“We enjoyed the break, but several issues with the property let the holiday down; here are a few:
One of the bedrooms was only accessible by leaving the main building and entering through a separate door, or by walking directly through another bedroom, which wasn’t ideal for privacy.”
The handover and maintenance regime seemed largely absent. We only found the “welcome pack” (just a list of phone numbers) halfway through the week, underneath a sofa. The hot tub was attended to only after we reported a smell, and the cooker ran out of gas mid‑meal with no replacement canisters available on site. The light above the cooker, and in one of the showers, didn’t work.
Basic provisions were lacking: in the kitchen there was no hand towel or handwash, just one teatowel for ...
The handover and maintenance regime seemed largely absent. We only found the “welcome pack” (just a list of phone numbers) halfway through the week, underneath a sofa. The hot tub was attended to only after we reported a smell, and the cooker ran out of gas mid‑meal with no replacement canisters available on site. The light above the cooker, and in one of the showers, didn’t work.
Basic provisions were lacking: in the kitchen there was no hand towel or handwash, just one teatowel for nine guests for the entire week, no oven gloves, and the dining table seated eight rather than nine. There were five teabags. A washing machine would also have been useful.
Cleanliness fell short of expectations. What appeared to be mouse droppings were found in two of the showers. The fridge had a significant build‑up of ice at the back. There were no bath towels anywhere in the property.
The flies were an incessant bother throughout the stay.
The Wi‑Fi setup also seemed poorly thought through. It appeared to rely on a central router and a single access point for each property, and the bandwidth in ours was insufficient for even modest use.
Overall, the location was pleasant, but the property needs more attentive management, better preparation between guests, and some investment in basic infrastructure.
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a detailed review! We are genuinely sorry that aspects of the property and its preparation did not meet your expectations.
We appreciate you highlighting the concerns regarding bedroom access. As the property is a listed barn conversion, there are certain features of the layout that are part of its character and unfortunately cannot be altered.
We apologise for the mix-up with the towels provided. While there were 18 towels available, we understand that the sizes supplied were not what you expected. We also note your comments regarding kitchen towels and soap. As a self-catering holiday cottage, guests are generally expected to bring some consumable items with them!
Regarding the flies, the cottage is an older rural property surrounded by farmland, and during periods of particularly warm weather this can be more noticeable! Without further information, we are unable to comment on the concerns raised about droppings.
We are sorry to hear about the issue with the light bulb. Had we been made aware during your stay, we would have arranged for it to be replaced immediately.
With regard to the hot tub, we maintain it carefully in line with usage and safety requirements - such as shower before use and not to stay in it longer than 40 minutes per day. Chlorine levels are adjusted as needed, and when you raised a concern during your stay, this was addressed straight away. As usage levels vary between guests, we usually top up every 2/3 days unless someone asks, as you did.
We acknowledge your comments regarding the information pack - but as you said there were only ‘numbers’ in it anyway, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference if it was there from the start.
We do appreciate some of your feedback. But I also feel many positives were missed. Rural cottages aren’t suited to everyone.
Regards, Matt and Elin.
Property Owner
