Half Term Breaks In The United Kingdom

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Kalvert - Verified booking

  Overall a pleasant stay.

  The positives were a nice location, quiet and relaxing. The lodge was a great size and had all the basic items you could want for a mini break. The check in process was very easy and we liked the fact there was no reception and you just get the keys yourself. Parking was next to the lodge and space for two cars. On entering the lodge it was bright and spacious, modern and very inviting. Lovely welcome bottle of wine and chocolates was a lovely gesture! There was tea, coffee and milk also provided which was thoughtful. Plenty of space for the two of us, the hot tub was lovely and warm and a welcome thing after a long day of walking, not as private as we had hoped as a little exposed as the lodge is by the entrance to the site, some more fencing would solve that in full. Two bathrooms was a bonus, both with showers so made getting ready a bit quicker and easier not waiting for one person to shower first - the shower heads were not the best so don’t expect a rain shower experience! But certainly the water was hot and did the job! Heated towel rails were a nice touch as was the shampoo/shower gel provided! Some points that were not so positive however were: One of the double door cupboards had loose screw/hinges by the oven, as soon as we opened it, it fell off. Managed to put it back together and we took photos when we checked in. It would have been nice to have been able to email the issues to the property team, but no email just a number to call but with limited mobile signal was difficult to connect, and this couldn’t be reported via the Sykes App either. There is an internet service free in the lodge with WiFI but this was very slow at times which whilst not a dealbreaker did make for watching movies/Netflix in the evening annoying as the films kept constantly buffering (even on low quality setting) which was a little frustrating. The same applies to Amazon Prime and any on demand service. WiFI was very slow when trying to use internet and email as well. At one point it just stopped working despite rebooting the router. Mobile signal hit and miss, so just be aware it’s a poor signal area I think in general. The housekeepers could do with cleaning under the sofas, there was loads of dust and hair on the floor, the same on the rug - your socks were covered within seconds of walking on it which with a decent hoover shouldn’t be the case! I fully appreciate this lodge is pet friendly and we took our 2 year old cockerspaniel with us but a little more attention to this cleaning could easily be achieved. There were a lot of marks on the white walls, scrapes and marks which again just need a tidy up, the same with cobwebs on the higher glass windows. Just this little attention to detail and it could be a 5* product! It didn’t detract from our enjoyment but is just feedback. Kitchen storage space is limited for food as there is one big cupboard that is useless due to being built under a beam so it can’t open - again not a major issue but meant that you couldn’t use the biggest cupboard for food storage. Cutlery was an issue, 3 forks and 4 knives/spoons was annoying, perhaps another set could be supplied? The main bedroom mattress was very firm, I know this is personal preference but it did hamper a good nights sleep. There is the room also to provide a king size bed rather than a double. In this day and age most people have king size beds now, but again personal preference. Linen was comfy, fresh and clean. Towels a little on the small side so if you love a bath sheet then I suggest you take your own with you! Overall it was a nice break for 4 days, we would most likely go back again in the not to distant future.

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• Kate - Verified booking

  A week before we were due to check in I received an email to say that check in was now 5pm and check out was 9:30am due to Covid-19 and them needing to clean.

  I replied to that email because I found that extremely unreasonable as you practically loose a day by only being able to check in at 5pm and indeed we did after getting stuck in traffic and only arriving at 19:45pm and I stressed this in my email and i don’t know about anyone else but the excuse of Covid for every single thing is starting to become quite annoying. Having said that we arrived with an open mind, it was 3 friends going for a quiet weekend. Upon arrival “reception” is a tiny cubicle with an envelope with your name on as everyone else who booked a lodge all with their envelopes and names on too. We entered the lodge and it’s nice, looks quite open from the outside but when your inside or in the hot tub you actually don’t see anything which is nice. Very quiet again nice and exactly what we wanted. No information on local amenities and your literally in the middle of nowhere so that would have been good. We used the cooker and couldn’t turn it off, no instructions, missing light and no signs on the cooker to know what was on,grill or oven so that wasn’t great. The fly’s are unreal, take fly spray because it’s like they appear from nowhere (fly spray should be provided) No home touches at all, no welcome pack, coffee, tea, even a touch of milk just to carry you through a few hours of your day. Hot tub is amazing however, your bringing water into the lodge which is a slip hazard no mop to wash it up? A list of everything you need to do before you leave: 1. Strip the beds 2. Clean and put away your dishes 3. Separate your rubbish and put it in big bins provided on the way out. 4. Open all windows before you leave. What exactly are you doing with the extra time you have to clean for Covid?? I myself had to rewash dishes that had been put away dirty by previous customers so you are checking for cleanliness? There was dust all over the wardrobe shelves that again we had to clean before placing our clothes on. There is a memo to say staff will come around to clean the hot tub so keep social distancing...there was not one staff member in sight and the hot tub never got cleaned and we know that because when planning to go in for second night there was leaves and all sorts floating. Although I enjoyed the peace and quiet and it was nice for what it was the little touches and actually seeing someone to communicate with would have made things a lot better and don’t use Covid as an excuse for your cleaning expectations when there is very little evidence you are living upto what you are saying you are doing.

