Ortensia - Accommodation
Ortensia is a one-of-a-kind luxury holiday house for groups, off the beaten track in the Somerset countryside. 16th century farm buildings have been given a whole new lease of life here and the owners have put their heart and soul into it, making sure there’s plenty to keep all ages smiling; an indoor pool, games room/movie room, tennis court and 100 acres of glorious farmland to roam. Green credentials are riding high with biomass heating, hidden solar panels and the spring fed pool.
Tucked away down a private track and unseen from the road, Ortensia feels like a different world, remote from the hustle and bustle of life. Step in through the hefty old oak door into a wide hallway flooded with natural light, and slip gently into your holiday. To the left is the boot room, leading to a utility room and a loo; the eclectic style of the house is already evident – whitewashed floorboards, old timbers salvaged from the farm, bare red sandstone walls, tactile fabrics and furnishings. It all tumbles together beautifully to give a certain rusticity with a laid-back bohemian edge.
Step down to the games room/movie room where there’s a snooker table to one end; to the other, sofas beckon you to hunker down. Above the open fireplace a 2m projection wall allows for cosy family movie nights, snuggled together, big bowls of popcorn to share. Continue round to the enormous open-plan living/entertaining space where the kitchen is white and bright and well equipped. In the middle of the room a long table awaits you for happy dinner times and celebration feasts; to the end are enticing sofas to sprawl on when you’ve had your fill. Full height doors open wide so you can step out into the Tuscan inspired courtyard or the pool garden whenever you please; this is one big sociable space where the good times can roll.
Back in the entrance hall, off to the right on the ground floor are Bedrooms 1-4 and 2 family bathrooms. All the beds at Wydler are zip and link (super king or twin) and all rooms are individually designed with soft colours and gorgeous fabrics, often nature-inspired; think pheasants, moths, pineapples and florals, it’s delectable. Upstairs are Bedrooms 5-9; rooms 5-7 have ensuite shower rooms, 8 and 9 share a bathroom with an overhead shower. Bedroom 10 (The Hayloft) is hidden away on the first floor, reached by a secret staircase snucked behind a door in the corner of the boot room. This room has its own shower room and a window that looks down on the games room/movie room.
Off the kitchen steps lead down to the pool room, with infinity views of open fields that seem to roll on forever. Huge doors open onto the pool garden where The Pool Pergola allows for idling; there’s a striking Moroccan tiled table for outdoor dining, outdoor sofas for coffee or cocktails' enjoy a leisurely lunch, dinner beneath the twinkly lights when the sun goes down. Mellow out in the courtyard where olive trees grow and roses scramble merrily up the walls; soak up the sun on the terrace, play table tennis, watch the bees busy in the lavender, find refuge from the heat in The Flower Shack where the rustic-chic style continues.
Bring your rackets and head to the tennis court where the all-weather surface allows for play anytime of year. Wander down to the pond and mess about in the boat, have a lazy picnic, get together for a game of rounders or French cricket, watch hot air balloons take off from the fields. This is one big fat slice of unadulterated country living; wholesome fresh air, big open skies, bird song, breathtaking sunsets, and fields that unfurl as far as the eye can see. It’s utterly bucolic; book today!