Rabbits Bothie, Rosedale, The Square, Freshwater, Isle of Wight PO40 9QH
Self-catering - Sleeps 4
Welcomes adults,
Average Rating from 7 reviews: 4.64
Review Review No. 7 of 7
Margaret H - Huddersfield
Our party:- Adults:
- Ages:
- 3
- 58 - 71
7 Nights
August - 2012
- Relaxing
- Beach / Sea
- Local Food
- Walking
- Touring
- Shopping
- Entertainment
“Rabbits Bothie is a hidden gem”
Rabbits Bothie is a cosy, spotlessly clean apartment. I stayed there with my two sisters for one week in August 2012. It is perfectly situated in a quiet road in Freshwater Bay, a few minutes’ walk from the sea. It met our needs perfectly. The kitchen is well equipped with good quality crockery and cooking utensils, good oven, fridge, freezer and a lovely big sink. The beds were comfortable with good quality cotton bed linen.
The property is round the back of the house, very private with a small, pretty garden where we were able to eat outside most of the week. The pack of food with milk, local bread, tea and coffee and other goodies was very welcome when we first arrived.
I personally think the property is more suitable to a couple or three people at the most. It has a large, comfortable bed settee in the living area. I also liked the good choice of books and I added a few to my reading list. There was even detergent left for us if we wished to use the washing machine and plenty of cleaning materials.
The comfortable beds
Well equipped kitchen
The pretty garden and verandah which is lovely to sit in after a hard day’ walking
The old fashioned but well stocked local shops. It felt like stepping back in time.
Tennyson Down, a beautiful walk from Freshwater Bay to the Needles.
Walking to Yarmouth from Freshwater Bay. Yarmouth is a lovely place to spend the day.
We visited Godshill and wandered round the village and up to the church.
Margaret H, Huddersfield, W. Yorks - 16.08.2012
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Recommended on 16/08/2012
By Margaret H - Huddersfield
David Ballard, owner Rabbits Bothie - 17th August 2012
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Review Review No. 6 of 7
Karen A from Ontario, Canada
Our party:- Adults:
- Ages:
- 2
- 66 - 67
7 Nights
June - 2012
- Relaxing
- Walking
- Touring
- Beach / Sea
- Local Food
- Shopping
- Entertainment
“Delightful week at Rabbits Bothie”
We very much enjoyed our week at Rabbits Bothie. Owners Esme and David Ballard know the area well and are happy to suggest interesting things to do.
The accommodation was first rate with lovely added touches to make guests feel welcome, also a beautiful garden surrounding the porch.
Excellent hiking trails, photographic museum and Tennyson’s home are within walking distance.
Perfect holiday accommodation for a couple or small family.
Excellent location for walking, hiking and history lovers.
Local Gems:Dimbola photographic museum
The Needles
Red Lion pub
Highdown Inn
Yarmouth village, Ventnor, Shanklin, local churches.
Karen A, Ontario, Canada - July 5th 2012
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Recommended on 05/07/2012
By Karen A from Ontario, Canada
David Ballard, Rabbits Bothie - July 9th 2012
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Review Review No. 5 of 7
Norma N from Cheadle Hulme
Our party:- Adults:
- Ages:
- 3
- 40 - 70
7 Nights
May - 2012
- Relaxing
- Walking
- Touring
- Beach / Sea
- Local Food
- Shopping
- Entertainment
“All you could wish for”
Our stay at Rabbits Bothie exceeded expectations. The accommodation was comfortable and immaculately clean with thoughtful attention to detail.
David and Esme provided a comprehensive welcome basket, plentiful towels, lots of kitchen equipment and an interesting selection of books and magazines.
There was an attractive garden with a little pond and several seating areas.
Freshwater Bay is quiet and peaceful with easy access to one of the best walks on the island across Tennyson Downs to the Needles.
