Markwells House

Such a wonderful stay with everything we could possibly have needed, which is really saying something as two families with children aged 13 to 1. A beautiful, well-equipped house and generous space to roam. The estuary is wonderful by day and night, walking, fishing, swimming.

We had a wonderful time and a glorious 10 spring days at Markwells House in March 2022, exactly a year after our intended visit was delayed by Covid. The house is spectacular, although writing this having just arrived home, I realise how much I appreciate a standard staircase and some flat floors! The house is well equipped, warm, full of places to be together or have some 'me' time, and the situation on the estuary is gorgeous. Being able to have such interesting walks to explore the area, starting directly from the house was such a bonus, and we also enjoyed exploring further afield, without the need to go far away to find beautiful countryside and villages. Big thumbs up from us! Dinah

We had the best holiday! The house and the gardens are so beautiful. My whole family got together for the first time since Covid and it was th perfect place to catch up, eat big meals and go for walks. I can’t recommend it enough,

A really beautiful house that perfectly suited our family gathering. The house was clean and very comfortable and the grounds were wonderful. We loved the proximity to the estuary - particularly beautiful in the autumn sunshine.

What a wonderful stay we had in Suffolk House. It’s a stunning property set in beautiful grounds with its own small duck pond and an Alpaca enclosure. A lovely walk along the Stour estuary is literally at the bottom of the magnificent gardens. Thanks must go to the very friendly gardener and groundskeepers who do a fantastic job of maintaining the private gardens and the housekeeper who does a great job of cleaning and maintaining what is a huge house. It was a proper treat to stay here and we hope to be back sometime.

Beautiful house and wonderful gardens-perfect for our 50th wedding anniversary celebration with three generations of the family. We loved the animals, conservatory where we all ate together, and pavilion for drinks and games.

We had an incredible stay for our wedding - everyone there was so accommodating and lovely, and made sure we had everything we needed. The house is done to a beautiful standard, and the grounds are completely stunning. We couldnt have found a more stunning location for the day, and the pictures are going to be glorious!

We loved our stay. What a lovely house in an unrivalled and glorious setting, and we got perfect weather thrown in as a bonus. It was a treat just to be there and appreciate the thought and detail which have gone into the garden and the house. The result reflects the work, and it was much appreciated by us all. Thank you very much! I have two questions : Who is the picture of the man on the white dog by which is in the main bedroom over the fireplace? In the upper meadow, do you add seed annually or is it able to self seed enough at this stage. I was v impressed with the extent of the Yellow Rattle and wondered how long it has been there. If you are able to answer these then that is just the perfect cap to a lovely few days in the East Anglia I have known and loved for over 60 years. Jane Figgis

We absolutely loved our stay. This was our first trip out of London after the most recent lockdown and the entire visit felt like a dream. Our 16 month old daughter loved the baby swing near the river, the chickens and alpacas, and playing hide and seek among the bushes. The adults loved everything! This is a perfect country house. As others have said there is hardly a need to plan anything to do as being at the house is such a pleasure you never want to leave. We are already looking at dates to return. Thanks to UTT for a great stay.

Wonderful stay - spacious accommodation set in stunning gardens. Loved every minute of our stay!

This is such a lovely old house with modern comforts such as underfloor heating and modern showers. The rooms are spacious and comfortably furnished, and we especially liked the abundance of books, paintings and antique objects or curiosities. The gardens are lovely and beautifully maintained. The view from the house, both front and back, are spectacular. We felt a generosity of spirit on the part of the owner which we much appreciated.

Beautiful house and gardens, well set up for a 2 year old and a 6 year old. Special thanks to the housekeeper, who took the trouble to phone us up to confirm our requests. Just be careful not to trespass into the neighbour's garden, with its enticing swing...

We loved the property and grounds, very special. The space and amount of rooms felt like real luxury and such a comfy homely feel to the house makes you feel like you have been there for ages. The furnishings really nice and had to be dragged out of bathroom.

We had another fantastic break and cannot praise the beautiful house and gardens enough. The house is spotless and extremely comfortable and the garden was even more beautiful this time. Enjoyed a couple of great games of croquet on the lawn. Lots of lovely places to visit within easy distance. Looking forward to another visit in the not too distant future. Margaret

Such a beautiful house and gardens; it was perfect for our family catch up. Thanks

This is one of the best places we have ever stayed, anywhere - we couldn't have wished for a more perfect family escape after months locked down in the city. There were 6 of us ranging from 21 to 81 but it would be wonderful for guests of any age. The house is beautiful and comfortable, and the grounds are astonishing. We loved the views, the trees, the estuary walks, the summer house, the lawn games, the stars at night and most of all the animals. There are quirky alpacas with their different faces and haircuts (they'd just been clipped), ducks straight out of a children's picture book, chickens who supplied us with lots of eggs, and Henry the friendly cat. We were also lucky enough to see the other cat Lizzie's kittens in the barn at just a few hours old (thank you Mark). There was so much to see and enjoy we didn't feel like going anywhere else - 4 days of utter happiness. Thank you!

