“With regard to our recent stay at Chapel Cottage, we have some issues which we feel ought to be raised through
yourselves.”
On arrival, as required, a phone call was made to the mobile number provided for the code to access the key. This was very brief, whereby we were asked if we had arrived & the code number was provided, nothing more. We later realised the owners of the property resided directly opposite the cottage.
The first thing on entry was to make a cup of tea but we found the mugs tea stained & the kettle in need of a descale.
Although on some of the sites managed by yourselves advertising cottages, this property was advertised with the kitchen having a fridge/freezer. In fact it was a fridge with an ice box. We had travelled with a cool bag & ice packs to provide us with frozen food for the freezer, a chicken, salmon, lamb fillets & some homemade fruit pies. These could not be accommodated in the heavily iced up & small ice box. Inevitably some had to be discarded.
Our plan had been to eat out for some lunches & for some evening meals to be taken in the cottage. This was thwarted somewhat & was compounded on seeing the condition of the interior of the oven, dirty. The baking tray & roasting dish provided were in also need of a good clean or replacement. We had to resort to purchasing ready meals for use in the microwave. Not something we normally do. The fridge must not have been inspected from occupation by previous guests. A shelf was stuck in place with solidified green gunge holding it in position. We were unable to remove it to clean it which should not have been the case during our occupancy.
When settled, we looked to access the WIFI via the password provided. Several attempts proved fruitless. I used the mobile number provided & spoke to Margaret explaining our difficulties. She informed us there had been a problem with the password for the WIFI the previous week but that there was a QR code in the information provided & to try that. This did give successful access to WIFI for the mobiles but we could not access it on the tablet, where we had stored details of daily excursions & other local information for our holiday.
The following morning we found the WIFI had dropped on both of our mobiles & extensive re use of the QR code or the password failed to connect us. I again contacted Margaret. She explained that after our first call about this problem she had turned the WIFI off & on again. This seemed to be why we could not reconnect. She visited the cottage a short time later that morning informing us that she had again turned the system off & then on, asking if we had access. Another attempt proved successful on both mobiles but the tablet would still not connect to the system trying to use the QR code. From then on the connection on the mobiles remained active. Although this may appear to be a minor inconvenience, we had made extensive searches & plans for our holiday in the Cotswolds prior to travelling & this was stored on the tablet which we couldn't access.
Having taken holidays in several self accommodation properties over the years we realise that trying to assess requirements for the property especially a kitchen can be difficult. However, we feel there are basics that should be in place & Chapel Cottage fell short in this area. Although there was a wooden bread board there was no other chopping board for preparing food. A bread board isn't suitable for chopping 'flavoured' foods on. Also the following kitchen items would be useful:- a tray, measuring jug, a sharp paring style knife (the one in situ was rather blunt), a clean wooden spoon (the one in situ was badly stained yellow from previous use), weighing scales, a rolling pin. There could be other basic items that may be useful. We point this out on the basis of the property description in advertising it, saying that the 'open plan kitchen/diner which remains in a farmhouse-style layout with all the necessary appliances needed for rustling up some delicious meals to enjoy at the dining table'. The lack of basic 'tools' does not assist in realising what has been portrayed in the advertising description. There were some kitchen tools in a container on the window sill but as with the oven, they were in need of a clean before use as were the place mats & coasters. We understand there is a reliance on previous occupants to ensure the property is left clean & tidy on departure but this cannot be counted on. The preparation of the property for a forthcoming visit should include a check ensuring kitchen accessories, tools & appliances are in good order & clean. The 4 slice toaster in situ only had 2 compartments working. There were many assorted types of drinking glasses in the cupboard, although only one specific wine glass. a corkscrew was provided so the expectancy was visitors would be consuming wine during their stay but only one of us could use the appropriate glass.
With the description of the bathroom including 'an elegant bath' the portrait was one of bathroom luxury. It was more than adequate for our needs but the bath was nothing more than a plastic roll top with visible claw feet which was somewhat discoloured at the tap end.
The wooden staircase was of good construction & looked good for the cottage atmosphere but here there was also cause for concern for people such as us who are not in their prime of youth. It included 2 twists whether you were ascending or descending. The downstairs light only illuminated the bottom half of the staircase so you walked towards darkness on ascending. During bedtime hours it was also a task should you have to visit the bathroom, when you had to proceed with caution. There was a note in the guests book indicating a couple had taken a tumble on the staircase. For safety on our part we felt we had to leave lights on through the night. Thankfully no incidents occurred.
This property is listed for advertising on at least 7 web sites some of which are be administered by yourselves. Anomalies appear in descriptions of the property, the main one being that the bedroom is downstairs. The fact that a fridge/freezer is said to be in the cottage when it is not, does cause a problem. Also the bedroom is described as having a walk in wardrobe. It is a cupboard converted to accommodate hanging clothes with a shelf that wobbles. We found that walking into it was impossible as you cracked your head on the sloping roof. This applied to myself & my wife who is only 5'2'' tall. We feel these & other points raised require attention.
Finally, we did find comments within the guests book of 'a warm welcome' on arrival. We felt we did not experience this as explained in the initial phone contact to obtain the key code for access to the cottage. Had it not been for encountering problems with Wi-Fi connection prompting a visit from Margaret, we feel there would have been no contact other than that initial phone call.
There were positives from our stay in that the cottage is ideally situated within a pleasant village location & has a good supermarket & news agency within a short driveable distance. The bed & lounge seating was comfortable with good off road parking for a vehicle.
Photographs are available to support our points.
