Cosy Cotswolds cottage hidden in village courtyard

Sansome House Cottage, Ilmington sleeps 4, cosy & comfortable home away from home in a tranquil village setting, situated in the courtyard of the owner's house. 2 bed/ 2 bath. Large country kitchen & small private garden. Free Wifi& Parking. Two pubs and a shop/cafe in the village. Wonderful base for walkers or for touring the Cotswolds by car. V.rarely listed here so only 3 reviews but see other sites (5*). NO PETS No smokers. Maximum 4, including children. Strongly advise UNSAFE FOR UNDER 5's The space You will find we have a 5 star rating on the two other big sites we are listed on. only a few here since I rarely list here. Sansome House Cottage is a traditional stone built cottage in the village of Ilmington, a happy blend of old and new (but no chintz!) and appealing to those wanting a really English village setting for their holiday. Two village pubs are a few minutes walk away (both serving food - one gives 10% discount to my guests!) as is an excellent community shop and café for all your everyday needs. The new non-discriminatory policy prevents me from saying no to under fives but please no, it is just too worrying with steep staircase, open log fire, cleaning fluids accessible and a pond in the next door garden to plop into when your back is turned. Note that this is a whole cottage for self-catering! Breakfast is not provided although I do welcome you with complimentary afternoon tea laid ready and I make you a loaf of homemade bread and some biscuits. Please ask any questions. I really prefer if we talk first to make sure the cottage is suitable for you. We live opposite within the shared large courtyard, but leave you to be completely private and do not intrude. We continue to make cleanliness, as always, a high priority. Please see 'Policies and Rules>additional rules' if you are planning on booking as this section lists the terms and conditions + the need to fill in a booking form which will be sent immediately you book. Please email to unblock the dates you require as I don't list here much but it may be available. Guest access The entrance hall leads to a drawing room with two big sofas to curl up on in front of a log fire (plenty of books to read, a TV, bluetooth music system, and DVDs to watch). There is a shower room off the hall. The kitchen/dining room is spacious and extremely well equipped so the keen cook is well catered for. French doors lead from there into the small private garden with garden furniture and BBQ. Sadly, new fire regulations stop us from providing romantic lighting (candles) so you don't get the candelabra now. A fairly steep staircase leads to two bedrooms and a bathroom with a full sized bath. The main double bedroom (super king bed made up as Austrian twins) has a dressing room off. The 2nd bedroom has twin beds. Well behaved over-fives welcome. Sansome Cottage sleeps up to four people. No under-fives (safety issues) nor pets and strictly no over occupancy allowed. The lead guest must be 25 or over. Two sofas and an easy chair centre on an open fireplace with a starter supply of logs (more available locally). The 40" TV has all the basic digital channels and a Chromecast dongle. There is an eclectic selection of books on the shelves which you are welcome to borrow and a Bluetooth music system. You will find copious notes and leaflets of things to do in the area and beyond, plans for walks and bike rides and maps of the area. The aim is to make you feel like this is your own little country cottage and everything you need, we hope, is there. If you find you are missing something, then we are on hand to ask. There is secure bike storage. A big pine table seats up to 6 people in this large country style kitchen. There is an electric hob and oven, a microwave, washing machine (a drier in the garage), Nespresso and filter coffee machines and dishwasher. For the keen cook there is a TV to watch while working and all (we hope) the tools they need - sharp knives, a processor, smoothie maker, electric hand mixer etc. Coffee is important for many so as well as the machines, we also have a French press/cafetière.and hob top espresso maker. We leave starter quantities of the basics- sugar, tea, coffee, flour, oil, salt etc. as well as foil, cling film etc. which means you don't start with a bare cupboard. On arrival there will be fresh bread, biscuits and jam left for you and, if you are staying a week or more, a complimentary bottle for your dinner. The bedrooms are both upstairs and lie off a landing with a bathroom in between them. The main bedroom has a super king bed frame with two mattresses and duvets so it could be used by two close friends as well as a couple (Austrian twin set-up) making the cottage essentially a four single bed place. There is also a small sofa, chest of drawers and TV with good bedside lighting for reading. The dressing room off has a second chest and a wardrobe as well as a handbasin. Bedroom 2 has twin beds ( free of high footboards for the longer guests!), large chest of drawers and wardrobe. All beds have been reported as very comfortable by our guests. Hairdryers are supplied. Upstairs (steeper than normal staircase) the bathroom has a bath, basin and loo. The bath has grab handles and a non slip surface. In the airing cupboard you will find spare towels if you are staying more than a week and sheet changes for more than 9 day's stay. Downstairs, off the hall is a shower room with shower enclosure, basin and loo. The stylish shower has a non slip tray and the floor is non-slip tiles. Starter supplies of loo paper, soap and shower gel are left for you to start you off until you can go shopping. There is a small (completely private to the cottage guests) enclosed garden off the kitchen, with garden furniture and a BBQ. Subject to weather and season, herbs grow in the beds and pots for your holiday cooking but there is a great choice of eating out opportunities within easy reach, so you can take a break from kitchen duties! Other things to note Most of the year the minimum rental period is one week, Saturday to Saturday. But occasionally 2 night breaks are possible with some special offers for longer stays. Arrival time is after 4pm, departure 10am. If I haven't had someone leaving the day you arrive, you may be able to arrive in the morning, depending on previous bookings. Departure time must be strictly adhered to as we need every bit of cleaning time! Note that the courtyard is protected by CCTV. This is just covering our house, cottage front and garages The garden of the cottage is completely private. We have multiple alarms for CO, heat and smoke throughout the cottage as well as emergency lighting in case of fire. The staircase is quite steep so unsuitable for the infirm or those wobbly on their legs as there is only a rope handrail for the top five steps. This, and several other factors means that WE DO NOT ADVISE BOOKINGS FROM THOSE WITH UNDER FIVES. As explained children under 5 face the hazards of a place not set out for them. They can stick their fingers in sockets, fall down the stairs or into the fire or into the next door pond. We welcome well behaved children over 5. This is a totally pet-free environment so there can be no exceptions as many of our guests book with us because they have allergies. Please tell us if you are allergic to anything else. This is also a completely smoke-free/vaping-free zone, inside and out. We expect everyone to behave responsibly and no parties are allowed (maximum number of daytime visitors is limited to four There must be no overnight visitors apart from those named on the booking form (maximum 4 people, including children). We require a booking form to be completed, within 24 hours of booking, with names of everyone staying and ages if under 18. I will contact you as soon as you have booked to give you my details. (Please see the House Rules section). Mobile phone reception is very poor in the village, but you can use apps or similar for wifi calls in the cottage and I supply a landline for emergencies.