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• Rachel - Verified booking

  The property looked beautiful and was very clean and warm.

  There were plenty of towels., cutlery and crockery. The lodge was in need of some maintenance - small job which would have made a big difference such an the kitchen a leaking tap and the tap itself had a bit missing making it difficult to tighten. The kitchen lighting had bulbs out, including the extractor fan. As we went in autumn and these were the only lights over the kitchen area, it made cooking tricky as the lights available were dim. One cupboard can't be used as it has been fitted under a beam and opens upwards, so it looks great but is useless, which left very little storage space. The utility was really useful but I made the mistake of storing bulky bread items in there and the heat from the oven on the back of the wall meant everything went hard! Frustratingly when we arrived the toilet roll left in the bathroom was almost empty - about 10 sheets lefts, and the spare was only half full, so the first job was a trip to the shop to buy some! The site itself was small and quiet, although something really needs to be done about the area around the only bins, we had to plough through thick mud just to dispose of our black bin bag and unfortunately there was more than one occasion of someone completely slipping over! So I would advise anyone going this time of year to pack wellies and a couple of spare outfits if you intend on having any rubbish! The furniture looks lovely but it is all value products (likely ikea) which can be come uncomfortable after a while, but there were plenty of cushions throws etc. The cottage is dog friendly but there is no hoover, so by the end of our stay there was a lot of hair on the rug etc that we had no way of cleaning. The hot tub was lovely - if there was any maintenance during our stay they must have been very quiet and discreet as we didn't hear them once! We did really enjoy our stay, and given the price we paid we weren't bothered about the issues listed above, but just wanted to note them for future improvements!

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• Katie - Verified booking

  The lodge was nice although a bit outdated.

  The key collection is in a small area of reception with no one there to greet you. We didn't see anyone the whole time. The lodge doors lock very strangely and the door wedges when you are trying to get in. The cooker does not work. We tried loads of different combinations and could only get the grill to work. Couldn't cook dinner at all. There are no small glasses so we had to have pint ones. There is no floor towel for the bathroom or for the hot tub so we had to put some down. The shower door doesn't close properly so floods the floor. When you open the windows flies come in everywhere so maybe a fly catcher would be nice. There is no welcome basket or anything which for a luxury lodge is a disappointment The double bed had massive springs coming out of it. There is NO noise limit at all. We had a hen party screaming and shouting until 3am and we had kids. Not kid friendly for that reason. There wasn't anyone to tell or anyone around the inspect. All the furniture is old and out dated and broken. There was also glass, a bottle with cigarette butts and cups outside... They didn't check or clean the outside at all. There was also dog poo on the grass. Overall for £400 was completely no worth it and we were very disappointed. Also the hot tub wasn't full enough or cleaned properly.

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• Katrina - Verified booking

  Firstly please let me apologise as I had completed the feedback form in the lodge but then accidentally packed it.

  What a wonderful stay my family and I had. From the minute we arrived with the lovely touch of the Prosecco, eggs and condiments and the radio playing it instantly felt like home. Everywhere was clean and we could not wait to get in to the hot tub. We all slept extremely well and felt the beds were super comfy, we did forget to check what mattress it was on the double bed so if you are able to tell us that would be fab. Plenty of towels, and bathrobes for our use. We thought all the white goods worked extremely well from the dishwasher to the washing machine. The hot tub was great and we enjoyed a daily dip. We would definitely recommend staying again and if there is a way we can book direct I would be keen to know if possible. Points to note which are no way a negative but nice to know so they can be sorted. The light above the sink in the main bathroom did not work and also one light in the en suite. The room with the 2 single beds the door is very squeaky and so is the front and back doors. There was also an ants nest in the utility cupboard but it did not effect our stay. It would be nice to have a lamp of some sort in the living room for the evenings. But we still had a truly wonderful stay and would highly recommend. Thankyou so much.

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