Bedfordshire Thatched Cottage - Dogs Welcome

Lovely quiet area, lovely garden and house, great access to walk the dog on fields across the road from house.

Only downside, wish the house had a toilet downstairs.

We would not have booked this accommodation if we had known about the lack of care and poor cleanliness of this property.

We had a large number of issues. I have listed a few of our issues to help other people understand our experience. General issues – The stairs are not safe for people with mobility issues due to no handrails, uneven steps, and large gaps. The edge of the staircase downstairs is sharply exposed, with nothing to warn you, and it is easy to hit your head if you are tall. You cannot use the downstairs toilet if you are a larger person; it is difficult even for anybody, as it is impossible to safely use it without backing in, catching the toilet roll holder, and scraping your elbows because it is just a cupboard. The shower downstairs has mould on the ceiling and walls, and the paint is falling off the ceiling over the shower. There is no heat in the shower closet, and it is too cold to use. In the kitchen: the drainer is dirty and rusty; the oven is dirty, with leftover food and grease on the door and trays, and cobwebs in the door area; the washing machine has dirt and hairs inside the door, so we did not open it as it appeared too dirty to use. The heating is temperamental — too hot upstairs but freezing downstairs — and we had to purchase extra wood and firelighters for the fire. The tray had not been emptied for our arrival. The TV is temperamental, made worse by having to balance the indoor aerial on a jar in the kitchen, where there are only bar stools to sit on. The fridge/freezer is dirty. The cutlery is dirty and stained. There is dirt and cobwebs everywhere, showing a lack of cleaning. There are no curtains on the kitchen doors, so you feel exposed and more cold air comes in. There is plaster falling off the wall by the boiler cupboard. The front door has to be slammed shut and pulled hard to open. You can get into the back garden, but there is no way out to the front in case of a fire if the front door cannot be opened. There are no dates on the fire extinguishers to show when they were checked. There are uneven floorboards on the landing upstairs, and the floor tilts toward the stairs with no support or handrail to prevent trips. The dressing table in the second bedroom is broken, with the top lifting off and bricks holding up one side, so it cannot be used. The bedding is dirty, with the valance sheet stapled to the base to hide the uneven legs underneath part of the mattress. There is a large gap where the mattress does not fit the base, which is easy to catch your legs on. There are nails sticking up from the floorboards, which can cut your feet if you are not wearing shoes. There is no monitor upstairs to watch a film, as suggested on information sheets. The bedding in the main bedroom is dirty, and the base is on the floor. There are nails sticking up from the floorboards which have caused cuts. The furniture is dirty with cobwebs everywhere. The ensuite shower is unusable; it is filthy, with dirt in the drain and mould and dirt around the skirting. The skirting does not meet the wall and there is broken glass at the back on the floor. The shower head is rusty and dirty. Everywhere is dirty, full of cobwebs, and very unclean. In our view, it needs a full deep clean and for the issues to be fixed. A cleaner told us she had not cleaned the property for a long time. There should be information on the advert advising people that it is not suitable for people who are larger or have mobility issues or disabilities. We did not feel safe staying there due to the cleanliness and safety concerns, and we could not do washing, cooking, or cleaning ourselves. The stairs and floorboards seemed unsafe. Due to a fall during our stay and the general cleanliness and safety concerns, we only stayed 1 week out of the 4 planned.

We managed but we left a day early, so our long weekend became a 48 hour dash.

It would be nice if the heating was on for arrival - it was freezing when we arrived (thermostat said 5 degrees). It took until the next morning for the heating to kick in properly, once we'd worked out how to get it on. First night we only had the log burner to use and only matches and logs to light it, no paper or firelighters or kindling. Heating has to be super high for the under floor to make any difference downstairs, which makes upstairs too hot, even when radiators are turned down. Main bathroom through one bedroom - separate toilet and shower are in cupboards in the lounge and have very little room, not really useable. TV in kitchen with only bar stools to sit on - not comfy to watch a film/sport. Dogs couldn't go in garden unsupervised due to the surface being so slippery and dangerous. Too expensive for what we experienced; not value for money.

A nice character cottage , lovely kitchen .

No dining area, only the kitchen where you sit uncomfortable on bar stoles, television in the kitchen and not in sitting room, the couch in the sitting room is too low.

The second toilet can not be used, no sink! The shower downstairs can not be regulated, I got burned!! We asked not to have any feather duvets, request ignored, only one bed could be used! Fortunately our friend did not make it, he would have had to stay in a hotel. We also had to clean the garden furniture! The garden was neclected! We watered to flowers in the front! No second car park unless you have two very small cars. No freezer compartment, fridge door shelf broken! No teapot! We left a day early! Certainly not suitable for older people!

Very pretty quaint cottage, with well equipped kitchen, though lacking a freezer.

Easy to find and park. Nice garden space to sit out in. Short drive to nearest shop. Downstairs toilet very small and door did not close very well. Also, would have been helpful to have a separate heat source downstairs, in addition to the wood fire.