I’ll never forget the drive to Blakeney – we’d packed the car to the gills with wellies, books and enough crisps to siege a castle, only for the sat-nav to chuck us down a narrow lane that turned into a proper muddle. There I was, white-knuckling the wheel as we scraped past a hedge that looked like it hadn’t been trimmed since the war, convinced we’d end up in someone’s vegetable patch. But then, just as I was plotting a U-turn, the Norfolk coastline unfurled ahead, all marshy flats and that big sky, and suddenly the anticipation kicked in. Blakeney was calling, promising that proper holiday feeling where time just stretches out.

Pulling up to the cottage, my heart did a little flip. It’s one of those spots that gathers your favourite people together for a wonderful holiday – right in the perfect location for enjoying Blakeney and pottering along the coast. The position is spot-on, with incredible views that make you gasp, and inside it’s all contemporary style, quirky art pieces and modern furniture that somehow feels just right for lazy days. Bonus: two furry family members are welcome, so our spaniel, Monty, was in seventh heaven, tail wagging like a metronome.

First impressions? Bloody brilliant – sorry, I mean, utterly smashing. We dumped the bags, cracked open a bottle of fizz on the terrace, and that was us sorted. The joy of it all was doing precisely nothing. No grand plans, no ticking off lists. Just lazy cottage days that melted into one another. Mornings started late, with coffee in the garden, watching the seals bob about on the quay in the distance. The garden’s a dream – sheltered, sunny, with loungers begging you to flop down with a book. I devoured three novels that week, the kind you forget the plot of because the sea breeze keeps flipping the pages.

Afternoons were for ambling down to Blakeney Quay, maybe grabbing a crab sandwich from the hut there – fresh as you like, eaten on a bench while the wind tousles your hair. Back at the cottage, it was more reading, or a cheeky nap under the quirky artwork that had us chuckling (one piece looked suspiciously like Monty plotting world domination). Evenings? Garden dinners as the sun dipped low, painting the marshes gold. We’d play cards till our eyes drooped, Monty snoring at our feet.

There was this one moment of gentle self-reflection, sprawled in the garden with a GandT, staring at the horizon. Life back home’s all rush and deadlines, isn’t it? Here, slowing down felt like the real luxury. No emails, no alarms – just the joy of being. I caught myself grinning at how daft it is to pack so much and then do sod all. But that’s Blakeney magic: it reminds you that the best holidays are the ones where you let the world wait.

We left fatter, happier, and already plotting a return. If you fancy proper Norfolk bliss, this is your spot.