Andy P
August 2014
Stepping into the property, first impressions were very clean and modern. We phoned the owner, as requested, and he came to the house to introduce himself and explain about the hot tub controls. After unpacking, and some food shopping at Sainsburys in Ripley, we explored the house in depth.
My wife and myself took the loft bedroom. Again, all looked very nice. But on closer inspection we found long black hairs on the duvet. (As both my wife and daughter are blonde and I have very little, we knew none of us could lay claim to them). A screwed up shopping receipt down the side of the bedside table. A clear, what could've been, sweet wrapper down the side of the opposite bedside table and a piece of (what I can only describe as) a condom wrapper on the floor at the front base.
Down stairs didn't fair much better. The sofa unit was broken and had no support when sat on. We had to bolster it up by putting extra cushions under the top ones. The corner unit had a wooden support, but any attempt to sit on it resulted in the cushion slipping.
We recommend that future renters use the SMEG fridge, in the dining area, as opposed to the one in the kitchen. As the one in the kitchen was not clean inside. Although the manual has a cleaning check list that states the cleaner check all appliances, we found the kettle didn't work (blown fuse). We boiled some water in a pan on the gas hob. This had to be lit with a hand held sparker as the electric one on the oven didn't work. Some of the cups, drinking glasses, bowls and plates were chipped. And some of the red-handled cutlery still had food residue on them. My daughter found a "custard-like" food residue on one of the breakfast bowls the next morning.
There was a good range of DVD films to watch. But, there was disappointment finding out that in the DVD "Cluedo" game some of the cards were missing. And although there were PS games in the drawer, there were no controllers to play them with.
The owner himself seamed very genuine. The thing that let him down was the cleanliness of the whole place and state of the furniture. We found dead flies on the window sills in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.
The only saving grace was the hot tub. It was lovely to unwind in the evening sat in 35-40*C temperatures and be massaged by the jets. So relaxing.
The best thing about staying at 302 Over Lane was that it was a central base to everywhere we wanted to visit... Chatsworth, Bakewell, Buxton, Derby and so on.
The shops were a short drive away, and no way close enough to walk to (no matter what you're told or read).
The worst thing(s) about staying at 302 Over Lane are all of the above.