Dog Friendly Villas In West Midlands

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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• Mark - Verified booking

  The overall stay was excellent.

  The flat is full of character and decorated with care. The views were second to none and the location in Ironbridge itself was truly special.There was a few things which could make slight improvements. - it said on the listing there was a washing machine but there wasn't. We did plan on washing some of our young son's clothes, it's not a massive issue but it's to bear in mind. - a welcome basket would have been a nice touch. We arrived quite late, meaning we couldn't grab any bits for the morning. Some coffee, tea bags and milk satchets would have been nice. This isn't a deal breaker by any stretch and didn't spoil the stay. - some of the cupboards felt a little 'lived in.' the cleaning cupboard under the sink was what you would expect to find at home, Christmas tree in the storage space and spare bulbs etc. again, it's fine but a little attention to detail would really elevate this already brilliant property. - parking was a little tricky at times as the road leading up to the property and parking area was tight. If you have a bigger car (which we do, unfortunately) it can be a bit touch and go with the walls! - having said all that, we loved staying here, the location was great and perfect for our needs. The flat was lovely, well presented, comfortable and spacious. We'd happily stay here again.

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• Miss Fox - Verified booking

  I absolutely loved the property, the location, the comfort, the facilities, everything was just really lovely and exceptionally clean. Excellent quality linens and towels. There are a few minor basic things that need attention which I've fed back. If peace and quiet and a communion with nature is what you're after, this is the place, it is serene and beautiful, you just couldn't hear anything other than sheep, birds and the wind in the trees - it was divine. Cabin has everything you could need and more, very comfortable. A few games/pack of cards may be a good addition. I would definitely return but there is one flaw that needs fixing and that is the garden fencing. Some of the back fencing posts are rotten and have come out of the ground and the metal wire is therefore unsecure, my dog found a gap under it within 10 minutes and went into the sheep field, not ideal for a relaxing holiday as I had to stand between her and the fence in the garden all the time she was out there and I spent two hours trying to block some of the main gaps off with firewood. An enclosed and safe garden for dogs is a key element of this booking, so the fencing needs to be made secure again. I look forward to visiting this beautiful location again, the cabin was so well appointed I could have done it myself!

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• Simon - Verified booking

  Property was immaculate with welcome gifts of bubbles and cake.

  The interior had obviously been professionally interior designed and exuded a very warm and cosy feel. The property is finished to a very high standard, furnishings, bedding etc are top spec. The top floor bedroom is quite something, so much so that we didn't sleep in it, for fear of spoiling it's magnificence. Maybe next time? As we will rebook. I should point out that this property is within walking distance of a town I would happily relocate to! Happy friendly locals and excellent shops and restaurants. We took our small dog - which in itself is great to see properties of this standard accepting our best friends. To recap, a great place to decompress, luxurious, quiet, easy to find and parking (almost) outside the door.

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• Michael - Verified booking

  This is our second stay at the Almshouse and it was just as perfect as our first stay.

  Fantastic location, lovely and peaceful and only a 5 minute drive from the lovely town of Tewkesbury. The house has everything you need for your stay away, lovely and clean, comfortable and dog friendly. We were lucky enough to stay during a meteor shower and enjoyed star gazing, watching shooting stars and the amazing aurora as well as the regular bats that make their evening appearance. The boot room is excellent for drying any wet weather gear and drying out your dogs. There are lots of really lovely pubs only a short distance away serving great locally sourced food and the beer also goes down a treat! We all highly enjoy our stays here and we hope to be heading back again next year.

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