The Bolthole in the Cotswolds Review – A pet and family friendly break

Disclaimer: We were invited to stay at The Bolthole as guests in exchange for an honest review

As a family we are never happier than when we are ALL together; our family includes our dog, Barney, so when we were invited to Stow-on-the-Wold to spend a weekend in The Bolthole, we couldn’t wait to unwind and relax.

The Bolthole in the Cotswolds Review – A pet and family friendly break

The Bolthole is a 3-bedroom period cottage and the newest addition to the Old Stocks Inn. The Old Stocks Inn is a beautiful hotel that offers accommodation in a stunning little village and that is furnished to the upmost quality, all rooms are carefully planned and laid out to offer a luxurious stay for all with luxury extras in all rooms.

The Bolthole is no exception to this – less than 1-minute walk from the Old Stocks Inn, this period cottage has its own parking space outside and will take your breath away upon setting foot inside. Never have I seen décor and attention to detail of this quality before in a holiday cottage/accommodation, it offers all the joys of staying in a hotel but with the added privacy a cottage provides.

The cottage is almost of showroom quality, with all furnishings carefully handpicked with the greatest of care – including limited-edition bedside cabinets in the master bedroom, amazing artwork in all rooms, and the most comfortable seating in the lounge.

Your every need has been thought of within this luxury accommodation from somewhere to store your shoes in the hallway, and even a box to keep muddy shoes in in the downstairs toilet should you fancy exploring the great outdoors and the weather isn’t on your side (there is even a large umbrella to use too), plenty of coat hooks for your outdoor clothing means the hall will stay tidy and uncluttered.

The kitchen is the nicest I have ever cooked in – if I could have packed it all up and moved it into my kitchen I would have!  Upon arrival, we had drinks waiting for us in the fridge (you can specify your preference on your pre-arrival forms) – we had a lovely bottle of White Wine and Beer in the fridge, as well as soft drinks for the kids, and there was also bread, butter and cake, eggs, bottled water, milk and jam for us so we were able to grab a snack and a drink while unpacking – just what we needed after a motorway trip. The kitchen is also fully stocked with everything you need to start off your stay from oil for cooking, a large selection of herbs and spices, tea, sugar and even Nespresso pods for the coffee maker (and not just a few as you many usually get in a hotel but a full jar full), and with Tesco and a Co-Op less than 5 minutes away you can easily grab everything else you want for your stay (or have delivered to your cottage).

There is seating for all occasions in this property, a breakfast bar in the kitchen so you can all chat while cooking or eat breakfast etc and even a large dining room table in the lounge should you wish to all eat as a family – we did this with our evening meals and ate lunch and breakfast in the kitchen.

You’ll find two sofas as well as two armchairs in the lounge, so there definitely is no fighting for space – we found we each took one and were all able to spread out and were comfy for the whole of our stay. There is even an armchair in the upstairs hall, which the children would disappear off to read or play computer games in peace, and another in the master bedroom.

There are three bedrooms in this cottage; the master bedroom is huge and features a super king-sized bed, an armchair, bench seating, a dressing table and even a display cabinet; there is also an en-suite with a shower.

The second bedroom can be made up as a double or a single depending on your preference and also has a beautiful dressing table, the third bedroom has two single beds complete with bedside tables. All bedrooms have smart TVs in them, which the kids loved as I was able to sign them into Netflix, and they could take themselves off to watch a movie at bedtime. There is a family bathroom upstairs with a huge bath which easily fits myself and both children. Luxury toiletries are in all bathrooms, and extras are in the bedrooms too.

As this cottage is pet-friendly, Barney wasn’t forgotten and had a bed awaiting him in the hall, dog bowls and a full pot of dog treats to enjoy.

There was also a small garden area with seating meaning Barney could roam happily and safely outdoors, and a utility room complete with a second fridge and a washer/dryer.

There are so many added extras within this cottage, which really do help to make it a relaxing and enjoyable family stay – games for the family to play, including Monopoly, Scrabble and Cards Against Humanity, and books on all the bookshelves. There is also a Sky package and a Nintendo Switch, which was definitely Emmy’s highlight, and she now has this on her Christmas list.

The cottage is nestled at the edge of a very quaint village which we visit every day, it makes a lovely walk and only takes 15 minutes to walk all the way through, you’ll find all you need from banks, supermarkets, a cheese shop, wine shops, clothes and gift shops and even a lovely chocolate shop.

When staying at the Bolthole, you are able to have breakfast in The Old Stocks Inn restaurant on your first morning, which is included in the price of your stay. Other meals can be booked in the restaurant or nearby cafes/restaurants/pubs, or you can cook in your cottage – or grab a takeaway to eat in your cottage (there are a few in the village, but none deliver, so don’t get too comfy before your meal).

We stayed for two nights, and it really was the most relaxing stay, helped by the village is so quiet that we all slept really well, the fact that all our comforts and all our needs were completely met that even if we had forgotten something we found it was actually already in the cottage.

Why not take a look at our photo video for a full cottage tour:

Having Barney on holiday with us, too, meant we really could enjoy a family-friendly stay and not worry about him being left with a pet sitter.

This was our first visit to the Cotswolds and certainly won’t be our last; unfortunately, the weather was against us this weekend so we didn’t explore further but we were all worn out and needed just to rest and recharge our batteries – this cottage was a perfect place for us to unwind and to just spend time together.

For further information, please do take a look at their website www.oldstocksinn.com

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