Bolthole Retreats Reviews 

We attempted to book a dog-friendly stay at this property through Airbnb for a last-minute Easter trip with three dogs. When searching with three dogs included as our criteria, this property appeared as an eligible listing. The headline and primary listing information prominently states “Furry friends welcome – bring your pets along for the stay,” and the House Rules say “Pets allowed.” Based on that presentation, and language suggesting per-dog charges, it appeared that additional dogs could potentially be accommodated with a fee.

After booking, the host charged us the fee for two dogs and processed payment. The following morning we were informed that the property would not accept three dogs, citing the “Additional Rules” section where a two-dog limit appears.

We fully respect that properties can have pet limits. The issue here is that the restriction is buried in secondary rules, while the main listing language and search results present the property as dog-friendly. That combination led to a completely reasonable misunderstanding.

Once we learned that three dogs would not be accepted, we immediately requested cancellation and did not stay at the property.

What was most disappointing was how the situation was handled afterward. Communication from Bolthole Retreats was cold and inflexible, and despite the stay never occurring, they refused to refund even the dog fee. Bolthole's written communication did not align with the verbal communication, simply regurgitating limited excerpts of the additional rules section in each message. They considered no alternative perspective. During their rejection of any refund, they also inaccurately reported our timeline of requested cancellation (the property was booked only 36 hours before we initiated a 5-day attempt to cancel). Retaining a pet fee when no pets stayed at the property is difficult to justify, and frankly, greedy.

After this experience, we noticed that numerous other one-star reviews describe similar disputes about rules buried in additional sections of the listing, which was concerning to see.

Future guests traveling should read every line of the Additional Rules very carefully, as the headline and primary listing language may give a more accommodating impression than the actual policy. Fortunately, most rental companies don't insist on a "host is always right" approach" to seize fees. This was the worst rental experience I have ever had, by far.

Informative helpful staff, great prices and excellent service

We were celebrating my wife's 70th Birthday and as we are now quite a large family, required a spacious and well equipped house with 7 bedrooms to accommodate us all. We were absolutely thrilled with the location and accommodation. What is more we were totally unprepared for the complimentary extras, which we were amazing and very welcome.
We cannot express enough our gratitude to the owners.
Thank you so much.

Bolthole Retreats - 2 Manor Lodge Cottages, Paxford, Gloucestershire.
What an amazing company, from the first moment of my booking to the last now I am home. I cannot go into detail but the staff here are incredibly helpful and really do pull out the stops to give the best holiday experience that one requires. I cannot thank them enough for helping me the way they did. The lady that helped me book was amazing.
Now the accomodation, Private beautifully set out garden and spacious patio. This allowed me to do my morning rounds of Tai Chi under the beautiful Cherry Blossom also room for our son to play in the very well laid out garden. The cottage is beyond reproach, it outshines every house I have ever holidayed in for having everything one could need, especially in the kitchen. Arriving to A Loaf of Bread, Milk, Tea, Coffee and Sugar, Butter and Eggs, dishwasher tablets. Just about everything one needs to get over the first few mornings at arrival. A very well set out large kitchen diner. The cottage is very comfortable with a Kingsize and Double Beds in the two bedrooms. Very airy and furnished very nicely. Smart tv with firestick, central heating and logs to get started for a fire if needed. The Ambience of this Cottage was just perfect for us and in a most lovely part of the Cotswolds. We prefer being away from towns so it was in a perfect location for us and although at the side of a quiet road never heard any traffic due to double glazing. There was lots of information in our brochures from Bolthole Retreats as well as in the property of places to visit (some with discounts), places to shop and eat as well as places of interest to visit. Downside is that I never personally see the need for 8 pillows and cushions on each bed, cupboard space to put them away though. If you want somewhere to Chill and relax and recharge as well and visit the amazing places to visit here, then this is Perfect.

