Mafeking
Benenden,
Kent
A gorgeous family-friendly holiday cottage in the pretty village of Benenden, Kent. With three bedrooms, two sitting rooms and great games room spaces, it is perfect for family trips to the Garden of England.
- Two sitting rooms
- Log burners
- Games room
- Pretty village setting
Description
With fabulous social and games room spaces plus three cosy bedrooms, Mafeking sits in a little oasis of pretty gardens in the postcard village of Benenden, Kent. This wood-clad holiday cottage is close to the charming towns of Tenterden, Hawkhurst and Cranbrook, perfectly positioned for family escapes to the beautiful landscapes of the Kent and Sussex High Weald.
To the left through the front door, an inviting snug awaits with stripped floorboards, comfortable seating, Smart TV and a cosy log burner radiating its warmth from the corner. French doors open onto a veranda overlooking the garden, bringing the inside and outside together and a great spot for a cup of tea in the morning. To the other side of the porch, the large sitting room provides a big sofa, armchairs and a Smart TV. It has a wonderful open plan feel, with a picture window to the garden and double doors leading into the kitchen-dining room next door. The dining table sits in front of another wood stove, and the kitchen is well-equipped with everything needed for an indulgent self-catering stay in the Kent countryside. Beyond the kitchen there is a convenient utility room, and tucked away at the far end of the house is a separate study with monitor, USB-C docking station, keyboard and mouse – an excellent workspace setup for anyone needing a working holiday or home-from-home.
Mafeking’s three bedrooms are all located around the central dining area. Bedroom One features a double bed, built-in wardrobes and drawers, a decorative fireplace and an en-suite shower room. Bedroom Two offers a king size bed and wardrobe with drawer, while Bedroom Three has a single bed (80cm wide) and wardrobe with drawer, with a pull-out bed to make a 160cm side-by-side twin for bookings with 6 guests. There is also a family bathroom with a claw foot bath to lay back and unwind in this relaxing environment.
Outside, the family-friendly space continues into the garden. The ornamental landscaping allows for several different areas to enjoy, including a circular lawn, winding paths, a patio with table and chairs. An abundance of trees, shrubs and flowers create a cornucopia of colour and texture in this beautiful cottage garden. Tucked away at the top is a summerhouse games room with table football for evening tournaments or rainy day fun. After the champ has lifted their trophy, head over to the garage where table tennis ensures that playtime continues until it’s time to snuggle up in the hotel quality beds.
Subtle greens, pastel whites and natural wood tones create a calm and welcoming ambience, while several skylights make the most of natural light in this single storey home. The generous space, utility room and study are very handy for those looking for a short-term rental or longer stay near Tenterden, Cranbrook or Hawkhurst. See the ‘House info’ section for more information about this luxury holiday cottage in Benenden, Kent.
House info
Property features
- No pets
- Real fire (wood stove)
- Games room
- Television (Smart TV)
- DVD player
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth speaker
- Selection of books + games & toys
- En-suite bedroom
- Ground floor bedroom & bathroom
- Bath
- Shower
- Garden/outside space
- BBQ
- Study/workspace
- Dishwasher
- Washing machine
- Tumble dryer
- Family friendly
- Cot
- Highchair
- Private parking
- Short lets/long stays possible
- Secure bike store
- Linen & towels
Useful information and house rules
- Pets: not allowed.
- Please contact us if you are interested in a stay of over 28 nights (a short-term let).
- Top tip: Adding another night or two may only cost a little extra, or sometimes nothing at all! This is a great way to add some flexibility to your stay.
- Kitchen facilities: single electric fan oven with grill, 4 ring gas hob, tall fridge-freezer, full size dishwasher, microwave, kettle, toaster, cafetiere, Nespresso coffee machine.
- Utility room: washing machine, tumble dryer, sink.
- Iron, ironing board, ceiling drying rack, clothes airer, 2 hairdryers provided.
- Please note that due to limited space the additional pull-out bed in Bedroom Three will only be set up and linen provided for bookings of six guests. For booking with 5 guests or less, Bedroom Three will be made up as a single.
- Free private parking for 1 large or 2 small cars (space is 3.9m wide). Free on-street parking also nearby.
- One infant up to age 2 is welcome in addition to the total guest capacity of this property. 1 travel cot (please bring bedding) and 1 highchair are available on advance request.
