Holiday Cottages In Osborne To Rent

Lorraine - verified booking

"That being said…. wow! This small site has just shot straight to the top of the list for a revisit. ***Before we begin –As at March 2018, do not use Google Maps to assess the property – it has been extensively renovated and this isn’t reflected in the satellite image***Let’s start with accessibility. Head south to Winchester on the A34, turn left, 20 minutes of countryside and you’re there. It doesn’t really get a lot simpler than that. As for the location; blimey, it’s gorgeous! Think atypical country village with pretty little church and cracking county pub. No streetlights, no pavements, hardly any people and, most importantly, no noise! The peace and quiet is almost deafening, punctuated infrequently by a passing Landrover or “squark” of local wildlife. What about the accommodation? Well, it’s been done well. Really well! When you come on these cottage holidays, you have to, at times, expect a level of “rustic charm”. Not here, while the outside is pure countryside, the inside is akin to a new build show home. Everything you want, everything you need, is right here already. The living area is comfortable; small but without being cramped. The bedroom is huge, and the bed is incredible… and bigger than my car! The bathroom is SO well finished and so impressive, that my wife is already starting to look at gutting our bathroom at home. All in all, this little cabin has been finished to an incredible standard and hasn’t missed a thing! Now, the most important part of the review – the Springer Spaniel perspective. Many places say “dog friendly”, by which they mean they’ll allow dogs. This place is different; they WELCOME dogs. You arrive to dog bowls and poo bags ready and waiting after the drive. The owner has acknowledged that most Spaniels can’t read and don’t care much for the “stay off the sofa” rules. The best owners in the world will turn their back occasionally, so they’ve got you covered and have provided throws to protect the furniture…just in case. The little garden area is secure enough, with a (at its lowest) waist high fence. Beyond the digs, the very pretty, disused railway is a 10 minute walk from the cabin (you’ll need a short lead as this is accessed by a fairly narrow road). The local pub accepts dogs and we all had a cracking meal in the bar one evening. Finally, the owner – Gill was friendly, warm and welcoming. You can see the love that’s been poured into this location everywhere you look. The walled garden was beautiful, and that’s in March. By the middle of summer, it’ll be exquisite. While you only see Gill very briefly here and there, she certainly adds a finishing touch to a brilliant place! What’s the conclusion then? Should I visit this place? Were you not reading what I wrote above? Of course you should! Take a really comfy hotel suite… plonk it in the Hampshire countryside…. Add your dogs… and you’ve got Garden Cottage."

David - verified booking

"S50422 is well equipped and located. The house manager was incredibly helpful and provided a lovely personalised welcome pack. The kitchen is well equipped and the wifi and smart TV were great to have. The house in our opinion could do with some updating in terms of painting. The ceiling is very low in the kitchen, and the shower in the downstairs en-suite bathroom is quite small although works well. There are beams and sloping ceilings upstairs so tall people need to be aware of this!The conservatory is lovely and has a great wood burner – we echo another reviewer’s comments though that this would mean that the downstairs is all incredibly hot in hot weather. The property is well located in terms of being very close to the New Forest and near to the sea and lovely beaches. Nearby are a couple of small towns that have supermarkets and useful shops, and the most local pub (The Plough) serves good food. The road to the pub however is, in our opinion, not one we would walk down as it is a country lane with no lighting and little space to keep out of the road as cars pass. Easy drive to both pubs. The cottage is close to Lymington and Lyndhurst where it is very easy to get to these places.It must be stated however that, contrary to the website description, the property is neither detached nor secluded. Physically attached to the property are working stables and the house is not fully at the end of the lane as stated and the lane is used at all times of the day and into the very late evening by people tending to their horses. You can therefore hear the horses and any related activity from within the house at all hours (including overnight), and in particular this could be heard in the bedrooms. There is also another house within metres of this house also so it is not as secluded as we had hoped for.The garden is lovely although it does look out onto the lane with people driving past as mentioned above therefore it is not private. There are also other houses visible from the garden, and we could hear children / tractors / renovation noises etc. If you are early risers and don’t mind some neighbour noise and are not particularly concerned about people coming and going then this is a lovely location and house; but if, like us, you were specifically looking for a fully detached and secluded peaceful property with no near neighbours and a good level of privacy then we would not recommend this property."

Rebecca - verified booking

"It's hard to say what the best thing about Bowden is: braving the wind to stand on the private beach at midnight on Christmas Eve; cooking Christmas dinner with red squirrels feeding outside the window; sitting in the conservatory watching the sky get dark across the beautiful grounds; running your hands over the banisters, lovingly restored with 24 coats of varnish; chatting to Peter the owner over coffee; piling into the living room with wine, cake and board games... The house is historic, majestic, magical and beautifully crafted, with space for a large extended family group to eat together and play together, or to spread out over several rooms for a variety of activities. A minor drawback is the disparity between the sweeping grandeur of the first floor and the servants quarters on the second floor: bedroom and bathroom arrangements need some negotiation to keep all group members happy! It was a privilege to be the first guests for Christmas 2017 and to feel that we honoured Peter's vision of bringing his beloved family home back to life for a new chapter in the house's history."

Andrea - verified booking

"The Cottage felt very homely and warm. Everything we needed was supplied to make it a very comfortable stay. Making lovely warm fires in the evening was a real treat and the cottage was well placed for the local small supermarket and pubs. The children loved the summer house where they could play pool and darts which was a welcome diversion for them and us! It was lovely to be able to take our Westie away with us, however owners of small dogs beware, as the garden whilst totally enclosed was not fully escape proof for mischievous little dogs! The walks up to Tennyson Down from the cottage were super and the views unsurpassed. Would recommend the west coast as the coastal walks and fossil hunting were great fun.All in a all a great Easter week spent on the Island, with Freshwater proving to be a great base and the cottage being a home from home after a day's walking and exploring"

andrew - verified booking

"located close to the ferry terminal at Fishbourne so very convenient when travelling to the island. A good base to tour the island with everything being within 20 miles . The views of the Medina were good. Three pubs within 2-3 miles, with one being in 15 mins walking distance, serving carvery and other meals - this was mostly busy so we would advise booking in advance. Our son is a rapidly growing teenager and the 2ft 6 inch beds in the second bedroom were only just big enough for him, another year and they would have been too small.The house is just starting to show some signs of wear and tear but overall is a good choice for 3-5 people (we had a towel rail fall off when first touched, but without tools could not rectify this, and two of the showers are starting to show signs of use)"