Surf and Turf: a duo of rugged and relaxing Wales

Showjumper Seren James on Saundersfoot Beach. Photograph by Sian Broderick

To celebrate the launch of our latest property, the midcentury Llareggub Beach House in Saundersfoot, west Wales, we are introducing Surf and Turf, a special winter break experience allowing you to explore Wales’ contrasting personalities – rugged and relaxing.

Rugged Wales in Powys

First you will spend three days at Red Kite Barn in rugged Powys, mid Wales. The barn sits in the middle of eighty rolling acres of woodland which cuts into the side of the remote Elenydd region, also known as the “desert of Wales” for its ruggedness and remoteness; you can walk for twenty miles over the hills to the abandoned monastery at Strata Florida and not see another soul.

Red Kite Barn in September

This is a place to blow away post-Christmas cobwebs and reconnect with nature. Wild walks over the hills, even wild swimming for the brave of heart, then a pint in a country pub.

Relaxing Wales in Pembrokeshire

Next, retire for R&R to our new midcentury beach house, Llareggub, in Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire. The house overlooks the beach and harbour; a top-notch spa and incredible restaurants are within walking – or its that rolling? – distance of your front door. Pembrokeshire is quickly becoming Wales’ top foodie destination, with seafood trucks, micro-breweries and hip restaurants bursting out of every rockpool.

Midcentury interiors overlooking the ocean at Llareggub Beach House, Saundersfoot

Book your stay

During the off-peak season we are offering this experience (6 nights’ stay, self-catered) at £700 for a couple or £850 for up to four people. Get in touch with Anjana to arrange your Surf + Turf break.

Chalet F’Net: un vieux avis automne 2015

Bonjour, après notre séjour dans votre établissement Chalet F’Net je reviens vers vous pour donne un avis. Emplacement à St Gervais pas loin de Chamonix ideal pour faire ski, superbe randonne ou simplement profite des bains naturel. L'accueil de James (dans ça jupe Ecossais) à été très chaleureux et souriant. Après une bref passage dans le 4x4 on a découvert un magnifique chalet de montagne en bois, niché dans le foret dans un environnement très calme. L’intérieur de chalet est soigneusement décoré avec touche de luxe et des produites de haute qualité. A l’entré on a eux droit à un feu de cheminé qui réchauffé déjà le chalet :) J'ai beaucoup aimé le petit gateau fait maison avec un verre de vin de bienvenu ! La propreté irréprochable, les chambres sont calmes et très agréables, chalet corresponde exactement au annonce. Je passe avec mon épouse un week-end parfait, reposant dans un lieux comme on peut rêvé. Gros merci Anjana et bravo pour ensemble des votre prestations, je n'hésiterai pas à y revenir passer quelques jours.
Cordialement. – Jan, France

Découvrez le chalet à www.chillderness.co.uk/chalet-fnet-fr

Get Lost – to Red Kite Tree Tent

News of Red Kite Tree Tent has made it all the way Down Under, featuring in the latest issue of the Australian travel magazine, Get Lost, with a feature on “weird and wonderful places to stay”.

A mélange of luxury and adventure

Twelfth of January (and still snowing...)

Mega huge thanks to Anjana, David and Gus, not to mention Chalet F'Net, for an utterly fabulous five days. The mélange of luxury and adventure could not have been pitched any better. We loved every minute. Such variety, challenges and real adventure, mixed in with being spoiled by Gus and David's fabulous food, hot tubbing with huge snowflakes falling , fire stoked to come home to. What more could anyone want? The charm of this place is beyond words. Those who can't see it are a waste on the planet. We will be back. Thank you. – Zara and family, Ipswich

“The mélange of luxury and adventure could not have been pitched any better.”

— Zara, Ipswich

Chalet F’Net: a review from Snowy

A diamond in the snow! The quaint town of St Gervais with its marvellous little shops and restaurants, just a short drive away, was truly lovely. This chalet is a wonderland of contemporary living mixed with old charm, log fires and natural stone fittings, old French tub baths and modern soaking tubs, not to mention the outside hot tub! Truly fabulous. The owner is such a great guy, very helpful and full of enthusiasm with great conversation and useful tips to improve your stay. The nearby mountain Restaurant Tamiere, a short 25 minute walk up the mountain path, through the snow covered trees, is magical and the food superb and at a reasonable price. If you're looking for a trip to the mountains where all your dreams of skiing, fresh air, peace and tranquillity are high on the agenda, this is just for you. We spent four nights here in late January and will definitely be back for a longer stay. Well done to David and thank you; we had simply the very best time. - Snowy, Great Britain

