Boothorpe Hall

6 Customer Reviews

• "Positives: its a big place with lots of rooms."

  it is in a nice area to have good walks. Martin, the manager, is a helpful and responsive guy. Negatives: 1- Heating system is terrible. We stayed for a week between 5-12 January, as expected the coldest period in the year. but the heating was faulty. First of all in the description they did not mention about the central heating failure. there is no gas heating. the electric heating system is just rubbish and doesnt work properly. We literally stayed in freezing conditions. There are not enough electric heaters. the ones that exist do not suffice to make the huge place warm enough. We had constant electricity cut due to fuse blow. 2- Electrical system is insufficient. All the appliances in kitchen dependent on the electricity but due to the system failure we couldnt use the big kitchen. We had to use the gas cooker in the small kitchen but it was very unpleasant experience. 3- there was a regional electicity cut happened and we had to stay in the cold even without electircy for around 20 hours. They took zero responsibity for it. 4. The bed numbers are misleading. 27 individuals cannot stay if they do not share their beds in most of the rooms. There are only double beds in the rooms, except one or two rooms. So if you are a big group like 27 and not coming as couple group, so it is not your place, if you don't mind sleeping in the same bed though. We made our complaints and asked for compensation and they accepted to make a compensation when we are still in there. Yet, after we leave they refused to make any compensation claiming that they had no share in the problems we face d during our stay. If we knew that there is no central gas heating and there is electricty issues in the building we would never rent this place. It is very unsuitable for a winter retreat. Even for the summer, the electricity is still a problem in the kitchen. All in all, I recommend Sykes Cottages to remove this place from winter rentals and ask these people to rewrite their description. The current description is literally misleading and untrue. If this place stays as it is in the website it will only cause a reputation damage to Sykes cottages. We are so disappointed and the money we paid is literally wasted, on top of that the people who came all the way from different parts of the country and even abroad left the place with having cold and illness.

  Reviewed by Husameddin1.6★Jan 2024

• "We booked Boothorpe Hall through the Sykes website for a large family Christmas celebration (Grandparents, parents and children) from 23-27 Dec."

  The party size was 21 and the Hall’s accommodation of 12 bedrooms looked perfect, and it was. We had a great time and the manager of the property, who lives on site in the former butler’s house was very helpful and responded to any requests quickly and efficiently. On arrival all the heating had been switched on, the hot tub was warm and ready for use and all rooms were made up with ample towels for all guests, we were also shown where the additional towels were kept if we needed them. We were supplied with plentiful kindling, wood and coal for the fires in the various rooms, which was restocked on request. The manager had even put up a Christmas tree in the large Hallway and decorated it which was a really nice touch. As the large Aga cooker is awaiting an upgrade to Gas (after a previous guest burnt themselves on it despite being warned!) the manager supplied a brand-new large air fryer (two basket version) prior to our arrival. The two kitchens are well equipped with a dishwasher in each plus cooking hobs, there were also a number of large electric pans available as well as a medium sized slow cooker. Ample glasses, plates and crockery were available along with cooking utensils. Downstairs the three large receptions rooms were divided into; a dining room which easily accommodated our party of 21 for our Christmas dinner; a library with a large smart TV; and a sitting room with a grand piano (in need of a bit of a tune) but otherwise okay. Along with these rooms there is a large conservatory equipped with toys, puzzles and games for children as well as a beautiful rocking horse. The downstairs is completed with a well-equipped gymnasium (although not much room between all the equipment), a sauna and cool room, with a door leading to an external hot tub that was enjoyed by all. Upstairs the 12 bedrooms easily accommodated all of our party and the beds were comfortable. The two ensuites had underfloor heating which was luxurious in the mornings. The two dogs in the party were made welcome with no restrictions on the use of the house, the only advice was to keep them on leads outside as the large grounds are not secure and we were advised there were large foxes in the woods. So why a 4 star and not a 5 star? Only because the current owner and manager are still in the process of a gradual upgrade of the Hall, and while some rooms have been done, other areas still need upgrading. Areas awaiting upgrading include the second kitchen and the Aga in the main kitchen, but none of this prevented our party from having a wonderful family Christmas at the Hall. Once all upgrades are complete, we are sure this will rate 5 stars. Strongly recommend this to other families looking for a place to gather all of their extended family in one place. If you do stay here please let the manager know of any concerns at the time and certainly before you leave, we are sure he will do his best to help. Finally, we will not be using Sykes to book another holiday due to the stress they caused: We contacted them around 10 times to discuss a few concerns before we went (after reading post-booking, several appalling reviews on Trip Advisor) but we rarely spoke to the same person twice. This necessitated updating them on everything before reiterating our concerns and repeating our questions, it appeared that very few of their staff had made detailed notes. Each Sykes employee was extremely polite and reassuring, but only on two occasions did we receive a callback despite being promised by other employees that this would be the case. After a while their empty platitudes felt insulting and patronising and caused a lot of unnecessary stress. Fortunately, the Boothorpe Hall manager called us 48 hours before our arrival to see if we needed anything and instantly gave us answers to all our questions. Top marks to the Hall manager!

  Reviewed by Diane4.1★Dec 2023

• "We had a fantastic time at Boothorpe Hall for a weekend away to celebrate a birthday with 26 guests."

  The owner was very helpful, making sure we had everything we needed to make it a great stay. A previous review mentioned a couple of issues but we were happy to find that they were all resolved ahead of our trip and in reality we couldn’t have picked a better place for the weekend. The house is very large with spacious bedrooms and living areas which catered well for our large group. There’s both large indoor and outdoor dining and lounging spaces to choose from and plenty of bathrooms. The hot tub was fully heated and ready for our arrival. There was a nice decking area as well as a fully covered terrace, which came in very handy as it rained briefly when we wanted to do a bbq so we could stay dry. Overall a perfect house for a large group of guests.

