Living / 24 August, 2026 / Ellie Thompson
There are some places you visit and immediately start planning who you could bring back with you next time. The White Hart in Leonard Stanley was one of those places for us. (Hello, NYE!)
Sleeping up to 21 guests across nine bedrooms, this beautifully restored former village pub in the Cotswolds is made for big family gatherings, weekends with friends and celebrations where you want everyone together under one roof – albeit with enough space that you’re not too together.
We visited as a family with the dogs and genuinely had the best time. In fact, with room for 21, we’ve already decided a return trip with a rather larger gang might have to happen.
The White Hart isn’t your average holiday rental. Once a village pub, the property has been thoughtfully transformed into an impressive private home while retaining plenty of its original character.
Spread over three floors, the place is fantastic in scale. There are nine individually styled bedrooms and eight bathrooms, with enough different spaces for a large group to spread out rather than feeling as though you’re constantly on top of one another.
The interiors were a real highlight for us. Everything feels considered: beautiful furniture, gorgeous fabrics, characterful details and a level of finish that makes the house feel properly luxurious rather than simply big.
The bedrooms each have their own personality, which somehow makes choosing where everyone sleeps part of the fun.
Downstairs, the enormous kitchen is exactly what you want from a house designed for 21 people.
There’s plenty of space for everyone to gather, cook, eat and inevitably stand around chatting while one person actually does all the work. And then, rather brilliantly, and personally my favourite bit – there’s a bar in the house.
We put it to excellent use making mocktails and holding our own pub quiz, and it became one of those little things that turned an evening at the house into part of the holiday rather than simply the bit between days out.
For a big group of friends, I can imagine it coming into its own even more.
Outside, there’s a lovely courtyard garden with a fountain and fairy lights that feels particularly magical as the evening draws in.
The hot tub was an enormous hit with my daughter, Maddie, and another reason the house works so well when you’re travelling with children: you don’t necessarily need to organise an outing every minute of the day. There is plenty of fun to be had without leaving the house.
And once the children are finally in bed, the courtyard, bar and generous living spaces make it somewhere the grown-ups can actually enjoy too.
The location also gives you plenty to explore.
One of our favourite outings was Painswick Rococo Garden, the country’s only complete surviving Rococo garden. Dating back to the 1740s, it’s beautiful without being the sort of garden where you spend the entire visit telling your child not to touch anything.
Quite the opposite: families are actively encouraged to explore. There are quirky follies, a rustic play area and a brilliant three-centred maze, which was a particular hit. Dogs are welcome on leads throughout most of the garden and can even join you in the café.
Painswick itself is well worth exploring too, and there are walks around Painswick Beacon and the Cotswold Way if you want to make a day of it.
There are also plenty of opportunities for dog walks closer to the house. One word of warning from us: pay attention to private land and farm signage on the surrounding routes. We’d recommend sticking firmly to established public footpaths rather than assuming a tempting-looking route is accessible.
What we loved most about The White Hart was that the house itself became such a big part of the weekend.
Yes, you’re perfectly placed for exploring the Cotswolds, but we were just as happy coming back, jumping in the hot tub, congregating in that huge kitchen, making drinks behind our own bar and settling in for a pub quiz.
And that’s probably the best compliment we can give a holiday house.
It feels luxurious without being precious, enormous without feeling impersonal and crucially, when you’re travelling with children and dogs, it’s special without making you feel as though everyone needs to sit perfectly still.
For us, it was the kind of place that prompted the inevitable conversation before we’d even left: who could we bring with us next time?
With space for 21, we have a few people in mind.
For more information and to book your stay, head to Arlington and Row.
Explore London With Kids: The Family-Friendly Sightseeing Adventure They’ll Love
With a little water, love and care, watch your Luvibub magically sprout from the soil and transform into a cuddly baby doll. It’s a playful twist on nurturing, giving little ones the chance to care for their very own baby, while discovering feelings and emotions along the way. Because with Luvibubs, love really does make little things grow.
My Baba Measure / 26 August, 2026
