Guests say
Fossil And The Cross Cottage in West Bexington, Dorset, is praised for its stunning views, tranquil gardens, and peaceful location. Guests appreciate the property's proximity to local attractions and its suitability for a quiet family holiday or a relaxing break. While some guests mention the need for modernisation and maintenance, the charm of the cottage and its surroundings often outweigh these concerns.
Guests that stayed at this property said
The cottage generally receives positive remarks for cleanliness, with several guests noting it as spotless and well-equipped. However, there are a few mentions of areas that could benefit from more thorough cleaning, such as the extractor hood and outdoor bins, which slightly lower the score.
The location is highly praised for its fabulous views, proximity to the beach, and peaceful setting. It serves as a great base for exploring the Dorset coast. The only minor drawback mentioned is the distance from the parking area to the cottage, which could be challenging for some.
Guests find the cottage cosy and the master bedroom comfortable, with a few noting the lovely views. However, there are several comments about the need for more comfortable lounge furniture and better mattresses in the second bedroom, which affects the overall comfort score.
The cottage is appreciated for its well-equipped kitchen and cosy log burner. Nonetheless, guests frequently mention the need for maintenance, such as updating the shower, fixing door handles, and improving the water pressure. These issues indicate room for improvement in facilities and maintenance.
While some guests mention a lack of a welcome pack and suggest that it would be a nice addition, there are no consistent references to gifts or thoughtful touches provided by the hosts. Therefore, it is not possible to accurately score thoughtfulness based on the available reviews.
About this property
This lovely cottage is surrounded by a large garden and affords great coastal views between the mature trees and landscape. This converted stone-built gem is a marvellous holiday home in West Bexington for those looking for a relaxing seaside break and the opportunity of exploring this popular part of the Jurassic Coast.
The setting is wonderful, with designed gardens surrounding a complex of three holiday cottages – The Fossil and The Cross, Whispering Pines and Mimosa Cottage, all of which are well spaced with their own private garden areas in which to relax or play.
The Fossil and The Cross Cottage, with its two comfortable bedrooms and sociable living area with kitchen, sitting and dining area, is perfect for a small family or couple's break. From the lounge, in sunny weather you can open the patio doors and enjoy the patio area with table and chairs. In chilly weather snuggle up in the lounge, add some wood to the log burner and enjoy in a warming hot chocolate whilst reading a book or watching the TV.
The Fossil and The Cross is charming and full of character. You can relax off the beaten track to the sounds of birds rather than hearing traffic; in fact, the cottage is accessed via a private road and located in a peaceful and tranquil setting.
Pull on some wellingtons for a walk and with a short hop and skip across two fields you will find yourself directly on a stretch of the world-famous Chesil Beach. This stretch of beach is frequented by fishermen and you will often see them sitting under their multi coloured little tents, it's also a haven for walkers and sun worshippers alike.
A little tea room is within walking distance following the path across the field, ideal for some refreshments after an invigorating walk or just head home to your comfortable little cottage sheltered from the elements; kick off your wellies and warm your feet up by the log burner.
Hop in the car and just a few minutes away you will find beautiful West Bay cliffs with beaches stretching to both sides. Going further along to the east is the tallest point on the South coast – Golden cap offering views to the isle of Portland to one side and Devon to the other. Lyme Regis and Charmouth are not too far away if you fancy fossil hunting, or enjoying some seaside fish and chips.
Come and enjoy time away from your busy life at The Fossil and The Cross and have a relaxing Jurassic coast stay.
On the doorstep of the sea and Chesil Beach, and between Burton Bradstock and Abbotsbury, is the small village of West Bexington. This is a stunning area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as an area of Special Scientific Interest - pebbled Chesil Beach, which extends for 14 miles, from Burton Bradstock to the Portland peninsula, is part of the Jurassic Coast and now a World Heritage Site. Fishermen and walkers are well provided for, as a great variety of fish can be caught at any time of year, and the South West Coastal Path runs right alongside the beach. Only confident swimmers should attept to swim here, but Weymouth beach with golden sands and shallow waters, offers a lovely beach option, is only a short drive away. There's lots to see and do within easy reach of the village. No journey to this area would be complete without a visit to picturesque Abbotsbury, 3 miles, with its Swannery, Tithe Barn and Sub Tropical Gardens, with Dorchester, Bridport, and Lyme Regis all within easy reach.
