The Summer House

Birdham, West Sussex | Sleeps 14 | Bedrooms 8 | Parking: Yes | Wi-Fi: Yes

From £830 (low season) to £985 (high season) per night (minimum stay 3-7 nights)

Description

The Summer House is the most perfect place to assemble a group of family & friends; well-located, stylish, and with a wealth of things to see and do. 

Just a few minutes drive from the beautiful beaches of East and West Wittering, yet also within easy reach of Chichester, Goodwood, and the South Downs Way. A country house, yet with a deeply modern, clean, fresh vibe. And a home that easily accommodates large groups of up to 14, but still feel spacious and relaxed. The Summer House may be just too good to leave. 

Situated in the small village of Birdham, and with 1.3 acres of garden, The Summer House has been beautifully and thoughtfully renovated to the highest of standards. Always the heart of the home, even on holiday, the kitchen here is vast and equipped with everything you could need to cater for large numbers, including a bank of eye-level ovens and a large breakfast bar and seating area, perfect for pre-dinner cocktails or for making sure the chef doesn’t feel left out! The adjoining dining room seats 14 and could be the venue for some very glamorous get-togethers. Meanwhile the ‘Blue room’ offers games, books and a log burner so is the perfect space in which to gather or escape. The Summer House even boasts a cinema room.

The bedrooms are light, bright, and beautifully appointed. Each is decorated in a restful base palette of whites and light greys, but made individual with zingy yellows, bright blues and furnished with carefully chosen furniture. The bedlinen and towels are five star. There are five superking bedrooms and a single rooms upstairs, and a further single and super king downstairs bedroom that is complete with an en suite wet room that has full disabled access. There are three further luxurious bathrooms, one also en suite.  

Outside the sunny, south facing garden is a quiet, heavenly place to relax and enjoy the south coast sunshine – with numerous outdoor lounging and dining areas, a hot tub, and even a secure child-friendly space with trampoline and outdoor table tennis table. 

Everywhere you look there is another example of the owner’s incredible attention to detail; a rocking chair here, a bookshelf there, a lamp to create just the right kind of mood lighting, or a handy place to put your glass of fizz. All you need do is gather the perfect company, relax and enjoy it.

Features

Children: Children of all ages are welcome and a travel cot and high chairs can be provided on request.

Dogs: One dog is permitted with prior arrangement, two may be considered.

Welcome hamper: A welcome hamper of local produce is provided for each stay.

Garden: Enclosed garden as well a hot tub, table tennis, trampoline, BBQ as well as comfortable outdoor seating.

Breakages deposit: A refundable breakage deposit of £450 is added to the balance of your payment and returned one week after your stay.

Parking: There is ample car parking in the drive for 6 cars

Longer stays: For stays of 7 or more nights, a discount will be given.

Check in: 3.30pm

Check out: 10.30am

Location

Just two hours from London, the sleepy village of Birdham is tucked in a very convenient location, between Chichester and the Witterings on the coast – with Bosham, Itchenor and Chichester Harbour next door and the Goodwood Estate just 20 minutes drive away. The closest station is Chichester, and airports are Gatwick (1.5 hours) or Southampton (1 hour). So you should have no problem assembling a weekend party, and have plenty to do when you arrive!  

Things to do

The owners of The Summer House have thoughtfully curated an incredible range of experiences (courtesy of local businesses), some of which are available without ever having to leave the house! Fitness fanatics will be spoilt for choice, with personal training to private yoga lessons. After the hard work is done, relax with a beauty treatment or massage. The Summer House can even organise your own private wine tasting, too. Or take to the beach and get active with SUP, windsurfing, kitesurfing or horse riding.
Only slightly further afield, there is sailing at Bosham or Itchenor, and a whole range of things to see and do in the beautiful city of Chichester. History buffs will love discovering the city’s Roman past through the Novium Museum and Fishbourne Roman Palace, while those more interested in modern culture will love the Pallant House Gallery of modern art and Chichester Festival Theatre – both world-class. The Goodwood Estate offers motorsport, horse-racing, golf, and an aerodrome, with a plethora of events through the year.

Food & drink

Whether your preference is for relaxed waterside dining or something more formal, this area has plenty to offer. Pick up the surf vibes with your pancakes and coffee at the Drift-In café in East Wittering or Billy’s on the Beach at Bracklesham Bay. Watch the waterside activity on the huge outside terrace of the Crown and Anchor in Dell Quay, or join the yacht crowd at the Boat House Café in Chichester Marina.  More traditional Sussex inns are also to be found in Bosham (the Anchor Bleu) or West Wittering (The Lamb Inn). Chichester offers a range of cuisines from Thai Fusion to Italian and Indian, and a visit to Goodwood isn’t complete without trying Farmer Butcher Chef, which offers food raised and grown on the estate. 

Reviews

This place is absolutely fabulous! Great for family get together a or friends sharing a weekend. We were the later with 7 ladies sharing the house. You enter the house to a large spacious hallway that gives the whole place an airy feel. There is a huge sitting room where we spent the evening relaxing and drinking wine. Plenty of seats for everyone. The dining room is very roomy and the table big and wide to accommodate all the dishes and food to share. The best feature of the house is the fabulous kitchen. We love to all cook together and there was plenty of room and very well stocked kitchen with all then utensils and dishes/saucepans you can need and 4 ovens ! We cooked a massive Sunday lunch with no problem at all. The bedrooms are beautifully decorated and very comfortable. Just be aware the sofa bed is quite small and probably better suited for children to use. Plenty of hot water and the heating was great for such a large house. There was a lovely welcome box for us on arrival which had drinks and nibbles for us. A lovely touch. Check in and out was seamless. Good clear instructions and communication Melissa was very easy. All in all a great weekend and a fabulous place. Can’t recommend it highly enough it’s a real home from home !

The Summer House, where do I begin! Outstanding from beginning to end! The property lies a short distance from West Wittering, in the heart of the Countryside. Welcomed by Melissa, the host at the property whom had been incredibly helpful throughout the booking process. A gorgeous hamper of goodies awaited us inside!..Nice touch. Interior is to a high spec, channeling Ralph Lauren vibes in the sitting room. Attention to detail throughout and wonderfully clean. The Lodge is big enough that in a group of guests, you can have your own space of needed without feeling cramped. Our little break was over too soon, we were sad to leave! Yet plan on booking again in the future. Thank you!

Great hosts and great house and garden – ideal for families.

The Summer House is stunning, with a huge amount of thought in the detail. Absolutely spotless and beautifully decorated, it was perfect for our family & friends trip. We made the most of the facilities including the hot tub, trampoline and table tennis. The toddler and babies loved the cinema snug too! The kitchen & dining room are perfectly suited for hiring a private chef and we enjoyed a lovely Sunday lunch at The Lamb. Excellent location for West Wittering beach and a visit to Fishbourne Roman ruins during the rain! Everyone had a brilliant weekend, thank you so much.

Wow!! What a stunning, beautifully appointed home! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We felt like we were in an interior decor magazine but without the fear of breaking something! This house is so comfortable and welcoming. We wished we could have stayed for longer. The home was so well stocked and our kids adored the trampoline and large garden. The hot tub was a big hit too. I would highly recommend this home for any visit to the area. We also loved visiting Arundel Castle nearby – well worth a visit.