“We were surprised on arriving at Mayfly cottage that the photos on which we had judged it for our holiday in the Cotswolds were largely inaccurate.”
The location, property and garden were essentially as shown but otherwise the inside was changed and not all for the better. The dining set for example had been changed to hard plastic chairs and a PVC covered table, something the owner, to his credit was quick to remedy when we talked to him but it did cause us to wonder when Manor Cottages( through whom we booked) had last inspected the property.
We blame them for not better advising the owners about what a five star property should offer. When I asked the owner if he would holiday here, the silence was deafening. Not his fault if he prefers and can obviously afford more salubrious holidays away but Manor cottages should therefore tell him bluntly what guests expect for 5* SC accommodation as this wasn’t it.
It is a very, very small barn conversion which does present significant challenges when moving about on the mezzanine upstairs- and in fairness these had been alluded to. However, the lack of head height up there really is very difficult to manage and it is disappointing when on holiday not to be able to relax sitting up in bed with a cuppa.
What was most difficult to manage in the property was the erratic hot water in the shower in a largely tired bathroom, badly planned kitchenette and the constant issue with live wasps.
When we arrived there were a number of dead wasps in the sitting room and we assumed that they had come in after the cleaner had left.
As it turned out there was a wasp nest and we did not have a single day there where we were not significantly bothered by wasps in the property, the low point being when we were stung in bed at 4am in the morning.
Not the owners fault you may think but they were actually coming in THROUGH the small alcove wall in the sitting room ( it’s all open plan so we couldn’t shut the door on them when going to bed). Worse,there was evidence that previous guests had also tried to block up entry points so it was clearly a long-standing issue. Some basic building maintenance would sort it but pushing tissue into the entry holes we could see didn’t help much, if at all.
It was a hot week and the wasps meant we kept everything closed up, thinking initially that the wasps were getting in through window frames and the door. We refused entry therefore when the owner, aware of our “disappointment” around the property had offered to arrange some further maintenance and cleaning ( of dirty grout around the bath etc., something that surely should occur before guests arrive anyway).
He asked for our bank details and sent around around 18% of what we had paid Manor cottages back to us and arranged for some remedial work when we were out daytimes - plus there were some treats left in the fridge - but sorry, it wasn’t enough to rescue the holiday and we were never so glad to leave somewhere and get home. We would have left far sooner but we had friends house sitting in our own property back in Cornwall ( also 200 years old, so we do understand the issues with old property) and didn’t want to affect their holiday too.
We simply do not understand the apparently ‘positive’ reviews we had read on the Manor Cottages site before booking ( late last year ) and on closer study since have found more poor reviews on different sites.
Had it not purported to be a five star establishment we would have been far less annoyed but this was supposed to be a very special anniversary break for us. We enjoyed stunning weather and the Cotswolds were as beautiful as always so we could be out much of the time but the experience with this property has been extremely disappointing and we feel very let down by Manor Cottages.
Thank you for taking time to leave this feedback. We are sorry that you encountered some issues and we are pleased that the owner was able to rectify what he could during your stay. We try to portray all properties as arcuately as possible and monitor feedback. The property has recent 5* reviews and the owner is conducting further improvements. Best wishes, Manor Cottages
Property Owner