Recently returned from long weekend and still Marvelling at how fantastic it was. It totally exceeded our expectations. The house is superbly equipped to a high standard, we needed for nothing. The grounds gave the children a degree of freedom that was quite rare these days. Only criticism is that beds could not really accommodate 10 adults. Look forward to booking another stay.

Fabulous house and amazing gardens. Far exceeded our expectations. A great place for a family celebration.

We have just returned from our second stay at Markwell's & couldn't recommend it more! Beautiful, historical house set in stunning grounds - the perfect place for peace & tranquility. We enjoyed lazy sunny days in the garden, lunch al fresco, visiting the alpacas, playing hide & seek amongst the topiary on the perfectly landscaped lawn! I would imagine it would be just as wonderful during the winter months, with roaring fires & lots of nooks and crannies to curl up with a good book. We felt very welcome here and are already planning our next visit. A truly magical place.

We had a wonderful long weekend at Markwells (June 2019), with three generations of our family. There was something for everyone, and we all loved the garden, especially the grandchildren, who spent the whole weekend outdoors wandering around the garden barefoot, trampolining, feeding the alpacas, etc, and occasionally being forced to play cricket. It's clear that great care has been taken to ensure the house has absolutely everything that anyone could need. Many thanks to Pat and everyone involved in making this such an special place.

Markwells is a wonderful house in a beautiful setting. Our stay was a long weekend to celebrate a 70th and a 12th birthday and it was perfect. The house is well equipped, warm (this is November!) with so much room for all. The book collection is first rate for the quieter moments - though there weren't many of those! Time spent walking in the gardens, to the river wall, playing kings and castles, drinking sundowners on the pavilion, hide and seek around the topiary, bird watching, fireworks for the children, so much to enjoy and of course, bonding with the alpacas! Our weather was marvellous which meant we could spend so much time outside. the housekeeper Pat and gardener Mark were so helpful and made the stay even more welcoming. We would very much recommend Markwells for a big family gathering where you want to relax and just spend time together. We cancelled a pub lunch on Sunday just to stay around the house! We intend to rebook for the next big birthday! Thank you.

Very pleasant stay at this charming, warm and interesting house with lovely gardens (albeit the Public footpath through the garden is quite heavily used, so does impinge on privacy). The house was well kept, stocked with everything we needed and was a nice base for walks and trips out to Aldeburgh etc. Would recommend.

What an amazing weekend and an amazing house! We have just celebrated a special birthday with a party of 10, plus a dog. The house and the grounds were fantastic with lots of stunning walks and swimming in the river. We can't wait to come back. Thanks!

We had a wonderful 'family get together' in this beautiful house. Walking around the immaculate gardens & ground to the estuary was delightful. We had coffee & croissants on the pavilion enjoying the warm morning sun. The walk to the Church is not to be missed with the millennium stained glass window & colourful hassocks. We all enjoyed the books & artefacts within the house. One problem we had was with the stairs, we are all of a certain age - another hand rail would have been helpful. Overall a wonderful holiday home & environment.

Thank you so much for such a lovely weekend at this fabulous house! The house and gardens were great for entertaining the family for my Mum’s 70th birthday- the garden especially was fantastic for my 4 year old nephew who enjoyed the alpacas, the hens, Henry and taking to Griff! A great time was had by all and we will be be back next year to celebrate my Dad’s 70th birthday in October! My only comment for feedback would be an earlier check in and later check out- we would have gladly paid extra for both of these options! Thank you again!

As a group of 3 close friends and their families we have been renting a self-catering property for 10 + dog for the same long weekend for over 20 years now. So we know what works and what doesn't for our precious time away together and Markwells fits the bill. A gorgeous Suffolk pink historic farmhouse with comfortable, spacious accommodation. But the icing on the cake is the stunning grounds with topiary gardens leading out on to the Stour estuary. The perfect place to enjoy a beautiful walk along the beach or a barbecue by the summerhouse, even in winter. The house is well-maintained and clean. This was our third annual stay at Markwells and we are already planning a fourth.

A true gem in the Suffolk countryside that takes your breath away when you drive through the gates. An adult's escape, a child' adventure, and a canine's delight. 'Highly recommended' simply does not do it justice.

Wow! This has to be the most wonderful place to stay. The gardens! The wildflower meadows! The chickens! The house was absolutely immaculate and very comfortable. We spent the week pretending to be terribly posh which was easy to do in such a beautiful house.

