“The barns are beautiful but very much "style over substance".”
Probably designed by a man and never slept in by the owners for an extended period I would imagine. Eg: no hooks to hang anything, no storage space (you really need a dresser somewhere!), not enough tea towels, one small drying rack for clothes, a TERRIBLY designed sink and drying space for dishes, some of the kitchen utensils are great (like the knives) others severely lacking (like the scissors). High chair and cot provided but no baby bath. And no bath on the premises. Washed baby in bucket he was far too big for. Ventilation of bedrooms is rather poor so you're always too hot and the lighting is -again - beautiful to look at but either too low, too high, you bash your head on it etc. This place has HUGE potential and the owners seemed lovely but they need to live there for two weeks and then iron out the cracks. Hated working with Sykes as their customer services was constantly lacking (their staff felt grossly under trained to me) but it is what it is. Overall - a lack of self awareness from the booking company and the property owners.
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry you didn't find The Stable to your satisfaction and without any substance. We can assure you that it is very well equipped when compared to other properties in a similar price bracket. There were a lot of items absent from the property when you stayed, owing to their removal due to the difficulties in cleaning within Covid guidelines. This included throws, scatter cushions, DVDs, books, games, decorative ornaments and more. These will be returned as soon as possible under the Covid guidelines we must adhere to. This may also have been the reason why you felt the interior was "probably designed by a man". In fact, all our barn interiors were designed by a woman at a local, but nationally renowned interior design specialist. Our architect was also female. You are correct to surmise that we have not stayed in the barn ourselves, but we do live right next door and clean the properties every week. The same designer also had a hand in designing our own house, so we are sure we have a good idea how the property functions. Regarding storage, we have wardrobes in each bedroom and a large built in cupboard in the living area. Also in this cupboard are hooks to hang coats etc. Tea towels as well as tea, coffee, sugar, washer/dishwasher tablets, toilet rolls and a welcome basket are supplied. As the property is primarily self-catered, the amounts supplied are intended to supplement, not replace the items guests bring themselves. There is one drying rack, but this is supplemental to the washer/dryer, which obviously dries the bulk of clothes. We are unsure how the sink/drainer area is terrible. The Stable is a two bedroom property and the sink is larger than standard. There is also a dishwasher (and supplied tablets) to take the majority of the dishes. We are sorry the scissors were absent. They have now been replaced. The Stable is well advertised by Sykes/Cornish Cottage Holidays as having two en-suite shower rooms. A bath is not mentioned. We don't know of many properties that provide a baby bath. When you arrived and found a baby bath was not available, you yourself said that a bucket would be OK. If it was known in advance that a baby bath would be a requirement, we would have advised that you brought your own. Both of the bedrooms in The Stable have opening windows for ventilation; one a double window, the other a pair of doors opening on to a patio. In hot weather we do accept properties can get a little hot. Modern building regulations mean buildings are focused on retaining heat, rather than being easily cooled. We will however investigate the possibility of free-standing fans for use in hotter months. The lighting in The Stable is designed to be flexible. Most lights are dimmable, so the brightness is variable. There are bedside lamps, a reading lamp in the living area, outside lights, uplighters, downlighters, beam lights. A light for every occasion! Overall we feel that over the four years The Stable has been available for holiday makers, the cracks have been mostly ironed out. We are well aware of issues brought to our attention and deal with them accordingly. The letting figures of all of our barns and the percentage of return bookings we see also give us confidence that we are aware of what our guests expect. Property Owner
