“The cottage is comfortable, spacious and in a good position close to the beach and coastal walks.”
However, there were a number of weaknesses:
(1) Cleanliness. Your documentation stated that the time between 10 and 5 on changeover day is needed for "deep cleaning" in present circumstances. However, previous tenants had evidently brought a dog and not cleaned up after it. We needed to give the utility room floor a thorough wash with a mop bucket and this demonstrated how dirty it was.
(2) The information folder states that TV reception is poor and can only be accessed (with difficulty) through I-Player. Many people would not be familiar with this and it restricts the number of channels available. In the circumstances it would be good practice to provide a DVD player and a selection of DVDs for clients to watch.
(3) Similarly the heating system, operated through an App and device, is not straightforward. All rooms have to set individually and we found that, once turned on, the heating turns itself off after about 2 hours. Setting the timer was beyond the technical capability of 2 of us.
(4) There is a serious shortage of storage space for food - ie no pantry. Clients booking self-catering in a remote location will expect to bring most of the food required with them. It was fortunate that there is a spare room where we stored food in boxes, and we also used the shelves on dressers among the crockery.
Thank you for your recent feedback. I have passed on to our cleaning team the comments regarding the utility floor. Top housekeeping is a priority for us and I am sorry you found the utility floor in a less than acceptable condition.
In terms of your other points – the TV reception is poor only in the play / children’s room where we suggest people to use i player instead; the TV in the lounge has a full range of channels and internet TV for people who want to use their own subscriptions.
The heating app is a user- friendly system designed specifically for holiday cottage use, which most guests have found very effective - so I am sorry you found it tricky to use. We do leave a full set of instructions out for guests’ use.
Finally, there is a deep corner cupboard in the kitchen for use for food storage in addition to the fridge and freezer and bread bin etc and then the dresser in the kitchen can be used to store items, as well as several surfaces in the kitchen. Due to the kitchen being a country style, there won’t be the spaces you might find in a more modern ‘fitted’ kitchen, but we do feel there is ample room for guests’ use.
Thank you once again for a detailed feedback.
Property Owner
