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Owl's End at Oosland Barns

Owl's End at Oosland Barns

4.3
out of 5
Ratings from 9 reviews
89% of guests
recommend
Cleanliness
4.1
Comfort
4.7
Condition
4.1
Location
4.2
Value
4.2
Customer
Service
4.7

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Owl’s End is a cosy, rural, two-bedroom, one-bathroom, semi-detached barn conversion that sleeps 5 guests. The cottage has a woodburner and garden and shares a large courtyard with three other holiday homes, which form part of Oosland Barns Holiday Lets at the heart of a family-run arable farm. Nestled within walking distance of the historic Warwickshire village of Bidford-on-Avon, which was famously visited by William Shakespeare on his travels from nearby Stratford-upon-Avon, just 8 miles away.

Stay spoiled by cluster flies and owner's attitude towards it

Review submitted on Sat, 18 Nov 2023
3.0
out of 5
Guest doesn't recommend this property
Cleanliness
2.0
Comfort
4.0
Condition
1.0
Location
4.0
Value
3.0
Customer
Service
4.0
When we arrived at the property at about 6pm on the Saturday, there were already dead flies on the kitchen worktops and on the beds in the 2nd bedroom. We were not too impressed but thought it was down to poor cleaning of the property. Later in the evening we noticed continuous buzzing sounds and saw quite a few flies which we attempted to kill.

We went to bed but the kids in the second bedroom were particularly disturbed by the continuous buzzing sound from flies during the night. When we woke up the next morning, there were flies at most windows of the property - some windows had up to 20-25 flies. We tried to kill a few more but really this was not an unacceptable situation for what was meant to be a relaxing short break and we then contacted the owner.

The owner said she was aware of the problem when she came to clean the property earlier on Saturday 21st October but thought it has been rectified. She knew the problem wasn’t a small one as upon asking us how big our family size was (five) she said she couldn’t house us in another property. When her husband came a couple of hours later, he brought a spray of fly killer and was surprised at the number of flies in the property. He himself recommended using the spray sparingly - something we planned to do anyway as these insecticides sprays obviously are quite toxic and we generally don’t prefer to use them in our own home.

We applied the spray and left windows open that day and the situation did improve but did not eliminate the problem and we were left to clear dozens more dead flies which is clearly not pleasant – especially for the children - and not really what you want to do, daily, on holiday.

We were disappointed that the owner didn’t take the initiative to follow up to check if the problem had been resolved or offered a good will gesture for our obvious inconvenience. However, we texted her again on the Tuesday to keep her upto date explaining that the kids endured a second restless night on Sunday night and whilst we have used the spray, the problem still persisted. She responded by saying to continue using the spray and to leave the window open. This to us was not really a proper solution to the issue as we did not want to overuse a toxic spray especially in the bedrooms where the children were sleeping and while we kept the windows open at times it wasn’t something we wanted to do all day and night (especially with it getting cold).

It wasn’t pleasant to have to deal with flies throughout our trip and especially dead flies all over the property every day and we were disappointed that the owner did not take proper steps to deal with the issue prior to our stay or to follow up on the issue during our stay.

When speaking to the owner after our stay to explain our overall dissatisfaction, we were told we didn't follow instructions on dealing with the flies. To be clear, the “instructions” were received by text on the Tuesday afternoon (this being the last day of the stay) in response to our update message at Tuesday lunchtime. As paying guests at the barn, we did not feel it was appropriate to instruct us to deal with the flies - the owner herself should have dealt with the flies and followed up on the situation. Furthermore, given we were there on a holiday we should not be expected to keep using an insecticide spray that we were not comfortable with or to keep leaving the windows open all day to eradicate the problem if we were feeling cold.

To be clear, we settled on a discount and accept the cluster flies can happen at this time of the year. However, we were not happy that the owner knew of the problem before hand and was not pro active in reaching out to us or checking with us whether everything was ok. We also didn't like the statement that we didn't follow instructions.

Hence the overall negative review.




Nice for a short break

Review submitted on Fri, 25 Aug 2023
4.8
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
5.0
Location
4.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
We book here every year for a flying display at the glider club. Always clean and comfy beds. Quiet location and everything you need.



