Exploring Family Friendly Norfolk

Ffolkes is one of the most fun, quirky and unique hotels we’ve stayed in as a family in recent years. Refurbished in 2017, the original building is a 300 year old coaching inn and has not only retained it’s historical charm, but it’s since had a big injection of personality, bold colour and fun. With a motto of Feast, Stay and Play, it ticks all of these boxes (and some) for an activity packed, family weekend away.

Location

Norfolk is well known and loved as a quintessential UK hotspot all year round and we are incredibly lucky to live only a couple of hours drive away. My husband and I tied the knot in Norfolk in 2019, so it’s also a favourite destination of ours. Someone once said to me that the beauty of Norfolk is in the fact that it’s an ‘Intentional Destination’; and by that he meant, due to it’s geography, being tucked away on the East Coast of England, you’ll never just be passing through on your waysomewhere else. Everyone who comes, is there intentionally, which I love!

Ffolkes is nestled in Hillington, a West Norfolk village on the edge of the A148. From pictures alone, you might have thought traffic noise would come into play, but we didn’t experience this at all (and our room was closer to the roadside than others.) There are three brand new spa cabins set right back into the fields behind Ffolkes, so if you’re keen for complete peace, I’d recommend selecting those for guaranteed tranquillity.

The hotel is less than five minutes drive from The Royal Residence of Sandringham Estate, which of course, we had to pay a visit. My eldest daughter has been learning about the Royal Family quite a bit at school following the Coronation and has consequently become a keen royalist. She was convinced we’d bump into the King, cue expectation management (!). His Majesty was otherwise engaged this time around. The main house wasn’t open to the public off season, but we had a fantastic time enjoying the woods and gardens, but most importantly, (aside from my delicious Coronation Chicken sandwich) was the expansive play area which the children went wild for.

The other highlight of our stay was a place the locals fondly refer to as ‘Sunny Hunny’ - Hunstanton Beach. The beach is around a 15 minute drive from Ffolkes and absolutely vast. In the warmer months, this makes for a wonderful whole day out. As it was a tad chillier, we wrapped up and took the girls for a morning walk and adventure across the dunes, finished off with a hot chocolate at a lovely cafe (dog friendly!) next to the beach.

Within 15-30 minutes drive of Ffolkes are other attractions such as Snettisham Park, Castle Riding and the RSPB’s Titchwell Marsh - all great options for days out with children so there is plenty to do nearby.

Accommodation

Ffolkes has 23 rooms and three spa cabins, we stayed in the ‘Bunksuite’ - Room 21, which sleeps up to 6 and is also dog friendly. Wilma (our little lurcher) is always delighted to join us on our adventures, so it’s a real treat when she can come along to somewhere truly welcoming of canines. A dog blanket and bowls were provided for her and there was a little grassy haven across the carpark for loo breaks, plus lots of con

veniently located poop bins, so Ffolkes have catered well for doggy guests. The restaurant and lounge area is also dog friendly. Ffolkes request you do not leave your dog alone in the room, so she did come with us wherever we went during our stay.

Aside from being super dog friendly, The Bunksuite was the epitome of child friendly. It had two sets of colourful, built in bunk beds, each with it’s own private den-like nook and reading light which my eldest loved. We were provided with a cot and cot bedding for our 1 year old which fit into the bunk room. I now always check if cot bedding is provided before we arrive anywhere, as we’ve been on a handful of trips and have been met with a bare cot with no mattress or sheets! So it was wonderful that these were provided.

The mattresses, bedding, pillows and towels were all incredibly comfortable and luxurious, plus we were given robes for us adults and little hooded robes for the children. If you’re a fan of BBC’s ‘The Traitors’ you may appreciate this…

From our room, opening our sliding glass doors revealed an outdoor undercover terrace and dining area, split by a rotating mirrored door - hidden behind which was an enormous, colourful, freestanding bath. The children LOVED this as it felt so unique and exciting for them. I also got to enjoy it - one evening I disappeared behind the door and had a bath ALL to myself! The dream as a busy parent!

The decor at the Ffolkes is what I could only describe as something along the lines of ‘Urban Arthouse Chic’. It had East London, modern, edgy vibes with cheeky touches. As an example, the restaurant and lounge areas were adorned with traditional, Georgian and Victorian portraits, set off by a collaged addition of a moustache, bow or inflated bubble gum on each image. Playfully hanging from the ceilings around our suite were Barbie dolls and Action Men, dressed up and humorously positioned. All of this absolutely delighted my children.

Facilities, Service & Family Friendliness

A lovely welcoming touch when we first arrived was a delicious coffee cake from Sponge, left in our room, which, like Ffolkes, is an organisation that forms part of the Norfolk Passport. The Norfolk Passport is a free to join membership programme that offers exclusive perks - at the Ffolkes, this is 10% off stays, food and drink, so it is definitely worthwhile signing up prior to your stay.

The service throughout our stay was impeccable, the whole family, dog included, had a warm, friendly welcome and at every turn we were met by helpful and cheerful members of the team, who were forthcoming with local recommendations of places to go and things to see.

Container Golf - ever heard of it? Neither had we! But I can guarantee, when you’ve tried it once, you’ll be back. This was essentially a game of mini golf, set up inside a maze of converted shipping containers, wildly decorated, at the back of the main building. Note the cost of playing isn’t included in your stay, so you need to book slots online (this was very easy as the booking QR code and all information formed part of our welcome pack). It was certainly an experience navigating it with a toddler, but she had just as much, if not more fun than us exploring each section.

The playground at Ffolkes is another highlight for families. It was totally secure and contained, and could only be accessed via the restaurant, which was reassuring from a safety perspective. It centres around a giant hollow ‘Dinosaur Egg’ with rope swings and cargo net, as well as a zip wire. The conservatory area of the restaurant adjoining the playground was glass fronted, so if you have slightly older children, you can enjoy your coffee and breakfast indoors whilst watching them play if you wish. If you’re like us - and parents of toddlers - you’ll be out there enjoying it with them!

Dining

Ffolkes had a real mixture of guests, including families, groups of friends and couples. There was an informal, energetic feel to the main restaurant in the evenings, with a vast cocktail menu and street food on offer.

The lunch and evening menus are on a rotation from different vendors. We tried out Oishii Street Kitchen which was a delicious asian fusion selection, with choices such as Bao Buns, Gyoza, rice bowls, burgers and loaded fries amongst others. There are also Pie Feasts on Sundays, Guac & Mole and Reesey's Street Tea (which has delicious desserts, not one for the calorie conscious consumer!)

The food was good value for money (particularly with our 10% Norfolk Passport discount) with starters and sides around £5-8 and mains around £11.50.

Breakfast and Brunch is on offer until midday on Saturday, which meant there was ample time to sample the large buffet of traditional offerings (think sausages, black pudding and hash browns) as well as some more off-piste options (for example spicy beans and pulled pork). There was also a large continental selection of cereals, yoghurt, fruit and pastries and unlimited coffee, tea and juice. The onsite chef was there ready to whip up fresh pancakes on tap as well as eggs of your choice.

Overall

We had an incredibly memorable stay, and Ffolkes is truly family (and dog!) friendly. If you’re looking for a laid back, super easy weekend getaway in Norfolk with children, or even need the perfect venue to host an event (Ffolkes is home to Stables which is a large event space!) then I’d highly recommend it. Container golf was certainly on the top of our list for our favourite part of the weekend, so we’ll be back!

The Bunksuite starts at £220 per night (sleeps 6)