“First of all the positives about the cottage.”
The location is great, just 100 yds from the pier at Waterhead and the lakeshore. The property was generally clean and comfortable and generally well equipped. Also having 3 bathrooms is great when there are eight of you staying. The downsides, was first the cottage was freezing when we arrived with no obvious instructions as to how to change the thermostat and heating control. When we`ve rented holiday properties in winter before we`ve always come into a nice warm cottage as the owner has expected our arrival and put the heating on for a couple of hours beforehand. We ended up having to call the agency to come in and set the heating up for us which they did very promptly, but it was only after finding a YouTube video that we set it up to how we wanted it. There was also a lack of instructions for some of the other gadgets, for example, the coffee machine, and it would have been very simple to just put a laminated sheet with instructions. Again compared to other properties we have rented they all have a folder with everything you need to know from instructions for all the various appliances to useful phone numbers. One other thing that concerned us was the fact that there only seemed to be one entrance and exit to the property via the back door, and the main front door that led onto the road seemed to be locked with 3 or 4 locks none of which we seemed to have the key for. Is this ok from a fire safety point of view? Finally given what you`re paying for a weekend in the property a few small touches would make the difference, for example, a complimentary basket of logs for the woodburner rather than having to go out and buy them after a long journey. Overall positive, but a few small and relatively easy changes would make a difference, such as heat the property before guests arrive, complimentary logs, clear and accessible instructions on appliances and particularly the central heating, and clarification on the situation regarding the locked front door.