Are you planning a luxury weekend getaway to the Cotswolds, and taking your pooch with you? You need a top rated dog friendly hotel to make your trip as relaxing and memorable as can be. Feldon Valley Lodges is the perfect choice. Here is a summary of my experience, as someone who visited with their dog.
About Feldon Valley Lodges
Feldon Valley is a complex which also features fine dining, and an 18-hole golf course. ‘The Lodges’ are the onsite high-spec hotel accommodation, with dog friendly options.
It is situated in the northern region of the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England. The Cotswolds are famous for postcard perfect villages and beautiful countryside, a lovely place to getaway for a quiet weekend. The nearest train stations to Feldon Valley Lodges are Banbury and Moreton-in-Marsh, both with direct trains from London.
Feldon Valley Lodges have 25 accommodation options. There are 13 bedrooms in the main lodge, and the rest of the rooms are in the 4 woodland lodges. There are multiple hotel rooms within each lodge, although you can arrange to book out a whole lodge if you wanted to stay as a group. These woodland lodges are the dog friendly rooms. You have the option of a woodland view or a golf course view – We had a woodland view room.
Arriving at Feldon Valley Lodges
When arriving at Feldon Valley there is a spacious car park, from which you can see 2 main buildings. One of these houses the golf club and ‘The Kitchen,’ which is their restaurant. The second main building is where ‘The Lodges’ hotel reception is, which is clearly signposted. This building also has the lounge bar, an outdoor terrace and house 13 of the hotel rooms. The dog friendly lodges are through this building and out the other side.
During our check in experience at Feldon Valley Lodges, the hotel staff couldn’t have been more friendly. Straight away they were giving treats to the dog and made us feel right at home. No dog friendly hotel would be complete without a jar of dog treats on the counter! We collected our key, and went to see our room. Exiting the reception heading towards the lodges, there is a raised wooden path through scenic woodland providing access to the lodge rooms.
Our room was one of the furthest into the woods, so it was a couple of minutes walk through the woodland and reception out to the carpark. We made the mistake of packing a bit too much. We had everything we needed for our 9 month old dog with us, like her crate, blankets, and food. On top of this we also had bags of birthday presents as we were there for a special occasion. This resulted in multiple trips back and forth to the car to get all the stuff to our room, and the same again the next day when checking out. Thankfully the weather was dry, a rare occasion in England in March.
Woods View Room at Feldon Valley Lodges
The woods view lodge rooms are spectacular. Feldon Valley Lodges was built in 2019, so everything is fresh and modern. The spectacular floor to ceiling window looking out onto the woodland makes you feel like you are in a fairytale. The amenities are what you would expect from a 4-star hotel – a king sized bed, en-suite shower room and coffee machine. It is all finished to a very high standard – I particularly loved the modern lighting options within the room. There is a deck with a table and chairs for you to sit outside, though sadly it was too cold for us to do that in March.
The room is equipped with dog bowls and a small dog bed. However, we bought our dog crate with us which there was plenty of space for in the room. If you have a dog classed as medium sized or larger, you will need to bring their own bed as the one provided was quite small. As you are in a small lodge rather than a big hotel building, you have quick and easy access outdoors for doggy toilet trips which is super convenient. If you are interested about taking your dog to hotels or Airbnb’s, check out my tips here.
Though the woods view lodge rooms are beautiful, they aren’t very private. The floor to ceiling window looks out onto the woodland and the wooden walkway which people use to access their rooms. So if you have the curtains open you can see anyone walking to and from their rooms, and they can see you too. Our dog loved watching people and dogs walk past the room, however this might not suit all dogs. For example, if your dog is the type to bark at anyone who walks past your house, you might have issues. If privacy is essential, get a golf course view instead.
The Foodie Break Package
One of the factors that attracted us to Feldon Valley Lodges was the packages available. They offer a variety of all inclusive packages for your stay. We opted for the foodie break, which included a glass of prosecco or house wine, a 3 course dinner, and breakfast the next morning. I loved this option, as it felt so relaxing knowing we pay one cost with everything included. Of course there is the option to purchase more or different drinks if you wish. The food at Feldon Valley is all locally sourced, and has a ‘farm to table’ ethos. Some other packages include a Gin Getaway package, and a Sunday Break package which includes a sunday roast dinner. You can check out what is on offer here.
The rest of the hotel is all dog friendly – you can take your dog in the lounge for a drink if you want to, and to the restaurant. We chose to leave the dog in her crate while we went for dinner, but we did take her to breakfast the next morning. There are even some fire pits outside the lounge bar, where you can relax after dinner outside. You are free to walk around the grounds with your dog, though they ask that dogs are kept on leads at all times.
What is there to do near Feldon Valley Lodges?
We stayed at Feldon Valley Lodges for one night, and spent the day before and after exploring the Cotswolds. This is much easier to do if you have traveled by car than public transport.
Here is everything we got up to:
- Explored Bourton-on-the-Water
- Explored Moreton-in-Marsh
- Explored Broadway – if you do this, I recommend stopping for a drink at the Lygon Arms – another local dog friendly hotel!
- Visited Diddly Squat Farm Shop, of Clarkson’s Farm fame. While we were there, we spotted 3 of the people featured in the programme. The shop is very small, we had to queue to get in, and it takes less than five minutes to see everything and pay at the till – but they have an outdoor bar and sometimes food trucks, so we did stay for a drink.
- Visited Daylesford Organic Farm Shop. This Award winning farm shop has an array of homewares, local produce, and a garden centre for you to browse. There is also a cafe for you to have something to eat. It is dog friendly and we did take the dog in with us, however in my opinion it is quite a posh and expensive shop so I quickly changed my mind and put the dog in the car.
Leave a comment and let me know if you decide to visit Feldon Valley Lodges!
