Barkers round our lovely neighbour's house in the Summer during the Site Art Festival
Its been such a long time since I managed to sit down and write another blog- the last one was back in May when restrictions were about to lift for hospitality, and we psyched ourselves up in readiness for summer guests arriving to Stroud.
And by dint of the fact that we haven’t been able to blog- take that as red we were exceptionally and gratefully busy! Probably the busiest summer since the Hidden House first opened its doors to travelers in December 2018.
But what a summer 2021 has been. Guests came to visit from all corners of the country- Huddersfield to Devon to Wales to London. Some coming for a respite from lockdown - the 'staycation' stay- some for business- some to seek property to buy or rent in the area- the latter compelled to visit due to the Sunday Times article about Stroud being ‘the best place to live in the UK’, some wanting a jolly good hike (Some guests did 27 miles in one day!) and some visiting relatives.
We had musicians, wallpaper designers, prison officers, nurses, covid think tank members from the NHS, Nature workshop leaders, lift engineers, aviation engineers working on hydrogen cell powered planes and managers of supermarkets. A huge array of wonderfully interesting guests coming to stay at the Hidden House- all bringing highly interesting views on how they have got through the lockdown as well as wonderfully inspiring stories. The summer has been quite a blast! We also had guests in which our parents knew each other- proving how small the world can be!
Barkers with Debs and Grant from Sheffield- having an evening soiree in the garden (photo courtesy of Debs!)
The Mid/ Long Term Staycationer- a bolt hole option
As ever, we try to adapt and be flexible to new customer needs at the Hidden House. We realized that there was a market for long term stays, where guests couldn’t take a holiday per se- but could work from home and in the beautiful locality of the authentic and unprecedented South Cotswolds.
We slashed our price for long term stays at our budget friendly bolthole room for solos, upped our wifi speed to the top package and dropped our restriction from our Covid policy on kitchen use.
Sure enough, the room has proved to be popular -with back to back working professionals staying on a mid term basis. Some just taking a break from the city and working in the country, and some seeking more permanent long term rented or bought accommodation. The room offered that flexibility.
Bolt hole room for 'work at home' professionals
We were also lucky enough to have had repeat booking guests who have definitely become dear friends. This is the highest compliment a homestay hostess could have and continuing great reviews are abounding on booking.com and on our google map profile. To mention one of a few:
‘Absolutely gorgeous house, clean, beautifully decorated and a wonderful friendly host (and her equally wonderful dog). I've been twice and would highly recommend staying here.’
We absolutely love looking after our guests and giving them as bespoke a five star stay as we can- nothing is too much trouble, and guests are always firmly at the centre of all we do.
Introducing New Discounts for Winter
Now we are approaching the winter- our thoughts turn to skiing- restrictions pending- so we have added new pricing strategies across all rooms to allow for discounts on longer stays. These pricing structures kick in for a min two night stay.
At the time of writing- we have also allowed for discounts on those looking for ultimate flexibility over potential cancellation with their booking. Book anytime and have an option to cancel penalty free- up to three days before your stay.
Time off from hosting
Barkers - my co hosting Basset hound has also been working very hard. During a quiet week- we took a well deserving holiday to Cornwall and he enjoyed his first paddle in the sea!
Back at home- we also went to the Gloucester History Festival to learn loads more about the incredibly rich history of the city. Gloucester had such huge importance in Saxon, Roman, Medieval, Elizabethan etc times- and was definitely one of the most important cities in the UK. We went on a Hidden History Tour which was part of an Airbnb experience led by a novelist who writes historical fiction.
During quiet moments we were always researching new places to try out - whether walks, pubs, excursions. The footpath finder app ensures we never get lost and have done walks around Boughton-on-the-Water in the North Cotswolds and plenty of walks around the Stroud area too. Basically - loads of guests come and stay because they are hiking in the area- so we thought we'd better get up to speed. The perfect way to combat lockdown.
Barkers at Haresfield Beacon- arguably the best view in the Five Valleys
I arranged a Basset Waddle in July- getting 25 bassets and 40 ‘basset slaves’ to waddle around the beautiful SSSI Rodborough Common with sunday lunch at the Bear of Rodborough for afters. #bassetmania!
The waddle gang at the Bear of Rodborough- waiting for more basset arrivals
A wonderful place to visit for lunch was the Wild Carrot Cafe next to Chavenage House. A hidden gem of a place where cycle hire is provided as well as organic and tasty light lunches.
Barkers with his Boyf Chester at the eclectically designed @wildcarrotchavenage
Some friends came to visit too and we enjoyed some illicit but delicious wild swimming in the lake at Cherrington.
Stroud has been brimming with art events as ever over the summer so we ventured to the eclectic @Studio18stroud to see some hugely talented work displayed as part of their Open Exhibition.
Barkers overwhelmed with joy- seeing all the artwork at Studio 18
Being a Trustee of the Sub Rooms - Im so happy to see the place defying the lockdown and continue to go from strength to strength. Of course, there’s still loads more work to be achieved but we have acts such as Katie Tunstall, The Shires and the Waterboys booked to play. We have also played host to Radio 4’s ‘Any questions’ which showed the huge need in Stroud for debating events (watch this space). Our next big project is to see one of the spaces dedicated to multipurpose use- from films to workshops and able to take community groups and become a viable community space.
Barkers and I take an arty selfie at the 'Everything Is Light' Exhibition by the amazing lighting artist @jackwimperislight - a lockdown art project at The Sub Rooms Stroud. were expertly displayed at appropriate places around the Manor. We bought a feather brooch - some jelly fish earrings and blue ceramics. I still have my beady eye on some stunning stained glass window panels to adorn the huge mezzanine window at the Hidden House.
@rodmartonmanor #gloucestershireguildofcraftsman #artsandcrafts
Now winter is approaching- there are still loads of excellent reasons to visit. The landscape is rich in color - so Westonbirt Arboretum- @westonbirtarb is a must to visit, for all you instagrammers out there. @Woodchester_Mansion is the perfect place to visit for spooky happenings at Halloween. Stroud Goodwill evening will be upon us in December and I have resolutions to get the Xmas shopping done nice and early this year (with hopefully no knock on effects from Toilet paper and Petrol shortages!)
Until soon folks- a HUGE THANKYOU to the guests who have supported us over Summer 2021- we really really appreciate it. Toodleloo all xx
Barkers and I take an arty selfie at the 'Everything Is Light' Exhibition by the amazing lighting artist @jackwimperislight - a lockdown art project at The Sub Rooms Stroud.
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