Last Minute Cottages in East Midlands

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Jennifer - Verified booking

  We returned yesterday from an amazing week in Mablethorpe, our first holiday as a family of 17 (8 adults and 9 kids!

  ). We stayed at Bank House and here is my honest review. Firstly the pros: The location to the beach cannot be beaten, if you need to return for anything or for the loo etc it’s less than a minute! The garden is brilliant for kids, you can watch the world go by in the park whilst the kids run around and if you close the gates to the car park they are secure. The splash park is 30 seconds away - we enjoyed going later on after tea when it quietened down and we could cool down in it! The size of the house was the only accommodation we could find to sleep 17. The drive can accommodate five cars. However, unfortunately there are quite a few negatives that I feel do need to be pointed out so that others can make an informed choice on booking. Firstly the house is VERY TIRED. It would benefit from a simple lick of paint throughout and maintenance issues need rectifying. For example the plug sockets in the games room are dangerous, the windows need cleaning. We were very disappointed to be told that there is no key to the patio doors out to the garden as this would be the ideal way to use the garden! Instead the children have to go through the kitchen and use the incredibly heavy back door which could not be propped open with anything lighter than a few bricks (which obviously we didn’t have!). The main issues are in the downstairs blue room, there is damp everywhere. See photos for some example - the paint was peeling off onto the beds and the smell was bad. The bathroom smelt particularly awful. The youngest member of our party (3) developed a nasty cough and ended up in the local a&e whilst we were there, whilst we cannot blame the damp it definitely did not help and we ended up having to have a reshuffle in order to fit the family in another room. As the blue room was not habitable. Some of the other bedrooms are pleasant - the brown room and the two in the attic in particular are nice and sunny. We could not get any of the tvs to work in any bedrooms, not that we really wanted them on but the kids would have liked to watch them occasionally. Downstairs - the sofas most definitely need replacing, they are very old and the back cushions aren’t even for the sofa itself! There is more damp in the kitchen on the walls and the kitchen items need an overhaul - barely enough proper mugs for everyone to have a brew and the oven took 45 minutes to cook oven chips which were still anaemic! But the main thing which stood out for us and could have made most of the above a lot more insignificant was the level of cleaning. It was obvious from walking in that the cleanliness was not what we were expecting- all around the front door area hasn’t been swept in forever and contained rubbish and blown in bits. We then entered the living room where there was rubbish poking from under the sofas left by previous occupants and under the cushions on the sofa had not been hoovered in a long time! The bathrooms were the worst - the showers had most definitely not been cleaned thoroughly and had mildew and mold. One of the toilet rooms has curtains which practically dip into the toilet when closed and had some very h hygienic marks on them! The mattresses on every single bed need attention, very uncomfortable, and some seem to not fit the beds properly. We were suspicious that some of the bedding had not been changed as they didn’t smell fresh, however have no evidence of this. In the kitchen - There was food left in the freezer by previous occupants and all of the cups and glasses smelt really musty and had to be re-washed before use. We didn’t want to let any of the above spoil our holiday as we’ve waited over a year for it, you may wonder why we didn’t bring the issues up with the owner on arrival - we decided that there were too many that required more than a simple fix that could be done there and then and as we were incredibly unlikely to find anywhere else to accommodate 17 of us at such short notice we made the most of it instead. It’s a shame as the house could be amazing with a little work and money spent. I had no communication from the owners so texted the day before we were due to arrive and was sent the details in an email, I did text once about the keys to the patio when we arrived and received a short reply.

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• Teresa - Verified booking

  There are a lot of positive points to this property; it's in a lovely position between the beach and park/boating lake in Mablethorpe, slightly out of the town centre but close enough to walk to the shops.

