dunescape "The house is beautiful and we have really enjoyed staying here" Helen, Andrew & boys, Brighton, August 08
important information
Honesty is the best policy. The only surprises we want you to have when you arrive are pleasant ones, so as a refreshing change from most Holiday Property websites, we offer complete, open, and honest information including the good, the bad, and the sandy .
Visitors with diverse abilities are encouraged to read our ACCESS STATEMENT by clicking here.
To find out why people come back time and again, you only need look at our visitor's book:
'Two very tired parents and one walking toddler arrived feeling very stressed and exhausted. We all left (after four nights) feeling like we'd had a two week break; very relaxed and chilled out. What more could we ask for? We lost count of the times we said 'We'd like to own this house!'' The F family, London, May 2008
'We felt very welcome in this beautifully furnished house. We especially enjoyed the light and airy atmosphere and the charming touches you find in each room.' Carolin S and family, Germany, July 2008
'The house has been a joy to stay in, so light and airy. Especially enjoyed the balconies and power shower, and thought that the art work helped make it feel very beachy' Liz & Gerry, June 2009
'Thank you for making us feel comfortable and so welcome. We really appreciate the thought and effort you have put into every detail' Nannette, Glen, & Abbie, June 2010
'All of us (Grandmother, Mum, Dad, and two boys aged eight and six) would love to return. In fact, I think my husband would like to live here!' Dr N & family, July 2010
You can be assured that our guests enjoy their time at Dunescape.
Anyhow, on with the important information:
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We love animals, but sadly pets are not permitted. Dunescape is a strictly non-smoking property. While Dunescape is right next to the beach and you can hear the sea, you cannot see the sea due to the height of the adjacent sand dunes. There is parking for one average-sized family car in the garage and one further space on the drive. There are visitor spaces, but we recommend you bring no more than two cars. Naturally, you'll need to move the car out of the garage to put up the table tennis table. There is a minor road between the development of which Dunescape forms part and the sand dunes. This road accesses the smaller of Camber's beach car parks and a few houses. It is a no-through-road and normally very quiet, but gets busier at peak times on Saturdays/Sundays/Bank Holidays in high season when the weather is good. |
Organic cotton towels are provided for use within the house only, please do not take them to the beach or use them to lie on outside. We don't provide beach towels but they are for sale locally.
...and finally, there is no getting away from the fact that you WILL get sand in places you never thought possible... Welcome to Camber Sands!
an eco-holiday home: the pros and cons of going green
Feedback we have received tells us that our guests enjoy the experience of staying in a brand new eco-home and using our organic and 'free-of-nasties' cleaning and bathing products. However, it's best to warn you that certain small sacrifices may have to be made in order to keep the carbon count down.
GEOTHERMAL HEATING
PROS: Taking heat from the ground by means of 100m deep rods, this method of heating requires only one unit of energy (electricity) input for every four units of energy output. For maximum efficiency, the water in the pipes is heated to a temperature inversely proportional to the outside temperature. Underfloor heating pipes do away with the need for ugly radiators.
CONS: It can take 24 hours to achieve target temperature, and on days that hover around the 16 degree mark it is uneconomical for the heating to kick in. With this in mind, electric heaters are supplied to take the chill off should you wish to use them.
GRASS ROOF
PROS: Soaks up rainwater, helps prevent excessive run-off and pressure on the drainage system, insulates the property, and minimises the visual impact of the development from the sand dunes.
CONS: None that will affect your holiday!
SOLAR WATER HEATING
PROS: Supplies up to 60% of the hot water we need, saving a huge amount of electricity and carbon emissions. The tank capacity is a whopping 260 litres.
CONS: During days of 'low solar yield', which is technical speak for cloudy weather, the system depends on an electric immersion heater which heats only the top 76 litres of water in the tank. There's a good reason for this. This way, the water in the lower part of the tank is at least heated up to a lukewarm temperature by even the slightest hint of solar yield, and as this rises up to the top of the tank as hot water is drawn off, the immersion heater has to work a lot less hard to heat this up to a hot temperature. On cloudy days, or mornings following cloudy days, it might be best to stagger showers and baths. The immersion heater takes about an hour to heat its 76 litres. Naturally, we would encourage a shower as opposed to a bath, but sometimes there is nothing like a good long soak, is there?
ORGANIC TOWELS AND ADULT BEDDING
PROS: Reduces the amount of toxins involved in the cotton growing process.
CONS: We provide bath towels as opposed to bath sheets. We have worked out that this saves about 30 washing machine cycles per year with all the water, electricity, and detergent that that entails, and makes it easier for those with long hair to make a turban.
ORGANIC AND VEGAN TOILETRIES AND CLEANING PRODUCTS
PROS: Brands we use include Bio-D, Faith in Nature, JASON, and Ecover. Avoiding all products tested on animals is what some folks may refer to as a 'no-brainer'. What we use seems to work well enough for us. Our toiletries and cleaning products are all made with phosphate-free non-polluting natural ingredients. When you visit Dunescape you will no doubt fall in love with the sea as much as we have, and it becomes clear why we feel so passionate about protecting it. Supplying shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner in large bottles leads to less packaging and waste.
CONS: Liquids are supplied in large bottles that we ask you not to remove from the house. Therefore you may have to use up the last few squirts of one bottle before throwing it in the recycling bin and opening the next bottle, which will be supplied for you. It's not as 'nice' as having small, new bottles of product for every set of guests, but the environment suffers just that little bit less as a result. Although we have our laundry washed in Bio-D washing liquid, we do have it washed at an un-eco friendly 60 degrees for reasons of good hygiene.
LOW ENERGY LIGHTING
PROS: Reduces energy consumption and carbon emissions. It works very well with Dunescape's fresh, white decor. Check out the latest generation of LED lamps in the kitchen.
CONS: You cannot dim the lights so we provide a variety of uplighters and table lights to suit your mood.
'DUNESCAPE'-TYPE PLANTING IN THE GARDEN
PROS: In order for this new development to blend in with the adjacent sand dunes, the garden is planted with native, naturally-occurring plants suitable for sand dunes. Paths are made from shingle designed to allow the grass to grow through to give a flowing, natural effect.
CONS: Not so great for playing football. But that's what the beach is for!
Information for vegans
We have made Dunescape as vegan-friendly as possible, and will naturally make sure your 'Welcome Pack' is vegan if requested.
However, please be advised of the following:
Carpets in the bedrooms are wool. We decided on wool as this is the only carpeting we could find that is not treated with harsh chemicals.
Cleaning products: Only where Bio-D products are not yet available do we then use Ecover. There is some discussion about Ecover's rolling five-year animal testing policy as opposed to a company such as Bio-D who have a fixed cut-off date. We feel for ecological reasons that Ecover is a better option than big polluting (and animal-testing) brands, but as we find 'proper' vegan alternatives to Ecover, we switch over.
We do not insist on a vegan or vegetarian client-base. We can however, upon request, provide you with a grill/oven pan reserved for non-meat and non-fish cooking.
Any further questions? Please do send us an email and we'll reply pronto. Our contact details are on the booking page.