Byre Cottage 4

Disappointing kitchen - 4 mugs only, tea spoons in short supply, NO DISH CLOTH, haphazard cupboard layout.

Broken handle on a pan. Chilly on arrival and no instructions for turning heating on. No plug close to a mirror in bedroom (with double bed) for hair drying. No mirror in bunk room with an accessible plug! No local shop and no 'welcome pack' with milk, tea bags etc. which is always nice, but not obligatory I realise! Difficult junction at top of lane to turn right onto, across busy traffic.

Delightful location - a hamlet with a small number of houses and an extensive farm/collection of buildings, including the holiday properties, two dogs and a herd of cattle.

Not to mention a tythe barn used for an art exhibition, attached to a lovely cafe with home-made cakes, etc. and an interesting close-by church. A friendly atmosphere with the owner husband & wife and grown-up daughter present. A good location for access to the South Downs Way as well as by road to some important towns such as Arundel, Chichester, various coastal resorts, etc., and a variety of interesting attractions, National Trust and others. The property was comfortable and had central heating that was necessary first thing in the day and in the evenings that we stayed in. TV reception and WiFi were acceptable and worth having, as was the dishwasher! Overall, though, there was a feeling of a creeping neglect however, in the property and the surrounding buildings - perhaps there have not been a enough takers (we were the only short-term rentals at the location). Having said that, we would/might return if/when we wanted to further explore the South Downs area.

When we arrived at the cottage, there was no heating on and the cottage was absolutely freezing cold.

We asked the owner to turn the heating on, but it took a very long time for the cottage to heat up. My mum is 84 years old, and we are in our 60s. We wanted to walk in to a nice cosy cottage, but unfortunately, this was not the case. It wasn't until Tuesday (we arrived on the Monday) until we started to feel warm. We had to ask for toilet rolls and milk, as there was not a welcome pack provided for us. We felt that the cottage was not prepared in advance for our arrival for our 4 night stay. The cottage was not very clean, including a lot of the kitchen ware. There was no rinse aid or salt for the dishwasher. the kettle was very small and leaked. The toaster was very old and used, as was the microwave (which we chose not to use). The cottage needs to be updated in its decor and its appliances. In the conservatory, one of the roller blinds, we chose not to use, as it looked like it was ready to fall off the wall. The cottage is in an excellent location.

Wonderful location and lovely people to deal with a great atmosphere