“"If Carlsberg made views…” The view across Sennen Cove, past the Longships Lighthouse and out to the Isles of Scilly is simply stunning and Cragford is superbly placed to make the best of it.”
Cragford demands a premium price and in return offers a 5* experience; but does it truly deliver? Initial impression are good, with large communal rooms, comfy furniture and lots of windows to capture and enjoy the spectacular view. The bedrooms are well appointed, decorated and furnished, with the master bedroom offering a unique experience including a semi-circular window overlooking Gwynver Beach. The downstairs layout is fairly conventional whilst the first floor develops into a bit of a warren. A recurring peculiarity is the placement of the ‘ensuite’ WCs into odd shaped cupboards; some might say quirky, others a clever solution when adapting the building. But in general, the house is ideal if you want to entertain a large group/family. The descriptions/details on the website are factually correct, although in the execution they do fall a little short of expectation. The property is a little shabby around the edges, and the more time you spend there, the more cracks in the veneer you spot: damage to the walls/paintwork, unfinished door frames, loose flooring, broken/missing curtain rails, lights not working; the snag list rolls on… The windows, which should be Cragford’s best feature, are a mixed bag. Some simply do their job of letting the view in and keeping the weather out, but others are discoloured (yellowed panes in the main picture windows/master bedroom), draughty or with leaking frames. To be fair, we did experience two named storms during our visit, but we did find water had made its way through the wooden window frames. Door locks, apart from the main (fire) door, are stiff, rusted or simply inoperative; so that’s your best route in and out. The kitchen has a good range of equipment, enabling you to cater for a large group, but again, scratch the surface and the cracks are there. The dishwasher has seen better days, the dual fuel stove is a bit of a voyage of discovery and for the love of me, I couldn’t find a simple baking tray in any of the 20 cupboards. Personally, I was looking forward to using the cinema room to it’s full extent with a couple of planned movie nights around our favourite films, but the chaos that was the AV setup put paid to that. I finally managed to get the 5.1 surround to work as 4.0, but not in a useful way. Forget watching DVDs (once you’ve found them) on a big screen whilst you’re there, as the necessary cables are either missing or even broken. Previous visitors mentioned the lack of certain items, but the thing that we found glaring by its absence was a welcome pack. You know, a folder with the basic information of where things can be found in the house, how to work the heating and the kitchen white goods, where the bins are, where the local amenities are (shops, pub, petrol station, hospital, etc). And not even a pint of milk or the makings for a cup of tea on your arrival… Am I being too harsh? You’ve decided to go there for the view, first and foremost, after all. But does Cragford deserve the price it demands? I would say that in it’s current guise/state of repair, it’s running at 20-25% over it’s actual comparative value and that’s taking into account the USP afforded by its position in the landscape. Both wonderful AND disappointing in the same breath. Would we go back? Of course. It’s a great place to unwind and enjoy the best view in Cornwall. It would be good to see that improvements have been made to ensure that the Guest’s expectations are being met and that Cragford can deliver on it’s 5* promise.