  There are TVs in every bedroom and the lounge and the games room have large smart TVs. There is Alexa and a Smart Lock on the front door (which we had a few problems with). The living and dining rooms are spacious and comfortable, there was room for 14 of us to be comfortable without falling over each other. However, there was a lack of attention to detail around the house which was disappointing. The oven was dirty when we arrived (although the owner did send a cleaner to sort this out when we reported it) and a lot of the kitchen equipment needed to be washed before it could be used and the cupboards were poorly organised and untidy. I know this is partly down to previous guests, but it should be checked before new guests arrive. Some of the kitchen equipment was not in good condition (e.g. the large roasting tin was rusty) and there was a shortage of some items, e.g. not enough standard wine glasses. The information we received from the owner 2 days before our arrival was inaccurate or out of date in parts, for example it said the table seated 12, which caused a slight panic as there were 14 of us coming for Christmas! The house sleeps 18 and the table in fact seats 18! The information stated that there were bath and hand towels provided, but in fact they now only provide bath towels and no hand towels (why?), so we had to buy some extra towels. The information mentioned recycling bins when in fact no recycling is collected from the house. It seems that the house might be gradually being renovated as some of the en-suite showers look quite new and fresh, however there are doors that don't close properly, and peeling paint and wallpaper in various places around the house. We had a lovely Christmas together as a family, but we felt that with more attention the house could be so much better!

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• Lesley - Verified booking

  This house is in a superb position, is large and super for large groups getting together as we were.

  There are plenty of rooms and bathrooms, it is also priced well. However, the level of cleanliness was poor, particularly the oven and some of the bathroom drains needed attention. There was conflicting and inaccurate information about kitchen equipment, manuals provided and the welcome pdf information sheet said the ovens were electric, it they were in fact gas. The sink drained extremely poorly and the 2 plungers in the undersink cupboard were put to good use. Whilst there are a number of glass tumblers, there are insufficient wine glasses for a group of 12 let alone a group of 18 The central heating in the top floor rooms was inefficient and the radiators probably need bleeding. There were however additional electric heaters that were used. The flooring in the dining room is badly damaged and urgently needs attention as it is a health and safety trip hazard. This would be extremely problematic if someone with decreased mobility was staying. There is a ground floor room with disabled facilties, however whilst the bathroom has wet room and disabled wc facility, the bedroom itself would not enable ease of access for someone with restricted mobility. There are also steps in and out of and within the property that could also be problematic. The log burner was a lovely focus in the lounge however some fire tools for handling the wood, and a fire proof glove for handling a hot stove would be welcome. Ganesh was prompt to respond to our queries and as said above location is brilliant, but the house is in need of some TLC.

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• Jacky - Verified booking

  We had a lovely stay at Bank House.

  It was perfect for a large family gathering with the social space working really well to accommodate everyone comfortably. All bedrooms have their own allocated bathroom facilities with the majority being en suite. The position of the house is excellent for a sea view, quick and easy beach access as well as a walk into town. The boating lake is practically in the garden which made the outside space feel big too but it doesn’t feel like you are on view when sat outside on the benches. Parking is fantastic and we managed to get 7 cars on the gravel drive and still close the gates. The house is very well equipped to self cater for a large group and we enjoyed a Sunday roast for 20 people which was cooked with ease in the large kitchen with range cooker. Some of the bathrooms are a little tired but they are all very clean and fully functional. I understand that some updates are taking place over the winter but I hope that isn’t going to make the rental go up too much, as affordability was a major consideration when booking this property. We loved our stay and felt it was good value. We were not expecting a totally modernised house for the price we paid and it would be a shame if the improvements have to increase the price too much. We would recommend this property for a large group to meet up comfortably and to have enough private space, at an affordable price, in a good seaside location.

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• Ralph - Verified booking

  Facilities inside the cottage were generally very good.

  The furthest back bedroom lacked a bedside cabinet which was quite irksome as there was nowhere for me to put my glasses and phone at night. Even a small shelf would be useful here. Heating was good although I had to manually turn down the temperature before going to bed as it seemed otherwise to run all night with the associated noise from the expanding and contracting pipes/floorboards. The large fridge in the kitchen was excellent as was the milk and loaf - a nice touch and appreciated. The tumble dryer filter had apparently not been cleaned for a long time, and was completely filled with fluff, to the point of being a potential fire hazard. I cleaned it but we eventually did not use the washing facilities after all! But having both a washing machine and dryer available was excellent. We figured out how to use the TV/Sky Box in the downstairs lounge which was fine for the amount we used it. Parking is a huge issue - but probably not much you can do about it. If we wanted to return to the cottage during the day for more than 30 minutes we were stuck, as finding a parking space anywhere near the cottage was all but impossible. And we had to leave by 08:30am if parked outside or just hope the traffic warden hadn't been down that street yet. Twice I got a parking space over the road - luxury! Would we return? The lack of parking would be a deterrent, but the cottage was very good.

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