Alston Hall Devon

Stayed for the weekend for a family 40th Birthday. The house is 200 years old and is in need of some tlc. It was very cold when we arrived, however we went on the coldest weekend of the year and they were accommodating in putting the heating on for longer periods. The venue for what we wanted was perfect and we had a brilliant time. The pool was lovely and the children loved it.

DONT GO THERE!! Tired, dirty, evedence of mice in the house. Cold, only allowed heating on for a small amount of the day. Thread bare carpets. Our bathroom was disgusting. Beds need replacing, could go on, list is endless.

I booked this house for my husbands surprise 40th birthday celebration which took place the weekend just gone. It was amazing for what we wanted. Trudy was lovely from the minute we booked and always answered our questions promptly. The pool was so warm, it was like a hot tub but without the bubbles which was great for the babies! The only thing was that it was so cold on arrival as the heating hadn’t been on for 9 days previously but, again, Trudy was very accommodating and allowed us to put the heating on for longer during the day and into the night. The majority of us had a fabulous time and more importantly, hubby had the best time which is all that matters!! Thank you again Trudy ☺️

Wow, what a fantastic holiday! The house was spotless, yes it is a bit outdated and needs things doing to it but I can honestly say if you can look past that it's an amazing place for a large group of people. We went out of season and found it absolute value for money. Enough space for everyone to spread out and do there own thing but also big enough to be together. We managed with the kitchen, cooking for all the group and we all sat to eat in the spacious dining room. The pools and grounds are lovely, we all enjoyed swimming in both pools and playing rounders in the gardens. We managed to cook a BBQ using the one in the grounds for 26 people. Had such a fantastic time and I wouldn't hesitate to stay again.

Please save your time and money. Alston Hall was such a bad experience for us that I had to write feedback about it to warn others about what they are paying for. First things first, this property doesn't come cheap. We paid £10,400 for seven nights. With that price tag, you don't even get basic things like internet throughout the entire house or proper heating. I'll provide the details below: Internet and Mobile Network: As you enter the house, your phone network is dead, and you won't get a signal. To make things worse, the WiFi only works in the small living room and the main hall. It's quite challenging if you are a group of 38 people trying to escape a rainy day and all relying on the same WiFi. In this day and age, it's surprising that they haven't invested in better internet infrastructure. They could have added routers on all floors. I've been to more remote places with high-speed internet, so there's no excuse for this situation not being mentioned during the booking process. Heating and Baths: You are not in control of the central heating. You have to call the caretaker to turn it on or off for you. This lack of control is frustrating. The property had portable heaters in most of the rooms, but some of them didn't work. Additionally, all the attached bathrooms on the third floor lack showers, so you have to share the bathroom downstairs. I asked the caretaker, and she told me it's because they couldn't get the water pressure right on that floor. Again, it's clear that they didn't invest enough in the property. There are hotels 14-15 stories high that manage water pressure properly. Kitchen: The kitchen is surprisingly small. Even my 3-bedroom house has a larger kitchen. You will have a hard time cooking here. I won't go into more detail, but I'll just say it's quite inadequate. They do mention having a BBQ, but be warned, they only have a tiny 70x30 BBQ machine. It's better to bring your own or you'll end up spending all day cooking. There are no delivery options like Deliveroo or Uber, and the nearest supermarket is 30 minutes away. State of the Property: We were disappointed to find two dead rats floating in the outdoor pool, so we never used it. There was also a leak in the ceiling of room number 2. Some of the rooms smelled damp, and almost all the windows were nailed shut. Additionally, the curtain railing came off when we tried to close the curtains. A piece of wallpaper came off from the top of the wall and nearly hit us in the small living room with the piano. While they did clean the property and the bedsheets were clean, the spring mattresses were very uncomfortable. The single positive aspect of our stay was the well-maintained indoor swimming pool. It consistently maintained its temperature and cleanliness. In summary, based on our experience at Alston Hall, our stay was a disappointment. With the high cost and numerous issues, I strongly advise against booking here. For a potentially great holiday spot, the owners need to invest in upkeep and honest advertising.We booked through sykes cottages but Sykes' lack of action on this misleading ad is concerning. As a regular Sykes user, I'm now looking into alternatives like Airbnb."

