It's important to us that many of our large and luxurious self catering holiday properties are suitable for people who are not so able bodied; we don't want anyone to feel left out of a fabulous large group stay or big celebration, whether it's a family holiday, a hen weekend, or a corporate gathering.
At Sleeps12 we want everyone to be able to enjoy a stay in our gorgeous large group holiday homes - and we mean everyone, including those who require certain levels of accessibility. Whether that’s elderly people who aren’t as agile as they once were, those with visual impairment, wheelchair users, or even folk who are just a little unsteady on their feet or who find stairs a bit of a task.
So where possible, we ask property owners to give this consideration; when new luxury lodges are built, or old barns redeveloped building regulations dictate that you have to make certain allowances for less abled visitors, so we liaise closely with the owners and builders and advise them of the best way to do this. We all work together to provide level footing to the property and flat patios, unobstructed ground floor areas with clear pathways around the rooms, wide hallways and doors, level floors that are tiled or wooden rather than carpeted, good lighting, and grab rails in the right places. There are usually wide steps down into swimming pools and the water is always a constant depth of 1.2m; pools and hot tubs often have grab rails. We like to have at least one ground floor bedroom with access to a shower room or wet room, and we encourage property owners to think of offering aids such as ramps, height adjustable shower stools, toilet frames and suction mounted grips. We also work with specialist organisations who hire out aids - high backed chairs and hydraulic beds for instance, and we take the view that nothing is ever a problem, so do call us if there’s something you need, and we’ll help.
Sometimes the very nature of the building means it’s not always possible to make our big group self catering accommodation access friendly – old country houses and rambling farmhouses often have uneven floors and steps up and down to different levels, but where it can be done, we’ll do it. As a result, several of our properties have increased accessibility so you can enjoy your holiday without the worry of how you’re going to get about – and we have several pet friendly properties for those with assistance dogs.
We like to think that during a Sleeps12 large group holiday, differently abled people can get out and about and enjoy the beautiful countryside around our properties. Nowadays, most tourist attractions cater for the less able bodied and for those with visual or hearing impairment, with mobility scooters for hire and the use of hearing loops. Many riding centres offer horseriding for the disabled and several nature reserves have accessible level surface tracks; some even have all terrain scooters for hire and Wheelyboats where there are lakes. The West Somerset Railway has accessible coaches so you can all have a jolly time chugging through the countryside on an old fashioned steam train.
We ask our property owners to provide us with Access Statements which we add to our website; you’ll see these, where we have them, on the property details, but please call us so that we can give you advice when you’re selecting your large group holiday accommodation – it’s not a case of one size fits all so we want you to book the property that caters best for your needs. Take a look at more of our fantastic access friendly holiday lets and call us on 01823 665500 to chat more.