Dog Friendly Cottages in Ashford

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Ms Smith - Verified booking

  REVIEW OF THE LOOKERS LEGACY, OXNEY IN STONE, KENT We stayed at The Lookers Legacy for 7 nights in May 2024. This was another in a series of Cottage stays with our adopted rescue dog. Our dog is highly reactive to many situations, so we booked Lookers Legacy as it was quite secluded and out of the way - and it catered for dogs! What a lovely place in a fantastic location and a great base from which to explore the South Kent and East Sussex countryside and beaches. Surrounded by 2 separate vineyards it has views over the Kent countryside. It’s on a small development of converted barns which is accessed by a secure, keypad operated, automatic gate but is a couple of hundred yards from the nearest neighbouring property, down the end of a short, unmade, drive. With a large secure parking space, it’s only a few minutes from the main roads – albeit down some narrow, twisty lanes. The parking is around a hundred yards from the cottage and to transfer your luggage and belongings the owners have provided a large barrow/trolley. It’s easy to manoeuvre but, even as a fit older person, I found it hard work pushing it up the sight slope from the cottage to the car ! For us, having a reactive dog, the biggest downside to the cottage was the fact that there is a public footpath running just a few yards from the cottage and past the open plan lawned area. This is clearly mentioned in the description but we were so seduced by the location and photos of the cottage we missed that bit ! Granted, the path wasn’t particularly busy but it was adjacent to the cottage and used by dog walkers with dogs off the lead - which meant that we had to constantly be on the lookout for approaching people and dogs so that we could take our dog inside. (Also, the off lead dogs would happily wander across the lawn and up to the doors to the lounge. Not ideal for us). The location in the vineyards did however mean that we could take the dog for quiet walks right from our doorstep ! The property itself is good. It has an interesting history and has been carefully thought out and sympathetically designed and put together. It could however have been a great property but for the fact that there were several areas where we felt more attention to detail could have been given. I’ll say now that none of these were show-stoppers and, having spoken to the owners about a couple of them we agreed that we didn’t need them resolved whilst we were there. Some of these may seem minor but, collectively, we felt they made a big difference. The sort of things we’re talking about are: • The description mentioned an underbed storage box, separate towels for the dog and a dog waste bin. None of these were there and the owners weren’t aware of that fact ! (The underbed storage would have been very useful as storage space overall was at a premium). • There was a light coating of dust on some surfaces. • There was a woodburning stove (supplied with a handful of logs) but there was no kindling and, more importantly, no lighter or matches to light it. • There was an issue with the rubber door seals on the small dishwasher – they were loose and pulling the bottom tray out ended up pulling the seal off the door (we had to replace it quite a few times). • There was no breadknife with the cutlery and no clingfilm, cooking foil or spare black bin bags (All of these would be cheap to provide and would be helpful thoughtful). • The cooking knives could do with a sharpen. • With the dishwasher’s small capacity (and the small amount of crockery provided) we had to use it practically everyday. A handful of dishwasher tablets were provided but not enough for our weeks stay. • There were only a couple of plastic (wine) glasses supplied but, with a lovely patio area outside, we felt that more (or a few plastic tumblers) would be very useful. • There were a couple of small rattan tables out on the patio which looked like they should have had glass tops. Both tops were missing which meant that any glasses placed on the tables weren’t very stable. • The crockery seemed a bit mis-matched. Some sets of 4 weren’t complete and there was only one red wine glass. • The only dustpan we could find was with all the equipment for the stove – and was broken. • There was a large, external, wooden shutter for the bedroom window (which directly overlooked the footpath). This was unusable and didn’t seem to have been maintained for some time. As I said, none of these were showstoppers (and may seem trivial and picky) but, having stayed in quite a few cottages, put together they could all create a much better guest experience. On a more positive note there were a lot of things which we felt were really good: • The location was one of the best we’ve come across. • The large bed and the sofa were very comfortable. • The 2 person hot tub was a great touch – especially in helping to wind down after a full day’s exploring. • There was plenty of open hanging space and coat hangers. • The small welcome pack was a nice touch. • The ability to be able to walk the dog around the vineyards was a bonus. Overall, we had a lovely week. The weather, for the most part was kind to us. We managed to get out and visit all the places we’d planned to whilst getting some well needed rest. Would we return ? No is the answer but primarily because we don’t tend to return to places (there’s far too many new ones to explore !)

