Hearts Delight Cottage by Bloom Stays

Beautiful cottage an well stocked

Secluded and a very romantic setting for the start of our honeymoon. Tastefully decorated and apple and pear juice provided by the owner’s orchard.

Nothing.

Location was wonderful, totally beautiful, genuine countryside, with leaves turning and mellow light in evening and morning. Loved it. We could light a nice fire every night, the hosts had provided wood for more than 3 evenings. We walked to the Black Robin pub (the only one in truly walking distance) only to find out that they were fully booked on that night. Went back the next evening, but always took the car. Bathrooms were good (the upper shower and WC is really small but very useful), the lower one really nice. New appliances, very good water pressure). Kitchen was very suitable, there was coffee (liked it), chocolate (loved it!) and tea (if you fancy infusions rather than green or black, bring some with you). Beds were comfortable, although the twin beds in the small bedroom are really narrow). The carpet upstairs was welcome. All in all - if you're not too spoiled re space and you long for countryside - that's the perfect spot. Great spots for dining within 10' of driving (went to the Black Robin - loved it, the Duke of Cumberland - good Turkish cuisine, The Pig in Bridge - very good! Canterbury is quite near (20' by car or faster if less traffic), the shop in Barnham (5' by car) has fabulous bread ('bestest' ever), visit Leeds Castle for a comprehensive Castle experience, although quite expensive to visit. Also very good for families with children. Just dive into this experience, you'll like it.

Parking was convenient, although some gravel/non-slippery stone steps to the house would make a big difference. Also, there's no light coming from the parking to the house - that would be really useful. The road to the house is a country road, so, potholes, narrow, dark at night :-). Just FYI

Secluded location, very peaceful, great place to get away for a few days or more. Lots of text and email communication from hosts. Very nice complimentary items. Pear and apple juice made from locally grown fruits was our favourite. Furnished to a high quality standard.

Although communication provided by email was useful, sometimes annoying to receive the same information more than once. This maybe a personal issue or emails duplicated.

We liked that the cottage was cosy and comfortable at the same time. The beds were comfy with pillows and towels made out of egyptian cotton. The two bathrooms were quite handy too, a small one upstairs with a shower and a bigger one downstairs with a bathtub. We travelled with two children (4 and 6 years old) and they really enjoyed the toys that they found there, and the numerous books, including some of their beloved Dr. Seuss volumes. The cottage is not detached, it is rather a wing of a much bigger house, which is inhabited, although we did not hear any noise throughout our weekend stay. The location is really peaceful and we really liked the relatively isolated location of the cottage (you get there through a ~1 mile of dirt road). The cottage overall is not huge but it worked perfectly fine for the four of us, also considering we spent most of the days out. Logs are provided that could be used in a woodburner. We didn't but I suspect it might be quite nice on colder days. We dined once in the local pub - The Black Robin - a little on the pricey side but food and beers, and atmosphere, were really good.

There isn't much space outside to chill out, apart from a bench just outside the entrance and the parking lot a little further away. There is a big field on the other side of the house although I suspect this belongs to the owners. I don't think this is a negative (it wasn't for us) but worth considering if outside space is something one is after. The property is managed by 'Bloomstays' and they sent us numerous automatic-looking messages, which was helpful although it also felt a little detached. The only question we asked - where to leave the keys on checkout (we asked through Booking) wasn't answered. Again, this is not a big deal at all but I thought I should mention.