We stayed at gorgeous holiday cottage with private pool and it was 'half term goals'

Splashing around in a heated swimming pool, with birds swooping around above us, the peace only broken by the occasional 'peep' of a steam train chugging past on the horizon. Could we have stumbled across a little slice of staycation paradise?

Well, my entire family agreed they were in holiday heaven when we checked in to the brand new Kestrel Cottage that has just been launched by luxury hotel The Tawny in Staffordshire.

It's a self-catering holiday cottage that sleeps up to eight people. But it manages to combine the very best of five star hotel looks and feel, with the benefit of also being like your own private, hidden countryside retreat.

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And with your own heated, bubbling pool in your garden, what is there possibly not to love? It was full on 'half term goals' as far as the younger members of our group were concerned on our visit earlier this Spring.

Indeed we struggled to prise my eight-year-old and four-year-old sons out of said pool during our two-night visit, especially as it remains heated throughout your stay. You can choose to add the extra bubbles and lights with buttons at the side of the pool.

It's fair to say our multi-generational group of grandparents, parents and kids savoured every special minute in this newly-opened lodge. It is nestled at the bottom of an extraordinarily picturesque valley in the Staffordshire Moorlands, near Leek, around an hour from Manchester.

Kestrel Cottage is part of the new Fledglings luxury rentals from insta-famous Tawny hotel. Celebrity visitors in recent months include Ryan Thomas fresh from his Dancing on Ice victory, together with his Waterloo Road star brother Adam Thomas and their partners.

Hotel bosses are now launching a series of these holiday rental properties to run alongside the range of hotel rooms and lodges at the main site, which is around a ten minute drive down the road. They are based on the historic Basford Estate, set in truly magical woodland, all with their own private parking spots.

Kestrel Cottage is split over two levels on its hillside location. It means that, handily if you have people in your group with mobility issues, there's a second drive and entrance door where you can get into the bedroom floor without the need for the stairs.

The historic estate cottage also boasts a giant Kestrel wooden sculpture outside, just so you know exactly which place you're heading for.

Inside, the property has undergone a quite spectacular makeover with heated wooden floors throughout and super-stylish decor and giant sofas in the main living space. It wouldn't look out of place in a high-end interior design magazine.

There's also a huge kitchen to help you cater your own visit with two large fridges, cooker and an extra wine fridge and coffee machine in the main lounge/diner. Walk through to the rear of the cottage and there's also your own private cocktail bar with further fridges and glassware.

A door out from the cocktail bar leads out to a large tin bathtub big enough for two, where you can enjoy a serene dip with stunning views of the rolling countryside.

The size and space you get with this holiday let makes it the perfect spot for a family trip or special party. Particularly as you can also access a range of 'extra' options to add to your visit including having a bartender create a private cocktail party, or a chef cook up a barbecue for you outside by the pool, which costs from £50 per person.

If you really want to splash out, you can arrange a privately catered dinner by The Tawny Hotel's award-winning chefs while you stay at the cottage - which is an additional fee to the accommodation costs. We were fortunate enough to sample this, with a family banquet prepared in the kitchen by head chef Andrew Watts.

His food was sublime, and as we all sat down around the large dining table for a family feast of freshly-baked breads and roast beef and seasonal vegetables, we counted ourselves very lucky indeed. The cost of the private chef was £50 per person for the family feast for a minimum of four people.

You can also book to dine at The Tawny's main restaurant The Plumicorn. The Tawny itself is around three miles as the crow flies across the Basford Estate, and you can walk across to it if you're feeling particularly active.

But, as guests of the cottage, the hotel will send their own concierge driver to pick you up and return you for the night too if you're booked in for a dinner there.

We were so glad we arranged to do this also, as the food at The Plumicorn was some of the best I've ever eaten in a hotel. I'm surprised this place hasn't made it into the Michelin Guide as yet as it's operating at precisely those exacting levels.

The bedrooms in the cottage are all nestled up in the eaves of the house, boasting beautiful views and all having their own private bathrooms. The largest of the rooms also has its own standalone circular bathtub too.

A really lovely touch during our visit was the addition of some children's books to their bedrooms to read during our stay. They were also given eco-friendly gift bags where they were able to design their own bird box to take away with them after their visit.

My eight-year-old son really loved being able to do this, as well as being able to spot some of the incredibly beautiful birds swooping around this part of the world. We also paid a visit a couple of miles down the road to the RSPB reserve at Coombes Valley, where there's a lovely woodland trail for kids.

It costs from £1,040 to stay at Kestrel Cottage based on a two night mid-week stay self-catering - if eight of you are travelling here then that would make the cost from £130 per person, although naturally it's more expensive to stay on weekends and at peak holiday times. But for the quality of the accommodation, and access to your own pool, the prices seemed incredibly good value to me.

For me, it would work as well for a family group, like on our stay, as much as for a group of couples or friends wanting more of a private party vibe that this cottage could certainly bring.

So much so, I've already been encouraging my friends that we need to book here for a girly break in the summer. For one thing, I need to test that barbecue out next time.

The steam railway down the road

Another thing that makes the location of this cottage so special, is that it sits just along the lane from the Churnet Valley Railway. This is one of the most beautiful preserved heritage railway lines in the UK.

The rail line runs past the end of the lane down the fields from the cottage, and when it chugged past it made for a magical vision for the kids (and the adults too in fairness) seeing the train's trail of steam puffs snaking through the valley.

A mile down the lane you can park up at Cheddleton Station, where you can buy tickets to ride the train line. As volunteers run the trains up and down the line it is only open on weekends and Bank Holidays, and you can check the running schedule on its website here.

Cheddleton is a gorgeous retro station, lovingly tended by a team of volunteers. They dress up in old station master style clothing to welcome visitors on board, and there's even a bit of a drinks trolley that weaves up and down during the journey.

We took the train to Froghall, which has a fabulous vintage tearoom and a train shop as well to explore for half an hour or so, before jumping back on board and back to Cheddleton. You can continue on further along the line for a full route which takes two hours in total.

Train tickets are not cheap if the whole family is taking the trip. But the ticket price does help to fund the railway surviving so you feel like you're doing some good and it is a very special little day out for the family.

A family rover ticket which means you can travel on the line all day costs £62 for two adults and two kids, while Senior rovers go for £18.40.

Travel factfile

Dianne was a guest for a two night stay at Kestrel Cottage which is part of The Fledglings, a series of self-catering cottages, on The Tawny estate in Staffordshire. It is in the hamlet of Basford Green, near Cheadle in the Staffordshire Moorlands, around 20 minutes off the M6 at Junction 15.

Kestrel Cottage sleeps up to 8 people in 4 bedrooms. They also allow "two well behaved dogs" for those with furry family members too.

Short breaks are available at the cottage, the cheapest of which are 2 mid-week nights from £1040, while Friday - Mondays 3 night stays are from £3,660. Seven night stays at the cottage are from £6,540.

You can add on a range of bespoke food and drink experiences at an additional cost - including afternoon tea from £40 per person, BBQ or family feast from £50 per person or a full on fine dining tasting menu for £120 per person.

For bookings of the Fledlings cottages, see The Tawny hotel website here.