A super location and lovely property with flexible accommodation but a little tired.
Review submitted on Tue, 03 Jan 2023
3.3
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
4.0
Comfort
3.0
Condition
2.0
Location
5.0
Value
3.0
Customer Service
3.0
I booked both sides of the Old Stables for a family gathering in the week before Christmas 2022. Our joining instructions did not come through by email until after we had left home and on arrival had no idea how to access the house via the coded keypad. This was resolved by an exchange of mobile phone messages.
Our family members joined us later in the day and were very excited by the beautiful bedrooms and bathrooms. However it soon became apparent the central heating was not working and on one of the coldest days of the year it quickly became uncomfortable. We had to rely on the wood burner in the lounge and one electric radiator with which we used to heat the adjoining children's bedrooms.
A good point was the free access to the wood store for logs without additional charge which is common in other properties.
Although the central heating was reset it kept tripping out and became quite a distraction for the first 3 days. Communication with the owners - who lived adjacent to the Old Stables - was mostly by text and email. We were able to deduce the central heating system was programmed on a timer and we could be somewhat proactive in monitoring the control station and flue discharge to identify if the boiler had tripped before it became cold inside. To their credit the owners instituted a regular watch on the boiler to be able to reset when it cut out, called out a plumber and we had a visit from the owner on day three to apologise and pass us some home made fudge in a gesture of compensation.......
For the second half of our week the heating and hot water was no longer an issue.
We very much enjoyed the spa facility. The pool and hot tub were very warming! Although the steam room facility in the shower did not work. Similarly the garden room is splendid with marvellous views across the valley. Spectacular at sunset.
I have mentioned above the property was a bit tired and lacked some basic maintenance. The double doors to the terrace from the kitchen stuck and were difficult to open and close - there were no screws in the top hinge to the door frame. A double wall socket was loose in the kitchen. The open fire in the single storey section was impossible to get going without the room filling with smoke. A cracked shower tray in one of the single storey section bathrooms. The glass in the lounge wood burner is cracked and loose. Loose cables run along the outside over the terrace. Windows in the garden room leaked with rain coming through over where electric sockets are fitted. The sofas in the lounge are past their best and sunken. These are all easy fixes and I list them in the hope the owners take note to bring the property up to the "luxury" label it is being advertised as.
My last gripe is that as this was a luxury property and we had booked for the week before Christmas we had asked for a Christmas tree to be placed in the house but the owners refused so we had to bring our own.
On a good note the beds were very comfortable and the bathrooms generally well appointed.
Paul from Watchet stayed at SummerHouse for 7 nights in December 2022
Charles Millward replied more than 1 year ago
We were very sorry, and slightly embarrassed to receive this review from our guest. It was unfortunate that the access and directions which were sent twice to the guests email address were mislaid. The issues mentioned by the guest regarding the property are being seriously looked into. Maintenance issues are being resolved.
