Exploring the Charm of The Little House in Elkstone, The Cotswolds

I booked for us to head down to The Cotswolds for Hans birthday on a rainy long weekend at the end of March, and The Little House in Elkstone, The Cotswolds did not disappoint. We were on the look out for a cosy place to stay to take our new foster dog (Erika) away too. We needed somewhere quiet, secure and away from people because to be honest - we all needed a bit of rest and recuperation! The Little House a cute hidden cottage on the outskirts of Elkstone, Gloucestershire. It's a small place with less than 400 people living there - so perfect for those of you looking to get away from civilisation.

On arrival

Arriving at dusk on Thursday evening, to start with we were very confused by the location. Elkstone sits right off a main road - which for us set off alarm bells as we couldn't see it on the listing and we start panicking a tiny bit... BUT oh how wrong we were.

Once we found the house we stepped out of the car and immediately realised just how quiet it was. Yes you can hear road noise - but it's very much in the background. We had a really easy check in. Irene and Michael (our hosts) gave us really easy instructions and were super communicative through our stay (more on that later) and one of the big plus sides of this place was that it was a self check in property.

Now, I don't know if this is a hangover from having an extremely reactive dog, or if i just don't like seeing people, but I LOVE a secure check in. When we book to go away - I don't want to see ANYONE. And The Little House certainly delivered on that. We opened the door an immediately went for an explore. Our foster dog, Erika, has never been on holiday before - so this was another big consideration when picking somewhere to go away. The whole place was SO clean. We could smell how fresh it was when we walked through the door. In front of the large class entranceway is a reception room with a futon in - so this place would be suitable to up-to 4 guest as it has two double beds. To your left is the lounge area and to your right is the kitchen, shower room, toilet and stairs leading to the bedroom.

The Lounge

The lounge looked big on the Airbnb listing, but it was so much bigger in person - whilst still retaining the cosy atmosphere you want in a little cottage in the countryside. It has two large sofas and a large footstool - so there is enough room for everyone to be cosy. They even had an anxiety donut bed for the dog!

Equipped with cosy blankets, games, books, a smart TV with Netflix and a wall of windows overlooking the garden - this set up was perfect and it worked for us through our entire stay. In fact, the weather was so bad one night we just go our PJ's on and watched Netflix with loads of snacks. Perhaps the perfect evening? Erika loved it too. We got her blanket on the sofa and she snuggled up and slept quite happily the whole time we were there. She also loved looking out the window watching the birds (big thing to note if you have a reactive dog who likes to chase small things :)). The only thing missing is a fireplace to make this a true cosy experience! But a lot of the house is wooden so maybe a fire wouldn't be the most sensible idea...

The Kitchen

The cottage came complete with a fully equipped modern kitchen that actually looked brand new. Really well organised and everything you could have needed for your stay (although I forgot matches for Han's birthday candles so we had to pretend they were lit!)

On arrival, the hosts (Irene and Michael) were so sweet and left us a bottle of Prosecco and a tub full of chicken treats for Erika! There was also a little basket with dog bowls in and toys - which was a really nice touch and makes you feel like the cottage is truly dog friendly.

The kitchen had a fridge freezer too - with ice cube trays (very important!) already filled. There was also a lovely coffee machine with coffee pods and large selection of tea's (herbal and English Breakfast!).

There is also a washing machine and a dishwasher (who wants to wash the dishes when they are on holiday?) and some great quality pans and knives. The knives we're also VERY sharp which was excellent for us as I forgot my knife I usually bring away with us - and I am a keen cook.

The Bathroom

A shower room to the left - a simple but a lovely overhead rainfall and handheld shower. The shower room is small - but it does the job! There were some lovely cowshed products left for us too which was handy because we forgot shampoo and conditioner and shower gel (I blame Hannah).

Across the hall is a toilet with a sink and a vanity mirror. Simple and worked well for us when getting ready in the morning.