  Reviewed by Eliza5.0★Jul 2023

• "Going to the property as a group of 26 we had some concerns given the previous review, but we were given assurance before hand they all issues were resolved, and they mostly were."

  The place is fantastic and serves very well for any group of 20-26 people looking to get together. The owners have clearly put a lot of effort into the place, that said they’re parts of the place that would still benefit from some upkeep, but overall the property works very well. Perhaps our only key complaint is that some of the cupboards were still dirty on our arrival, but there were enough clean cupboards for everything we needed.

  Reviewed by Oliver4.1★Jun 2023

• "There were aspects of our stay which we really enjoyed."

  The property is in a very peaceful location and the original features of the house are interesting. The downstairs sitting rooms were very comfortable and the house has some lovely spaces. We really appreciated the efforts of the owner to sove problems, however, it did seem like they were trying to fight an unending tide of issues. We really appreciated the appearance of the gazebo, barbeque and loungers. Some of the equipment in the property was clearly new and worked well, such as the fridges and dishwashers. Beds were comfortable and bathrooms were clean. However, as we were asked by the ownwers to provide feedback, these are the issues we encountered: On Friday we arrived at the allotted time of 3pm to find owner and 3 other people still cleaning and tidying. They stayed until 6pm and then returned with 2 keys at 9pm. There are only 4 external doors which are not padlocked. Two locked with bolts and two with keys. One of the padlocked doors is marked as a fire exit, but clearly not usable as such. Parts of the house were very dirty: Fridge and some cupboards had to be cleaned before putting shopping away. Mouse droppings in cupboard. What appears to be black mould on the sitting room wall. Apple core found under settee, empty Coke bottle under chest of drawers. Maintenance is very poor: Light above bedroom mirror in bedroom opposite the small staircase was hanging out of the wall. This was fixed on the day, but subsequently switching it on fused all the neighbouring lights. Exposed wiring is visible throughout the house. Nearly all windows do not open, painted shut. Blackout blinds do not work in various places, either stuck up or down. The doors from lounge to conservatory have two broken panes of glass with cardboard over them on one side. With young children in the house the danger is that the loose glass will fall on them if the door is closed firmly. The soil pipe in the conservatory smells of sewage and the wooden boxing shows clear signs of repeated leaks. The balustrade round the decking area is not attached at one end and could easily break if pushed slightly. There is an oven with hob which works, a combi oven that shorts out when switched on, an Aga that cannot be used for health and safety reasons, an electric hob that is not mounted properly nor plugged in, a gas hob not connected to the gas supply and two microwaves at least one of which works. Many of the showers did not work: One leaked water out onto the front of the house. Electric shower gets colder and colder and/or cuts out. Middle bathroom and shared en-suite take approx. 5 mins to warm up. In the end bathroom water does not come out of the shower, only out of the jets. The outside hot tub was cold. When we switched on the sauna and steam room, water poured through the ceiling. This was fixed. So the sauna was usable, but the steam room has not worked at all. After a day and a half use the wter in the hot tub had turned green in both of them and probably caused rashes on 4 or 5 children. This was Sunday. When the maintenance guys came on Tuesday to clean and set up the hot tubs again it transpired that no chemicals had been put in the water and that was the problem. The indoor tub was usable by Wednesday, but some problem with the heating of the outdoor tub means it was not usable thereafter. There was no BBQ, but one was speedily provided by the owner along with some deck chairs and a gazebo. The barbeque proved to be essential to catering for the full party when all members were present. The outdoor seating area needed cleaning before it could be used. The garden is poorly looked after. The lake is stagnant, there are lots of nettles around which was not good for kids, loads of rubble and some dog dirt. When comparing it with the description on Sykes website, the photos used now seem to be from 2018 and do not represent the present situation. It states 13 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms and beds for 26 guests but this is not the case. These are the bedrooms: 1. Double (posh end, garden side) 2. Double (master) with en-suite 3. Two doubles and cot 4. Double with en-suite 5. Double, two singles and en-suite 6. Double with single (at the end) 7. Double and single with sink 8. Double 9 Double and single 10. Double with shared en-suite 11. Double with shared en-suite Additional to this are 3 bathrooms This all shows that there are only 11 bedrooms as compared with the 13 claimed by Sykes. Many beds were made up with a valance, not a sheet. The master bedroom carpet is old and in bad condition, and many of the carpets have stains. This could be a luxury property but at the moment it is basic at best. It should be at least clean. Currently it is difficult to use for a large group. It could have been worse had the owner not tried to help. It appears that Sykes may not have checked the property in any detail. The description on the Sykes website is inaccurate and misleading and as such we want a refund. We have been to similar houses at the same time of year on 7 previous occasions and never paid more than £4000. It is clear that this property is at least £3,500 overpriced if it should be rented at all. (Please provide an e.mail address if you wish to see the evidential photographs which we took.)

  Reviewed by Brenda1.6★May 2023

• "This property turned out to be ideal as a venue for a family get together."

  21 of us, age range 2 up to 78. An experience to have the opportunity to reside in plush surroundings with, gym, steam room, children’s play area, 2 kitchens,14 bedrooms and extensive outside area. The owner and her staff could not have been more helpful and attentive. Thank you for a great weekend!

  Reviewed by Geoffrey4.1★Apr 2023

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