The house, garden & estuary location are stunning & were a perfect venue for a big birthday weekend, although this was nowhere near long enough. The extra fridge & freezer opposite the downstairs cloakroom are a boon if you are bringing your own feast and if not, huge portions and a cheery welcome can be had at the Gardeners Arms. Fantastic & highly recommended.

Very stylish designed, high end property in an interesting part of the world. Recommended

An amazing place to stay, fantastic location, a unique experience - particularly loved the blue eggs and the alpacas!

This was the perfect place to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary with family and friends. I have stayed in many holiday cottages over the years, but this one is by far the best! Such a beautiful house set in even more spectacular gardens. All our guests were very impressed with the house. Thank you so much for making our wedding anniversary so very special! Ineke and Mark Swallow.xxx

Markwells House has been perfect for Christmas, it is beautiful and set in wonderful grounds, The house is been incredibly well restored and furnished, with ample space for a family group, including a special red room which we kept as a quiet room, it is warm and has good fires, there is a great selection of books. There are lots of good walks in the area (OS 197), and particularly down to the marshes, where we watched the sun rise, whilst listening to curlews, we were also able to look at the night sky as no light pollution. We had really good games as there is so much space - hide and seek, sardines, jumping on the trampoline, and the children loved collecting any eggs. Anyone would love to stay in this wonderful place, it's very special, thank you!

New Markwell's House is a gem of a building. The space is luxurious and leads to an easy lifestyle for larger groups.

Surely there can't be a better house with gardens anywhere in the UK. The house and gardens are both absolutely stunning. K+T C September 2016

Beautiful house in exquisite surroundings. Perfect for family parties and playing hide and seek but also very nurturing if you're looking for a more peaceful experience. We loved it!

Just returned from a lovely relaxing long weekend with a group of friends. Beautiful house, stunning gardens, fab conservatory for evening dinners, and rain or shine was just a lovely spot - we will be back! Thanks very much :o) Maria PS Worth noting that Sainsbury's also deliver to the house and if there's a few of you would recommend doing that

We had the most wonderful weekend at Markwells House - the house was fantastic and the gardens and location were stunning! The perfect place for a lovely relaxing weekend with friends - we are already planning a return trip!

we booked here for a Jauary break. The photos do not do this gorgeous house justice. We ran around like children on arrival, exploring all the many rooms and nooks! The garden is just amazing and we had hoped to come back in summer but unfortunatly won't be able to. We'll definitly be back to markwells though! We went on a few easy walks in the area and it's also worth noting that Tesco deliver here. we were able to get a taxi from the station so it's not essential to drive at all.Thank you!

Absolutely beautiful house and gardens - and in a lovely spot- we didn't need to leave! So comfortable and interesting. The children loved all the spaces to play and the ducks and chickens. We will definitely be back!

This house is just amazing. By the end of the week, the children and dogs were completely free range, enjoying all the space! The house itself has everything you need, including a spare sitting room if you need to "escape" for a little while. It was really warm and cosy, despite how big it is. (Useful tip, you can get supermarket deliveries here, which is handy when staying for a week). Highly recommended to anybody looking for somewhere to holiday!

So wonderful that we have booked to stay for two extra days, and have booked again for later in the season! The Bowdens 22 Sept 2015

So wonderful that we have booked to stay for two extra days, and have booked again for later in the season! Thank you.

What an idyllic setting, loved every minute. Thank you so much for making the house so welcoming. Ralf and Angela 13 Sept 2015

Thank you for a wonderful stay in this amazing house with Pride and Prejudice gardens! The conservatory was the perfect setting for my 40th birthday BBQ dinner. I will remember this forever! Yolande & friends 31 Aug 2015

The name caught our eye, but the place captured our hearts. The house is wonderfully welcoming and elegant, and the gardens sublime. Some of us – well, Olive the dog – explored every inch of the land, and coast, the rest of us would love to come back for a longer stay. Thank you for preserving such a treasure. The Markwell family 14 August 2015

A terrific week had by all. The boys found a 20cm long oyster and spent 7 days covered in mud. Henry the baby had his first icecream. All in all a huge success and we shall certainly be back. The Armstrong Family 7 Aug 2015

We’ve had a lovely time in this beautiful house. We’ve all enjoyed relaxing in the house and grounds, doing very little really! Good birdwatching along the sea wall and excellent cycling around Alton Water – great fun. We’d all like to come again! Vicky, Myra, Davy, Anna & Katharine 27 July 2015

Had a fantastic time this weekend. Really enjoyed exploring the gardens and surrounding areas. The house is amazing with lots of hidden places to explore. We’d love to come back with more family and use all the space! Caroline, Mark, Thomas & Elliot 6 July 2015