The house is beautiful, & for such an old, historic building is beautifully furnished & exceptionally well-equipped. We booked the house for an extended family party with the group ranging in age from 2 years old up to 83 years old. The kitchen is enormous - huge fridge / freezer, great cooker & a big work surface which is great for breakfasts & food preparation. The rooms are elegantly furnished & have really modern en-suite bathrooms. Our favourite places were the bar (yes - they have a bar!) & the lounge which has extended leather sofas around the walls - at one stage there were 19 people sitting watching the Wimbledon final. The outside garden is great for barbeques & drinks, & the centre-piece fountain is fantastic! Given we were such a big party, we pre-booked the caterers recommended by Martin & Juliet (the owners, who are so helpful & friendly) - they produced a beautiful 4-course, formal dinner, with special courses thrown in for the children. Matlock Bath is a beautiful place - its like a very traditional sea-side town in the middle of land-locked Derbyshire - there are some great places to eat (try the Fishpond who do great pizzas from their own wood-fired pizza oven, & Raspberry beer). Also, the walking nearby is breath-taking & we were really close to Chatsworth which is well worth a trip. I'd highly recommend Portland House - we spend a couple of weeks every year where we holiday in Britain & book cottages & houses, but this was the best place we've ever stayed.