My Story
I’m Paula and I live at Washington in the village of Smeeth near Ashford in Kent. I have lived at Washington since 2014 with my son. When we found Washington we were looking for somewhere where we could live alongside my retired parents and they live here with us at the bungalow next door called ‘Little Washington’
When we purchased Washington it was in need of complete renovation that we as a family carried out, including significant works to the neglected grounds
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Family is the most important thing in our lives and we are incredibly lucky to have 10 acres of wildlife rich land for us, our family and guests to enjoy and relax in.
My ‘day job’ is as a civil engineer and project manager working on large, often high profile infrastructure projects, Coming home to the peace and calm of Washington is a huge privilege and one we are keen to share with others.
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Back in 2018, I decided to build a Shepherds Hut on the land with some help from my father 😉 and a few months later Buckhurst was born. Buckhurst was named after the first cottage I owned and lived in, which was a was a period property I completely renovated back to its former glory - a project not dissimilar to the concept of our Shepherds Huts.
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Having travelled a lot due to work I have a clear idea of what I like to see and enjoy when staying away from home.
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The little touches and extras such as nice bathroom products, a plentiful breakfast hamper, lots of Nespresso coffee pods, luxury bed linens and the home from home like feel . This was my vision and one I wanted to share and in 2019 we joined Airbnb. Wow I could never have anticipated its success and the guests that have returned time and time again. We have received Superhost status and 5* ratings and we are blown away with the reviews, kind words and feedback.
With the success of Buckhurst, I decided in 2021 to build another hut on the land and decided to call it Mountbatten. The inspiration behind the name Mountbatten was due to a slightly tenuous link to Washington. Washington was formerly part of the large Brabourne Estate, which was owned by the Mountbattens, who are related to the late great Queen and Royal Family. Mountbatten is now up and running and has hosted over 100 guests with full 5 star reviews and achieved superhost status and "Guest Favourite" on Airbnb, which we are very proud of.
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You are most welcome to our home and we hope that you enjoy the little luxuries of the Shepherds Huts and the wonderful countryside that surrounds us. Keen wildlife watchers can regularly observe birds of prey circling the property such as kestrels, hawks and buzzards, alongside egrets, heron, cormorants and kingfishers, if you are lucky! Early morning and evenings are prime times for seeing countless rabbits and hares popping their heads up in the meadows as well as stoats and ferrets; pheasants and ducks are also regular visitors as are snakes, lizards and slow worms. We also have a stream and lake on the property, where you can see perch, roach, grayling, carp and trout, as well as frogs, toads, tadpoles and newts in the shallow clear water, which is closely monitored by dragonflies, mayflies, butterflies and damselflies.
You may get to meet our rather shy British blue shorthaired cat "Rosie Posie" or our excitable Labrador retriever "Dotty"
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When home I am more than happy to help with any queries you have or recommendations of places to visit or eat locally, otherwise we will leave you to enjoy your stay in peace (and we have been used to facilitating contactless check-ins, check-outs and stays during the Covid-crisis and are happy to accommodate all guests' needs). If you have children with you'll find a selection of games and toys to keep the little ones entertained both in the hut and for the garden; if your children see our son, Barnaby, and his cousins and friends having a game of football or cricket, feel free to join in!
Warmest wishes
Paula x