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Accessible Self Catering Holidays at Hidelow |
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• Gold Winner – Tourism For All – Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2005/6 (for Accessibility)
• Silver Winner – Taste of The Heart – Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2005/6 (for Creative Cooking with Local Food - i.e. Pauline's Freezer Meals)
• "Flavours of Herefordshire" (Self-Catering) Award Winner 2005/6 (for Creative use of Local Produce)
• Silver Winner – Self-Catering Holiday of The Year – Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2004
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At Hidelow House Cottages, we aim to provide worry-free luxury holiday accommodation with second-to-none care, service and specialist facilities for Disabled Guests and their Carers
Disabled guests are well catered-for at Hidelow House Cottages, with five cottages that are fully accessible for wheelchair users. We are responsive to ideas and are improving our service provision all the time. Because of our reputation in providing such excellent services and facilities, we have hosted several Best Practice Inspection staff training sessions by Tourism Inspection bodies and are prominently featured in the Disability Rights Commission Open 4 All 2004 publication 'What do accommodation owners need to know?'
Hidelow Lodge (sleeps 5) is NAS Graded M2 and Visit Britain graded 4 Star.
St. Katherine's (sleeps 2) is NAS Graded M3 and Visit Britain graded 5 Star.
The Farmhouse (sleeps 12) is NAS Graded M2 and Visit Britain graded 5 Star
Special Facilities - All cottages have roll-in wet-rooms, whilst St Katherine's additionally has some lowered kitchen work surfaces, cooker hob and oven and a kneehole sink, a dishwasher, washer/drier and combination microwave oven/grill.
Lowered windowsills and plate glass patio doors enable you to enjoy the view even if you cannot get outside. There is easy vehicular access to both.
The Cottages - The two wheelchair accessible cottages Hidelow Lodge and St. Katherine's have been sympathetically converted from stone and half-timbered barns, retaining many original features and specifically designed to facilitate ease of use by wheelchair users. The Farmhouse is suitable for a larger group or family, has 6 ensuite bedrooms, 2 of which are on the ground floor with wet-rooms.
Each of our cottages has its own unique character and of course they have the same high quality of provision, attention to detail and cleanliness you would expect from their prestigious Tourist Board Grading. Each has oil-fired central heating, full size kitchen, freezer, colour TV, DVD and video players, garden and wonderful views.
Stuart & Pauline live in the original farmhouse and are always on hand with friendly help and advice.
The Gardens - Our lovely landscaped gardens have ponds, a waterfall and high open views of the surrounding countryside. Everything in the garden has been made accessible in fair weather by creating gentle grassy ramps throughout the 3 garden levels from the cottages across the lawns right down to the wild area pond at the lowest level. Each cottage has lawn, patio and spectacular open views across our landscaped gardens and the valley. The patios have raised flower bed planters and are absolute sun-traps, facing south-west and getting full sun from breakfast until sunset.
Communal areas - The whole site has been made accessible to a wheelchair user by the installation of level stone flag pathways connecting Reception, Office, Visitors' Information Room, Computer/Broadband facilities, Payphone, Shop, Laundry and Drying Room.
Shop - You can purchase a selection of local produce such as eggs, bread, honey, bacon, sausages, butter, cheese and milk; also locally produced wines, beers and ciders. You can also buy other local goodies which would make good presents such as biscuits, fudge etc. Pauline’s Home cooked Freezer Meals, which you can purchase in advance of your holiday if you wish or from stock when you arrive, are popular with guests for the evening of arrival, or if you just don’t feel like cooking after a day out. These are all made from locally sourced ingredients - freshly prepared and frozen. If you would like to order any food from the shop before you come, just let us know and you will find it in your fridge when you arrive!
Optional Additional Equipment (no extra charge) |
Assisted Shower chairs - choice of three types: all are braked and 2 have removable arms. Two are sani-chairs with horse-shoe cut-out seat, commode bowl and footrests; the third is a plastic 'bucket' type chair with removable arms and no footrests.
Toilet Raisers - one with arms (190kg); one without arms(100kg max.)
Perching Stools
Bath board
Bedraisers
Table RaisersRise & Recline Arm Chair
Upright (Orthopaedic-type) arm-chairHearing Loop - available free on request
Equipment and Services for Hire - Profile bed, Profiling foam (Permaflex) mattress, Electric or Hydrolic Hoist, Rise and Recline Chair, Wheelchairs, Motorised scooters, Qualified Carers available to assist with bathing, dressing or just to give your own Carer a break. Please ask for prices.
Local Accessibility and Shopmobility - Hereford and Worcester both have Shopmobility facilities and are wheelchair-friendly cities with excellent shops. Our ‘Blue Book’ - Customer Experiences Survey - We are conducting an ongoing survey amongst our disabled guests which will enable us to collate more accurate information about the accessibility of other, more local attractions and amenities they have visited. We ask guests to comment upon and rate places they have visited. The results, written in our ‘Blue Book’ are available in the cottages, for the benefit of all our disabled guests and their carers and have proved their value over and over again. The aim is for a more fulfilling holiday with stress-free itineraries. |
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