KATHERINE WALKER - WONDERFUL STAY WITH FAMILY IN GREAT LOCATION

Review submitted on Wed, 16 Aug 2023
4.7
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
4.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
4.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
WONDERFUL STAY WITH FAMILY WHO WERE IN OTHER ACCOMODATION ON SITE. SOME OF THE AREAS COULD DO WITH UPLIFTING BUT WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND STAYING HERE EVEN FITTED STAIR GATES FOR US ALTHOUGH NO HIGH CHAIR WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN USEFUL (AND WAS REQUESTED TIME OF BOOKING) WE DID NOT THOUGH ASK FOR IT ONCE WE GOT THERE SO NOT THE OWNERS FAULT
LOOKING FORWARD TO MAYBE STAYING THERE AGAIN NEXT YEAR SO WE DO RECOMMEND KATHERINE



Great stay for families

Review submitted on Sun, 30 Oct 2022
4.8
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
4.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
5.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
Nice and comfortable house for a large family. The place had everything you needed, including Smart TV with a good Internet connection, fully ecquiped kitchen. Very good location if you travel by car.



Clean, comfortable and quiet

Review submitted on Mon, 26 Sep 2022
5.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
5.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
We very much enjoyed our stay. Easy access to walks for us and our dog. Good food pubs nearby. Good WiFi/Internet access



Comfy home from home

Review submitted on Sat, 27 Aug 2022
4.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
4.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
4.0
Location
3.0
Value
4.0
Customer
Service
4.0
This is our second stay. Although remote, ideal for us. Wifi is weak and the hot water pressure low.



Bolthole Retreats replied more than 1 year ago
Thank you for your feedback. The owner has confirmed that the WiFi is fine and the water pressure has also been looked into and this is fine too.

Great place

Review submitted on Mon, 23 May 2022
4.2
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
4.0
Condition
4.0
Location
4.0
Value
4.0
Customer
Service
4.0
Great place to stay and plenty of space.
My lovely daughters loved his place and asked to visit again later.



Bolthole Retreats replied more than 1 year ago
Hello Wingtat, Thank you for your review. We are please to hear that you enjoyed your stay and also that your daughters would love to stay again. We hope to see you back in The Cotswolds soon. Kind regards

Lovely Barn Conversion

Review submitted on Mon, 06 Sep 2021
4.5
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
5.0
Location
4.0
Value
3.0
Customer
Service
5.0
The Barn was very comfortable and very clean. It had a small enclosed garden which was safe for dogs or children, there was a picnic bench where you can eat meals and three chairs that were more comfy to sit and relax in. The location was very quiet, it was just a short walk 15 minutes into Bidford on Avon village where you can get a fab meal at the Bridge eatery.
There was everything you need in the kitchen, washing up liquid, dishwasher tabs, etc, Bathroom; loo rolls, shower gel, soap etc, However, the signage to Oosland Barns is very small and easy to miss the first time as we did, the satnav said you have arrived and we missed the dirt track, once you knew where it was it was easy.



Bolthole Retreats replied more than 1 year ago
Dear Hilary, Thank you for taking the time to review your stay at Owl's End. We're pleased that you enjoyed your stay and will pass on the feedback with regard to the signage. Hopefully, we can welcome you to another Bolthole Retreats property again soon. Kind regards Bolthole

Lovely cottage in a quiet spot, close to amenities and within easy reach of quintessential Cotswolds

Review submitted on Tue, 20 Jul 2021
4.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
3.0
Comfort
4.0
Condition
4.0
Location
4.0
Value
4.0
Customer
Service
5.0
This little cottage has been furnished and equipped with care and thought; some lovely extras; gorgeous eco cleaning products, fab pillows, really comfy beds, Vertuo nespresso machine. Only marked down comfort as the sofa's are a bit tired now. Enclosed garden with BBQ and bench seating was lovely and dog friendly. Being on a farm dust and bugs needed clearing away regularly, and for this particular cottage rear access was a bit of an issue as this was the only area not landscaped and gravelled. All other access points front and back to other cottages were immaculate.

Bidford on Avon is an easy walk round fields and along the river with all amenities. Bonus free parking or £3 a day parking riverside with loos, playground, tables with space for portable bbq and launch spot for kayaking. Enjoyed a lovely riverside meal at Four Alls, Welford on Avon. The Fourteas tearooms deserve a mention for afternoon tea but don't let them tell you that you can't/don't need to book when you ring (as instructed at the door) because when you get there you'll be told you should have booked and they've sold out - but even if they have the sandwiches and scones are just yum.

Stratford upon Avon is a short drive or 10 mile walk through some gorgeous villages - but don't attempt it as we did in July unless you're a fan of 7ft nettles.

Loads to do in the area - something for everyone. Take a picnic to the lavender fields while they are in bloom and those in the know ordered fish and chips from Russel's in Broadway and took chairs onto the green.





Bolthole Retreats replied more than 1 year ago
Hello, Thank you for you review and feedback - we are so glad you enjoyed your stay. Your review has been passed onto the owner who will be delighted you had a great stay. Kind regards, BoltholeRetreats