Japonica
The picture perfect Cotswold village of Minster Lovell with its thatched cottages, incredible pub and historic features is a place where you can get away from it all. Staying at Japonica you can start your days with country walks heading to The Farmer’s Dog or Burford Garden Centre to get a taste of Cotswold life. If you stay in, the spacious open plan living area lets you gather for meals and conversations, stepping out to the garden for evenings drinks as the sun goes down. Set across the ground floor with two double rooms and a bunk it suits families or groups of friends and has everything you need for a Cotswold break.
Overview
On the edge of the Cotswolds, Japonica is a charming cottage ready to welcome your friends and family for a peaceful retreat. Blenheim Palace, Oxford and the Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens are very close by and you’re just a short walk from Jeremy Clarkson’s pub The Farmer’s Dog.
This grade II listed historic charterville cottage dates back to the 1800s and is full of charming details. Beautiful fireplaces, flagstone flooring, exposed stone walls and wooden beams show what life would have been like. Set across the ground floor the open plan living area is spacious and full of light with a lovely sage green kitchen, breakfast bar and comfortable sitting area. The formal dining room gives you space to eat homecooked meals together and you can open the stable doors out to the external dining terrace. Three bedrooms each have a peaceful finish and there are two bathrooms, including an en-suite in the master bedroom.
In the garden a wonderful dining area is tucked away providing a secluded space to host group dinners. Alongside is a lawned garden and there is space for three cars to park on the driveway.
Ground Floor
Open Plan Kitchen/Living Room
This fabulous space is the heart of the home, where you will spend time cooking meals together, lingering over drinks and long chats and having quick breakfasts before heading out for the day. At one end, the kitchen has an oven and hob, fridge/freezer, microwave, kettle, toaster and coffee machine. A breakfast bar seats 4 and is perfect for less formal meals. Open the French doors to the garden so you have a wonderful view while preparing meals.
The sitting area includes two three-seater sofas and a smart TV so you can put your feet up and relax. Sitting beside exposed stone with old fireplaces, a woodburning stove and a flagstone floor you are immersed in the atmosphere of this charming Cotswold cottage.
Dining Room
Set the table so you can all eat together and celebrate special occasions. The table can be extended for extra serving space if you’ve planned a feast. At the end of this room is a sofa, a secret hideaway if you just want a moment to yourself to get lost in a good book. You will also find the washing machine and tumble dryer tucked away here.
Bedroom Three
An old sliding stable door opens into bedroom three which is ideal for younger guests or two friends sharing. The bunk beds sit perpendicular to each other and there are two chests of drawers.
Bathroom
Shared between bedrooms two and three, the bathroom has a bath with a hand-held shower, WC and basin.
Bedroom Two
The double bed sits between two bedside tables with lamps, giving you somewhere to have your morning cup of coffee in bed.
Bedroom One
The master bedroom is at the end of the house giving guests staying here extra privacy. With a king-size bed, chest of drawers, wardrobe and bedside tables you will feel at home.
En-Suite
An added bonus, the en-suite has a shower, WC and basin.
Outside
Spend time outside in the secluded garden dining al fresco beneath bright Cotswold skies. A table seating six is tucked behind the cottage away from view while the lawn stretches away to one side. Start a morning stroll here and continue through the village to the old hall and dovecote, stopping off at the Old Swan for a drink.
Facilities
Indoor
Bedroom One - King-size
Bedroom Two - Double
Bedroom Three - Bunk
2 Bathrooms - 1 X Bathroom, 1 X En-suite Shower Room
Hairdryer
Fire - Logs Provided For An Initial Fire 01 Oct To 31 March
Oven
Hob
Microwave
Toaster
Kettle
Fridge
Freezer
Coffee Machine - Original Pods
Dishwasher
Dining Table - Seats 6 And Breakfast Bar Seats 4
Washing Machine
Tumble Dryer
Iron
WiFi *Please Note That Speeds Are For Guidance Only And Are Not Guaranteed - 100-199 Mbps
TV - Smart
Board Games
Travel Cot (cot Linen Not Provided)
Highchair
Outdoor
Garden - Not Enclosed
Outdoor Dining Area - Seats 6
No BBQ Available
Parking - Off Road Parking For 4 Cars
On your Doorstep
Nearby, visit Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm shop (11 miles), Upton Smokery (6 miles) or Daylesford Organic (16 miles) for locally sourced produce and a visit to their cafes. Burford Garden Centre is a popular destination, much more than just a garden centre there is a gallery and a huge range of homewares, gifts and more. Further afield, visit the city of Oxford (18 miles) for a wonderful day out seeing the sights and sounds and browsing the unique shops.
