The Holiday Film House: 5 Shocking Facts About Rosehill Cottage And Where To Rent The Replica In 2025

Few film locations capture the imagination quite like Rosehill Cottage, the idyllic, stone-built sanctuary from the 2006 Christmas classic, The Holiday. This cozy English home, where Cameron Diaz's character Amanda Woods trades her sleek LA life for a rustic, muddy retreat, has become a cinematic icon and a staple of seasonal viewing. However, the true story of "the holiday film house" is far more complex—and involves a surprising twist of movie magic, a real-life inspiration that was recently for sale, and an exact replica you can actually book right now in late December 2025.

For nearly two decades, fans have searched for this perfect slice of English country life, only to discover that the charm they fell in love with was largely an elaborate Hollywood fabrication. Yet, the enduring fascination has sparked new, real-world experiences, including a stunningly accurate rental property thousands of miles away. This is the definitive, up-to-date guide to the cottage that launched a thousand house-swap dreams, covering its fictional existence, its real-life muse, and the latest news on where you can live out your own Nancy Meyers fantasy.

The Fictional Charm: Rosehill Cottage's True Biography

The "Rosehill Cottage" that viewers see on screen is, technically, a fictional entity. It was the cozy home of Iris Simpkins, played by Kate Winslet, and the temporary abode of Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) during their transatlantic Christmas house swap. The cottage is central to the film's plot, representing a retreat from modern stress and a place for emotional healing.

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• Fictional Location: Shere, Surrey, England.
• Real Filming Location (Exterior): The exterior of Rosehill Cottage was not a real, existing house. It was a temporary structure built specifically for the movie on a soundstage in London.
• Real Filming Location (Interior): All interior scenes, including the charmingly cluttered living room, the rustic kitchen, and the cozy bedroom, were shot on a set at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.
• Architectural Style: Quintessential English cottage, featuring a stone exterior, a thatched roof, and a winding garden path. Amanda famously describes it as "a little stone house."
• Year Built (Set): 2006, exclusively for the film production.

The Real-Life Inspiration: Honeysuckle Cottage

While Rosehill Cottage itself is a set, its visual DNA comes from a genuine English property. The production team scouted numerous locations before settling on one particular home to serve as the blueprint for their design. This real-life muse is known as Honeysuckle Cottage.

Honeysuckle Cottage is located in the village of Holmbury St Mary in Surrey, England. The filmmakers fell in love with its picturesque exterior, which they then meticulously measured, photographed, and recreated as a set back in London. The house is a genuine 18th-century home, featuring a beautiful thatched roof and a storybook-like exterior that perfectly captured the "idyllic" feel director Nancy Meyers was aiming for.

In a surprising twist of recent news, Honeysuckle Cottage—the real inspiration—was put up for sale. This gave fans a rare glimpse into the actual home that started it all, though it's important to remember that the interior of Honeysuckle Cottage is vastly different from the interior set of Rosehill Cottage seen in the movie. The real home was also previously available to rent on Airbnb, allowing dedicated fans to experience the location's magic firsthand.

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Where You Can Actually Rent The Holiday Cottage in 2025

The biggest news for fans of the film is the emergence of a true-to-life replica that is available for public booking right now. Since the original Rosehill Cottage doesn't exist, entrepreneurial fans have stepped up to fill the void, creating stunningly accurate rental properties that allow guests to fully immerse themselves in the movie's atmosphere.

The most famous of these is located far from Surrey, England—it's nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Ellijay, Georgia, USA. This property, known simply as "The Holiday Cottage," is a faithful recreation of the cinematic home, complete with the stone facade, the iconic round-top front door, and the cozy, wood-beamed interiors.

This rental is a testament to the film's enduring popularity and offers a unique vacation experience. Every detail, from the antique-style furniture to the warm, inviting lighting, is designed to mimic the feeling of stepping directly into Iris Simpkins' home. For those seeking the ultimate cozy escape in late 2025, this replica in Georgia provides the perfect opportunity to recreate the house-swap fantasy without needing a transatlantic flight to a non-existent house.

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Furthermore, the demand for this specific aesthetic is so high that another exact replica is reportedly being built in Georgia, with plans to open soon, further expanding the options for fans looking to book their own romantic escape.

The Other Iconic Location: Amanda's LA Mansion

While Rosehill Cottage gets most of the attention, the other half of the house-swap deal—Amanda Woods' sprawling, modern Los Angeles mansion—is equally iconic and, unlike the cottage, is a real, existing property. The contrast between the two homes is a core thematic element of The Holiday, representing the different lives and emotional states of the two main characters.

Amanda's mansion is a stunning example of contemporary Californian architecture, featuring large glass walls, an open-plan layout, and a sleek, minimalist design. The home is located in the exclusive Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The vast, modern space is the antithesis of Iris's rustic cottage, symbolizing Amanda's emotional barriers and highly structured life. The fact that this location is a genuine home, in contrast to the cottage set, adds an interesting layer to the film's production.

The LA mansion, with its stark beauty and luxurious amenities, serves as the perfect backdrop for Iris's own journey of self-discovery and recovery. It highlights the film's core message: sometimes, stepping completely outside of your comfort zone—whether that means a cramped, freezing cottage or a massive, unfamiliar mansion—is the only way to find what you're truly looking for.

Topical Authority: The Enduring Legacy of Nancy Meyers' Design

The persistent global search for "the holiday film house" is a testament to the powerful, aspirational aesthetic created by director Nancy Meyers. Meyers is renowned for her distinct and highly influential set design, often referred to as "Nancy Meyers Core" or "Coastal Grandmother," long before those terms became viral trends. Her sets are characterized by a sense of lived-in luxury, comfort, and impeccable taste, making the homes feel like characters themselves.

The design of Rosehill Cottage, with its:

• Exposed ceiling beams
• Warm, neutral color palette
• Overstuffed, cozy furniture
• Working fireplace and wood-burning stove
• Abundance of books and blankets

has inspired countless interior design choices and remains a benchmark for the "hygge" or ultimate cozy aesthetic. The enduring appeal of the cottage proves that for many, true luxury lies not in size or modernity, but in warmth, comfort, and a deep connection to a simpler, more romanticized way of life. This is the true magic of Rosehill Cottage: it’s not just a house; it’s a feeling, meticulously crafted by Meyers' vision, that continues to drive fans to find their own perfect, cozy escape.