Mr & Mrs Smith

Coates Mill

Cotswolds, United Kingdom

Pretend this is your own pied-à-terre in the country and book a lazy long weekend at this end-of-terrace two-bedroom cottage a few miles north of Cheltenham. Coates Mill has every creature comfort you crave from a cosy self-catering stay – comfy beds, roaring fire, great garden and friendly neighbours. Recently refurbished, they’ve chucked out the chintz and urban sophisticates will feel right at home in its anything-but-twee townhouse-style interior.

Need to know

• Rates information Friday to Monday: £595–£685 for the long weekend. Monday to Friday £595–£685 for four nights. A week, starting Monday or Friday, £875–£995.
• Ideal for Two couples, or parents and their two over-eight children, looking for a low-key relaxing weekend away.
• Sleeps 2-4
• Property style 18th-century mill cottage
• Grounds Lovely private split-level landscaped garden, equipped with a big barbecue and two sunloungers – perfect for lazy lounging on sunny afternoons.
• Minimum hire Three nights at weekends; four in the week. Christmas, a week: 21–28 December; New Year 28 December–4 January; Easter: seven days. Low season: 31 October–12 March; Mid: 13 March–22 May; 5 September–30 October. High: 23 May–4 September.
• Children Only babes-in-arms or over-eights: the steep, narrow wooden staircase is easily trippable for little feet, and the pond and the large drop in the garden shout ‘I’m off to write a letter to Watchdog’.
• Booking process Smith deposit taken when you book.
• Also Strictly non-smoking. As for footwear, walking shoes won’t go to waste; nor will wellies if you fancy a romp in winter.

Floor plan

• The house has a conventional, simple layout spread over two floors. The small kitchen (and utility room) opens into the dining area off of which is a snug lounge with open fire and all your audio-visuals. Follow the steep wooden staircase up to the two neighbouring bedrooms and a spacious bathroom. The bedrooms aren’t enormously roomy, but they’re in keeping with the cosy nature of a traditional terraced mill house.

• Bedrooms

  Bedroom 1:  The beamed Red room has a superking bed, which can be made into two singles. 21st-century requirements aren’t needed in this antiques-furnished room where a original Victorian fireplace is a charming reminder of its centuries-old heritage.
  Bedroom 2: The Green room has a king-size bed, double wardrobe, antique set of drawers and floorboards.
  Bathroom: The showpiece of this all-white, old fashioned yet contemporary, bathroom is the mighty vigorous Jacuzzi.

• Kitchen

  Fully equipped with Smeg range cooker and double oven, microwave, dishwasher, cafetiere. Find culinary accoutrements such as decent knives, peeler, grater, whisk, clingfilm and foil in the drawers. The kitchen is stocked with the basics; tea, coffee, milk, salt and pepper.

• Living room

  The exposed grey-stone wall and cow-skin rug sets a cosy scene ideal for making the most of the open ready-laid fire and a huge supply of chopped wood stacked beautifully in the dining room. Snuggle up on the big-enough-for-two-to-sprawl-on corner sofa in front of a 24-inch flatscreen TV with Sky Freeview and DVD player.

• Dining room

  There are seats enough for six at the wooden dining table, but four settling in under the stylish rectangular chandelier will feel just right too. And if you’ve got a laptop with you, this is the perfect spot to plot up and consult the www.smithandfriends.com website to decide what to do while you’re away, while you chat to whoever’s in the kitchen fixing supper. A HiFi can be listened to here but is also piped into the bathroom, upstairs.

• Gardens A little lawn at the front, with a low hedge for you to chat to the neighbours over, and two private raised gardens at the back calling out for guests to take full advantage of the barbecue and pair of sunloungers in. There’s even a little outdoor loo lending the property as a how-we-used-to-live souvenir.
• Private parking There is room for two cars just outside on the drive to the next house. Park as close to the hedge on the left, next to the front garden as this is a walkway.
• Other Turn right out of the gate at the end of the lane – you’re a ten-minute walk to Winchcombe, a lovely little town dating back to Saxon times when it was capital of the kingdom of Mercia.

Also worth knowing

• Pet-friendly Small dogs can come too for £20, if you ask in advance and pay a refundable deposit (£100). Owners are asked to bring a pet basket, watch over their charges, and bear in mind that the garden is not fully enclosed. Bedrooms are a canine-free zone.