LAID BACK LUXURY Missing

LAID-BACK LUXURY after LOCKDOWN

At the time of writing, this Christmas is set to be a little quieter than normal, with the usual large family gatherings, and parties with friends, curtailed to just six people. So, why not defer your celebrations until spring or summer, and book one of Barefoot Retreats’ luxurious North Norfolk holiday properties? There are retreats for couples, families and friends with laid back luxury plus loads of character standard across every single property...

Words: Rob Davis.

AT THIS TIME OF YEAR we should all be celebrating the season with friends and our extended families. Of course, festivities have been curtailed for obvious reasons, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan a deferred celebration for spring and summer 2021.

Barefoot Retreats offers a truly unique proposition for those hoping to reunite with family and friends. In 2014, Emma Mason created Barefoot Retreats in the discretely affluent area of North Norfolk, curating a portfolio of over 100 self-catering retreats, for short breaks or holidays, for anywhere between two and 24 guests.

The idea was to provide a way to ‘get away from it all’ without the hassle of international travel - airports; restrictions; quarantine; language and currency barriers. Beyond that though, the company wanted to create a more personal self-catering accommodation experience, one that centres around guests’ needs rather than being a ‘one size fits all’ offering.

That’s why Emma and the team offer a concierge service for guests, enabling them to provide not just a nice looking place to stay, but recommendations for places to dine, provision of private dinner parties, picnics or beach barbecues, spa days and beauty treatments, babysitters, dog walkers, even pleasure flights in helicopters or hot air balloons.

After just an hour or so travelling, you’ll be transported to a county of expansive coastlines, wild and wonderful scenery, quiet country pubs offering proper food, history, and really good shopping. Guests enjoy a welcome hamper, logs and kindling for each property’s open fire. Dogs are welcome in many properties and the team are always happy to volunteer ideas for places to eat, places to walk or local places to visit.

Many properties feature beautiful gardens with terraces and barbecues for couples, families or friends to get together and enjoy a meal and a few glasses of wine. But should you venture further, you’ll also enjoy North Norfolk’s beautiful beaches, expansive countryside, estates like the royal residence of Sandringham, or Blickling & Holkham, late summer lavender, and pretty market towns with smart independent retailers such as Holt and Burnham Market.

Lockdown won’t last, so if you’re due a reunion with friends and family, make sure you’ve something to look forward to and enjoy the laid back luxury of a Barefoot Retreats getaway.

n Barefoot Retreats provides luxury holiday cottages and unique holiday homes to rent in North Norfolk. Call 01485 512245 or see www.barefootretreats.co.uk. Over the page we’ve selected just six of the properties in the company’s portfolio to show off some great escapes for couples, friends and families to enjoy... >>

When lockdown lifts and we’re free again, reunite with family and friends and enjoy a short break without travelling too far. Barefoot Retreats offers laid back luxury in beautiful North Norfolk...

1. Together in luxury...

We’ll be together again, and if you’ve spend a good deal of time apart from family or friends this year, why not arrange a reunion this spring? The Old Rectory is super-luxurious and absolutely huge with loads of character. It’s 157 years old and is set over three floors, there are eight bedrooms, four of which have en suite facilities. There’s an annexe, too, with games room, plus a tennis court, pool table, table tennis setup and a home theatre system.

Based in Stanhoe, the award-winning gastropub The Duck Inn is within walking distance, and the area’s stunning coastline is just six miles away. Decoration is commensurate with a large luxury country property, and there is plenty of room to cook a meal in the well-equipped kitchen.

The Old Rectory is based in Stanhoe and sleeps 16. Short breaks from £2,500; seven nights from £3,215. n

2. A super chic retreat...

With space for six people and located in the village of Burnham Market, Catherine Place is a super chic retreat for, say, three couples to reunite, or if you’ve children in the family. It’s located near several different beaches - at least one for each day of the week - and it has three en suite bedrooms. If you’re planning to get together and enjoy a meal you’ll love the property’s well-equipped kitchen with its large range and huge chunky dining table. Dogs are welcome too, and there are luxuries such as a Jacuzzi bath to the master bedroom’s en suite and a cosy wood burner.

3. A great retreat for couples...

The Wood Store is a luxuriously- appointed two-bedroom property that’s ideal if you’re planning a romantic break as a couple or if you’ve guests joining you for a short break. Sleeping four people, it has a lovely enclosed courtyard with a pizza oven and beautifully maintained borders. Enjoy the enclosed garden, sheltered from the breeze, with a glass of wine and stone-baked homemade pizza. The furnishing of the property is light and modern, with native wood integrated tastefully by artisan British craftspeople, and you’ll rest your head on specially commissioned beds handmade from English natural wool. Luxuries like an arrival hamper and luxury linens are all present and correct, too!

The Wood Store is located in Docking and sleeps four. Short breaks from £448; seven nights from £560. n

4. Come on in! The water’s lovely... 5. Laid back luxury...

Another property that’s great for a reunion in the spring or summer months, Redshanks has an ace up its sleeve in the form of a heated outdoor swimming pool. A party comprising up to 12 family members or friends can enjoy the coastal country chic of this property with its rural location providing views over farmland and sand dunes. Six bedrooms are arranged over two floors, with an en suite to the master and a ground floor shower room too. The kitchen features an Aga, perfect for cooking together, and there are two reception rooms,

Couples seeking to get away from it all should definitely consider a break at Brancaster’s Manor House Apartments. There are three apartments available (1, 2, 5); ideal if you’re coming as separate couples. Each is laid back and luxurious. Number Two, pictured here, sleeps four with its two king-sized bedrooms, and there’s an en suite shower room, wood burner and barbecue for the terrace area to the front of the apartment. The private complex is just a short walk from The Ship Hotel, Royal Golf Club and coastal footpath. The Manor House is also just a short walk away from Brancaster’s beautiful sandy beach, ideal for those seeking coastal tranquility.

