Swallows Return is the best place that i have stayed in! Beautiful house with a very high standard finish. Incredible gardens that you just don’t want to leave. William and Penny are delightful hosts. Our stay was fabulous.
Lindsay and family – May 2022
We’ve loved staying at Swallows Return. Thanks so much for the supplies and the warm welcome. The pheasants have kept us amused, and we also watched a rabbit hop up the drive towards us one day. There’s lots to do in the area- some of our favourites were a walk at St Mary’s Bay, the 1066 battle site, Dover Castle and the surprising discovery of the Battle of Britain museum. The cottage is first class and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
Kirsty and Simon – September 2019
This was our second visit to Swallows Return. We had such a great week the first time that we booked a fortnight this year. Bill and Penny are the perfect hosts and so generous with sharing their beautiful garden too. They are always there if you need them and are lovely people to talk with, but never intrude. The accommodation is really second to none and everything is very high spec. Everything you could possible need is there, it really is like a second home rather than just holiday accommodation. It is so clean and I have never stayed anywhere that has such immaculate pillow and mattress protectors – Alex Polizzi would find no fault here! In the unlikely event that there were any problems Bill and Penny would immediately rectify. We cannot recommend this lovely place highly enough. We feel very lucky to have found it and hope all the good reviews don’t mean that we won’t be able to find a free week next time! Our son was very interested watching all the surrounding fields being harvested, with the tractors even working late into the evening with headlights. Luckily we took our binoculars and spotted fox cubs playing in the early evening in the adjoining field. We also enjoyed watching the bats and the swallows swooping all around us. Whilst it is so peaceful and quiet and easy to spend time enjoying the garden, playing on the tennis court, reading and relaxing on the deck, it is also a great base to explore the surrounding area. We went to Rye, Canterbury, Tenterden, Chilham, Littlestone & Greatstone, Walmer, Deal, Dover (the latter three all had castles well worth visiting), Port Lympne Wildlife Park, Hythe, Lydd Airport, Ashford, Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, Dungeness. All were no longer than an hour’s drive away and some were less than half an hour. Very many thanks to our delightful hosts – lovely memories of Swallows Return will stay with us for a lifetime.
P.S. I just forgot to add that the view from the kitchen window was amazing – full of lush, tropical foliage and flowers.
Katie, Chris and Phillip – August 2019
A girls get together – what a splendid surprise on arrival to find this fabulous garden! The home is beautiful and we wanted for nothing – but to stay longer! Thank you so much for sharing this place of beauty with us.
Mandy, Nina, Roz, Mariah – July 2019
We got married this weekend just up the read at Odo’s Barn and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect place to stay in the run up and after the celebrations. Beautiful location, surprisingly beautiful weather & Swallows Return was stunning. Thank you so much for being part of a special weekend we’ll remember forever.
Love Dani & Tom, Alison & Sarah – April 2019
We have had a wonderful Christmas here at Swallows Return. It was the perfect base for us to come back to after seeing local family. The house was warm and comfortable and had everything we needed. It was made even more special by a beautiful Christmas tree and little extras like biscuits and crackers. Our children loved seeing the chickens and talking to the owls in the early mornings. Thank you and we hope to return soon! “I really like everything – it was a best house – Luke”
Jessica, Grant, Luke (age 6) and Georgia (age 4) – December 2018
We all had a brilliant time in lots of different ways – something to please all. Phillip and I adored the hens and Phillip has loved seeing if there were any eggs in the box. It made his day when they all 3 trotted through the french doors! I always preferred cooked plums until I tasted yours and somehow couldn’t resist picking one and eating it every time I passed the tree. Phillip and Chris have enjoyed playing tennis and finally on our last evening Phillip got to go in the boat (good job we waited as the rain filled the pond up) and had a whale of a time (luckily managed to stay dry) – I think Chris enjoyed it just as much. You are both wonderful hosts and we felt so at home. Everything in the house has been so thoughtfully chosen and such lovely quality. Penny keeps the house so clean and we have never stayed anywhere so well equipped before. This is our 5th family holiday we’ve had and Philip loves it the most and we would be hard pressed to find anywhere better.
