Review: Rachael’s Cottage, Brockenhurst – New Forest Cottages
It’s a tricky balancing act to pull off – accommodation which is fantastic if you’re travelling with a baby or young kids, but is still lovely in the evening after their bedtime for adults or for a child-free break as a couple.
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But Rachael’s Cottage on the outskirts of Brockenhurst, booked through New Forest Cottages managed both on our long weekend exploring the New Forest.
With ponies and donkeys coming right up to the front gate (and a note inside asking you to keep the gate shut…), it’s in a great location in the heart of the area as well as being impressively child-friendly.
For more things to do in the New Forest with kids, check out my top picks
Rachael’s Cottage, Brockenhurst: Vital statistics
One of over 100 self-catering holiday cottages in the area from the New Forest Cottages collection (along with alternative options in Beaulieu, Lymington and Lyndhurst), Rachael’s Cottage sleeps four.
Brockenhurst itself is a short walk away (or an even shorter drive) and it’s sometimes available for short breaks as well as week-long stays, with prices starting from £660 for night nights.
Our New Forest Cottage: The good
Perfect for babies and young children
There are places which simply provide a highchair and then there’s being properly family-friendly. Consider that second box well and truly ticket.
The cottage had more toys and books than Minnie could play with in one long weekend (in fact, it was a struggle to get her to put them down and go out) as well as DVDs – plenty for different ages as well, including me.
There were also bedguards and booster seats for older toddlers, and a travel cot for younger ones (plus a highchair too), bath toys, toddler toilet seats, a step, stairgates… I could go on.
The practicalities
The little touches can make a lot of difference. Here we had a parking permit (and some free parking) plus WiFi, along with practically everything we could have wanted in the kitchen, including plastic crockery and cutlery.
The shower
A proper bath with a mat is very useful when I’m travelling with Minnie but I hate those dribbly overbath showers. This one had a huge rainforest shower head and was blissfully powerful.
The garden
As we were exploring so much, we didn’t get much chance to go into the garden, but this would be paradise for kids to explore. It’s all enclosed and there’s a trampoline tucked at the back, plus a BBQ and chairs.
Rachael’s Cottage: The not so good
One small bedroom
The double bedroom is the smaller of the two, so you do need to clamber over the bed to get in and out. Not such an issue as I had it to myself for part of the stay!
There wasn’t a great deal of storage in the bedrooms either but neither were a huge problem, especially for a short break.
No coffee maker
I know I’m nitpicking now… but I do love a decent cup of coffee in the morning. Although we later found a stovetop espresso maker, the only thing the kitchen seemed to be missing was a cafetiere. [EDIT: It turns out it was there all along and I somehow missed it, so you can strike this from the list too]
For more things to do in Hampshire with kids, check out my top days out
Disclosure: My two-night stay at Rachael’s Cottage was provided free for the purposes of review. All opinions, including those about early morning coffee being essential, are my own. This post contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission
Main image and video copyright MummyTravels, all other images courtesy of Rachael’s Cottage/New Forest Cottages
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Oooh, I’ve been to Brockenhurst, we stayed there for a weekend though it was actually in a B&B at the pub!
Lovely area though, so many great walks in the forest from there and I was happy as we saw more deer than I could count (I’m easily pleased when it comes to critters).
It makes a really great base to explore the area from. We drove, but iirc, there was a little train station right there too so it’s a fab location for people who can’t, or don’t fancy the drive.
That’s right – it’s a good base if you’re taking the train (and quite easy from London) though I drove too. Didn’t spot deer this time but I have in the woods previously which was wonderful.
What a lovely place to stay….It has such a gorgeous garden x
The garden was absolutely amazing – it just kept going! It really was such a lovely cottage.
This looks like a lovely place to visit and perfect if you have children as i often worry mine will get bored or make too much noise in a hotel room x #TriedTested
It is more relaxing having your own space, I think, and extra toys are definitely a bonus.
What a great place to stay – a real home away from home! Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested
It really was – I felt instantly very comfortable there, which is just what you need travelling with a two-year-old!