Centrally yet privately positioned in the cultural seaside town of Aldeburgh, Elmbank is an exceptional holiday rental property in every respect, as Laura Scamponi discovered.

A house rescued from the brink of dereliction. That is how you might describe Elmbank in Aldeburgh, a beautiful four-bedroom holiday rental property with superb views over the Alde Estuary, which since 1995 has been the much-loved second home of Barry and Sarah Zins.

Laura Scamponi enjoys a stress-free weekend at The Pump House in Orford

Organising a long weekend away in a village not 20 miles from where you live might not be everyone’s idea of a ‘proper’ break, but we had long been promising ourselves a few days in Orford and with a three-night stay at the Pump House available there was no excuse to put it off any longer.