The astonishing thing about Niton Barns is not its canny use of original materials to create seven individual self-catering properties, not that this comes with decidedly five-star aplomb and not even the single-minded eco approach employed by Neil Simmons and his team. No, the big surprise in this clever conversion of farm buildings into luxury holiday homes is that kids and dogs are welcomed in equal measure.
“Our guests are astounded when they discover that we allow dogs to stay in the barns. They are so used to being turned down by far less luxurious properties that they can’t believe their eyes when they arrive, see the standard of accommodation and find that not only do we accept dogs, but we actually welcome them,” says Neil, General Manager at Niton Barns. “We have never regretted that decision and find that guests repay us by taking good care of their dogs – and the barn they are staying in.”
It all makes for a happy and convivial atmosphere at Niton Barns, where the south-facing courtyard setting provides a sunny community area where guests, their children and dogs, get on famously.
Of course dogs are not mandatory for a stay in one of Niton’s stylish barns, each named after an Island monument. Inside, they are comfortable, light and spacious with stone flooring, leather sofas, all the latest mod cons and a host of original features including exposed beams. In the largest, Pepper Pot, you will even find the date 1637 chiselled into the original trusses.
The decision to use original materials was taken early on by Neil, Project Manager for the 2006 conversion of old milking parlours, machine sheds and storage barns on the 400-acre dairy and arable farm owned by the Billings family since 1964. The family may now have sold the farm but the setting and atmosphere is definitely ‘down by the farm’.