A beautiful cottage which had everything you needed and more. It was beautifully decorated,spotlessly clean and a pleasure to stay in

We had a wonderful stay at this Airbnb. The coach house was lovely - very clean, well set up and equipped with plenty of plates, glasses and cookware. There was plenty of parking and the location was great.

Karen was very helpful throughout our stay and always quick to respond to any questions. We would definitely recommend staying here!

wonderful stay ,we have 3 spanish water dogs who loved the garden and the walks around the cottage . peaceful time was had by all , the location was ideal for us as my dogs can react to people who come too close to the property. we are due to come back down in may 2026 ,we are staying at the old pump house this time ,cant wait .

Absolutely fantastic stay at Hillview Hideaway. The hosts have thought about everything, the kitchen is very well equipped and the hot tub is the cherry on top. The property is close to National Trust locations and The Cotswold Way for hiking. Local amenities is great, within a 5 min drive you have corner shops and takeaways but further afield you have a Tesco or Lidl.
There is also a car charger for hybrid/electric cars which was very handy to top the car up for our journey home.
The stay was perfect from start to finish and highly recommend to everyone.

Beautiful cottage in a quiet rural setting .
The location is brilliant for nearby Broadway.
We had plenty of space and the whole family enjoyed the stay.
The weather was decent in March too.
Would highly recommend.

Great communication before arrival .
Beautiful area for relaxing week. The home is all updated, beautifully decorated and cozy. Welcoming basket was a lovely touch . Licated perfectly for walking all over the village & dinner at pubs nearby . Great experience of the English countryside .
One of the best homes on my list of stays.

We stayed at Apple Store cottage, Charlbury. Booking was simple , straight forward and I was kept well informed. The cottage was 10/10 , lovely people hosting. Inside was spotless all over with everything you needed. Stayed for 4 nights. Best welcome pack ever from Sue the host and a lovely lady. Perfect, secluded position. So quiet.. thank you. Dave & Julie

Wonderful stay in Sage Cottage, a beautiful relaxing property, stunning interior design. Unfortunately our original booking for a different property was cancelled but Bolthole properties found an alternative destination for us with minimal fuss.

A beautiful cottage in a wonderful village. Really comfy beds, exceptionally clean and fully equipped kitchen. This was our second visit because we love the village and enjoyed our stay in the cottage when we visited in the summer. The local pub and social club are great. The community shop has lots of supplies for you to shop local and support them and Broadway and Chipping Camden are close by. The cottage is the quintessential county Cotswolds style with everything you need.

The cottage was great. It was comfortable and nicely equipped. The location is very central for the Cotswolds.

A wonderful location and beautiful setting for our Christmas getaway.

Great cottage. Comfortable and clean.
Location is ideal for families ...not really suited to mature guests....certainly no more that 4 would be a comfortable option..
Only 1 designated parking bay...other had to do with visitors parking ..drop off and packing very inconvenient..
Better in warmer months
Restaurant on site was extremely noisy ..food was ok..Team struggled when busy.

Booking process was straightforward. All information for our stay was sent in good time and was very clear. Property was as shown and very comfortable.

Good communication from the company and I would use them again and recommend to friends.
Property matched our expectations, it was well equipped and very clean. The garden was amazing.
Just be aware the outdoor patio is very slippy when wet or icey and we had two near miss falls and one actual fall. Luckily no injuries this time.

Great communication when booking. Appreciated the 360 view of the accommodation on the website.

Stayed at Field View Cottage in Tarlton, Cotswolds. Cottage was as described on the website, clean, very well equipped and we had a lovely stay. Location was great too - dog walks from the doorstep and lovely views.

We used Bolthole Retreats to book a fab house @ The Cotzwolds Water Park on Isis Lake! Booking was easy with questions answered promptly beforehand! Premises booked were outstanding! Clean, comfortable, attention to detail, great furnishings, fully equipped kitchen, could not ask for more. Would use Bolthole again 100%. As for Mayfly Cottage we will be back. Dian the owner is very responsive to any questions!