Eating Out:
- The Farmer’s Dog, Burford – Jeremy Clarkson’s country pub serving local produce (1.5 miles)
- The Bird in Hand, Hailey – Traditional Cotswold pub with a warm friendly welcome (4 miles)
- The Bull, Charlbury – A charming local pub dating back to 1500 serving local ingredients and championing open fire cooking (9 miles)
- Kingham Plough, Kingham – Relax by the fire or dine on the terrace in this beautiful Cotswold pub (13 miles)
The Cotswolds is full of beautiful walks, chiefly the 102 miles eponymous Cotswold Way. However, if you’re not feeling up to trekking that far, there are plenty of shorter, flatter walks around Burford. The Windrush circular 5-mile walk that begins and ends in Burford, with a lovely return stretch along the River Windrush, is perfect for those looking to explore. Download the map and instructions from the link above.
Places to Visit:
- Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote – picturesque ruins of a 15th century manor house built by one of the richest men in England (1.5 miles)
- Burford Garden Centre, Burford – a shopping destination with plants, homewares, art and more (4 miles)
- Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens – home to one of the UK’s largest zoological collections (6 miles)
- Woodstock and Blenheim Palace – vibrant market town and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill (15 miles)
Train:Charlbury railway station (9 miles) has a frequent and direct service to London Paddington and Oxford.
Taxi: Hunts Taxis, Angela’s Taxis
There is so much to see and do in the Cotswolds, why not have a look at some of our favourite Bolthole Retreat Experiences.
Points of Note
This property has a check-in time of 15:00 and a check-out time of 10:00
- Japonica is one of our pet-free properties and therefore dogs and other pets are not permitted.
- While Japonica is a ground floor property, there are a handful of internal steps.
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Handpicked by us
Why we love this
- Walk straight out to Minster Lovell Hall, the Windrush and village pubs
- Easy, sociable living with everything on one level and a garden for sunset drinks
- Brilliant base for Cotswold favourites, from Burford Garden Centre to The Farmer’s Dog
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The Location
Japonica lies in Old Minster Lovell, the historic section of the beautiful village of Minster Lovell on the edge of Wychwood National Nature Reserve. The village has a church, pub, a country hotel with a spa, a village cricket club and fishing on the River Windrush. Head out the front door for fantastic local walks, including to the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall, a 15th century Oxfordshire manor house, which sits in a beautiful rural setting beside the river. Nearby Witney is a vibrant market town with excellent amenities and a thriving local community with a wide range of independent shops, restaurants and boutiques, as well as a cinema and larger stores including Waitrose and M&S. Meanwhile, the cottage is just a stone's throw from Jeremy Clarkson's pub The Farmer's Dog, and farmshop Diddly Squat, where you can find scrumptious local produce and gifts.
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Read our reviews
Beautiful Cotswold house. Completely renovated inside. Super great facilities. Super large garden. Very friendly landlords. Excellent room layout. Well-thought-out concept. Coffee, tea, milk, dishwasher tablets, and washing machine tablets were already available. Everything very clean. Bed comfort is very good. Supermarket within walking distance, also open on weekends. Convenient transport links.
Karl
Perfect stay in beautiful property
Wow this was such a lovely property. We had a wonderful stay. The property has obviously been fully renovated recently to the highest standard and was spotlessly clean, The bed linen was beautiful quality. Tea and coffee provided together generously with a four pint carton of milk. The two sofas facing each other made for a lovely environment to relax and chat. We didnt cook whilst at the property but the kitchen was well equipped and in pristine condition. Its a perfect location for visiting the Farmers Dog as its only 1.5 miles away (food and experience there was good). The Royal Oak in Burford makes its only range of pies which were lovely, Burford is well worth a visit with its lovely quaint high street and just a short drive from the property. The White Hart Inn Witney is about an 8 minute walk from the property. We would have eaten there but it is closed on Monday and Tuesday. There is plenty of parking at the property.
Gwyneth
A wonderfully and tastefully modernised property, clean and with everything you need for a short stay. Just a short cab ride to the Farmers Dog and a great location to explore the Cotswolds. Abi and Chris were perfect hosts, available when we needed them and going the extra mile to help us celebrate my wife’s birthday.
Robert
Great stay
Cannot praise this bungalow highly enough. Everything you need is supplied. It was well laid out and very comfortable. The log burner was an excellent addition when the evening got chilly. Excellent location for exploring the Cotswolds and a visit to the Farmers Dog..!!