Accommodation
All ground floor.
Two bedrooms: 1 x double, 1 x twin single.
Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC.
Open plan living area with kitchen, dining area and sitting area with open fire.
Electric free-standing heaters and log burner, electric oven and hob, fridge, washing machine, dishwasher, TV.
Fuel and power included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Cot and high chair available.
Off road parking for two cars.
Garden with patio with furniture.
Welcomes two well-behaved dogs.
Sorry, no smoking.
Pub 5 min.
Farm shop 5 min.
Beach 5 min.
Reviews (55)
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Megan
The location is so peaceful with only a very rare motorbike sound going across the coast road, and the beach is a 15 min slow paced walk away (and sea views from the garden!) The gardens are well kept but also have 'wild' areas to allow nature to flourish. The living room is so cosy, I read a fair few reviews complaining about the seating - but personally I really liked the seats and found them super comfortable. However there is not enough room for 4 people, the '2 seater' is much more of a 1 and a half or a snug kind of sofa. The master bedroom is beautiful and has a perfect view of the sea, and gets a gorgeous natural sunlight in the mornings. The second bedroom isn't great, both mattresses need replacing urgently. We had to use the duvet off the spare bed as a mattress topper otherwise it was unusable. Which is really disappointing. The kitchen is fully fitted and includes both washing machine and dishwasher which was perfect for us. Good selection of cutlery, and didn't need anything extra whilst we were there. There is no welcome pack on arrival though, which we have had at most other cottages - so make sure you bring a few tea bags and milk if you're wanting a brew as soon as you get in! The property binder was slightly outdated and had some conflicting information - so this could definitely be updated. We did love the bird report though! Very useful for birdwatchers! The property definitely needs some maintenance and TLC in areas, such as the roof and the windows/doors. There's quite alot of visible gaps which the creepy crawlies loved - there were alot of spiders! The gardens are not enclosed but they are easily identifiable as to who's are who's. If you're travelling with a dog who's a bit of an escape artist this is not the place to come. The property has 3 doors so it's very easy for them to get out. Our dog is a 'velcro dog' and never strays anymore than a few metres from your side - but she did go for a wander to the car park looking for me when I drove to the shops and left her with my mum. So this is definitely something to keep in mind before booking. I'd recommend this place to anyone - however if you do have reduced mobility its probably not the best place to stay. It's quite a steep incline to get from the car to the cottage and when bringing bags up it would definitely be a challenge, especially if it's rainy as the bricked path got quite slippery.
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Nadia
The gardens were lovely - a mix of wild and formal with lots of bees, birds and butterflies. The kids found lots of places to hide for hide and seek games and there's plenty lawn for ball games. The view is incredible and we loved eating dinner outside and sitting watching the sunset. The location is a perfect base to explore west Dorset. A short walk away is a pub and cafe which was great for the evenings we didnt feel like cooking. The beach is a short walk away but you aren't advised to swim there due to the currents. There are other beaches a short drive away however where you can swim. There's no WiFi which is no bad thing as it really does force you to switch off. But as phone reception is patchy you may need to go for a walk or short drive if you need to book any activities etc / check opening times etc for your time away. Or be better organised then we were and pre book before you get there! We loved our stay there and would definitely recommend it.
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Catherine
There are lots of things to explore nearby. For children the garden is an adventure and there are plenty of places to sit and relax outside. The cottage is comfortable and well resourced. The only downside for us was our rescue Beagle enjoyed exploring the gardens too and we lost her on a couple of occasions, which meant we could not relax unless she was on a lead. This was completely our problem (the owners made it clear in the description that the garden was not enclosed) but this information might be helpful to others with dogs such as ours. Everything else was perfect.