“Disappointing… this property has so much promise but sadly fails to deliver.”
On arrival at the cottage we found the kettle still half full of water, the milk frother full of festering milk from previous guests and we also found food splashes on the chopping board and food remnants on pots/pans/knives etc.
We also found the following- missing handle on kitchen drawer, cobwebs in the ceiling light/window in kitchen, toothpaste marks on the sink in the downstairs bathroom, dead bugs inside the light fitting in the upstairs bathroom, ripped/torn bed linen and overflowing bins. It’s also worth mentioning that whilst a log burner and coffee machine are featured in cottage, no logs/kindling or coffee pods are left for guests to use, according to the owner this is too logistically challenging?
Contacted the owner whilst we were there regarding issues with cleanliness, they gave a lacklustre apology but ultimately passed the book to the cleaning company they hire - the owners don’t live nearby so couldn’t do anything practical to offer support and Sykes didn’t bother to contact us at all until after we’d already arrived back home, we’re actually still yet to have a proper conversation with Sykes regarding the issues.
Sadly it was a really disappointing stay in what could be a lovely cottage in the perfect location, a real shame.
This is obviously a very disappointing review which i don’t believe reflects the property or other guests experience.
In terms of addressing the review - contact was received at 10pm on a Saturday around 30 hours after check in, making cleanliness issues pretty difficult to resolve and we did not ‘pass the buck’, we are a fully managed property and have to raise any issues with our cleaners which we did on the Sunday, had the issues been raised immediately housekeeping could have gone straight to resolve.
Any issues with cleanliness is significant and one we addressed directly with housekeeping, we have, as owners, checked / inspected the property a number of times between stays and found the cleaning and towels / linen provided to be of a very good standard.
Some of the feedback we absolutely take on board (although the reviewers context is disappointing) - in terms of logs / kindling - we have found a resolution to be able to provide some wood with the burner (unfortunately we have very limited dry storage space). Also on the nespresso pods - we do not state we provide them but a number will be available to future guests.
Some of the issues raised though feel very minor - water in the kettle on arrival? missing handle in the kitchen - it is missing from the 5th drawer (is still accessible) and is even showing on the listing pictures as being missing, a matching replacement is on its way. The cobwebs - it is an old cottage in the Lake District, some cobwebs in the extreme of roof lights are possible - they are certainly not all over the property.
The vast majority of issues relate to cleanliness so we don’t understand the 50% ratings on accuracy, comfort and facilities, the ‘lacklustre reply’ from the owners also rather misleading - we responded within 30 minutes at 10.30pm on a Saturday evening and have also sent two further messages of which none have been responded to at all.
We do take issues very seriously and take a lot of pride in the property as well.
Property Owner