- Gas Central Heating
- Wi-Fi
Accessibility: Gravel paths from the parking area to house. Three steps (10cm) up to the front door threshold. One step (15cm) up to the back door threshold. One step (15cm) down from the kitchen to the utility room and study. Bedroom One has an en-suite shower (3cm lip). Other internal floors are even and level, with no internal steps. Garden is flat with gravel path and borders, low step (10cm) into the summerhouse games room. This is intended as a guide only and accuracy is not guaranteed, please contact us if you need more info. Measurements are approx.
Video
Floorplan
Local area
Mafeking sits back from the village street in the centre of Benenden. It is a traditional, quiet village conveniently positioned between Cranbrook, Hawkhurst and the ‘Jewel of the Weald’ Tenterden. Being in the middle of this golden triangle, it is only a 10-15 minute drive to reach any of these three charming Kent towns.For eating out, Benenden has a good local pub The Bull next to the village green, just a couple of minutes’ walk from Mafeking. Take a leg stretch to The Woodcock at Iden Green, or head in the car to the Three Chimneys in Biddenden or Great House at Hawkhurst. For self-catering supplies, Benenden has a local shop with Post Office, café and a good selection of local produce, fresh bread and essentials. The excellent Cranbrook Farm Shop at Charity Farm and Hartley Farm Shop are both in Swattenden a 5-minute drive away, or for larger supermarkets there are a Waitrose and Tesco in Tenterden and a Co-Op in Cranbrook.
The pristine rolling countryside of the High Weald is protected by its Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now National Landscapes) status, and offers an abundance of public footpaths and cycle routes to explore, plus an endless supply of excellent country pubs, local attractions and places of interest. There are fantastic walks in all directions from Benenden, joining part of the High Weald Landscape Trail with long range views across this stunning countryside. A guide can be found here about the Benenden Walk.
For days out and sightseeing, Hole Park is just up the road and opens its fabulous gardens on selected dates. There are several National Trust properties nearby including Sissinghurst Castle and gardens, Bodiam Castle and Smallhythe Place. The historic town and ‘Jewel of the Weald’ Tenterden is a 10-minute drive, offering some excellent independent and high street shops and a variety of architectural styles on display from its rich past. It is also where you can board the Kent & East Sussex Steam Railway which runs to Bodiam Castle. There are some great drinks producers nearby and they are well worth ‘experiencing’. Chapel Down, Britain’s largest vineyard is 7 miles away, offering tours and tastings plus a good restaurant. Biddenden Vineyards (4 miles) is the local one to try, or head to Nightingale Cider Company (7 miles) to sample the wares from one of Kent’s famous orchards!
A little further afield, Bewl Water provides a wide range of watersports fun including an aqua park, along with Go Ape and adventure playgrounds at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest. If you’re staying for a week it’s well worth the 18-mile drive south to the ancient Cinque Ports town of Rye in 1066 Country, and beyond for a day on the beautiful sandy beaches and dunes of Camber Sands.
Map
Reviews
Wonderful stay in Benenden.
Wonderful stay in Benenden. The house is beautiful, and really very well equipped, even the kitchen! The layout of the house is really very convenient with children, and the toys and books left available are great. The owners are available if needed and very kind. The place is beautiful, the English countryside is really very beautiful. Lots of things to do in the surrounding area: Bedgebury a must, the really beautiful Hole Gardens, Rye 30 minutes away, etc... A great stay, we recommend!!!
Idyllic countryside retreat
Mafeking is a beautiful home in a lovely little village, central to everything in Kent/East Sussex. It is very spacious, light and very clean. It is very well equipped with everything we needed for our stay with 4 children. The hosts had put out toys and kids books, which was so kind. The garden is just beautiful, with the roses in full bloom. Walking distance to the local pub and cafe but feels very secluded and is very quiet, surrounded by the gardens. We wouldn't hesitate to stay here again if we came to the area, and would thoroughly recommend to others.
A wonderful family weekend
We had a wonderful stay at Mafeking. Everything you need is provided. We were a mixed aged - family group of 6. The house and garden are stunning. We enjoyed a barbecue sitting in the beautiful garden which is just perfect . It's a quiet location but does have a good pub within walking distance. We took full advantage of the table football and table tennis table. The hosts left us a wonderful and generous Easter gift basket. A perfect weekend in a gorgeous, clean and comfortable home that has everything you need for the perfect countryside break.
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