The Hideout
Sleeps 20
South Cotswolds
Hot Tub, Gardens and grounds
Two acres pan out before you, and then many more beyond the organic pasture farm and prime Cotswold escarpment. Slide out through the open glass doors from the living area and explore the clipped garden and the organic pasture farm. Warm your toes around the outside logburner.
Take the nature trails through historic pasture fields and cross the babbling Ladden Brook. Come back to drink and dine on the terrace beneath the big skies and the call of the skylark. As the night sky darkens, gown up and sneak outside to sink into the nine-seat hot tub and soak under the stars.
Living spaces
The settee’s U-shaped in the surround-sound cinema room. In fact, everything here is you-shaped. It’s all built for your convenience and comfort. The TV’s an 80-incher but, if young minds should stray from the action, you’ve got board games on hand, so you can keep an eye on both the movies and the little movers.
Feel the need to stream? How fast? Would fibre broadband at up to 100m/bit/s do it for you? Everything here is off the scale. For the retro-minded, a DVD Blu-ray player sits on standby. Books dot the place for recharging the quiet ones, and there’s table football for the incurably competitive.
Love a dramatic entrance? Who needs stairs? You can divebomb the dining area on the wooden slide that sits next to the staircase. Then just slide out to the covered terrace that wraps around the outside, to extend your living space and drink in the fresh Cotswold air, whatever the weather.
The Hideout is bigger than both of us. But its vast spaces never seem impersonal. They’re packed with homely touches, like underfloor heating, the roaring fire, the sociable open-plan main area and the furry throws that warm the spaces. Cookery books, kids’ toys and well-thumbed novels abound. It’s a place that looks like home.
Cooking and dining
You might be a master chef, with your family pleading for you to pick up the whisk and saucepans every mealtime. If so, you’ll be right at home here with the two ovens and large hob in the main kitchen, and the extra-large range with induction hob in, yes, a second kitchen. If not, we have options that will delight you.
Call up The Chalkboard for anything from drop-off meals to a fully catered break. How does homemade lasagne sound, or fresh beef bourguignon? Pomme puree, crispy hen’s egg with asparagus, loin of lamb and lemon posset? With coffee and petits fours to follow? And all dished up in a room set for up to 40.
Yes, the open-plan kitchen/diner is vast. The whole atmosphere is of a convivial banquet. And when you’re done, you can take pop your pods into the Nespresso and gather around the gas fire on the squishy sofas with the cosy throws. Maybe tuck into the welcome hamper, groaning with local goodies?
Head out for Putcher Pies at The Anchor Inn in Oldbury-on-Severn, for beef and lamb from the family farm at The White Horse in Hambrook, or for fresh fish brought in daily from Cornwall at the ivy-clad Old House at Home in Burton. Go for posher nosh at The Stables at Vayre House or Indian at The Spice Mahal.
Bedrooms
Pick from ten beautifully appointed en-suite bedrooms each with their own character. Which one matches your personality?
Bedrooms one and two are superkings with en-suite shower rooms, while bedroom three is a king-size with en-suite shower. Bedroom four offers a king-size with freestanding bath in the bedroom, plus en-suite toilet and sink. Family flexibility comes in the shape of a link to bedroom five.
Bedrooms five and six are superkings with en-suite shower rooms, as is bedroom seven, which offers a link to bedroom ten. Bedroom eight is a king-size with en-suite shower, while bedroom nine is a superking en-suite. Bedroom ten provides an en-suite toilet and sink, with a freestanding bath in the bedroom.
Sumptuous bedding, on-point décor, feather duvets, luxury linen and hairdryers come as standard. As does a harmonious sense of rural bliss.
What people say
Surf, ski, bikes and breweries
Tackle the high ropes at Mojo Active. Surf without the sea at The Wave; ski without mountains at Gloucester Ski Centre. Climb the hills and walk the forests; reward yourself with a day at Cotswold Spa. Play golf at Cotswold Edge, hire bikes from Cycle the City, take a brewery tour of Wickwar. What’s a little indulgence between friends?
