Review: Holly Lodge, Arboyne House, Herefordshire

When it comes to family travel, it’s all about the flexibility for me – and that goes for places to stay with kids too, often swapping hotels for apartments like our recent stay at Arboyne House in Herefordshire.

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Visiting just after restrictions were easing, having our own self-contained space wasn’t just practical, it was reassuring too – and the fact that Holly Lodge, our self-catering apartment at Arboyne House was part of a fabulous historic old building in the gorgeous Herefordshire village of Eardisley was a definite bonus.

Our base for exploring Herefordshire with kids, it’s only about 30 minutes from Hereford (not much further to Ludlow across the border in Shropshire), set in one of the prettiest stops on the black and white village trail, and with a four-poster bed for me, and a choice of two gorgeous rooms for my daughter, it got the thumbs up as soon as we walked through the door.

For more things to do in Herefordshire with kids, check out my pick of the best

Arboyne House, Herefordshire: need to know

First up, the essentials. Arboyne House has three separate accommodation options – there’s the Panel Room, sleeping two in the house itself, plus two separate self-contained apartments.

The Bakehouse sleeps two plus a cot, which is great if you’re visiting with a baby (it’s worth knowing there are relatively steep steps up to the door), while Holly Lodge sleeps four to six.

There are three separate bedrooms – one with a king-size four-poster bed, the Oak room with a superking-size bed (or you can have two twin beds), and the Blue and White Room which can have a single bed or twin beds (the second bed pulls out from under the single).

You can book for four (and one room won’t be made up) or for all six – or combine with some of the accommodation if you’re visiting with extended family, for example, plus there are cots and highchairs available too. It’s even pet friendly.

Check here for the latest rates for a stay at Arboyne House

There’s also parking in the courtyard and some shared facilities, including a washing machine and dryer in the old Wash House, alongside the Studio, which is packed with craft materials.

Out the back is a big enclosed garden with benches and a view out onto the fields as well.

Arboyne House itself dates back to the 18th century, and used to be the village shop: the little village today is still full of old black and white houses.

Holly Lodge at Arboyne House: review

I love the atmosphere of historic buildings – wonky floors, sloping walls, huge beams in the ceiling, sturdy wooden doors, the whole sense that this is somewhere which has seen centuries pass, that could tell stories galore (if only that were possible).

I also love my creature comforts. And Holly Lodge managed to tick both boxes for us – there were old stone fireplaces, lots of chunky wooden beams, that wonderful four-poster bed, but also a proper powerful shower in the bathroom, enormously comfy duvets and a properly equipped kitchen.

That’s the first room you walk into when you enter, up a flight of steepish steps to the first floor.

Along with an oven and hobs, there’s a microwave, fridge, coffee-making equipment and a fold-out table (which might feel slightly cramped with six, but did beautifully for three).

We were doing our best to try as many of Herefordshire’s foodie treats as we could, so quite often ended up bringing provisions back at the end of the day, but it’s easy to stock up at a supermarket as well for a longer stay.

There was even a welcome jar of tiffin bites which were so good, we almost fought over who got to eat them all.

Then the main bathroom with that lovely shower, blue glass jars of toiletries, heated towel rail and lots of fluffy white towels. There’s also a second smaller toilet with sink off the Oak Room.

The living area has a string of comfy armchairs and little sofa, plus some old dark wood furniture that felt just right for such a historic house alongside the red rug (plus a TV for one of those modern touches)

Even better was the big shelf of books and games in the corner – we were asked to put anything we’d read/touched/used on a table at the end of our stay so it could be quarantined – which was perhaps the only reason Minnie didn’t empty the entire bottom shelf of the kids’ books and toys.

As we were only there for a long weekend, with our days packed full of exploring, I didn’t really make the most of this, although several things caught my eye. I can easily imaging all sitting around playing board games together after a day out though (or if the British summer time is less sunny than you’re hoping).

And through the wooden door lie the three bedrooms – the Oak Room on one side, the other two bedrooms on the other.

Having tried (and failed) to convince me that she should get the four-poster bed, Minnie decided to make the most of her choice of rooms by sleeping in both of them.

The Oak Room handily had its own en-suite toilet, which meant she didn’t have to wander across to the main bathroom in the night (or wander through our room bright and early in the morning either).

But the Blue and White Room got her thumbs up for being enormously pretty. Which it is.

Lovely and fresh with its white furniture and splashes of blue, there’s an old stone chimney in one corner, and a high single bed, which she declared the most comfortable one she had ever slept in.

All the beds also had rugs or throws at the end, which came in handy to snuggle under on the sofa on chilly evenings in early May: the duvets themselves were so cosily warm that we didn’t need them at night.

But obviously a four-poster bed always wins, especially when it has gorgeous burnt orange hangings and a soft golden velvety throw.

As we were only staying for a long weekend, I didn’t unpack properly, but there’s a wardrobe, plus desk and chair, and also enough room on the floor if you are leaving your suitcase lying around like me.

Arboyne House review: the verdict

My only real regret about our stay at Holly Lodge is that we didn’t have longer. Apart from a few minor niggles – such as the WiFi not stretching all the way to the bedrooms, which frankly we could manage happily without – I could happily have stayed for a week.

And not just for that tiffin! (Seriously, it was really really good).

With a bit more time and sunshine, the garden would be a gorgeous place to chill out and soak up the sunshine, and (Covid restrictions permitting), I know my daughter would have loved checking out all the crafts in the studio.

The pub next door, The Tram Inn, also sounded a fantastic place to eat but restrictions meant it was closed (hopefully temporarily) when we stayed.

While the lovely owners live on site and were to hand if we had any questions or problems, it was also easy to tuck ourselves away in Holly Lodge as we took our first steps back towards travel again – although the relaxed atmosphere in Eardisley and Herefordshire as a whole helped make that very easy too.

So… with space, history, all the essentials and lots of added touches to make it feel extra indulgent, it’s very hard to ask for anything more!

For more things to do in Herefordshire with kids, check out my pick of the best

Disclosure: My stay was courtesy of Arboyne House and Visit Herefordshire for the purposes of review. All opinions in my Arboyne House review are my own (including the one about the tiffin. Seriously, it was incredible)

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