Judith
Lovely cottage, nice and clean with good supplies like coffee and slippers. The bedding felt good quality. We had a lovely stay
Katie
Had an absolutely lovely stay. Booked for weekend as family wedding in the area. House was gorgeous, immaculately clean, comfy and in great location for Burford and Bibury. Would highly recommend and will return again another time. Thanks to Abi for her help during our stay and for making it a home away from home.
Lisa
Beautiful cottage, very clean, well presented, host stocked the fridge with milk, we had every drink thinkable, coffee, tea, original and decaf, coffee pods. Everything was just perfect. Will be going back and would highly recommend this accommodation. 1 little thing, don’t park under the tree, our car was covered in bird poop 🤣😂
Joanne
Amazing stay and fabulous hosts. The place is so beautiful and well equipped. Everything you might need is thought about, even to slippers at the door. The home is spacious, clean, and super cosy. Fabulous garden and seating that catches the sun most the day too. Provisions of milk, tea, coffee and more was the sweetest touch. Would recommend to anyone.
Reuben
Would stay again
Vicki
Excellent place to stay. Immaculate, well provided for in terms of amenities and additional bits and pieces like the milk in the fridge. Very comfy and relaxing place to stay.
Emily
Beautiful Cottage
We stayed at Japonica with another couple, the cottage is furnished and equipped really nicely which made it feel very homely, there was pleanty of logs available to use the log burner. The weather was nice so we used the outdoor furniture. I think an outside firepit would be a nice addition for summer. I definitely recommend and sure we will be back sometime!!
Sarah
A great property for a meet up of friends
Japonica was immaculately presented and is very well appointed. Met all our requirements for a meeting up of family.
Annette
We had a wonderful weekend at the cottage and everything was perfect! Warm cottage with super comfy beds and lovely kitchen/living area. Looking forward to go there again soon!
Maria
A great property
Japonica is very well equipped and perfect accommodation for a holiday. We went in winter so didnt use outside but inside was super cosy and great for family socialising as the kitchen and lounge area are together. It is on quite a main road and not scenic from the house but only a short walk into the very picturesque village
Would recommend this property
Jenny
A beautiful and superbly appointed cottage retreat providing a real home from home
My stay at Japonica was a treat - super clean, everything felt new and the interior was as if someone had lent you their home rather than that feeling of staying in a rental. All the furnishings and fittings were of a very high quality, and the layout meant it was easy to find your own space and relax, or work, or enjoy making a meal in the fully appointed kitchen. My stay was during a very wet winter period, but when the sun comes out it would be a wonderful place to enjoy not going anywhere but staying in the secluded courtyard garden. I hope I have the opportunity to return!
Guy
Stunning
Stunning home, very comfortable owner had thought of everything. Cottage in a good location for exploring the Cotswolds.
Amanda
Gorgeous property in a great location for exploring the local area. Beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean. Very spacious inside and out and plenty of room to park. Lots of nice pubs close by. Would highly recommend.
Heidi
Beautiful cottage in a perfect location for local amenities. Amazing attention to detail and beautiful decor. Would highly recommend the property.
Rachael
It's a beautiful little house, completely renovated. We practically just used it for the first time!!! The location is superb; very close to Minster Lovell and Burford. I liked everything!!! We had an amazing few days with my daughters. It has everything we could wish for. The kitchen is wonderful. And everything was spotless. I loved the smell of the towels. In short, an absolute success! I'd love to come back soon!! The only thing I didn't like was having to leave. We will be back!!!
Maria
Lovely cottage
So well equipped and comfortable, a lovely home from home and had everything we needed in it for an enjoyable stay. Within walking distance of a pub that serves great food. Also near Burford and lots of lovely Cotswold villages. Some great walks from the cottage too.
Only minor point is its on a B road which is quite busy and garden not enclosed so may be worth mentioning in the listing? Not a problem for us as I have teenagers, however I would have been worried with young children.
Guest
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us on your recent stay at Japonica. We’re very glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay. Your valuable feedback has been taken onboard and we will review our property listing as soon as possible. We hope to see you in the Cotswolds again soon.
- Bolthole Retreats, 5th November 2025
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Experiences designed to make your stay unforgettable
We have curated not only a portfolio of properties, but also a portfolio of experiences we recommend everyone try the next time they visit the Cotswolds and surrounding counties. This selection of ours is constantly growing as we discover more hidden gems and local stars. Many of the experiences are incredibly popular, and we encourage booking in advance because these little extras can turn your everyday holiday into a fantastic, fond memory, one you aren’t soon to forget.