This cottage is best suited to couples, although there is a bed settee in the living room for an extra guest if needed
The walk across Tennyson Downs
Local Gems:Newtown Marshes
N.N. - Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire - 22.05.12
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Recommended on 22/05/2012
By Norma N from Cheadle Hulme
David Ballard, owner, Rabbits Bothie - 23rd May 2012
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Review Review No. 4 of 7
Christine P from Milford-on-Sea
Our party:- Adults:
- Ages:
- 1
- 60
1 Nights
July - 2011
- Relaxing
- Walking
- Beach / Sea
- Touring
- Shopping
- Entertainment
- Local Food
“Leave stress behind - take a break at Rabbits Bothie, Rosedale and love it”
I settled straight in the moment that I arrived. A real home-from-home (over-used expression but in this case 100 per cent true), welcoming and comfortable, inside and out. Fantastic attention to detail and if something is missing (unlikely!) nothing is too much trouble. What David and Esme don’t know about a warm and friendly welcome and what to do on the Isle of Wight isn’t worth knowing.
Rabbits Bothie is in a perfect location just a 10-minute drive from the ferry (Lymington to Yarmouth with Wightlink) and a village shop and Post Office round the corner a lovely little church and bay and walks, walks, walks all straight from the door. The garden is very pretty and you can help yourself to herbs.
Inside it really is like being a guest in someone’s home well decorated with seaside colours (lots of blue and white, not neutral beige) Each room has its own character. The kitchen and bedroom feel 1950s, the living room seems to have developed over time with bits of 60s, 70s etc mixed in and a great TV and audio system and books and games. The shower-room is Edwardian Rowing Club (quite masculine which is unusual, but in a good way). The accommodation is so comfortable and easy to settle into for the evening. Just great after a day’s walking and sightseeing and there’s always more of that to do.
The walk across Tennyson Down and West High Down to the Needles Battery (National Trust) with a cream tea at Warren Farm.
The walk to Yarmouth along the former railway line to see the Tudor castle (English Heritage) and the Grade II listed wooden pier.
Dimbola Lodge - anybody who was anybody in the 1860s and 1870s passed through these doors, including Lewis Carroll and Alice.
The Red Lion and the High Down Inn for lunch or evening meal.
West Wight is seriously addictive!
Local Gems:The views across Compton Bay to the white cliffs below Tennyson Down (best in the morning with the sun behind you)
I’m sure you’ll think of more - the garden, the literary history (Tennyson Mile with holiday villas used by Darwin and Thackeray and later DH Lawrence, Christopher Isherwood, Virginia Woolf and TS Eliot).
Turner painted his first oil landscape at Freshwater Bay, it’s in the National Gallery - inspiration for painters, writers and photographers
The journey from Yarmouth was lovely
Christine P from Milford on Sea - September 2011
Owner’s Reply:
’’We offer short breaks and (until 31 December 2012) two weeks for the price of one.
The short pretty journey from Yarmouth is via Old Freshwater and the much-photographed causeway.
The longer dramatic route takes in the drive along the cliff tops with views of the surfers in Compton Bay and the white cliffs below Tennyson Down and West High Down... with Dorset in the far distance (England, another country!)’’ - David, Rabbits Bothie
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Recommended on 27/09/2011
By Christine P from Milford-on-Sea
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Review Review No. 3 of 7
Yvonne P from Halesowen
Our party:- Adults:
- Ages:
- 3
- 20 - 52
7 Nights
August - 2011
- Relaxing
- Walking
- Beach / Sea
- Local Food
- Touring
- Shopping
- Entertainment
“A really great place to stay with lots of conveniences and flexibility”
A really delightful self-catering accommodation with lots of conveniences - we struggled to find something missing!
Ideal for our party, close to the beach, short or long walks and easy access to the rest of the island.
We had a great welcome with immediate food-grocery needs in the fridge - thoughtful touch!
Ideal for couples and quiet getaways
Walk across Tennyson Downs
Local Gems:Walk across Tennyson Downs to the Needles and Cream Tea at Warren Farm was a highlight and a must-do activity!
