[Disclosure: I was invited for a complimentary stay at This House in Amberley for a review for the Boutique Handbook, but wanted to give you a little peep here too]
There’s an air of calm that washes over you as you step into This House. In fact, it starts the moment you swing open the metal gate that lets you into the front garden it shares with its adjoining Cotswold stone townhouses, looking out across the valley below.
It’s a feeling of coming home – helped by the fact that literally everything you need is right here for you in this idyllic holiday cottage. There’s kindling and wood for the log burner stacked up in the porch, next to the towels and treats ready for your dogs.
Step inside, and you’ll find yourself in the cosy lounge. There’s no enormous tv in here – just a small one in the corner – because this is a room for just ‘being’, whether that’s being with your loved ones or being on your own. Board games are stacked up if you want them, while coffee table material is focused on art, which is what this place is all about.
Its owners, sisters Katie and Tash and their parents Carol and Simon, haven’t just created a holiday home, but a place aimed at inspiring art and offering a haven for those looking for space and an environment to get creative.
It’s the perfect place really, given that nearby Stroud and the surrounding area has become a bit of an artistic mecca for many. Don’t worry, if art isn’t your thing no-one’s expecting you to come packing a paintbrush – you can just simply enjoy the drawings and paintings that adorn virtually every wall of this historic three-storey house.
In the lounge, you can snuggle up on the sofa basking in the heat and crackle of the log-burner. Or take up residence in the chair by the window, feeling the sun on your face as you tuck into a good book. Golden hour is particularly serene at This House, whether you’re watching the light fall on the walls or the carefully-placed fresh flowers, or perched on the bench out the front with a drink watching the sun set across the valley.
Straight through from the lounge is the cleverly converted kitchen complete with dining area and basically everything you could possibly need if you plan on eating in. Which includes food, given the stash of goodies left on the dining table when I arrived – from a loaf of locally-made sourdough to a bottle of wine from neighbouring Woodchester vineyard, plus an assortment of provisions from Amberley Village Shop that you’ll undoubtedly visit during your stay.
Everything you need
It doesn’t stop there. There are fresh eggs, milk in the fridge, butter in the dish, a huge jar of homemade granola, and all sorts of teas and coffee. There’s a cocktail shaker if you want to get creative, and cooking utensils if you would rather whip up a feast than visit one of the many pubs nearby. Which are all helpfully listed in the literature left for you to peruse while you stay here.
Out through the cleverly-converted lean-to that now forms part of the kitchen (and is home to an epic choice of glassware – again everything you could possibly want) is the garden, which again reflects the thought and care that’s gone into turning this house into a home-from home.
A small table in the tiny courtyard, with steps up to a low-maintenance but calming upper part complete with terrace that will undoubtedly be perfect in summer.
It’s all delightful – and that’s before you even get upstairs to the piece de resistence.
The Master Bedroom
It’s hard to describe the feeling this room evokes when you walk into it. If other parts of the house are detail-heavy, this takes it to the next level. The crisp white sheets and neutral tones smack of luxury-meets-showhome, without being fussy or ridiculous. The wooden floorboards feel worn and warm, a comforting reminder that people have been resting their heads in this house for centuries and will probably continue to do so.
It doesn’t stop there. The main feature of the adjoining dressing area is the rolltop bath, with the portrait hanging above it. It’s a statement, but it’s also designed for comfort, with bath salts provided, soft, fluffy towels, candles and robes ready for when you emerge.
If you’re more of a shower person, this is well catered for in the form of the rainfall shower – again all details thought of with plenty of toiletries and seemingly endless, high-pressure hot water.
It’s the bedroom of dreams, but bedroom number two upstairs is a close second. The added height makes the views even more spectacular, while exposed stone walls bring the same history-filled calm that other parts of the house do.
There’s a third bedroom up here too – more of a box room but an added space for a child or extra person. And there’s no traipsing downstairs to the loo, as there’s another well-designed bathroom up here complete with walk-in shower and all the same-level finishes as everywhere else in the house.
Walking from room to room you can’t help but stop and take in the art and artists’ tools. Or gaze out of whichever window you’re nearest to at the view outside, which varies, providing a series of scenes akin to collection of paintings of the surrounding landscape.
But better still, get outside and see that landscape for yourself. Amberley itself is a chocolate-box Cotswold village, complete with two pubs and the village shop, whose home is actually in the church, along with a cute little cafe. If you don’t fancy going any further afield, you’ll be happy here, with plenty of provisions to last you for your stay – plus decent coffee if you can’t quite be bothered to use the cafetiere helpfully provided at This House.
A few paces beyond the village and you’re on the Common, an expanse of green as far as the eye can see, with roads snaking through it and a golf course if that’s your kind of thing. Walk up there for a yomp to take in the views and enjoy some fresh air, or hop in the car to explore slightly further afield, visiting Minchinhampton or Stroud for independent shops and more.
I don’t quite make it to either, sucked in by This House to the point that I don’t really want to leave other than to walk the Common, luxuriating in two days and two nights of peace, calm and quiet. It’s the kind of place that you feel should be prescribed for all of us at least once every few months.
It’s boutique hotel meets cosy cottage, where every single details has been thought of with surgical-level precision, but clearly with an equal helping of love, creativity and passion. I’ve stayed in many a holiday cottage but This House tops them all and I say that having put a lot of thought into what could have been improved. There’s nothing.
This is a place to make memories, whether they’re as a family, with your dogs, on your own, or with friends. It’s a place that sticks with you and seems to call you back. Which is why I’ll be returning as soon as I can.
