10 cosy Cotswolds cottages to live out your The Holiday dream this Christmas
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Christmas is just around the corner and if you’re snuggling up to watch Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet’s life-swapping festive favourite The Holiday, you may be fantasising about a stay in the film’s other star – the chocolate box country cottage owned by Kate Winslet’s character, Iris.
Resplendent in honey-hued stone, smoke curling from the chimney and surrounded by freshly laid snow, it might just be the cosiest bolthole on screen. But – heartbreakingly for fans – Jude Law has recently revealed that Iris’s Surrey cottage doesn’t actually exist.
Thankfully, there are plenty of wonderfully cosy cottages that look just like the film’s dreamy bolthole if you head to the Cotswolds this winter. These ten gorgeous holiday homes come complete with wood burners, beams and even wisteria round the door (Jude Law as your next-door neighbour sadly not included).
Laundry Cottage, Bath
We had to do a double take when we first saw Laundry Cottage – it looks uncannily like the little gem from The Holiday. This beautiful Grade II-listed stone house is tucked away in the peaceful village of Combe Hay on the southern edge of the Cotswolds. Inside there’s a wood burner and three snug bedrooms, one complete with a freestanding bath for your own Cameron Diaz singing in the bath moment. There’s also a great independent pub right down the road where, you never know, you could bump into a Jude Law type…
Sleeps six, from £1,046 for seven nights.
9 Arlington Row, Bibury
You’re likely to recognise Arlington Row which was built in 1380 as a monastic wool store. These dolls house-sized homes are now one of the most picturesque – and photographed – corners of the Cotswolds. Most of the impossibly cute cottages in the Row are privately owned, but one is available as a holiday let via the National Trust. Inside Number 9 you’ll find a wood burner, two bedrooms and a dinky back garden.
Sleeps three, from £467 for three nights.
Read more: How to have a Rivals-style stay in the Cotswolds
Dovecote Cottage, Duns Tew
Once a snug home for birds, this fairy turret of a cottage has been lovingly converted into a tiny but airy escape for two, with a bathroom on the first floor and a bedroom tucked up in the eaves. If you fancy exploring, you’re in one of the poshest corners of the Cotswolds here, with Soho Farmhouse and Chipping Norton on the doorstep. The Dovecote is also easily accessed by train from London.
Sleeps two, from £600 for two nights.
Woodman Cottage, Chipping Norton
While The Holiday is set in Surrey, some parts were actually filmed in the Cotswolds. The scenes in which Cameron Diaz and Jude Law go on a date to a country house were shot at ivy-clad Cornwell Manor, which isn’t open to the public – but you can stay very close by. Golden-hued Woodman Cottage is part of the private Cornwell Estate and has a beautiful and classic interior that sleeps fire, complete with an open fire to curl up in front of when the cold comes in.
Sleeps four, from £411 for two nights.
Read more: Saddle up for an exploration of the Cotswolds’ canals by bike
Honeybourne Manor, Evesham
Ok, so it’s more massive manor house than cutesy cottage, but if you’re pushing the boat out with a bigger group for your very own festive holiday, this incredible 17th-century Jacobean pile would be a serious treat. Wisteria-strewn Honeybourne Manor comes complete with two acres of lush gardens plus a hot tub and sauna for alfresco adventures. There’s even a banqueting hall that’s just perfect for a Christmas feast – formal wear: optional.
Sleeps 22, from £3,650 for two nights
The Grape Escape, Dursley
Oenophiles should make a beeline to the Grape Escape, a wild little cabin perched on the edge of Road Green Vineyard near Dursley. While lavender fields, rolling countryside and walks to the Tyndale Monument for sweeping views are all on your doorstep here you may find it hard to leave the peace and quiet, pizza oven and wood-fired hot tub (best enjoyed with a glass of local wine in hand, of course) on-site at this cosy spot.
Sleeps four, from £165 per night
Read more: Best boutique hotels in the Cotswolds
The Summer House, Chipping Campden
While it’s fronted in warm red brick rather than golden-hued stone, the Grade II Summer House is still a thing of beauty, resembling a stately pile made miniature and set inside a Cotswolds pear and apple orchard. Countess Fortescue had the house built in 1720 as a banqueting house and today the interior is a magical mix of romantic history and modern comforts. Chipping Campden and the Ebrington Arms pub are a walk away.
Sleeps six, from £854 per week
Tumbledown, Buckland
Tumbledown’s name belies quite how smart this historic cottage feels inside. Done up to the nines, expect big beams and a cavernous fireplace, plus room for six to share. Outside there’s an herb garden and walks right from the doorstep include a jaunt to Broadway Tower, an 18th-century folly built by Capability Brown and once the country retreat of artist William Morris, and to the welcoming Manor House Hotel, perfect for a bite to eat.
Sleeps six, from £853 for two nights
Read more: Best dog-friendly hotels in the Cotswolds
The Lodge, Cirencester
If you want to combine Kate Winslet’s laid-back-but-bougie Los Angeles vacation with Cameron Diaz’s posh cottage vibes, try The Lodge, where pretty Cotswolds escape meets glam LA weekender. This secluded stunner boasts a heated outdoor pool, cinema room, games room and even a gin bar. The Lodge sleeps ten in comfort, so it’s perfect for escaping with friends.
Sleeps 10, from £500 per night.
The Straw Bale Lodge, Bath
Rusticated types will adore the Straw Bale Lodge, a cob house hidden among the trees on the top of Solsbury Hill. While it only sleeps two, this lovely little place squeezes in a crackling wood burning stove (and a selection of books and board games to play by the fire), a hot tub, a canopy bed and even a skylight above the bath for starlit soaking. Wellies are essential for exploring the hillsides near this secret stay. Our top pick for romantics.
Sleeps two, from £195 per night.
Read more: Seven of the best walks in the Cotswolds