Yvonne P from Halesowen - 22nd Sept 2011
Owner’s Reply:’’We aim to work in the little extras that make a big difference’’ - David & Esme
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Recommended on 22/09/2011
By Yvonne P from Halesowen
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Review Review No. 2 of 7
Phyl S from Cheadle
Our party:- Adults:
- Ages:
- 2
- 65 - 73
3 Nights
August - 2011
- Relaxing
- Walking
- Touring
- Beach / Sea
- Shopping
- Local Food
- Entertainment
“A peaceful, relaxing, place to unwind before getting into sightseeing, and lovely to come back to after a day out”
Rabbit’s Bothie exceeded our expectations in terms of the equipment provided for self-catering - from a coffee bean grinder to juicer, and fantastic surround sound TV-DVD entertainment system. We also wanted a few bits and pieces on arrival towards drinks and breakfast and these were provided.
The entrance from the verandah with cane seating, led into a furnished sitting room-cum-dining room. There was a half wall across which could be seen the corridor kitchen with its full array of new equipment. This room led into a corridor off which could be found in a cupboard the washing machine and dryer to one side and facing this the door to the bedroom. Before you entered the bedroom with its spacious wardrobe accommodation there was a shelf with illuminated mirror over it which was useful for makeup etc.
The corridor continued towards the main house and access to the bathroom led off on the left whilst the corridor opened into a wider area for hanging garments on one side opposite a chest of drawers with mirror over it, on the other. There was a lot of attention to detail and to one’s needs and the Edwardian gentleman’s bathroom include a useful bidet and a powerful shower.
Everything was spotless and there were lots of books, information - in the sitting room - and places to hang coats and things in each room. No shortage of chairs inside or out. All in all a great place to stay for a taster of the IOW or for a relaxing longer break.
Peaceful garden and lots of different relaxing seating areas - to follow the sun, drink aperitifs, or eat under the sunshade.
A real home-from-home, cosy environment but with plenty of activities and places of interest within easy driving or walking distance depending on levels of fitness.
The big comfortable twin zipped beds fill up most of the bedroom but there are two areas for dressing with good lighting over the mirrors.
We think although it was possible to have two extra guests, we would suggest it was for only a part of your stay or not at all. It was super for two.
The small churches on the IOW are real gems and open to visitors - at least when we were there - so we saw the only thatched church, St Agnes in Freshwater, and also probably the oldest over at Wootton.
Cream teas were good both at Warren Farm - near the Needles - and at Quarr Abbey near Fishbourne.
Loved Mottistone gardens NT for alfresco lunch but could just as easily have eaten in the cafe there or nearby
Phyl S, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle - Sept 2011
Owner’s Reply:
We suggest that Rabbit’s Bothie is perfect for two... though we have accommodated three adults, and two adults with two small children.
We offer ’’sleeps 2 plus 2’’ with Super King linked-twin beds in the bedroom and a double bed-settee in the living room... and lots of storage including a shed for bikes, bodyboards, golf clubs etc - David Ballard, owner
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Recommended on 10/09/2011
By Phyl S from Cheadle
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Review Review No. 1 of 7
Nicola S from Pontypridd
Our party:- Adults:
- Ages:
- 2
- 25 - 27
3 Nights
August - 2011
- Relaxing
- Touring
- Beach / Sea
- Walking
- Shopping
- Entertainment
- Local Food
“An excellent base for a first visit to the Isle of Wight”
The cottage was exactly as it was described on the website with many excellent features. Hosts very welcoming with an abundance of knowledge on local places of interest.
The cottage was larger than expected. The kitchen provided utensils and cooking equipment for every eventuality! A lot of extras you might not get in majority of cottage lets.
Many fine walks are easily accessible from the cottage. If unsure of best routes the hosts will surely be able to advise as their knowledge of local area is outstanding.
Only a short distance from ferry port which was ideal for us after a long drive beforehand.
The cottage itself is a home-from-home - comfortable beds, HD TV with Freeview, fully equipped kitchen, large bathroom and plenty of storage for belongings.
The garden area provided the perfect place to enjoy breakfast whilst planning the day’s adventures.
For a relaxing holiday close to the sea.
Owners very welcoming and eager to ensure our holiday was as enjoyable as possible.
The Red Lion in Old Freshwater is certainly worth a worth a visit - outstanding food and very good value for money.
Nicola S from Pontypridd
Owner’s Reply:’’TV is not HD, just HD-ready. There is also a DVD player and audio system’’ - David
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Recommended on 07/09/2011
By Nicola S from Pontypridd
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