Warman's Barn Stansted is actually converted from a 17th century barn house into small chalet-style quarters around a gravel courtyard opposite the owners’ home. They’re pretty basic, but the owners have made a point of ensuring you’ve got all the essentials. In a branded hotel, you might get a mini kettle and a couple of teabags, but here you have a full-size kettle and a bowl filled with tea bags, sugar packets and milk pots.
You’ll get a hair dryer, a TV with freeview channels, a table for working at or as a dressing table, a wardrobe with extra sheets and pillows and a couple of bedside tables. The wifi is as casual and friendly as the hotel itself; it’s free and there’s no password, just log on. The rooms are rustic, with furniture to match, and there’s a little patio area with tables and chairs outside each room. The windows are big and look out onto the other rooms, just be careful not to open them too wide or Marmaduke might pay you a visit!
The hotel has less than ten rooms. Some have low roofs, exposed beams or have their en suites downstairs and the room up, but they’re all private and packed with charm. The reception staff will make a decision about which room to assign you to when they see how tall you are at check in.