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A fairy-tale luxurious cottage - The Tea Caddy

Photo gallery for A fairy-tale luxurious cottage - The Tea Caddy

A kitchen with a large window, a bowl of fruit, and a cutting board with vegetables.
A brick house with a central door, two windows on each side, and a small porch.
A wooden picnic table set up in a garden with a brick house in the background.
A kitchen with a large window, wooden beams, a white countertop, and a built-in oven.
A cozy living room with a fireplace, a staircase, and a large window.

Reviews

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional

Highlights

  • Top-rated comfy beds
    Guests liked the comfy beds here.
  • Garage parking available
    Enjoy the convenience of garage parking - a rare offering in the area.
  • Centrally-located
    You're never far from where you need to be with this convenient location.
  • Discover nearby landmarks
    Close to Dedham Vale

Popular amenities

  • Barbecue
  • Pet-friendly
  • Garage parking available
  • Refrigerator
  • Washing machine
  • Garden

Explore the area

View map
Colchester, Suffolk
  • Place, Dedham Vale
    ‪1 min walk‬
  • Place, Jimmy's Farm
    ‪18 min drive‬
  • Place, Ipswich Waterfront
    ‪22 min drive‬
  • Airport, London (STN-Stansted)
    ‪63 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

2 bedrooms (sleeps 4)

Bedroom #1

1 King Bed

Bedroom #2

1 King Bed

2 bathrooms

Bathroom #1

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom #2

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Kitchen
Separate dining area
Garden
Dining area

Add dates for prices

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About the area

Colchester

Colchester is home to this cottage. Sir Alfred Munnings Art Museum and Hollytrees Museum are cultural highlights, and some of the area's attractions include Brantham Leisure Centre and Green Island Gardens Ardleigh. Assington Barn and Tenpin Bowling Colchester are also worth visiting.
View more Cottages in ColchesterOpens in a new window
Map
Colchester, Suffolk

What's nearby

  • Dedham Vale - 1 min walk - 0.0 km
  • Jimmy's Farm - 18 min drive - 23.4 km
  • Ipswich Waterfront - 22 min drive - 24.5 km
  • University of Essex - 22 min drive - 19.9 km
  • Colchester Castle Park - 25 min drive - 19.3 km

Getting around

  • Manningtree Station - 16 min drive
  • London (STN-Stansted) - 65 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪The Anchor Inn - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Fields Farm Cafe - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Wooden Fender - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪Jubilee Restaurant - ‬6 min drive
  • ‪The Crown - ‬7 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is A fairy-tale luxurious cottage - The Tea Caddy pet-friendly?

Yes, pets are allowed at this property.

How much is parking at A fairy-tale luxurious cottage - The Tea Caddy?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at A fairy-tale luxurious cottage - The Tea Caddy?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at A fairy-tale luxurious cottage - The Tea Caddy?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is A fairy-tale luxurious cottage - The Tea Caddy located?

Situated in Colchester, this cottage is 0.9 mi (1.4 km) from Dedham Vale and within 6 miles (10 km) of Bridge Cottage and Sir Alfred Munnings Art Museum. Suffolk Distillery and RSPB Flatford Wildlife Garden are also within 6 miles (10 km).

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 15 out of 20 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 4 out of 20 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 20 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 20 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 20 reviews

10/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

8.0/10

Location

10/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Short Break

Had a lovely stay in this very picturesque property. Great location for our wedding venue. Lovely part of Suffolk
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Stunning cottage

We have had a truly lovely stay in Tea Caddy cottage, so peaceful and fab location with a great big enclosed garden for playing with our dog The cottage is very tastefully decorated with the most gorgeous bathrooms, very comfortable throughout. Great places to visit nearby.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Beautiful cottage

We had a wonderful stay at The Tea Caddy. Beautifully decorated and such comfort. We would definitely recommend and will come back for sure.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

A sense of history in harmony with modern needs that tick all the boxes. Excellent in every respect.

Tea Caddy Cottage is quirky, idyllic and just right. It would be hard to imagine a more perfect place to take a break.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

What a lovely place to stay

What a lovely place to stay, everything we needed for our stay - including two dog bowls - was there for us. The garden was beautiful, the location ideal and Tea Caddy Cottage was an absolute pleasure to be in. We’ll be booking again very soon.
From a partner site

8/10 Good

Magical Cottage

The cottage is magical the garden beautiful with easy access to local villages with river views lots of pub restaurants nearby
From a partner site

8/10 Good

Short break

A lovely quirky cottage, really cute. Warm and cosy with a log fire. Dog friendly too. The stairs from the middle level to the kitchen and lounge floor are a little steep. But still a great place to stay.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Suffolk break

Fabulous quirky cottage. Good base for all the places we wanted to visit. Warm, comfortable and very well equipped. Would recommend.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Superb

Cosy cottage, interesting architecture, good local hikes. Thumbs up from us. We’ve stayed in a number of cottages from this company and they are always professional and responsive.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Inspiring time in a fantastic location

We had a wonderful time in the TEA CADDY COTTAGE in Higham. Very inspiring location in a great setting. The upside down layout of the cottage is a liitle bit special, but we knew that before did the booking from Germany. Highly recommended.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Beautiful Cottage

This cottage is the definition of quaint, when you arrive you cannot help but stand and admire its unique charm. The interior does not disappoint with unusual bespoke features and beautiful Wedgwood accessories. We were visited by the local wildlife and had a lovely relaxing stay. We would definitely recommend this property to friends and family.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Beautiful, quirky cottage

