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4/10 Poor
CAROL G.
4 January 2024
In need of TLC and tidying up outside- very run down !
We wanted a cottage that was cosy, warm dog-friendly and in a good location for a short break over New Year. From photos and description as well as existing feedback, Diana's Cottage seemed to fit the bill. However in our opinion it fell some way short of our expectations.
Firstly, on approaching the cottage and searching for the parking, we passed a derelict stone building with open storage area piled full of rubbish, open to the elements. This was not only unsightly, but a hazard, given it was on a farm. Directly next to this was the 'parking' - a small tight stone barn barely big enough to park a small car, let alone reverse and park a large 4x4. Having unloaded our 2 spaniels and found the key, we soon realised there was no entrance area/ porch to dry our dogs. The weather was terrible during our stay (we had prepared for that) and the entrance may be OK in the summer for dogs, but not in the wet muddy weather. So we tried our best with towels to keep dogs clean and dry, but a beige carpet from the entrance door into the lounge was not in my opinion, dog-friendly!
From a positive side, it was a spacious and reasonably well equipped kitchen, but we were looking forward to using the Aga to further warm the house and try as we might, it would not turn on. The rest of this rather quirky cottage is heated only by electric heaters. Luckily it was relatively mild, so we weren't too cold but if it was during a colder period, it would have been freezing, especially in the loo which had no heating and an old fashioned plastic fan which made a racket in the wind! Bathroom was large but poorly furnished/ sparse but at least had a warm shower. We did not use the spare room....it was dark and freezing - very creepy too!
Outside it was clearly not well kept - from kitchen window we noted a view of a septic tank, ramshackled sheds with a door hanging off and overgrown grass. The cottage garden was down the lane and over the road and again was not well tended. This was the only safe place to let our dogs roam which seemed a shame since the area to the back of the cottage could be so much tidier and a good space to use.
All in all we felt it was rather run down - the curtains in the main lounge didnt fit ( about 4 inches too short!) and lack of attention to detail. We had a nice bottle of Prosecco and chocs on arrival which was very nice, but felt it could have looked a bit more 'Christmassy' - a small tree as in the photo would have been nice, for example
If you are charging a prime rate for high season time, then please give us value for money!
