Cirencester Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Elizabeth - Verified booking

  We stayed at Pudding Hill Barn Cottage for a week in August 2023 as a family of four (two adults, a 7 year old and 2 year old) and I have to say we had the most amazing time!

  The cottage is beautifully laid out and decorated to a high standard, with lots of very thoughtful touches which helped make our stay easy. From delicious treats such as homemade Apple Jelly and some fresh bread and butter (along with milk, tea, coffee and juice), to useful household items such as dishwasher tablets and cleaning products. There was also a small but comprehensive stash of emergency supplies such as toothbrushes, toiletries and loo roll should you arrive late or be tight on space for shopping when you’ve traveled. Our children were made welcome by both Karen and Marcus who live next door and we felt very comfortable and at ease during our stay. The travel cot and high chair we use for our toddler was a good size and of good quality too (pretty good for those travelling with toddlers as often these items can be lacking). Karen was also knowledgeable about local places to visit and had excellent recommendations on places to eat and drink. One thing to note is that that cottage is down a private single track through two sets of gates, in fields where sheep were grazing, so it’s not obvious from the main road what the location is. This was no issue for us, but something to bare in mind. We loved the secluded location and how peaceful it was. There’s plenty of footpaths and places to visit on foot nearby and actually if you want to visit Bibury (listed as one of the most beautiful places in the Cotswolds and I can confirm it is STUNNING) this is easily done on foot from the cottage. Additionally, if you are visiting Bibury for those perfect pictures for the ‘gram, it’s far easier to go without a car if you can as there’s very limited parking in the village itself and the local community would be very appreciative of less congestion! Our visit was a very much needed holiday for our family and I was feeling very burnt out before our trip and almost reluctant to go in case it was not what we expected- but I am so glad we did! It’s definitely one of the best and most memorable holidays we’ve had so far as a family and we will be back again in the future. Thank you so much Karen and Marcus, we had a really wonderful holiday!

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• May - Verified booking

  To say we are disappointed with the service received and the general state of the property is an understatement.

  We logged the following issues with you and they were allocated case reference COR-279277-CF. These were originally logged on 13 August: Broken freezer - still not working properly when we left on 19 August. We had frozen food with us which we then had to disgard given the lack of a working freezer. Obviously this is most unsatisfactory. Only one spa pass was left for us. This was still unresolved when we left on 19 August and caused us some issues as a party of 10 as we had to 'negotiate' with the reception staff every time we wanted to use the facilities. Balcony furniture was tatty and in some cases unusable. Cushions were missing and the deck chairs had no seating inserts, so were unusable. We had no contact with the owner or yourselves other than a holding email to say you were going to contact the owner,.with regards the issues flagged. What I find most astounding is that today I have received an email from yourselves advisng that all the issues have been resolved - what a joke!!!! This is totally unacceptable and we will be posting reviews to say this. In addition to all of the above I would also like to point out the poor cleaning undertaken within the house. Every room was filled with cobwebs and spiders, which have obviously been there for some time. The kitchen surfaces (behind the toaster) was covered in dead flies and dust. In addition the outside of the property would benefit from some cleaning - all the windows and the glass on outside areas were covered in thick cobwebs, which I would suggest hadn't been cleaned for months and months. They were so bad that one of our party cleaned the outside areas himself. As a slight aside, I would also suggest that the property needs some attention with regards decor. The carpets are dirty/stained and the walls scuffed and marked throughout. All of the above is most disappointing, given we paid nearly £3k for a weeks stay in the property.

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• Anthony - Verified booking

  Wow what a fantastic cottage, full of character, pristinely presented with lots of little fine touches giving us a wonderful, luxurious and homely feel to our holiday.

  We were very grateful for the welcoming treats our hosts had left for us on our arrival! The location is stunning.... wonderful views across the countryside from the cottage. We also enjoyed the short stroll up to the Trout House where we sat and enjoyed the peaceful, stunning countryside views over the valley which was the icing on the cake. Our exceptionally welcoming and friendly hosts went above and beyond to make our stay a very enjoyable and relaxing experience, nothing was too much trouble and they gave us excellent recommendations on what to see, do and eat! Very dog friendly, our little dog loved her mini break too and was well catered for. The area has a wealth of interesting places to visit which are all within around 20 minutes drive from the cottage - the local Trout Farm is well worth a visit in Bibury and near by Bourton on the Water is simply stunning. We would highly recommend a visit to Pudding Hill Cottage, and can't wait to return! Thank you so much Karen, Marcus and your furry and feathered family for such a fantastic stay.

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• Geoff - Verified booking

  The accommodation was adequate in most respects but not as good as other other 4 ticks Sykes cottages we have experienced.

  It's not " excellent standard throughout". The double bed was very comfortable and the shower was excellent. But the spacious bathroom lacks the facility to hang two bath towels to dry, the shower screen seal was broken, and the bottom 9 inches or so of the light pull string was an unpleasantly dirty brown. The kitchen equipment is rather sparse, eg no microwaveable pans/dishes, and when we arrived the oven and baking trays were unusably filthy. The owner apologised and cleaned it but it's disappointing that we had to point it out. There is a very large sideboard in the kitchen but it was full of miscellaneous stuff, such as cardboard boxes in which had once contained wine glasses, and was no use to us. The patio would indeed be "spacious" if the large rotted wooden bench and the pile of stones were removed, the shrubs cut back and the weeds pulled out. This is the place where it is most obvious that the photos on Sykes' site were taken some considerable time ago the jumble under the staircase is another

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• Roj - Verified booking

  Bibury has a reputation for being a busy village with coaches visiting Arlington Row, but Pudding Hill Barn Cottage provides an oasis of peace and quiet tucked away from the crowds.

  Surrounded by fields and on the footpath to Ablington, the cottage offers a fantastic spot to enjoy the local wildlife, explore on foot or sit and relax in the Trout House watching the birds over the river. Our Cocker Spaniel had the time of her life running and playing in the gated and safe field next door. The cottage is clean, tidy, very well decorated and comfortable with everything you could possibly need and is the perfect cosy base for exploring the central Cotswolds and beyond. Karen and Marcus are fantastic hosts who made us feel so welcome and for who nothing was too much trouble. From the home grown and made apple jam, sourdough, free range eggs, local beer, fresh fruit and chilled prosecco that was set out for us on arrival to travel tips, walking guides and restaurant recommendations they really did take such good care of us. It was a pleasure to meet such lovely people and at the end of the holiday we were sad to leave but refreshed and restored by our stay in this special place.

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