Although I am a travel blogger, travelling with a baby is an entirely new concept for me. When it came to researching our Whitby holiday cottage, it felt like there was so much more to consider than ever before. We needed a kettle for feeds, a high chair, a travel cot and microwave for sterilising bottles. With all these extra requirements, a self catering cottage seemed like the perfect option for us (particularly one that was baby friendly).
After some research online, I found The Rose and Crown Yard cottage on cottages.com. I loved the nautical decor of the cottage and also the fact that it was so central in Whitby town (meaning lots of amenities on our doorstep). When I saw that it also ticked everything on my list of baby requirements, I decided it would be the perfect Whitby holiday cottage for our little 3 night family break.
I looked up the location of the holiday cottage on Google Maps during my research, but the location was a bit of a surprise on arrival. What wasn’t clear from Google Maps is that it is hidden away down a historic little alley way, off Flowergate. Whilst the location was utterly charming, it did make unloading the car quite difficult. Guests of the Rose and Crown Yard cottage need to try and find a nearby parking space on Flowergate, but being such a central and popular street they are hard to come by. Luckily after little while we got a close(ish) spot and Scott unloaded the car in stages (he’d certainly earned his fish and chips after that). The fact that there is no parking space for guests is inconvenient, but don’t let that put you off all together.
The Whitby holiday cottage has a cosy open plan living and dining area on the ground floor, with an incredible view of Whitby Abbey from the kitchen window. Seeing the Abbey and the rooftops of Whitby made me realise just how central we were. The kitchen was fully kitted out with everything you’d need for self catering including tea, coffee, spices and condiments. There was also a little welcome kit with chocolate, bread and milk which was a lovely touch. I absolutely loved the hand painted Whitby mugs - so much so that I tried to find them in shops to buy as a souvenir!
The cottage is quirky and characterful, so you can expect to find a narrow staircase and a few uneven floorboards (which I felt only added the charm). The master bedroom has a gorgeous four poster bed, and the second bedroom (an attic conversion) has two twin beds. The nautical decor is beautifully done throughout the whole cottage. We found the travel cot under the bed which we put up with ease, so Theo slept in the master bedroom with us.
The Rose and Crown Yard Whitby holiday cottage is baby friendly and would be absolutely ideal for a family of four with two children. However, as the cottage is very compact, there isn’t really any space to set up a baby play area on the ground floor, so we felt we had to be constantly watching Theo. This would probably be my only criticism and I thought it would be worth mentioning.
We also really appreciated the handbook, which had been lovingly written by the owners of the cottage and included plenty of local recommendations for dining out, takeaways and things to do.
The Rose and Crown Yard holiday cottage is a gorgeous, cosy and personal home-from-home in the heart of Whitby. Whether you’re visiting Whitby as a couple, as a family or with your new baby, I would happily recommend this little hidden gem in the heart of Whitby town.
Want to read more from my Whitby mini break? Check out Theo's First Time Swimming at Raithwaite Hall and A Whitby Mini Break with Baby
If you enjoyed this review of want to know anything else about this Whitby holiday cottage, please leave me a comment in the box below. Jess x
Our stay at the Rose and Crown Yard was provided complimentary in exchange for blog and social media coverage. All words and photos are my own.
The cottage is so lovely! Love the seaside theme!
What a gorgeous cottage!!