Our story

Rose-Marie Lodge is owned by Gary and Debbie who live in nearby Braintree. Gary's daughter, Ami, helps to run the holiday lets - so it is truly a family venture!

Gary lived in Clacton-on-Sea for 18 years, bringing up his two daughters by the sea. He moved to Braintree when he met Debbie, but they both have a love for the seaside and retreat to Clacton as often as possible.

“We purchased the property from Iris, who was disabled and moved into a care home. Sadly Iris passed away shortly after, but we have since found out from our neighbour that the family were overjoyed to hear that we were turning the property into a disabled holiday home.”

The bungalow was initially going to be renovated and let as a standard holiday home, and work started to do just that. However, not far into the project, Gary saw the ramps around the house and had the idea to make it the first fully accessible holiday home in Clacton-on-Sea. Work stopped and plans were changed as the house was redesigned, widening doors and seeking out the equipment required. Gary is a builder by trade and has done all the work himself along with the help of friends, with Debbie joining him at weekends to get stuck in.

The house is named after Gary’s mum, Marie (pictured below), who had to be moved into a care home in recent years due to her dementia. Marie had a caravan in Clacton for many years and Gary and his siblings would spend many summer holidays by the beach. When Gary moved to Clacton, Marie would love coming down for the weekend to stay with the grandkids and enjoy the beach. 

Marie is a ray of sunshine and the bright colours around the house remind us of her. Unfortunately we've never managed to get Marie down to see the house, but we know she would absolutely love it!