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Review 3798: Rural Retreats, Bridge Cottage

www.ruralretreats.co.uk

Recommended. Review by ashley97 from Germany

3bed/3.5 bath house near Stow on the Wold, Heart of England

When

September 2008, 6 days

Location

Bridge Cottage is located in the hamlet of Upper Swell, 1 mile from Stow on the Wold. It is almost touching a small 18th century bridge into town. Upper Swell does not have a pub or post office or anything, but some houses, but Lower Swell -- 20 minute walk -- has a pub and Stow on the Wold has everything including a grocery store and gas station. Location was excellent; footpath outside the front door.

Nearby Amenities

You could walk to Lower Swell through the footpath (and sheep pastures) or take the "long way" and keep on the road. No sidewalks though. Road to Stow was too busy and narrow to walk on.

The House/Apartment

Building seemed like it was built several hundred years ago but the stone over the door said 1926. It was a beautiful property. Big parking area in front of a two car garage, plenty of room to turn my big American SUV around. Cottage was all Cotswold stone with flagstone hallway, terra cotta kitchen and wall-to-wall everywhere else. Downstairs had kitchen, 1/2 bath, dining room, living room and upstairs had two bedrooms with en suite bath and one bedroom with a full bath across the hall ... all showers, no bathtubs. There is also a separate room over the garage with TV and all that, but accessed from outside. We never used it.

Garden

Yard is fenced with table/chairs. Nice green lawn; not huge but big enough. Backs onto the river, which is more rushing than babbling brook. Stone wall around the property. One side is a sheep pasture, the other is the river. Cottage across the street but never saw anyone there.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

So well done. Dining room sat six, maybe more. French doors to backyard. Living room had great leather sofas facing the flat screen TV (only five channels) and DVD player. Nice stereo system. Wood burning stove in the living room, plenty of wood provided.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

Bedrooms were great. Nicely decorated (I had the toile room) with very soft cushy carpets, excellent bathrooms and nice lined curtains. Beds very comfortable, linens very nice, towels very soft and thick. Two of the showers were on the small side. Each room had a dresser and wardrobe. One hairdryer provided. Master bedroom has a TV too.

Kitchen

Kitchen was nicer than mine at home, with washer/dryer, dishwasher, fridge, oven, stove, etc. Plenty of cutlery and glassware, pots and pans, wine glasses, juicer, blender. We cooked most nights.

Problems or Bonuses

Nice welcome basket from Rural Retreats. This property looks EXACTLY like the pictures on the website, which was a nice surprise. Not a surprise, because I checked first, but no Internet access, which I would have liked.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

Picked up the key from a lock box on the property, but got several calls from Rural Retreats to confirm I had the right number, etc. They were willing to call me on my German phone. Very helpful to deal with. We paid £700 for five nights in September.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

I would stay here again, and I would recommend it to anyone. I was very pleased with Rural Retreats (yes, I will pay more for an agency because I feel like I have an extra avenue if things don't go well) and thrilled with the property; it was exactly what I imagined a Cotswolds cottage to be.

Things to do in this area

We went everywhere; Bath, Stratford, Stonehenge, Oxford and some of the Cotswold Villages.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

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