JunoJupiter
August 2022
We fell in love with the house as soon as we set foot in it, the open plan kitchen/diner/living room is beautifully furnished, cleverly set out and well equipped, very clean, and the welcome by Monika who is the cleaner/caretaker there was really lovely, a bunch of roses, a bottle of milk, so warm and welcoming. We knew we'd spend a happy week there, and we did, and were blown away by the cleanliness throughout. (If you're sensitive to air fresheners and such, you many want to ask for less fragrance in advance)
Upstairs wasn't as good. Just as clean, yes, lovely fluffly towels, nice bedding - we used both bedrooms as two adults, just to have more space. And space is what is lacking up there. The double bedroom contains a small double bed, 4ft I think, the bedroom door can only open to 45 degrees, roughly, against the bed that is in the way. the furniture is lovely, so is the view over the canal, furniture, decor, all good, mattress so-so, good for one person. The other single room felt more spacious, also fine, we both slept well. The bathroom, however, is frustrating, beautiful with light brown travertine tiles, floor to ceiling, but to stick a full length bathtub in there that leaves only a squashed horse shoe space for the toilet, well, it just beggars belief. My inside leg is 32", very challenging, my leg touching the heated towel radiator, which thankfully wasn't switched on, but the small space for a large and/or tall person is kind irritating to say the least. The cistern is high and very noisy, try not to flush the toilet at night when people are sleeping. The washbasin, close to the bathtub is the tiniest of cloakroom basins which doesn't hold the water properly, arrgh! Why not get rid of the bath, have a wetroom/walk in shower set up in there, and give people some space? Also, there was nowhere to dry swimming or hiking gear, an extendable washing line wouldn't go amiss, but with no washing machine nor anywhere to hang hand washing I had to resort to buy some string at Tesco's to make a temporary washing line. This place would be perfect for one or two very slim/petite people, who don't have wet things to dry and who fit on that toilet comfortably, I think three people would struggle if staying for longer than a couple or so nights. The shower itself is great, powerful, height adjustable, and if, like us, you like to finish your showers with a cold burst, Wim Hof style, this water is cold, boy, good training, we shall miss it. There is a shaver socket on the side of the mirror that can be lit up (switch at the bottom) and the sky light is a nice touch for this windowless room. The cottage is very quiet at night, great for a good night's sleep - if you ignore the extreme toilet flush racket and the blinding security light in the hall, - the fridge, TV, overall comfort is great, with the exceptions stated above. A very central place, easy to walk everywhere, the car park just a couple of minutes walk away very good value, all very easy. You can load and unload your car in front of the door, access to the houses there is tight but possible. Phone reception upstairs, and good wifi throughout. I would have liked to give it 5 stars, but the bathroom bugged me increasingly over the week, - a 4.5 star rating would be the most accurate. Friendly owner communications, too.