I love to get away with the family but with three
adult sized kids, it is becoming harder and harder to find an affordable option
that has enough flexibility to allow us all to be happy and relaxed. Air BnB
seems to have become our accommodation of choice. I can opt for a whole house,
with enough bedrooms and also choose the other factors that are important to
our family like good WiFi, easy parking and a garden.
We first stayed in one back in 2017, when we stayed at
the White House in Fakenham, then again earlier this year at Squirrel Court in Bradford and
recently we spent a few very pleasant days at Ro’s Place close to Whitstable in
Kent. This Air BnB only opened up in April this year, so it’s new to the market
and as such I thought I’d share about our stay there.
 |
| Just a few minutes walk from the house is the seafront |
Ro’s Place is located between Herne Bay and
Whitstable. We found it very easy to get to from the main A299 road that runs
through Thanet. We didn’t come across much traffic, no matter what time of day
and there are supermarkets, garages, drive-through, take-aways and restaurants
all within an easy walk or drive. The kids thought it was bliss that they could
cycle up to McDonald’s or KFC within a few minutes.
One day we travelled to Margate (16 miles) and this was about a
30 minute drive. Also easy to access are the major cities of Canterbury (7 miles) and
Rochester (32 miles).
What can you expect?
Ro’s place is a traditional 1970’s 3 bedroom house
with a private front and back garden. There is parking available on the drive
and also on the street in front of the house. The gardens are well kept but low
maintenance.
You go into a porch that leads through to an open plan
lounge/ diner and the stairs are in front of you. There is storage in the porch
for shoes, games and hangers for coats too.
Lounge/ Diner - is well appointed with a beach feel to it, decorated
in tones of grey. There is a comfy 3 seater sofa and 2 easy chairs as well as
lots of dining room chairs and a large table to seat 6. The TV worked well and
we had access to all the Freeview channels. We really enjoyed relaxing in this
space together. In the dining room there is a cabinet with games cupboard and
also stationary for you to use and borrow. There are loads of thoughtful
touches there.
Kitchen - has everything you need – cooker, microwave,
dishwasher, fridge/ freezer, toaster, kettle and even a Tassimo machine. It is
spacious and easy for a couple of people to work together in there. There is an
excellent selection of crockery, cutlery, glass wear and cooking equipment,
there wasn’t anything else we required. My only comment would be that it would
be good to leave one cupboard empty so there was someone for the guest to store
their food, rather than leaving it on the side which could get quite hot in the
sun, as there isn’t a blind.
The basics like tea/ coffee, sugar and salt, pepper
and oil are provided for you to use and we loved that there was ice in the
freezer and a pint of milk in the fridge so we could enjoy a cuppa on arrival.
There was even some Tassimo pods so we could have an extra special drink if we
fancied.
Utility Room - As well as the kitchen there is a utility room with
washer and dryer for you to use. The washing machine had a nice quick cycle
that worked well, but the door was a little temperamental. Fine when you gave it
a good push! All in this room are some games, tools for the BBQ and locks/
tools for the many bikes that are available for you to borrow during the course
of your stay.
Outside space – In the back garden you have quite a number of ladies,
men’s and children’s bikes available to borrow. This is just perfect as at the
end of the cul-de-sac is a walk through to the beach path and super long sea
wall, where many people cycle skate, job and walk.
There is also a large BBQ that you can buy charcoal
for and use, as well as a table with four seats, two sun loungers and a washing
line. The garden is a real sun trap later in the day.
The Bedrooms – as mentioned there are three bedrooms, a double, a
twin and a bunk bed room. In the twin room there are two single beds and a very
large wardrobe with both hanging and shelf space, as well as a bedside cabinet
and small lamp. In the bunk bed room, there is the bunk beds and a large set of
drawers. You’d need to use hanging space in another room. Lastly the double
room, has a double bed, 2 small bedside tables with lamps and a wardrobe with a
large drawer underneath. We had plenty enough storage for our three night stay
and it would have been fine for a week or more.
The beds are made on arrival and look inviting and
well-kept. We stayed during the hottest days of the year (in the 30’s) and had
winter duvets on the beds, but the hosts Sarah and Matthew quickly bought
summer lightweight duvets as soon as we mentioned this. We were very impressed
with their responsiveness and desire to offer a really great experience.
The kids all found their beds fine but if I’m honest
the double one was too soft for me and the pillows felt pretty cheap. If there
was one thing I’d personally improve on, it would be the quality of the
pillows. However saying that, I was comfortable, besides the level of heat,
which was not the hosts fault at all.
It’s probably worth me mentioning too that the
curtains in all the bedrooms are cream in colour and this means that the light
streams in from early during the summer, so if you’re a light sleeper this may
not suit you.
Bathroom/ Toilet – the toilet is separate and has a hand wash basin in
with it, so it is self-contained. The bathroom has a bath with overhead shower
and a large basin. There was plenty of toiletries provided and loads of nice,
soft grey towels. The only things missing were an anti-slip mat for the bath
and a bath mat for outside, I suspect they may be there now though as things
are continually improving.
What about the hosts?
I don’t think anything is too much trouble for the
hosts Sarah and Matthew, they really want to make your stay special and have a
desire to get things right. We arrived a bit earlier than the regular check-in
time of 3pm and they were very accommodating of letting us in early.
Matthew came to meet us personally, as they live just
around the corner and he took the time to show us how things worked, where
everything is and even how to get to the beach and where his house was if we
needed him.
Check-out time is 11am on the day of departure and it
was easy to tidy up and leave.
What did it cost?
We paid £346.44 for three nights stay for 5 of us (I
believe it is cheaper for 4 persons) and this included the Air BnB service fee. I see the price per night varies depending on the time of year you stay.
Conclusion
We’d stay here again without any thought, in the main
it had everything we needed and the location is really good and accessible to
loads of fun places to explore in Kent. The hosts are wonderful and there
really are many extra special touches like milk in the fridge when you arrive
and a few Tassimo pods so you can have a good coffee!
 |
| We definitely recommend the beach at sunset. This is Tankerton, about 5 minutes drive from the house |
Why not pin this post for later?
Disclosure: None necessary as we fully paid for our stay
ourselves. I have not been told what to write and I remain honest.