Chalet F’Net: un selection des avis français

Découvrez le chalet à www.chillderness.co.uk/chalet-fnet-fr

Etre loin de la ville, au milieu des arbres et de la montagne. Ce chalet est un vraie nid douillet comfortable et parfaitement décoré qui se mérite après un chemin qui grimpe fort. Une vraie coupure et un grand bol d'air frais ! Le gardien a été très acceuillant. Très bon week-end en amoureux. Rien ne nous a déplu. – Claire, Lyon

Superbe week-end. Le chalet est magnifiquement rénové, style montagne avec beaucoup de confort et de goût. L'environnement est pittoresques. Nous avons eu la chance d'avoir de la neige samedi matin, puis il a fait beau et nous avons eu une très belle vue sur les Aravis depuis les fenêtres du 1er (salle à manger - cuisine), du 2nd (chambre et salle de bain) et les balcons. Le concierge, David et Anjana ont tout coordonné parfaitement pour que le séjour se déroule très bien. – Maxime et Carole, Suisse

Excellent séjour dans ce chalet très agréable, somptueusement décoré. Tout est pensé réflechi pour s'y sentir bien. Équipements de qualité, rien ne manque. Un séjour hors du temps, ressourçant à souhait ! Nous remercions sincèrement le gérant pour sa disponibilité, sa gentillesse et son accueil. Nous recommandons vivement cet établissement de haut standing aux prix plus qu'abordables vue la qualité des prestations. N'hésitez pas ! – Florian et Florence, Suisse

Memories: Ladderstile House

Probably David and Anjana’s most ambitious project was the incredible Ladderstile House in Richmond Park, London. Designed with Threefold Architects, this stunning eco-home picked up a clutch of awards. Ladderstile House earned its own feature on the front page of the Sunday Times property section and on in design magazine Dezeen.

Ladderstile House is no longer in the Chillderness collection, but it shared the aesthetic tone of our other amazing locations: the now iconic Curved House in Clapham, Red Kite Barn in Wales and Chalet F’Net in the French Alps.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Flights of fancy on a wild Welsh weekend

"Sweeping views" and "awesome birds of prey" were highlights for Sankha Guha from The Independent.

“Everything except the sky is green. There must be 10,000 shades of green.”

— Sankha Guha, The Independent

It is as isolated as Angela Merkel would feel in Greece. From the barn there is literally no sight of human habitation. Later I discover the odd cottage hidden away within the woods and a sizeable farm just over the brow of the hill at the rear. But to all appearances, we are alone – magisterially commanding the sweeping views that stretch for miles around. Inside, the barn is equally eye-catching.

So it comes as no surprise that the interior of the barn is design-fabulous and about as un-rustic as a cottage in mid-Wales can be. The pool table, the wine cooler, the Bauhaus-inspired log burner, the Miele kitchen appliances, the Italian rocking sofa (yes, sofa), the stripped wooden floors and the three-metre-screen home cinema would not be out of place in a bachelor penthouse on the Isle of Dogs. Light floods into the colossal living room upstairs through substantial glass panels cut into the sides and the gable end – but instead of delivering a Manhattan-style skyline, the panorama serves as an ever present reminder of rural bliss. So far, so good.

Read the full article at: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/flights-of-fancy-on-a-wild-welsh-weekend-7833943.html

Sphere in the sky – Red Kite Tree Tent in Condé Nast Traveller

Alexandra Davey from Condé Nast Traveller stayed at Red Kite Tree tent and found our “giant green eco-bauble” much to her liking.

The whole eccentric accommodation thing isn't new. It started with the Ice Hotel, and the following frenzy to find unconventional places to stay quickly graduated to boats, lighthouses, underwater lodges and even prisons. It also resurrected a firm childhood favourite: the treehouse.  

Red Kite Tree Tent, a new hanging orb near Builth Wells in Powys, Wales...fuses elements of conventional camping and log-cabin experiences to create a new treehouse with a twist.

The giant green eco-bauble that hangs in the forest is fashioned from hybrid aluminium and something called a static airframe, and is fully insulated to withstand wintery weather for year-round glamping. There's a double bed and a wood-burning stove, and another opening leads to an ensuite facilities deck where there's a shower, loo and sink.

The Tree Tent has already had a taste of fame after appearing on Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces, but the back-to-basics, ball-shaped hideaway is ultimately all about a solitary, un-starry experience. The only companions you're likely to come across are the local bird life: barn owls, woodpeckers and other feathered friends.

Find the article at: http://www.cntraveller.com/news/2013/march/red-kite-tree-tent-wales