My family booked this property I understand for the region of £8000 for the week. Reviews said it was a little “tired.” I would suggest that any bad reviews have been hidden. Tired is an understatement. For 30 people Kitchen One small range cooker, the hobs didn’t work to standard. An amazing array of baking trays that were too big for the oven One dishwasher as one was broken. One normal family sized sink A charity shop mix of glasses/crockery/ cutlery. Dining room- Chipped ugly furniture Mix of chairs Dirty windows Broken skirting/scotia Generally unpleasant It looked like everything had been sourced from a charity shop and we needed washing before use. Main lounge we didn’t go into….Who puts a cream carpet in a family let house? Any money spent was rather ostentatiously spent here on a room that could seat maybe 8, presumably for the promotional pictures. Top floor showers didn’t work due to low pressure Bedrooms- Holes in the carpets Stains on the carpets Carpets in the bathroom ???? Windows that either wouldn’t close or wouldn’t open. Windows actually screwed shut. Dirty windows Holes in the window frame Large room with two stained wall lights so the room was dark and dim. Cheap curtain rail that had not been fixed properly so it came apart when used and the curtain fell off. Every morning! Dubious cheap cushions that were immediately discarded as looked unsavoury. Broken unusable ugly furniture masquerading as bedside cupboards though the door was broken. Cobwebs Broken toilet Ridiculous shower height 2/3 foot that didn’t work anyway Switch for non existent heated towel rail Tv so small couldn’t see it from the bed. Asked to strip beds on leaving, revealed stained bedding…. YUK!!!(possible blood/urine) Reports from other family members of the same, Windows unable to be touched as looked as though they were ready to fall out of the frame. Daylight seen through the frames. Faulty lighting EVERYWHERE Ripped wallpaper Peeling wallpaper Stained walls/ceilings Terrible messy repainting in areas Chipped paint In some bedrooms a lack of clothes space Chipboard tables used as bedside tables ??? When on holiday you expect the accommodation to be at least to the standard of your own home if not more. This house is not equipped to host more that 15 people but is charging huge sums pretending that it is able to cope with more. I have NEVER stayed in such a dump. The location beautiful. Gardens beautiful, as long as you didn’t venture into the house. Horrible Horrible Horrible. Do not be fooled by the photos, they in no way reflect the house as it really is.

We had an amazing family holiday, the location was beautiful and we definitely made the most of it. Alston hall is a stunning property with so much potential, it is sad to see that it has clearly been left to deteriorate and for the price you pay to stay youd think they have enough revenue to do essential maintenance and repairs. Having children there were a few safety concerns, access to the indoor pool is through the house and is locked, only those with a code can apparently access it, however as we found out it can also be accessed from the outside via an unlocked door with no way of guests locking it. The outdoor pool turned cloudy which was reported, however they were waiting our departure to fix the issue, we hadn't realised until the kids dove under water and we couldn't see them. The windows inside were.a concern especially the 1st and 2nd floor, some were nailed shut/unable to open, some did have child locks, however some opened wide open and onto the roof, most window frames were rotten and literally had gaps between the wood and glass where the wood had rotted away. There was black mould and damp in some of the bedrooms including backs of the kitchen cupboards. The grounds were poorly maintained, the tennis courts weren't safe to use fully and had overgrown brambles all around so when the balls were lost there was no way of retrieving. Internet was terrible, unless sat in the hallway or one of the lounges, no chance of wifi anywhere else in the house which could be updated. The house had not been cleaned adequately, thick dust on top of head boards, baths not fully clean (not to mention carpeted bathrooms and showers that were mounted waist height) Trays in kitchen were rusty, and kitchen in general was not cleaned to a good standard, needs a serious gutting and deep clean. As a family we did make a list of areas that really needed attention, Heres hoping they make the improvements and bring Alston hall back to life.

Alston Hall is a fantastic venue for large gatherings. However there are serious health and safety issues that need addressing urgently. The steps for the outdoor pool were coming away from the mounting, a problem that was also reported in 2020. The pool was so cloudy you couldn't see if someone was swimming under water. The indoor pool was secured from inside the house, and could only be accessed by a coded keybox which was a great safety feature. Unfortunately any child or vulnerable person exploring the outside could gain entry to the indoor pool via a back door. Inside the house there had been some work but overall Alston Hall is in desperate need of major works. Photos show an example of some of the bathrooms.

This is a great house on the surface and on all the photos that you get to see ! However this place is very very tired and mouldy and rotten . The bathrooms were very poor mould round the bath round the tiles on the ceiling ,wall paper falling off in nearly every room . The windows in my bedroom were rotten and left gaps all the way round .Infact I have never seen such bad windows except in a derelict building . This also applied to the doors in the indoor pool which were completely rotten and nailed shut , is that even legal for fire safety . So we couldn’t open them and enjoy the area by the pool .which spoilt it for the non swimmers , The outdoor pool wasn’t brilliant full of debris and the ladder that you climb up to get out nearly fell off . The TVs were rubbish and wouldn’t work of the remote ,no WiFi upstairs and hardly any downstairs .also when sat in main hallway at night out flys a bat . . .. the space is good specially if you have kids and they are oblivious of all the stuff that needs doing . But for the money that this cost for a week £7,800 it’s not up to standard and I was disappointed and having stayed in other big houses around the country I would not come back here or recommend it .