The Bedroom

Okay - this is a big one for me. I don't book ANYWHERE unless the bedroom looks comfy. If I don't sleep, I am miserable and miserable to be around. But the bed was one of the comfiest beds I have ever slept in.

The hosts have really gone out of their way to make sure you have everything you could ever want to make this feel like a real luxury stay. The White Company bedding, hotel quality pillows and duvet, eye masks and ear plugs and the softest robes I have ever felt! We truly left The Little House feeling relaxed - and could have easily had another two weeks there.

The Garden

The garden was another really important point for us. Because Erika is with us, we have to make sure we get agreement from the charity we fostering her through (The very lovely Project Galgo) to make sure she is safe at all times.

Ideally, we needed a secure 6ft fence - because if she saw a squirrel, she would scale it in the blink of an eye. The Little House only had a smaller fence (it was about 4ft) so we just kept her on a longline BUT the garden is fully secure so for those of you with smaller dogs (Erika is like a small horse) this would be great for you! It's a pretty big garden too with space to run around and shrubs and trees to explore. There are chairs and tables too and it would be gorgeous to sit outside in the summer.

You can see the neighbouring house from the garden - we didn't see anyone the whole 5 days we were there but it's worth noting. Next door also have free range chickens - you can't see them but you can hear them so an important thing to note for dogs with high prey drive.

The Hosts

Irene and Michael were INCREDIBLE. They were so communicative and helpful every step of the way. We had a little hiccup with the heating and Irene called me to apologise and talked me through how they were going to sort it and then Michael was at the door within 30 minutes to get it fixed!

Irene also gave us some excellent recommendations for restaurants, pubs and local farm shops too. They couldn't do enough for us - and it makes such a big difference to your stay when your hosts are this amazing.

We would 100% come back here and recommend this peaceful break to anyone with a reactive dog.

Things to note on The Little House

One thing to note is that Irene and Michael would prefer dogs not to go upstairs in the bedroom. It's got a new carpet in there, so they are trying to keep it clean. Luckily for us Erika sleeps downstairs anyway, but if we still had Mac (our previous very reactive goblin dog) we would have struggled as he slept in our room and was attached to us at the hip. Irene and Michael are very understanding, so I'm sure if you messaged them prior, they would be able to chat to you about alternative arrangements - but important to share in this review!

Our rating: Mac Score

Reactivity rating: 👹👹👹👹/👹👹👹👹👹 (4/5)

Honestly? I would say this is up there with one of the best reactive dog friendly Airbnb's we've ever been to. The only reason we've dropped it down a point is because of the chickens next door, a cat (who soon got the message to stay away) and the fences are a little bit low for bigger dogs. But for most people - this is going to be great.

People Points: 👹👹👹👹👹/👹👹👹👹👹 (5/5)

PERFECTION. I have no other words for it. I want to go back immediately.

Scenery Score: 👹👹👹👹/👹👹👹👹👹 (4/5)

We love The Cotswolds - and looking out over rolling hills and farm fields every morning is bliss. The only reason we dropped it down a point is because of the nearby main road. You can hear it from the bedroom and the garden, but after a while you don't notice it too much. There also isn't a huge amount you can do about it and it didn't effect our stay in the slightest.

Accessibility Scale: 👹👹👹/👹👹👹👹👹 (3/5)

Accessibility is a tricky one. This is in the middle of nowhere (which is excellent for us) but not so great if you don't drive. I think it would be hard to get too if you didn't have the use of a car. This is also tricky for wheelchairs too. There are stones and a few steps to get in the property. Plus the main bedroom is upstairs. Saying that, there is a downstairs fold out bed and the flooring downstairs is flat.

Canine Courtesy Count: 👹👹👹👹👹👹/👹👹👹👹👹 (4/5)

We didn't see another dog the whole time we were here and it was great :).

Total Tally - 👹👹👹👹👹👹/👹👹👹👹👹 (4/5)

Get booked in. It's so worth it!

Book here!