Dairy Cottage, Ibsley, New Forest

An easy drive from London takes you through really beautiful countryside (with ponies galore = heaven for DD) to a stunning ‘cottage’. But think Grand Designs (was featured a few years ago), not Aga and chintz: under-floor heating, king-sized bed, floor to ceiling windows, wet room, candle-lit bubble baths, fluffy towels and bathrobes, wood burner, SKY+… Heaven for mum of newborn and DP. Kids wonderfully catered for: monitors, changing mat, stacks of toys, bedding, cutlery, high-chairs, pushchairs…

Enough goodies in the kitchen on arrival to last you a few meals. Farm shops, great wine shop and Waitrose all nearby. Lovely woodland walks, couple of decent pubs, kid-friendly farm and Bournemouth beach all within easy reach. Even managed a few spa treatments courtesy of local therapist. Can also organise babysitting. In short, a completely hassle-free retreat.

Fab holiday rental in a beautiful location. Very cool house & interior. Everything we needed for the kids from pushchairs to toys to ducks in the garden! No need to take all those things that are a must normally when going away on holidays as a family. It made packing & packing up much less stressful!!

Highly recommended.

Dairy Cottage was the best experience from start to finish, from check in to check out everything was just perfect.

The drive down from Surrey took no time at all, the cottage was easy to find so much so there were no arguments in the car!

Positives:-

- location perfect, not too far from home but far enough to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

-lots and lots of things to do in the local area, something for everyone.

-fantastic accommodation, no detail had been overlooked & we had all the kids stuff we could ever need and more. Use of a private garden which was just the ticket for the kids in between outings.

-great hosts, nothing was too much trouble, even babysitters could be organised a real bonus.

-a cute country pub within throwing distance, a bonus.

-good value for money for the superior standard of accommodation.

-would recommend to other families.

Negatives:-

-We didn't stay long enough!!!!

Would highly recommend this property, give it a go you won't be disappointed.

Great combination of (eco) luxurious yet child-friendly surroundings. Virtually every bit of baby kit you can think of is already in the cottage, plus lots of toys and an exciting garden to explore.

The cottage is set in beautiful, tranquil surroundings and there's loads to do in easy reach by foot or in the car.

Your children will be entertained watching the owners' dogs herding the the ducks in their back garden. It's very funny. And on even the shortest walk you'll see New Forest ponies. They are EVERYWHERE. It's all very exciting, whatever your age.

There's a pub serving nice grub handily situated at the end of the lane if you don't feel like cooking every night.

We spent a weekend and came away feeling that there was lots more to do (we didn't go very far afield). And the cottage is like a luxurious fleece - warm, super-comfy and lovely to sink into after an active day.