A holiday with friends with a ceiling hoist, profiling bed, porters chair and factilities everyone could enjoy!
To feel like you belong. To know you can say “yes” to a weekend away with friends without worrying whether the accommodation will work for you, whether the bathroom will be accessible, whether there will be enough space, or whether you will feel like a burden, is something a lot of people struggle with.
When someone in your friendship group has an additional need, choosing inclusive accommodation that everyone can enjoy is what really matters, and often the only person who really understands is the person with the additional needs and for that person a celebration of time away with friends often starts long before you arrive.
- It is the online food shop organised between WhatsApp messages and voice notes. It is making sure everyone’s favourites are included.
- The prosecco chilling in the fridge before arrival. Freshly squeezed orange juice ready for Bucks Fizz. Granola, Greek yoghurt and fresh fruit waiting for a lazy breakfast together the next morning.
- It is arriving at your holiday cottage and instantly relaxing because everything has already been thought about, as you arranged the shoping to arrive ahead of you!
The evenings become the moments you remember forever.
Sitting in the garden chatting around the table. Chicken skewers cooking on the BBQ. Twinkling garden lights overhead. No one overlooking you. Just laughter, gossip, music and those conversations that somehow only happen when you escape everyday life together.
Days out become memory making too.
Exploring Lymington on market day. Wandering around the Saturday market buying gifts for loved ones back home. Coffee on the quay. Catching up properly. Sharing stories. Laughing until your stomach hurts. And then sometimes there are the unexpected moments that become the most special of all.
A morning capturing photographs together in the garden. Wondering why the photographer is asking you to pop your head in a cardboad box, and including objects that sum are the weekend, and why your friend didn't tell you it was happening, as the anxiety would have been too much!
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Celebrating the friendships that matter so much to our mental health.
- Laughing about why Lemsip became essential by Sunday morning.
- Remembering that mixing paracetamol and wine perhaps was not the best life decision, but somehow it carried everyone through a weekend full of games, late nights and laughter.
But what made all of this possible?
Debbie first stayed with us and her husband in Little Bench, she say possibilities, was confident that "Our Bench" could offer her something so much more, so she went ahead and booked to come back again this time with friends and arranged a surprise photoshoot for them all to enjoy.
Debbie choose accommodation that truly worked for everyone, and booked a week in Garden Bench, being joined by her friends for the weekend, and then her husband joining for the rest of the week - as her friends departed for home, after an amazing weekend of memories! Debbie choose:
- A profiling bed and ceiling hoist for herself and a tilt n space shower chair
- A comfortable recliner chair - our Porters chair that she could be hoisted into and then moved outside so everyone could relax together in the sunshine, and enjoy evening drinks on the patio.
- A wet room that everyone could use.
- A kitchen designed so nobody was excluded from helping, because everyone could actually reach the sink, although naturally if someone cooked then they probably earned a washing up pass.
- It was choosing somewhere with enough parking for multiple cars so friends from all over the country could reunite with ease.
- Somewhere carers could visit if support was needed.
- Somewhere accessible features did not feel clinical or restrictive, but simply enabled everyone to be included and fully part of the stay.
A holiday with your mates is about so much more than a break away. It is a boost to your mental health. It is putting the world to rights at 3am. It is staying in pyjamas until 11am. It is feeling normal, relaxed and connected. And often it gives loved ones back home a break too, knowing your friends have your back and that you are surrounded by people who care.
At Our Bench we love being able to facilitate these moments. Whether it is a hen weekend, a reunion with lifelong friends, or simply a chance to spend quality time together, our three neighbouring accessible cottages can accommodate up to 11 guests.
When the sun shines there is plenty of outdoor space to enjoy together, and when you fancy heading out there are wonderful local pubs, cafés and restaurants nearby that are welcoming and accessible too. Or perhaps the best memories are made simply staying in together.
Because sometimes the greatest luxury is being somewhere everyone can relax, laugh and belong.
We love being able to share the photos with you of their special weekend, and we are always happy to chat with potential guests to discuss how you can have a similar holiday with your friends at "Our Bench".
Last updated: May 2026