Forsythia, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cotswolds

As you pull up onto the gravel drive, you may be lucky to arrive during the season when the yellow forsythia flowers growing around the front door of the cottage are flourishing and lend their name to this delightful, mid-terrace holiday home in the heart of the Venice of the Cotswolds. Forsythia is the perfect bolthole for a romantic getaway for a couple, for a family with one child or a group of three adults. The cottage is fitted with every convenience needed for a self-catering stay, from the small but very well laid out living-dining area with its fully equipped kitchen to the two comfortable bedrooms – one standard double and one single - and family shower room. Head through the back door from the main living area to the immaculate courtyard patio. Here you'll find two rattan-style armchairs directly outside the kitchen, while further up the courtyard, up one step, is a stone bench and a circular table, four chairs and a BBQ. Ground Floor Entrance Hall: Step through the front door into a small hallway where there is a large understairs cupboard with hooks for coats and space for boots. Inside you will also find the highchair, cushions for the outside chairs, and cleaning and ironing equipment. Kitchen-Living-Dining Area: This small and cosy, open-plan room has been cleverly designed to provide everything guests during their self-catering stay while maintaining the 17th Century feel of the cottage. The Living Area has two comfy sofas with a gas-fired woodburner-effect stove set on an original stone hearth. At the far end of the room is the Dining Area with a square dining table, two chairs and cushioned window seat, with a lovely view out to the courtyard garden, and a smart TV in the far corner. The fully equipped Kitchen is to one side, with units creating a half-height division between the cooking area and Living-Dining Area. The Kitchen has an electric oven and hob, fridge and freezer, microwave, washing machine and all the small appliances needed for a self-catered holiday. A back door, complete with a full set of antique keys, leads out to the delightful, sunny courtyard garden – making it easy and convenient for carrying out food and drinks for outdoor entertaining. First Floor Carpeted stairs with a handrail lead up to: Bedroom One: This pretty bedroom overlooks the front of the cottage and features a single bed on an ornate bed frame with a bedside table and reading lamp to one side and an armchair and footstool to the other. The room has a custom-built wardrobe with hanging space and a dressing table area with lighting, drawers and a large mirror. Bedroom Two: The cottage's main bedroom is a delightfully romantic room, featuring a standard double bed on a Victorian-style bedframe and two windows providing views down to the courtyard garden. Either side of the bed is a bedside table and reading lamp, while behind are shelves stacked with a great choice of books to enjoy during your stay. The bedroom has an in-built wardrobe with hanging space and shelves and a dressing table with a stool, lighting, a large mirror, make-up mirror and hairdryer. (The travel cot is stored in the wardrobe.) Family Shower Room: The compact family shower room is equipped with a cubicle shower, a toilet, a wash basin, with a vanity unit and mirror, and a heated towel rail. Outside To the front of the cottage is a private, gravelled drive, with parking for one car (or two very small cars parked end-to-end) – a huge asset in the popular village! At the rear of the cottage, through the back door off the kitchen-living area, is a private, sunny and delightful courtyard garden. It has two seating areas: one immediately outside the back door, with two rattan-style armchairs and a low table – the ideal spot for a morning coffee or evening sundowner; and the other at the end of the courtyard with a circular table and four chairs and a stone bench. A large storage chest holds a small, charcoal BBQ. A rotary washing line is provided for guests' use.