How to Choose the Best Holiday Cottages in Dorset?

If you are an avid traveller, but usually stay in hotels, you may have thought of staying in a holiday cottage some or the other time. Staying in a cottage has its own benefits as well as it offers a unique experience of having the beautiful space exclusively for your very own use, having no one else to share it. And if it’s a place like Dorset in Southwest England, you have to choose a holiday cottage if you want to enjoy the real charm of the place. Dorset is renowned for its amazing Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site as well as several natural landmarks such as Durdle Door, the Isle of Purbeck, Old Harry Rocks and Chesil Beach, not to mention the quirky villages of Milton Abbas and Worth Matravers, and the historic towns such as Wareham and Sherborne. Here are tips on how to choose the best holiday cottages in Dorset.

Find a Dorset Cottage with an Easy Access to its Attractions

While looking for a perfect place to stay in Dorset, you will have to consider many factors as you need a place with a great accessibility, travel options as well as entertainment. Here are the top attractions of Dorset you should visit.

For example, there is the North Fort at Weymouth Harbour, filled with underground passageways and WWII memorabilia including big cannons and guns.

Another beautiful place to visit is the cathedral of Dorset at Sherborne Abbey. This is one of the loveliest of the parish churches of England. Listening to the Sherborne Abbey bells on a Sunday morning is something truly amazing.

Or take a stroll along the Cerne countryside to get flabbergasted with the statue of Cerne Giant in the chalk hillside above Cerne Abbas.

Another must-visit is Corfe Castle and the quaint village of Corfe. There are several delightful tea rooms here where you can enjoy a cream tea. There are also two free museums in this scenic village.

And if you are after the English seaside day, there are wonderful beaches of Weymouth and Bournemouth. Famous for the holidays spent by King George III, Weymouth is a traditional English seaside town, full of grand Georgian townhouses and a pleasant promenade, while the breathtaking beach of Bournemouth has a pier and all the trimmings.

Head to the harbour at Lyme Regis to see a stunning sunset, while eating fresh scallops and sipping wine. If you have kids with you, they will enjoy crabbing on the Cobb.

Visit one of the blue flag beaches of Dorset; take a brisk walk along the South West Coastal Path or look for fossils along Chesil beach or admire the beauty of the Jurassic Coast. Take a rest in an old Smugglers Inn.

Dorset is a place where you can do so many things and participate in so many events! So, you should look for a cottage from where you can explore all these places. Here are some of the locations which are ideal to rent one of the superb self catering holiday cottages in Dorset.

Places where You Should have a Dorset Holiday Cottage

Bridport

This is a charming market town with a vintage fair, delicious food and Electric Palace, along with the regular street markets.

Dorchester

Located between Bridport and Poole, Dorchester is a historic market town on the banks of River Frome. It’s a town established first by the Romans. It has several museums including the Roman Town House, The Terracotta Warriors Museum, the Dinosaur Museum, The Keep Military Museum, Dorset County Museum, Dorset Teddy Bear Museum and Tutankhamun Exhibition.

Lyme Regis

Known as “Pearl of Dorset”, Lyme Regis is an unspoilt beach town perched among the Jurassic Cliffs and famous for its harbour wall, The Cobb. Sunset across the harbour is something you cannot afford to miss.

Weymouth

This traditional English beach town is complete with a vibrant promenade, carousels, Punch and Judy shows, fish and chips, sticks of rock and donkey rides.

Cattistock

This charming village in West Dorset has a 12th century church (rebuilt in the 19th century), the 15th century Chantmarle which is now a Christian retreat and wedding venue and a foxhound pack named Cattistock Hunt. Cattistock holds the Frome Valley Food Festival and a Dorset knob throwing event every year.

Milton Abbas

Milton Abbas is a picture-perfect village with rows of thatched cottages full of luxurious amenities which will make your stay extremely soothing and relaxing.

Blandford Forum

Commonly known only as Blandford, Blandford Forum is a market town in North Dorset, located ashore River Stour. It is known for its Georgian buildings which were rebuilt after a 1731 fire. Two miles to the northeast of the town is the Blandford Camp, where the Royal Signals Museum is located.

Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast is fabulous even for just a walk or you can also do some fossil hunting on Chesil Beach or arrange a picnic before the Durdle Door. Or visit the Abborsbury  Swannery, the only managed colony of nesting mute swans in the world.

Get a sense of nostalgia by riding on a steam train through the rolling Dorset hillocks. The Swanage Steam Railway is a great way to step back in time and soak up the stunning countryside of Dorset.

What to Look for in Dorset Holiday Cottages?

First thing to look for holiday cottages in Dorset is the variety. At Mulberry Cottages you can get such a variety. They can offer you holiday homes in Dorset located at places ranging from towering cliffs to harbour villages and from pastel colored beach huts to granite buildings.

Obviously you will want to enjoy all or most of the above-mentioned places to get the full value of your money and so the cottage should be based at a location from where you can access these places.

Another important thing to check is what amenities you and your family want. Is a pool must for you? Do you want to cook your own meals so that you will need a kitchen? Do you want the cottage for a particular festival and the concerned arrangements made, e.g. Easter? Do you wish that the cottage should be located near the beach? Do you want a pet-friendly holiday home? There is a variety of choices and when you can see the options, you can choose the best one for you.

Consider all these tips while finding a holiday accommodation in Dorset and you will find one where you can spend your unforgettable vacation!