So, we use Trip Advisor a lot ourselves and always try to keep reviews objective.
The positives -
- the coach house has been renovated to a high spec.
- the rental price for 10 of us was great
- the BBQ hut and chill out Zone were well used
- there is an honesty box for the robe and towel hire, to drop the money in
- the owners were very approachable if needed
The Helpful tips-
- Read all the instructions before you start doing anything / there are a lot though!
- Cover the drain in the wet room
- take a torch
- don't expect a meet and greet service, the key is in the door and they do leave you to your own devices.
- there are lovely walks in the area
The not so positive bits (personal thoughts)
- The tub and sauna are WoodFired, and for someone like me who loves the smell and sound of a woodburner this all sounds very romantic. The downside is it is very high maintenance- it takes approx 4hours to heat up for use,once it gets going and you have to regularly add wood during this time, and you cannot use it in the mornings as it cools down overnight. Then you run the gauntlet of the water suddenly getting very hot and you have to add cold water to bring it back down - that in itself turned out to be a challenge as the hose was connected to electrical timer, once we worked out all the switches in the hut (again .. read all the instructions fully first!)
- the walk from the house to Zone is around the driveway, there was a security light at the rear then another at the gate but you are practically there before it comes on and it is very dark-another sensor light on the corner of the house would help massively- but we improvised and used our phone lights.
- the house is in the middle of a stable yard, and the owners property so do not expect isolation - this is referred to in the information I think but just be aware.
- they have two beautiful dogs who are very friendly and do join you - the jack Russell on arrival joined me in the car - some of us loved it but some are allergic, so just be prepared.
- Flies were an issue - not as many as previous reviews but they were a constant presence. Hopefully for others going later as the weather gets colder this will stop, but farms, horses, etc ...
- there was no where to dry towels and wet bathers in the house. There was a tumble dryer outside in the garage though.
All in all, our weekend was what we made it, there are some lovely touches here and rental cost good value but we have probably been put off from renting anywhere again with wood fired equipment- purely our choice but somebody in the party could never fully relax as you are always thinking about lighting up, topping up and cleaning out.
Thank you to the owners for the lovely home and the facility of the Chill out Zone