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• Mrs Thorpe - Verified booking

  The owners contacted us before our arrival date and gave some very useful information. On arrival Kim came to see us and gave us an overview of the village and the area. He was most helpful and very welcoming. A comprehensive welcome pack was left for us, for which we were very grateful. The cottage is equipped with everything you could need and more, and is very warm and comfortable - the beds were fabulous! We were unable to get the TV to work so Kim and Hilary's daughter-in-law came to sort it out for us - in a matter of minutes! The views from the upstairs windows over the ancient village roof-tops and the fields beyond was to die for, as was the village itself, which comes straight out of a Miss Marple murder mystery, and so close to Canterbury too. We didn't use our car once during our stay, opting to take the train from Chilham station (a 15-20 minute walk from the Barn) into Ashford (for the retail outlet) and Canterbury in the other direction. Both took about 10 minutes. Remember to take your torch (I believe one is supplied) if you are walking from the station after dark as the road back to the village is unlit with no pavement in parts. We ate bar nibbles at The White Horse at the top end of The Street on the evening we arrived, and had a fun evening there on Friday for the Jazz evening. We ate at The Woolpack, at the bottom end of The Street, on Saturday evening which was beautiful and had a great ambience. I truly did not want to leave, but as we go to Canterbury a couple of times a years, we will definitely be back. Thank you to Kim and Hilary we loved it!

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• Diane and Richard" - Verified booking

  Thank you both so much for a wonderfully peaceful and restful stay at Lookers Legacy and what a lovely area for walking. You have made such a perfect couple's retreat. Staying in a comfy and cosy cottage (and we do this often) with just the main things around you that you need (not all the extras we seem to have around us in our own homes) makes for a truly chilled time. The added luxury of the hot tub was really lovely though. We were fascinating by the vine planting, Richard particularly from his New Holland connection and interest. As a maths teacher I just love the regularity and symmetry of the planting, thanks to GPS!! If we were there last night or today we just might have lit the fire!! We really enjoyed our evening dinners at the Ferry Inn. such a great place. Delicious and varied food and drinks, and lovely staff. I did enjoy picking blackberries- the only ones I have had time to pick this year and right on our doorstep. Delicious cooked and with Greek yoghurt!! I realised this morning that I had not written in your visitors book! It was great reading all the lovely comments. Christmas must be quite something at Lookers!! I did find the garden set in Tenterden but have delayed buying it for now as he says it is always available. Thank you both again and we really look forward to coming back.

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• Miss Marie Stafford - Verified booking

  This is a beautifully crafted little property. It cleverly packs in everything you need into the tiniest space and is incredibly charming and cosy as a result. Beautifully designed, with some lovely design details - the owners have a good eye for design! The interior makes great use of the natural brickwork - just lovely. Windows on two sides of the lounge space make this a lovely place to sit and relax and gaze at the countryside including wandering sheep and grouse. In warmer weather the windows can be opened up onto the patio - so it's perfect for all seasons. We stayed in early spring when it was still chilly, so we were glad of the logburner and plentiful logs provided - as well as the Netflix subscription! The cottage is remote enough to feel like a little hideaway but very close to the village. The local pub is lovely - unspoilt with good food and big log fires. I loved this place and would happily stay here again. Highly recommend it. Travel light though - as it's a small space, there's not huge amounts of storage space of course.

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• Charotte - Verified booking

  “We had the loveliest minimoon at The Lookers Lodge - it was exactly what we wanted to hibernate away after getting married the day before arriving. The accommodation was beautiful and in a gorgeous location. We had a laugh using the trolley to pull our luggage down to the lodge on arrival (although admittedly this wasn’t as fun in the rain when we left!) The hot tub was easy to use and there was a coffee machine as well which was a nice touch. Being able to open up the big doors to get a nice view for the vineyard was amazing as well. Laura really helped us before we arrived by giving us a list of local restaurants so we could book something up - including for Webbes Fish Cafe which is where we went for a special night out and was absolutely lovely. Laura also helped us by booking a taxi for us when we found we had no signal and, after we left the lodge, I realised I had left my bridal bouquet behind a few hours later But she made arrangements for us to collect it. Loved it all thank you!”

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