Looking for a House to Celebrate with Family and Friends – you’ve found it!
Renting a House for a Big Birthday Celebration
Planning a milestone birthday away in a large house often comes with a choice: do you celebrate with your extended family, or invite your closest friends?
A recent guest found the perfect solution by booking an extended stay with us to do both. They kicked off their big birthday weekend with all their extended family, and then invited a close-knit group of friends to take over for the second weekend of the celebrations.
It seemed like the perfect solution – one birthday, two celebrations!
When we went over to say farewell – as we always do, we discovered why North Cottage Cromer proved to be the ideal location for this double celebration.
A Big House for Family and Friends
This guest already knew the house well, having stayed with us last year for his parents’ milestone anniversary. This time around, however, it was his turn to bring along his own grown-up children, parents and siblings. The ground floor bedroom is ideal for the grandparents, and in fact all six of the bedrooms are spacious, and there are three bathrooms. Most important of all is all the entertaining space – including a Garden Room big enough to park six cars inside! (70m square).
That’s not to say his twenty-something off-spring, young adults, weren’t a bit sceptical – and couldn’t help but query why dad’s big birthday bash was scheduled at a traditional English seaside town like Cromer rather than somewhere like, I don’t know, oh let’s say – Ibiza!
Meanwhile, apparently the friends invited for the second weekend mentioned whether there would truly be enough space for everyone in one cottage? Perhaps they should book an overflow place nearby?
Our guest reassured them about the spacious accommodation, highlighting the huge garden room, the dining room, the conservatory, and even a second living room – perfect for finding a quiet space to retreat.
The Family Verdict
So, how did it all work out? If you are facing some of these same questions while planning your own celebration, you will be glad to know the whole thing was an overwhelming success.
The extended family gathering surprised and delighted everyone, largely because the house naturally caters to mixed generations:
- Accessible Comfort: The ground-floor bedroom provided a comfortable, accessible space for the grandparents, with the bonus of a step–free wet room along the hallway.
- A Room Big Enough for Everyone: The large garden room was the heart of the celebration, a comfy sofa for everyone to watch the family photo reel on the big TV screen.
- Chef’s Kitchen and dining options – no eating off laps at North Cottage Cromer with 12 seats at the dining table and 8 more in the conservatory.
And what about those twenty-somethings who expressed doubts about Cromer? They were entirely won over by twice-daily swimming in the sea – just a two-minute walk through the park outside the house – and they loved watching a big football match at one of Cromer’s liveliest pubs – The Wellington, or The Welly as it’s known locally.
The Friends’ Verdict
The group of friends who arrived for the second weekend of the celebration were equally delighted. Not just by Cromer itself – with its myriad of independent shops and amazing coffee (a special shout-out to The North Sea Coffee Company on the prom) – but mainly by the unique location of the house.
They loved being at the heart of everything while remaining quietly secluded inside an historic park. They found the history of the property fascinating and smiled at the idea they had considered booking an overflow cottage. How daft would that have been with this much space –it’s enormous! Our guest explained that while his friends had been close for years, their wives and partners didn’t know each other so well and that had become a slight worry. As it turned out his first instinct was right – the sheer amount of space allowed everyone to relax and mingle without feeling on top of one another and everyone got on as though they’d been friends for years (which of course they had).
After Plenty of Celebrations – This is a First!
One of the greatest delights of hosting is getting to meet our guests. We love welcoming everyone personally and we usually say goodbye, too. This also gives us the most amazing first–hand feedback.
This time at departure, we were reminded that the house doesn’t just work brilliantly for extended families or for a group of friends – North Cottage Cromer has the scale and flexibility to effortlessly host both types of celebration in a single, double weekend booking.
If you’re struggling to decide who makes the guest list for your next big milestone, perhaps the answer is simple: why not invite them all to North Cottage Cromer?