Katie, Chris and Phillip – 19th August 2017
We visited Swallows return with 3 generations of our family and felt that our every need was met. The house had every modern convenience, was stylishly furnished and decorated and very clean on arrival. Penny and Bill gave us a warm welcome and showed us briefly around before leaving us to explore the rest of the house and gardens. The gardens are stunning and have to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. There are 2 acres of gardens sectioned into different ‘rooms’ that all have their own theme. We only hope that we get to go back again in the summer sometime as it would be stunning when in full bloom. We had lots of fun playing hide and seek around the garden and made full use of the Tennis court. We attempted to play tennis and had so much fun as a family on the court. Our children took their scooters with them and had much fun scooting around the court too. We visited the local pub and had 2 excellent meals there. The portion sizes are immense – certainly no room for pudding on either occasion and nobody managed to clear their plate. We walked to the pub on one occasion but as there were no pavements it was quite dangerous as the road got quite busy, so it is preferable to drive there. Swallows return is well located for visiting the coast and we visited Dymchurch, Dungeness and went inland slightly to Rye, which was lovely. Camber Sands is by far the best beach for children and the only beach with proper sand. Our hidden gem was Lower Leas Coastal Park which we visited on our last day. A stunning park with coastal views and walks, a fantastic park for the children, clean toilets and ice cream on site. If we visited again we’d take a BBQ and picnic as the facilities for this were fantastic. We took a 15 minute walk from the park into the town of Folkestone and enjoyed looking around the shops there too. Overall, we had a fantastic stay and would definitely return.
Erica S from Derby – 24th April 2017
Thank you very much for your warm welcome and hospitality. We really enjoyed our time in your wonderful barn with the amazing garden with thousands of blooming daffodils, with the chickens and the guinea pigs. On our holidays we are always looking for calm and here we found it.
Karlstruhe from Germany – 25th March 2017
We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. The beauty of both the home and the gardens for very early spring are magnificent. Thank you for the warm welcome, the delicious eggs and the peaceful quiet nights. So we feel spoiled all around.
Abbema Family – 4th March 2017
We stayed a week in the Swallows return and enjoyed every bit of it. The barn conversion is very well done and stylishly furnished. The owners are very friendly and helpful. Highly recommended!
Maartem Amstelveen, The Netherlands – February 2017
When we arrived at Swallows Return we received a warm welcome from the lovely Bill and Penny. Swallows Return is a beautiful converted barn surrounded by some spectacular gardens, there’s nothing quite like a morning walk around them! The area Bilsington has many beautiful walks, history and adventures to be had! There is also lots to explore in the nearby areas, a particular favourite of ours was the weird yet wonderful Dungeness! Swallows Return itself has all the creature comforts and mod cons you could wish for (even some delicious homemade apple juice in the fridge). After the most challenging year for myself and family our escape to Swallows Return couldn’t have been better. We certainly look forward to our next visit and we couldn’t recommend Swallows Return more!
Anna Groot – December 2016
A magical setting for a very high standard house. And lovely hosts too. Couldn’t have been more comfortable. We’d certainly love to return!
Ms A Chandler – 21st September 2016
Beautiful house, stunning garden. Equipped and decorated to a very high standard.
Mr A Eades – 22nd July 2016
The house was everything we hoped it would be. Clean, comfortable, well furnished and peaceful and with a lovely inspiring garden. Plenty of interesting placed to visit. Thank you.
S. Deldaele – 15th July 2016
The property is of a very high standard and provides the space and comfort that results in an exceptionally comfortable and relaxing stay. The gardens are a delight and afford a high level of privacy.
Mrs T Duffy – 8th July 2016
You can expect a warm welcome from the homeowners at Swallows Return. We had travelled half way around the world and the cottage was beautifully prepared, even down to tea and biscuits and fresh homemade apple juice. It was the exact peaceful break we needed. We highly recommend Swallows Return for a stay in the Kent countryside. Thank you for a lovely stay. We would definitely return here for a holiday.
Naomi Battle – 30th June 2016
Lovely barn conversion with all mod cons, free wifi & sky tv. Beautiful garden with wisteria walkway, natural and formal area’s. The homeowners made us feel very welcome and are a lovely approachable couple. If you want a peaceful weekend or a longer holiday break on the edge of Romney Marsh, this is for you. I would have no hesitation in recommending to my friends. My wife and I will definitely be back in the not too distant future.
John Mitchell – 6th June 2016
Very well furnished and attention to detail was great.
Mrs L Smith – 6th May 2016