What a fantastic place. On arrival we were greeted by Chris with a personalised information sheet, which he took the time to talk us through - where to walk, shop, visit etc. He then took us on walk round to show us the spa, BBQs & gardens. In the cottage itself, it was the attention to detail that grabbed us. Fresh flowers on the table, fruit basket, tea coffee sugar & milk, and a most welcome cake and crisps. We have dogs, and always take throws for the sofas, but all the sofas and cushions were already covered in washable throws. The cottage was warm and cosy and the heating easy to control. The beds are super comfy too. The kitchen was very well equipped with not just the usual pots and pans but baking trays, serving dishes, and small details such as a cheese grater, cling film, tin foil, picnic cutlery & plates, snap lid storage boxes etc. There was even washing powder for you to use if you needed to make use of the washing machine. Nothing was overlooked - even a sewing kit should you lose a button!
We were very lucky with the weather but the sunlounge was still lovely to sit in in the morning and early evenings, and the fenced decking and garden area meant that our small dogs could wander in and out safely.
Now we come to one of the main reasons we booked -Do you have a heated indoor pool? This pool was by far the best we've come across. With a depth of 1.5m you can swim easily, and we even made use of some of the fun inflatables that are provided. What was really exceptional was the fact that you can access the spa area 24/7. The pool does get covered at around 8pm but you can use the pool any time as long as you replace the cover afterwards (really easy to do just slowly pull the rope!). This meant that several evening we actually went into the pool after dinner. And lets not forget the hot tub just outside the pool! What a treat! We were even able to take a drink down for a decadent late evening session in the tub using the plastic glasses provided at the cottage! The gym was very well equipped too.
The gardens are just beautiful, with so many areas to sit, water features etc. And the flowers both outdoors and inside are quite outstanding. And you would hardly know there was anyone else staying.
I've not even got the space to mentions the surrounding area - walks, old town, parks etc!
We mostly choose somewhere different each year, but for sure we would go back, that's how perfect Badger's Den was for us.
