VILLAGE PEOPLE
EDWARD STEPHENS ENJOYED A NEW YEAR FESTIVE BREAK IN SUFFOLK AND LEARNED WHY SO MANY RETURN TO CELEBRATE THERE YEAR AFTER YEAR
AS THE chimes of Big Ben on the big screen faded away and the strains of Auld Lang Syne drifted into the night, I watched revellers queue up to sample the traditional dish of haggis. We had already been entertained by a Scottish piper as 2018 prepared to roll over into 2019.
But this was no New Year’s Eve celebration north of the border, we were at a Warner Holidays hotel in Suffolk.
Corton Coastal Village is just one of the company’s portfolio of 13 properties which normally sell out completely for both Christmas and New Year, so, with my wife, I’d set out to discover what the appeal of spending the festive season away from home was.
Before we checked out, after our three-day experience at the cliff-top hotel, we learned that around 50 per cent of the other guests had already booked for next New Year.
It shows that the company has got it just right for the more mature sector of the market it caters for, a sector which is happy to pay for the best.
And over New Year at Corton the best includes everything from live cabaret shows every evening as you dine, to a programme of events throughout the day to dip into (or not) as you please.
These included activities ranging from rifle shooting and archery to quizzes and behind the scenes tours as well as films in the theatre-style cinema.
On January 1 there was even a slightly risqué – it is an adults-only hotel – afternoon pantomime.
Properties have a chalet theme, and if you book a cliff top lodge option – the most expensive – your home for a few days looks out over the ocean. In January you might not be able to take advantage in quite the same way as you might in the summer when you can sit on your private terrace in the sunshine, but the view from the deck area is still quite spectacular.
But whether you opt for a cliff-top or garden location, all the chalets are extremely well-appointed and have the same warm, cosy feel to them.
All come with tea and coffee-making facilities with – as I soon discovered – biscuits topped up daily, a safe, hair dryer, and an iron and ironing board, not to mention both a bedroom and lounge television.
Fellow guests I spoke to wouldn’t spend New Year anywhere else and have been going to Corton at the end of December for years.
One of the most appealing features for many is now the Boathouse cabaret diner restaurant. At dinner my wife and I enjoyed chatting about the day’s events over our starters and main courses before the lights dimmed and we were served dessert as the show started on stage a few feet from our table.
More than £450,000 has recently been spent on The Boathouse making it into the star attraction it is, with top-line entertainment combined with imaginative food. For example, starters included dishes like ginger beer infused salmon and a delicious duck, truffle and confit onion terrine.
You will never go hungry on a Christmas or New Year break at Corton because – unlike at the rest of the year – lunch is included in the price, if you can manage it after the all-you-can-eat breakfasts.
Guests who want to work-off any excess will be able to in future thanks to the new fitness suite which has just been completed to complement the indoor swimming pool. For the less energetic there’s always the crazy golf, shuffleboard, bowls and giant chess in the gardens as well as the cliff top walks. But the nice thing about Corton Coastal Village is the peace and quiet helped – dare I say it – by the absence of children.
Keen to explore the area, we had time between meals to visit the seaside resorts of Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft as well as checking out the boats on the Norfolk Broads, which is less than 20 minutes drive from Corton.
As we checked out of the hotel we were handed a goody bag with snacks, mints and water for the journey home.
Thoughtful people these Warner types.
The bag also contained a diary – perhaps to remind us to get our next New Year booking in early as places are already selling fast.