Manor House Apartments (Number Two shown) are each with wood-burning stoves, located in Brancaster and sleeps four. Short breaks perhaps one for grown-ups and from £464; seven nights from £580. n one for the children; The Music Room has a vaulted ceiling and vibrant colours scheme, and the property’s rural location makes it ideal for lively celebrations. There’s a barbecue for al fresco dining and dogs are welcome too, so nobody is left out as you For Luxury...explore nearby Burnham or Wells. Go Barefoot

Redshanks is located in Burnham Deepdale and sleeps 12. Short breaks from £2,596; seven nights from £3,245. n Each of our featured properties is managed by Barefoot Retreats, offering laid-back luxury holiday retreats in North Norfolk. Call 01485 512245 or see www.barefoot retreats.co.uk.

6. The perfect family property...

Our final property is one that’s large enough for all the family but one that still has a cosy feel with a snug that serves as the ideal breakaway space for children to play together. Grayling has a superking, two king bedrooms and a twin room. One of the kings and the superking both have shower en suites and there is also a family bathroom with separate bath and shower. There’s a large enclosed rear garden, barbecue and firepit arranged around a stunning seating area, plus a well-equipped kitchen with wine fridge, dishwasher, induction hob and range cooker. The living kitchen’s adjacent dining space has room for everyone to dine together and the bi-fold doors enable the indoor and outdoor spaces to function as a single space. Your four-legged friend is welcome to join you, too!

Grayling is located in Burnham Market and sleeps eight. Short breaks from £840; seven nights from £1,050. n

A Time to Reflect and a Time to Review

Health has become our most important concern over the last year, but so has our future wellbeing.

FOR MANY OF US, ACHIEVING SECURITY and certainty over the future means saving into personal pensions and investments, but how will the threat of a new wave of COVID-19 impact the markets and what could this mean for your future financial security? Will the health of your investments deteriorate? Is there anything you can do to keep them safe?

2020 saw the sharpest fall in stock markets in any of our lifetimes, and whilst this may strike fear into even the hardiest of investor, it actually provides us all with a golden opportunity. When markets are low, it is the perfect time to review your investments. This may sound counterproductive, but low returns enable us to assess past performance and give us a comparison barometer. Whilst past performance cannot guarantee future returns, it does give us an opportunity to look at what could bolster our portfolios, or what needs to be reviewed. But what should you be reviewing?

INVESTMENTS

As we all know, market fluctuations, tax and a reduction in interest rates can all damage the return on our savings; however, it’s also important to consider how risk can also make an impact. Keeping money in cash may feel like the solution here, but in reality, cash is not riskless, and its value will also fall over time due to inflation, thus reducing your purchasing power and jeopardising your future goals. So, how can you make your cash work harder and reduce the amount of risk you are exposing your wealth to? Diversification is key here. Putting all of your eggs in one basket, for example one asset-class like UK shares, could mean that all of your hard-earned money can be wiped out in one fell swoop. By electing to employ a diversified strategy you may still experience losses on some of your assets, but you could also see gains in other areas,

“So, how can you make your cash work harder and reduce the amount of risk you are exposing your wealth to? ” hence your overall performance will be smoothed over time and the impact of losses is greatly reduced. However, it’s crucial to keep your investments continually under review, so that suitable adjustments can be made as required.

PENSIONS

When it comes to pensions, having numerous pots strewn here and there can actually be damaging to your overall objectives. Time and time again we hear the same concerns about ‘untended’ and scattered pensions: it’s hard to keep track of performance; it’s an arduous task to monitor or review what’s in place; there are a multitude of fees and charges; the administration is a burden; and it’s unclear if there are sufficient funds for retirement. Pensions can be quite complex and are governed by various regulations, come with differing benefits, and can sometimes be subject to underhand tactics like exit penalties. It’s important to look at the pros and cons before you commit to any type of consolidation, to make sure it’s suitable for your specific needs. Pension consolidation may not be appropriate for everyone, but if you are considering a ‘spring clean’ of your pensions in the new year, we strongly recommend seeking the assistance of an independent expert. Times of crisis are a stark reminder that financial planning should be on everyone’s agenda. Money can be the root of worry, but it can also be your ticket to security. Whilst reviewing your pensions and investments after a market shock can feel counter-intuitive, it is often the best time because you can see how resilient your current arrangement were, you could incur fewer charges and tax to move, and you can ensure it is positioned well for a market upturn.

n If you would like help reviewing your portfolio, we

would be delighted to help. To book in for a free initial consultation with one of our expert Financial Planners, please call 01572 898 060 or email hello@ efficientportfolio.co.uk

Charlie Reading created Efficient Portfolio to offer entirely independent financial advice and helping people clarify and realise their dreams and goals through financial planning. Call 01572 898060, see www.efficientportfolio.co.uk or visit Portfolian House, 30 Melton Road, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6AY