Manor Farm Home offers a beautiful blend of dualities, seamlessly stitched together like the gorgeous upholstery and drapery fabrics gracing the estate.  Those dualities provided a magical vacation for our family.  As an American, I hoped to experience the majesty of British history and culture but, more importantly, as a grandmother, to create new warm and loving memories with my husband, our son, daughter in-law and granddaughters.  Manor Farm Home met those hopes.    Originally built in the 1600’s, Manor Farm Home is spectacularly reimagined for the 21st Century.  A spacious and thoroughly updated Country Estate, it is cozy, inviting and sumptuously comfortable. 

Manor Farm Home cherishes its Cotswold History.  Every room is enhanced with original details.  The elegant dining room offers a window seat with iron casement windows looking beyond an expansive garden to the estate’s limestone walls.  There we enjoyed wonderful suppers created in the thoroughly updated kitchen that offered every possible top of the line appliance, including multiple stoves, plus a lovely adjoining breakfast room.  One of our favorite dining locales was the Manor Farm Home’s Cotswold barn which centuries past housed sheep feeding troughs, but which has been recreated into an enchanting open aired dining room overlooking the pool and additional outdoor living room.    In that lovely setting, we relished al fresco lunches and dinners, especially the evening the fabulous local chef created a birthday celebration dinner complete with paella simmering outdoors paired with steaks prepared on the outdoor grill.  Many happy memories were created at that pretty pool with sun-kissed weather every day.  The owners provided a bevy of fun floats and handsome straw hats for our pleasure.

Per the gracious owners – every one of our requests was handled promptly with  top of the line purchases whether need for a baby cot and highchair, or desire for specialty baking utensils or  specialty bar glasses.  We felt encouraged to make such requests as the owners were clear they hoped to improve every detail not only for us, but for enhancing future guests’ stays.   Yet another duality; while keen attention to our needs was met, our privacy was paramount to the owners and we felt the home was ours alone during our stay.   

Each room was decorated in its own right in stunning fashion; beautifully appointed, updated for comfort and ensconced in history.  On a dual track, we also had fun reimagining each room for our own pleasure.  With so many designated and uniquely decorated rooms throughout, we created personal enjoyment spaces; a jigsaw puzzle and brandy room, a birthday celebration room, a playroom, and our granddaughters gleefully discovered an early dusk rainbow reflection room.  The home was quite spacious boasting two staircases and three floors.  As necessitated, our hardworking son and daughter-in law zoomed in privacy from antique desks in serene rooms replete with unobstructed glorious views.  Yet the large country home always felt connected.  Our young grandchildren quickly mastered the layout and spread their wings safely, learning how to bike ride, communing with nature, and while they swam throughout the day in our presence, they were extra safe with the limestone locked and gated pool wall.       

While the estate was its own lovely playground, adventures were close by for our family-- whether hikes through butterfly fields, pastoral walks and runs, excursions to the fabulous neighborhood Jolly Nice Farmshop, or visits beyond to the petting zoo and the Gruffalo forest.     

Manor Farm Home provided a picture-perfect setting for our professional renowned local photographer with gorgeous estate garden backdrops to document our family stay.  And that means another beautiful blend of dualities because, yes, we actually did experience a perfect family vacation.  We hope to reserve a spot for next summer, and with guestrooms aplenty, next time hope to bring Auntie and Uncle across the pond to create more wonderful memories provided by another truly exceptional holiday.  Abundant thanks to Manor Farm Home in the Cotswolds!

— AB —

We were so lucky to stay at Sapperton Manor.

The beauty of the little village of Sapperton and the Manor starts the moment you turn off the main road from Cirencester and start crossing through the forests, into the wide open fields, and onto the tight English countryside roads. You make the final leg over a hill and the Manor appears off in the distance, across another lovely field with grazing sheep. Pulling into the private, gated driveway, one is led along a well manicured and colourful garden with truly majestic trees that frame your first full glimpse of the residence; prepare your camera in advance. Our hosts, Alun and Grant, were spectacular. Touring the residence took some time because of the size and the magnificent interior design details, but you wont be disappointed. The estate offers a very large pool and tennis court; both of which were lovingly used for a bit of exercise and relaxation. All the linens and beds were very high-quality. The attention to details showed the pride our hosts had, as well as their proper understanding of the standards luxury vacation homes demand. We opted for a private chef one evening, and in hindsight, we should have enlisted her a few other evenings as the food was really spectacular. That is not to say that the Bell (the local pub/gastronomic treasure) isn't worth a couple visits for lunch and dinner; the entire staff is welcoming, but do ask for Laura as she is a gem. We also found that in a neighbouring village (20mins) our unknowingly favourite restaurant existed, The Butcher's Arm. In Cirencester you will also find some great restaurants, pubs, and shops, much livelier on Fridays and Saturdays. A typical grocery store can also be found in Cirencester (right at the roundabout just before you enter town), but the true prize winner for sourcing lovely groceries, wines, fresh meats, fish, eggs (amazing duck eggs!), cheeses, and fresh baked pastries is along a main road, near the house: Jolly Nice Farmshop. The estate is located in a great location, easy to access many of the neighbouring villages of note (we slipped into Oxford for lunch and sightseeing in about an hour), as well as running back into London-ish should you want a day trip to Windsor or other Royal properties worth visiting. All in all, a truly lovely experience made possible by the refined, welcoming hospitality of Alun and Grant. We only hope we have another opportunity to return.

— James P—