Holly Cottage, Coln St Aldwyns, Cotswolds

This picture postcard, early-1800s Cotswold stone cottage has a very welcoming, cosy feel, with its original oak beams, flagstone floors and inglenook fireplace beautifully restored and conserved by the current owners. Holly Cottage is bright and airy too, with modern facilities and plenty of entertaining space provided by the large fully equipped Kitchen, Living-Dining Room, fabulous Garden Room and covered outdoor dining area. The cottage is decorated and furnished in a contemporary style with soft white and grey paintwork, providing the perfect setting for the traditional features and the modern facilities, which include underfloor heating throughout the downstairs area (beneath the flagstone flooring), a Smart TV with Apple TV connection and a DVD player and a fully equipped kitchen with everything guests need for a self-catered holiday. Eight guests are comfortably accommodated across four bedrooms, including two king-size double rooms, (one can be set up as a twin), 1 twin room (with 2 standard single beds) and 1 standard double. The cottage has a large en-suite to the Master Bedroom, with a shower and bath and a Family Bathroom with a walk-in shower and full-size bath. Framed by a front garden stocked with mature bushes, trees, climbing roses and jasmine, Holly Cottage sits on a quiet country lane leading to the 12th Century church of St John the Baptist. The front garden wraps around both sides of the cottage, leading to a large courtyard area with grassy knolls, mature trees and borders, a covered seating area, charcoal barbecue, rotary clothes dryer, a summer house/wood store, and private parking for up to three cars. Ground Floor Entrance: The entrance to Holly Cottage is through the back door into the Utility Room. (The front door can be opened, but the owners recommend using it only in case of an emergency). Utility Room: This handy room just off the kitchen, which leads out to the back garden, has a freezer, sink, washer-dryer, storage cupboards (containing garden-safe glasses) and hooks for coats and hats. It's a great place to remove shoes and boots before heading into the cottage proper. Cloakroom: Off the Utility Room is the downstairs toilet with a washbasin and a map featuring Coln St Aldwyns village, dated 1881. The Kitchen: The pretty and welcoming, double-aspect kitchen, with its original oak beams and flagstone flooring (with underfloor heating), draws you all the way to the far window, with its window seat, two dinky children's tables and a comfy armchair – a great spot for socialising and keeping the chef company! This practical, fully equipped kitchen has everything you need for a self-catered stay, including a Lexford induction range, dishwasher, two fridges, plenty of cupboard and preparation space, a double sink and a Nespresso coffee machine. Living-Dining Room: Walk through from the Kitchen to the hub of the cottage and the beautiful Living-Dining Room, with its original, exposed oak beams, flagstone flooring (with underfloor heating), and a large inglenook fireplace with a wood-burning stove. The living area features two large leather sofas, a wing-back armchair and a great big beanbag, providing seating for everyone around the hand-crafted wooden coffee table. There's a Smart TV with Apple TV connection and a DVD player with a wide choice of DVDs. A ladder bookcase holds lots of interesting books, including 'The Way We Were - A History of Coln St Aldwyns' – a must-read for history buffs. The dining area overlooks the rear garden and has a large wooden dining table, which comfortably seats eight adults. Tucked away in a cupboard under the stairs is the highchair, ironing board, iron, clothes airer and vacuum cleaner. Garden Room: Head on through the Living Room to the bright and spacious Garden Room, with windows forming the three outer walls, providing a light and relaxing room for guests to enjoy some TV-free time to read, chat or snooze. Furnished with a three-seater sofa, wingback chair and antique sideboard, and featuring the original flagstone flooring updated with warming underfloor heating. A large wicker basket contains a big choice of family board games, including Cluedo, Balderdash, Trivial Pursuit, Ski Run and Chain Reaction (contents may vary). French doors open out from the Garden Room to a flight of stone steps leading to the courtyard garden and parking area. First Floor Stairs lead up from the Living-Dining Room to the first-floor landing and the cottages first two bedrooms. The upstairs area (excluding the bathrooms) is carpeted throughout with a light bark-coloured, sisal. (Please note: Sisal is expensive, and stains are almost impossible to remove. Therefore, to avoid any unnecessary stress for you, the housekeeper or the owners, we would kindly request that you refrain from taking food and drinks upstairs to these carpeted areas). Bedroom One: This lovely light and spacious double room, with original, exposed oak beams look out to the beautiful ancient Coln properties on Church Lane, which guests can contemplate while sitting in the window seat overlooking Church Lane. The room has a sumptuous king-size bed, on a Victoriana iron bedstead, and is furnished with a gorgeous pink velvet wingback armchair, bedside tables with reading lamps and a double fitted wardrobe (housing the travel cot and stairgates). Behind the bed are some deep shelves, which were the original staircase leading up from behind the Living Room's inglenook fireplace. En-suite bathroom: with its lovely, smooth oak floorboards, looks out over the rear and side garden. It has a walk-in shower, an enticing, free-standing, roll-top bath, (with central taps and a handheld shower attachment), a toilet, washbasin and heated towel rail. Bedroom Two: The dove grey walls perfectly offset the beautiful oak beams of the cottage's second double bedroom, also overlooking Church Lane – a quiet, no-through road along which very little traffic passes. Featuring a king-size bed (which can be set up as a twin room on request), bedside tables with reading lamps, a large chest of drawers, a full-length mirror and a double wardrobe (a single wardrobe houses the cottage's hot water tank). Family Bathroom: The spacious family bathroom, with its beautiful polished oak floorboards, has plenty of room to accommodate a family's requirements, with a walk-in shower (with the detachable showerhead), full size, built-in bath (with end taps and a handheld shower attachment), toilet, washbasin with a mirror on a wide windowsill, providing plenty of room for personal items, and a heated towel rail. Carpeted stairs lead up to the second-floor landing and two further bedrooms both with sloping ceilings and exposed oak beams, a Velux window to the rear garden and a pretty window, with a wide windowsill, overlooking Church Lane and the rooftops of Coln St Aldwyns. Bedroom Three: This bright and cheerful twin room with Beatrix Potter pictures, children's books and a welcoming soft toy on each bed is ideal up for younger guests. However, the two full-size single beds, with pull out drawers for additional storage, and a shared bedside table with reading light, also comfortably accommodate adult guests. The bedroom also has a double cupboard with hanging space and a single wardrobe with shelves, housing some toys and children's puzzles. Bedroom Four: The cottage's third double bedroom features a standard double bed on an evocative Victorian-style wrought-iron bedstead. This simply furnished, cosy bedroom has a freestanding wardrobe, a large chest of drawers and an antique church chair for guests to sit on and contemplate the fantastic view over Coln St Aldwyn's ancient rooftops. Outside The back door (in the Utility Room) and the French doors (in the Garden Room), lead out into the large courtyard garden with grassy knolls, mature trees and borders, a covered seating area, charcoal barbecue, rotary clothes dryer and summer house/wood store. The covered area has a large table with seating for eight, with a charcoal barbecue to the side, available from April to October (please provide your own charcoal). A wide gravel driveway runs from Church Lane, between planted borders, to the main courtyard and has space for up to three cars. The garden wraps around both sides of the cottage (passed the Kitchen to one side and the Garden Room to the other) to the front, where there is a narrow, but very pretty, gravelled front garden with rambling roses, winter jasmine and mature bushes.