Norwich is somewhere that I have always had a soft spot for. Not only is it only an hour away from where I grew up but there’s so much to see and do. As we didn’t have a hot abroad holiday this year we decided to book a couple nights away in Norwich to have enjoy some British sun instead. With thanks to the No82 The Unthank, we had a fabulous stay in the city.
See where we ate out during our stay (we ate our WELL!) here.
Background
The No82 Unthank is on Unthank Road which is one of the ‘coolest’ places in Norwich. If you were looking for the ‘it’ road, this would be it. It was so easy to get to as it was just off Newmarket road (the main road into town). The building is an old Victorian house built in gate 19th century. It has recently been renovated to fit the apartments but still holds plenty of history and charm.
There are 19 apartments within the building, all of which offer a luxury experience and offer similar decor throughout. Each room is a different size (I think we were in one of the biggest) and there’s even a ground floor room available for any accessibility needs. Each room in the apartments is named after a Norwich landmark which is a great touch.
The room
No 82 The Unthank offers a full accommodation experience without the busy nature of a hotel. They come with self contained kitchens, washing machines, private luxury bathrooms (some of which come with bath tubs) and large double beds. We loved having a lot of space to chill out in, we were given a large first floor room which was next to the car park so it was nice and quiet.
Whilst it was a super hot week, there was a small fan provided which was helpful as these buildings never have air con due to age. There were plenty of windows which helped circulate air too and they weren’t restricted to a small gap like some can be.
Bathroom
The bathroom was beautifully designed. It contained a HUGE walk in shower which was really powerful and came with towels and toiletries. Biggest plus of the bathroom was that you actually had the worlds softest dressing gowns available. Not many airbnb’s offer dressing gowns so this showed the 5* experience, it felt like staying in a hotel that was more convenient.
City Centre
We stayed for two nights as it was cheaper than one night in the city centre’s hotels. We went in August and got a great rate. The room was super comfortable and was great to make it ours for the nights. Having easy access to a fridge was useful as well as it meant we could easily bring wine or snacks and not pay an extortionate mini fridge price!
The best part of the apartment was its distance from the City Centre. Norwich City is a vibrant place, there’s loads of history, culture and food and drink places. The shopping is also huge and there’s so many independents, unique streets, lanes and a large shopping centre.
We were only a 15 minute walk away from the Chapelfield shopping centre which on a week like we had, was a dream to walk. It was a main road in and was close to the gardens too. The Unthank Road had plenty of shops, restaurants and bars as well so you didn’t have to go far for something to eat or drink.
The only negative – and a minor one, was that the bed covers were so luxurious that it was such a thick duvet which is lovely but was too warm for the hot weather. However, a minor detail and didn’t ruin our experience. The No 82 The Unthank offers free parking on a safe onsite carpark so is much better than paying for it in town too.
If you’re looking for somewhere different to stay for a city break in Norfolk, then definitely check out the No82 by booking here.