can rent big houses for family celebrations” he said. “Let’s do that, let's all have a weekend away together. My treat.” The task of finding the perfect place to stay was left to my siblings and me, but with Sleeps 12 it was a doddle.

So Spring has officially sprung! It might still seem a bit gloomy out there but look around and you’ll see there’s so much going on – birds are busy nesting, the trees are starting to come into leaf, flowers are pushing up and bursting into bloom, and there are clouds of blossom in the hedgerows and in gardens everywhere. It always seems a bit of a struggle from the dark days of December to now, but next weekend the clocks go back so the days will be longer, and soon it will be Easter - a great time of year to get together with a group of family or friends and enjoy a large group holiday in the country.