“It was a lovely family holiday and the property is in an excellent position for visiting many local towns and attractions.”
We had a super week together, spending precious time with each other. However, there are a few issues mainly with cleanliness and general organization of the property - I do have some photographs as evidence if you would like to see these. 1) I had to mop the downstairs floors on the first evening as our feet/socks were black (and the clothing of our one-year olds as they are crawling/toddling). We take off our shoes on entering a property and although I know some families do not do this, it was obvious that the floors had not been sufficiently cleaned between bookings. 2) cobwebs, dead flies and spiders evident on windows and in areas of the rooms 3) storage areas were disorganized and clutter was evident 4) wardrobe and drawers had to be vacuumed because of dust/dirt, which was leaving marks on clothing. 5) cigarette butts were in the outside gravel (I know this is down to previous tenants but a quick sweep of the area would have at least got rid of a few) 6) some items of the garden furniture e.g. bench and at least one chair, are broken and need replacing 7) the outside doormat needs replacing 8) lockable storage area as mentioned on the listing - this was the worst area and was certainly not suitable for any storage of bikes, etc. This was an issue for us and I had rang prior to starting the holiday to confirm that this secure storage was available for use. One of our family travelled on a motorcycle and was expecting to be able to securely store this for the week - WRONG. There was certainly no way a bicycle of any sort could be stored in there without damage/punctures. NEEDS SORTING or taking off the listing. 9) it would be really useful if an indoor clothes airer was provided. We had to improvise and put up an indoor line through the utility room and downstairs toilet room. There is an outdoor line but it is not always suitable to use this because of the rain showers, etc. 10) we had to clean out the tumble dryer filter as it was full (and I mean full) of lint. This was also evident on the pipe exit on the outside wall. A fire risk. 11) during one of the days of our stay, cold water was not available. On speaking to Judith (next door) and several of the locals, this happens regularly. It would be useful if there was an information sheet in the Cottage, stating this issue and any other important information, so that tenants can fill some bottles/saucepans of water in case this happens during their stay. I have read through previous reviews online and in the guest comment books in the cottage and it seems that cleanliness, above anything else, is an ongoing issue. It is such a shame as Robin Cottage, as said before, is a delightful accommodation in a beautiful area.
Owners' comment: sorry to hear about the problems you encountered. All cleanliness issues have been escalated to lakelovers who have responded and we are satisfied that recent online reviews/guestbook comments and our own experience holidaying here for Easter 2024 have demonstrated that the cleaning standards are high. (We were also staying in Robin cottage 2 weeks before this review was published and did not feel the cleanliness was as described here)
We've replaced all garden furniture. We've cleared out all storage areas including the outdoor store. We've also replaced the indoor clothes airer which and gone missing and all the doormats including external doormats. Thanks for your feedback. Robin cottage is a beautiful cottage and has many lovely reviews and comments in the guest book, we also have many guests who enjoy visiting year after year, we do hope this review does not put people off booking it again, as we feel it is excessively critical.
Property Owner
