“We are going to start with the positives….”
. Great location. It’s a characterful and quirky property, which on the surface looks great. There were some lovely touches, like bubbles and chocolate in the fridge and smellies for the bath. Sadly, over our stay, we picked up on more and more issues. The frustration we had was a lot of them had been picked up by previous guests so we had expected them to have been addressed but they weren’t…… The main shower is not fit for purpose. It looks great, but the water trickles out of the rainfall head. You can’t shower properly, and certainly can’t use it to wash your hair. Also, the water struggles to flow down the drain so what water you do have stands; when it does go down slowly there is a problem with the drain and you get a load of debris coming back up, making the shower floor dirty. This issue was picked up in June ‘21, July and Nov ‘22, yet not been rectified. Shower sealant needs replacing. Kitchen doors are difficult to open; one of us lost a finger nail! Need fixing or door handles putting on. Picked up previously. The dishwasher had been left with standing water in it….owner came and put it on a 3hour cycle which we then had to live with - it’s open plan and very noisy….if you use it, put it on when you go out! WiFi password not provided, so we had to ask for it…..so simple to leave this somewhere, along with instructions for heating, oven etc….nothing provided. Picked up previously Nov ‘22. No plug by a mirror …picked up previously. The beam in the main bedroom is low and a hazard. It’s mentioned in particulars but doesn’t say it’s low….beware. I am 5’10” and have a photo to show it coming to just above my eyes and it’s between the bed and bath/loo. I’m guessing I am not the only person to walk into it in the middle of the night. Previously mentioned in Aug ‘21. It says you can laze in the bath and admire the countryside in the fields surrounding the cottage. It’s a lovely bath but I have a photo of the view and it’s of a fence immediately outside the window. We found dirty and stained crockery in the cupboard. We stripped the beds when we left and were disgusted by the state of the pillows. They were very poor quality, had no protectors on them and had LOADS of stains….made us feel sick. They need replacing and protecting. Thankfully the beds had protectors but they also badly need washing, Main bed squeaks with every move you make….loud enough to wake someone if you are sharing. The garden is in need of lots of TLC…..loads of weeding, pruning and the brickwork needs cleaning. As previously mentioned in 2021, the metal furniture is very rusty….wouldn’t sit on them…the pictures of it are obviously years old and not a true reflection of the furniture or garden in the current state. Also the garden is not very private as it is on the front so other guests and owners can be around. The pictures make the garden look much bigger than it is. We had wood for the log burner but no kindling so had to get some before we could use it. There are lots of things that need addressing but most have been mentioned previously so not sure if anything would be done; it’s such a shame as the style is great but the issues make this a disappointment and not worth what you pay. Also, be aware that it is actually smaller than you may think from the photos….great size for 2 adults, or with 2 children, but too small for 4 adults. We didn’t mention all the issues as they arose, as whilst owners on site, they were not really engaged with us….there was no welcome either face to face or text; they did pop in to switch on the dishwasher but we saw one on departure but they didn’t even acknowledge us. Also, we had a power cut…nothing from them to check we were ok or offer us candles…we text them and we just got a one line text back to confirm it was a power cut. This, with most issues having previously been raised, we saw no value in trying to pick up with them when there. In summary, this place could be a delight, but the issues that are recurring need to be addressed and some care and attention made to the maintenance both inside and out.