Good liaison..

The tour and explanation of the property was great.. Very clean. Because everything was not prrgect decor wise it made you relax with children. having said that the decor was lovely and well maintained in reception rooms . kitchen needed updating which is being done now. dining room could do with recarpeting but at least you didn't stress too much with wine and food. swimming pool excellent. snooker room was great. all 23 guests were very pleased with their rooms. loved allbthe sporys ewuipmentcwe could use. local maps very helpful. towels and bedding lovely. good relaxed atmosphere. very helpful handy man and Kim was lovely.

We had the most amazing weekend celebrating my husband's 50th and my daughters 18th birthday.. Alston Hall was an amazing venue, everyone slept well on comfortable beds with great facilities to keep even the youngest of our party happy. The swimming pool was fab for the younger models and the truculent teens loved the snooker and the tennis court! The kitchen however really lets the property down. The ovens/cookers are old, woefully inadequate and don't work well. Catering for 34 was a real challenge and I've cooked for this number in a middle of a field!l (scout leader). It needs to be looked at as a matter of urgency. The dishwashers whilst welcome aren't the most effective with broken dispensers meaning that lots of stuff needed rewashing. It didn't ruin our enjoyment but meant that it took much more effort to get food out for everyone on time... however it is brilliant to find proper sized pots and pans to allow us to cook enough mash and veg for everyone.. We would love to come back in 3 years to celebrate my daughters 21st!

32 people had a great week at Alston Hall.. The experience was very positive and the only negative comment given was that the cooking facilities were quite aged and in need of updating. The Maintenance man and the Housekeeper were very helpful and friendly and went above and beyond expectations. I would not hesitate to recommend Alston Hall. Sykes made the whole booking and payment process easy and were on hand to help with all of my questions.

Alston Hall was great! We had a marvellous time there, what a location! And the house was also pretty good. The only thing we missed was good pressure on the shower-water on the second floor ....

Fabulous large house, great for big family gatherings.. Loads to do and great facilities.

ALSTON HALL 9/10/2018 We were looking for a large property with sufficient bathrooms to accommodate our extended family and one dog who were all travelling from different parts of the country to Devon. Alston Hall fitted the criteria perfectly. We arrived at the property and were welcomed and were shown around by the absolutely charming property manager named Rosie, both she and the property exceeded our expectations and although I must admit that the kitchen was more than adequate it could do with a re-vamp but I must say the beds were really comfortable and the property was lovely and warm. Absolutely everything expected was provided with the exception of hairdryers, a small thing when you consider the enormity of the accommodation. The size, comfort, charm, facilities, warmth and character as well as location of Alston Hall takes your breath away. Needless to say we had a fabulous family break and none of us would hesitate for a minute to hire or recommend it again for any large gathering from family to corporate events....it truly is magnificent. Seeing is believing, a brilliant property!!!!!!

We were looking for a large property with sufficient bathrooms to accommodate our extended family and one dog who were all travelling from different parts of the country to Devon.. Alston Hall fitted the criteria perfectly. We arrived at the property and were welcomed and were shown around by the absolutely charming property manager named Rosie, both she and the property exceeded our expectations and although I must admit that the kitchen was more than adequate it could do with a re-vamp but I must say the beds were really comfortable and the property was lovely and warm. Absolutely everything expected was provided with the exception of hairdryers, a small thing when you consider the enormity of the accommodation. The size, comfort, charm, facilities, warmth and character as well as location of Alston Hall takes your breath away. Needless to say we had a fabulous family break and none of us would hesitate for a minute to hire or recommend it again for any large gathering from family to corporate events....it truly is magnificent. Seeing is believing, a brilliant property!!!!!!!

We were there with a group of 30 range between 1 and 75 years and we felt very welcomed.. Everyone loved the pools and the fantastic house, with space enough for everybody. Lana our housekeeper and Jeff the gardener were helpful and very friendly. And thankyou very much to Helpful Holidays, the staff is great, they attended me from the first contact and the booking in October last year until now. Everything went easy and smoothy.

Having had to cancel our original weekend break in March due to the snow we re-booked for May with your help and had a wonderful time.. The surprise cake/gateau was amazing and delicious! We were a family party with an age range of 1 year to 90 years and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely.