Shires - Accommodation
When you turn off the main road and head down the lane to Shires it's like a different world, with staggering views of the East Devon countryside. Down at the bottom of the hill turn into the courtyard and straight ahead of you is Shires. This is where your holiday begins, where you start to unwind. This timber-clad contemporary holiday house has its own heat source pump for heating and hot water and is the bees knees when it comes to access friendly holidays; there's a lift, removable hoists, a fully accessible bedroom with an en suite wet room, and level flooring throughout the ground floor.
You enter Shires via the games room where there's a pool table and table football; continue through to the snug where colourful sofas invite you to put your feet up and chill out. Off the snug is a hallway with stairs and fully accessible Bedroom 4, which has been so thoughtfully designed it can even have an elevating bed, and a hoist in place for emergency escape. The ensuite wet room is fully kitted out and allows for care givers to assist with bathing.
Beyond the snug is the big open plan kitchen-diner with huge sliding doors opening onto the patio and views that stretch for miles. To the left is a very swish and well-equipped kitchen, to the left there’s a chunky dining table that seats 14 people comfortably - and check this out; up above you a lighting tube runs around the room and gives you flexibility to change the colour and the mood in an instant! What a setting for those celebratory dinners - birthdays, anniversaries, etc! Book professional caterers to come in and do the cooking (see Extras), make a real occasion of it.
On from the dining area another hallway leads to Bedroom 5, which has been designed to work as a caregiver's room, with a built-in intercom to Bedroom 4. A staircase leads to Bedroom 6 and the hallway continues round to the movie room which has THX surround sound, a 75" TV with Sky Q and a games console. Off the movie room is a utility room with a washer and dryer, and a door that leads along a corridor to the spa hall, which has a coded lockable door for safety.
And WOW. There's a heated infinity pool with built-in LED lighting, a sunken hot tub, a sauna, changing rooms, shower and WC. Again, the accessibility has been very well thought out with a hoist that can be installed to lower patient and caregiver gently into the hot tub, so no one is missing out. Right in front of the hot tub ginormous bi-fold doors pull back so you can bring the sunshine in and step out onto the decking whenever you want to. Privacy glass on the yard side means you can see out perfectly but no-one can see in.
Upstairs from the hall/snug are Bedrooms 1-3, all with zip and link beds (super king or twin); Bedroom 1 has an ensuite shower room, Bedrooms 2 and 3 have shared used of a bathroom with a bath and separate shower. These rooms all have breath taking views across the valley and French doors that open onto the glass fronted roof terrace. Being south facing, this is the perfect spot for alfresco lunches and for sunbathing. The other staircase takes you to Bedroom 6; this room has an ensuite shower room and is great for families as besides the zip and link beds there are 2 extra guest beds available (charged per person).
The large gardens are at the back of the house; right outside the kitchen/dining room there’s a patio, and round to the side, a lift to take wheelchair users and the less able bodied up to the sun terrace. The rest of the garden is laid to lawn, so there’s plenty of room for fun and games; the young ‘uns will love the play area and football goals, and if the weather turns just head for the Scandinavian style BBQ lodge to snuggle in warm reindeer hides beneath the twinkly lights. Book now!