We had 4 great days in this little gem of a house. Fabulous, eccentric decor with excellent attention to detail in the provision of all you need for your stay Very comfortable beds with lovely linen, great showers with lots of hot water, well appointed and equipped kitchen for those inclined to cook rather than visit local pubs or restaurants. Beware of steep stairs if you are not very agile! An excellent place to stay I will be recommending to all and sundry!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Extraordinary Cottage

This certainly has the wow factor ! A super little cottage tucked away in beautiful countryside. Beds were very comfortable and the showers a treat. Kitchen was fully fitted. The garden was beautifully planted with access to garden furniture and games in the garage. Charles at Idyllic Cottages was super helpful and friendly, we will definitely be booking with them again.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

A Beautiful Cottage

Tea Caddy is the most beautiful cottage. Its unique and stylish exterior is breathtaking, and the interior is beautiful. The cottage is comfortable, warm and cosy and it has everything anyone could need for a wonderful holiday. We were greeted with scones, butter, bread, milk and apple juice. There were logs for the fire and everywhere was spotlessly clean. The village of Higham is well located for days out to National Trust properties, picturesque villages and the lovely town of Bury St. Edmunds. There are also some great walks from Tea Caddy cottage. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Beautiful place to stay

We had an absolutely fantastic time at the Tea Caddy. The owners have made a great job of utilising the space - it was like the Tardis - it seemed bigger on the inside! We all took the stairs to the kitchen area very carefully as they are steep but it was fine and you can’t change that! The decoration and quality of the finish in the property was excellent and it made it a lovely place to spend a week. I honestly don’t think we’d change a thing and we all said we would happily go back. Thank you also for the wonderful welcome pack and for the extremely well stocked kitchen - we had everything we needed.
From a partner site

8/10 Good

Lovely quirky little cottage

Tea Caddy Cottage is a lovely place to stay, however the bedroom on the lower floor has a damp smell and the shower was not useable due to a very strong damp and sour smell. I think there may be a problem with the plumbing. Also some of the kitchen equipment wasn’t clean eg oven tins. However the building is delightful and the location lovely.
Response from VrboOwner on 25 Mar 2025
We are so sorry that an unexpected smell appeared which wasn’t there before this booking. It’s a great shame this wasn’t brought to our attention at the time as we have an plumber on standby to deal with this kind of thing. Houses can be unpredictable, especially older ones and we just wish we’d know about this when it happened. Will also triple check the oven tins which also wasn’t raised at the time – we could have got some new one round in a flash.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful and relaxing stay

We stayed with 4 adults and two well behaved dogs. The setting is beautiful and the grounds are maintained to a high standard. The decor throughout the home compliments the overall feel. As a warning to others need to be able to physically manage stairs with ease. The local area is packed with activities although most needed to be accessed by car. Did feel nervous about accessing walks as the cars that use the road can be quite speedy. Highly recommend this home and service from Charlie. Contacted us to report any issues and check in our stay. Would love to go again.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024
From a partner site

8/10 Good

A beautiful tea caddy.

We very much enjoyed staying at the Tea Caddy cottage. We arrived quite late and were able to make a cup of tea. Also bread and scones with butter and jam had been provided. All the rooms were well furnished and comfortable especially the bed. The key was accessed via a locked box with a code which was easy to use. A spare key was provided so that you didn't lock yourself out which is a very good idea. Lots of thought went into providing torches, maps and outside lighting for various reasons. We weren't sure about the security of the fences so kept our dog on a lead. It would be nice to be able to let your dog off a lead knowing the fences are secure. For this time of year the cottage was very warm and plenty of hot water was available. We had a lovely stay.
From a partner site

6/10 Okay

Disappointed

Slightly disappointed we were excited to visit Tea Caddy Cottage , when we got there we were disappointed as in areas it had clearly seen better days There were also areas that hadn’t been cleaned particularly skirting boards inside windows some of which were thick with cobwebs. The garden also needed a lot of attention all in all not as good as we were expecting and lead to believe .
Response from VrboOwner on 30 Sept 2026
We are sorry that we didn't meet your expectations and will review this as a matter of urgency. We did reach out to you on your first morning to check if everything was OK and just wish you had said something then so we could have immediately jumped on fixing issues so the remaining six days would have been as you hoped. In all our various correspondence we asked that you let us know it there was ever anything we could do. The garden was certainly not looking its best as it was parched, dry and brown in areas, though this was the result of having to endure the hottest summer on record during a hose pipe ban. There was nothing that we could do to overcome this, it was caused by climate change rather than any shortcoming on our behalf.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

A relaxing and unique place to stay

We enjoyed our stay at Tea Caddy Cottage.  It is a lovely setting and a garden with dotted about benches outside to sit in or out of the sun.  The downstairs bedroom was wonderfully cool in the hot weather.  I even used the duvet at night - unheard of at home in a heatwave.  Lots of nice large glasses both for wine and long cold drinks to use and plenty of crockery and cutlery.  I didn't do a lot of cooking, but I found everything I needed when I did.  The knives were sharp as well which I much appreciate. The bathrooms were a treat to be in with and having two was great.  Being able to take our bikes and have a secure storage area to keep it in was very welcome. I really appreciated the well-presented Welcome folder with all its information easily found and clear.  The countryside and places around the Suffolk/Essex border were really interesting and so much less bus than our normal environment so making for a relaxing holiday.
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