Dog Friendly Lodges & Log Cabins in England

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Our recent stay at this property is without doubt the worst holiday let experience that we have ever encountered. Had we known that we would be sharing the property with an infestation of 'Cluster' flies, we would never have booked this holiday in the first place. It is an absolute disgrace that we were not made aware of a problem that the property owners and possibly the marketing agents clearly knew of before we made our booking. It is too late when you arrive to be confronted with a pre-printed and laminated notice of the current issue. Flies were dropping from ceiling light fittings, gaps around the beams, roof light vents, one of which was broken and allowed a constant stream of flies to enter and drop on to the bed below. As can be seen from the attached photo, I had to try and keep this vent closed with a makeshift prop. Had it not been for the atrocious weather over the New Year period we would have packed up and gone home. Instead we were marooned and armed with cans of fly spray to try and make the best of it, unfortunately, there was no best, just fly after fly dropping onto kitchen work surfaces, food, bedding, wherever....... When I remonstrated with the customer services at Rural Retreats, the most ridiculous event occurred, the lady on the other end of the phone started to conduct a 'straw poll' of her office colleagues... "do you have any flies in your house", "do you have any flies in your house"...quite pathetic! Well we don't have any fly infestation in our house and nor would I expect to encounter one at a not inexpensive stay at a holiday home. Incidentally, if anyone would be happy to stay at this property, which I can't understand why anyone would be, you should be aware that at the top of the enclosed garden, there appears to be an active badger sett. It is not uncommon for badgers to attack small inquisitive dogs, so please be aware. Would I ever consider a stay at one of the properties on the Downton Estate again? Absolutely not. Would I ever book a property through Rural Retreats in the future? Absolutely not.

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• Alexander - Verified booking

  On arrival, the kitchen had dirty splash back (coffee stains up the wall under the window), grill pan had cheese & crumbs in, 2 partly used containers of milk were in the fridge, one floor plank had slid & there was a 2” gap between planks.

  Kitchen window (left) latch was loose. Dried food was left stuck on dining table. Large duvet was lying in the bottom of the pantry. French doors by the wood burner/ sitting area wouldn’t shut (we looked at the handle & noted there was no locking mechanism, this meant the lodge was not secure. The En-suite shower in main the bedroom had 1/2 used toiletries in the shower which looked dirty (black & orange marks on the floor), also the shower curtain was orange/brown on the bottom 25%. In the main bedroom 4 pillowcases had been left draped over the television, we put them on the pillows. There were cobwebs throughout the property & the skirting boards were covered in dust. The WiFi hardly worked & it was only possible to get 3G. We certainly didn’t expect to have to go out to get any connection. We felt disappointed & think the lodge is tired. The lodge was a perfect size for us with a 94 year old in tow. We loved the location & the setting of the lodge. The Barnsdale Hotel was conveniently situated for meals & refreshments, and use of the WiFi.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Such a beautiful place in a stunning location but totally spoiled by the cluster flies. On arrival, there were flies EVERYWHERE. Dead flies and half-dead flies all over the floor, the beds, the window sills and the worktops – and alive flies/wasps all around the sky light windows. The cleaner came over to hoover them up (after I called the house-keeper) and said that there was a big problem with 'cluster flies'. They just kept coming from somewhere inside the property throughout the weekend, even dropping on us when we were in bed. When I wrote to Rural Retreats on our return, I was told that it happens every year, they are difficult to control and are a real problem in many of the rural properties. If it is such a well known problem, then why on earth weren't we called prior to our arrival and given the chance to cancel our stay? Our weekend was totally spoiled by these flies.

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• Aneta - Verified booking

  Our stay was ruined by the inadequate description of the property, which clearly suggested that the pool was included in the price of the stay, and that other attractions were additional charges, which is understandable.

  When we got there, it turned out that everything was included in the price and nothing was included in the price of the stay. This information should have been clearly stated in the description. If it had been, we would never have chosen this property. In addition, we found the property in a poor condition, dirty and smelly. For this price you can rent a beautiful caravan in Haven or another holiday park with full access to the pools and still have £200 in your pocket. Don't be fooled like we were, and Sykes washed his hands of it. We are completely disappointed because we thought we were good customers of Sykes. Oh well, never again! I do not recommend!

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  An outstanding property exceeding expectations at every turn Fantastic retreat with really comfortable furnishings and beds Having a bathroom/shower room with each bedroom is a real bonus The welcome hamper was locally sourced and of good quality Easy parking and access with enclosed area for dog Outside facilities are very useful to enjoy a bbq and take in the outdoor space Couldn’t find any faults with this property and it was spotless clean throughout I hope not too many people read this as we would want this one to ourselves Thank you to the team for arranging this stay within a matter of few hours of booking you really rose to the challenge

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