“We recently enjoyed a weekend at Manor House Farm with three generations of our family as part of an 80th birthday celebration.”
While the property appeared ideal for our needs, we encountered several practical issues on arrival. The ground-floor annex we had planned for our older relatives was accessed via a short flight of stairs, and the second bedroom within the annex required climbing another set. Anyone with mobility challenges may find this difficult. Additionally, both the stairs to the annex and those leading to the first floor of the main house lacked handrails, which made them challenging even for the more agile members of our group.
The house itself is boldly decorated and filled with high-end gadgets and appliances. However, aesthetics often seemed to take priority over practicality, and instructions for using many of the features were minimal. The instant hot-water kitchen tap was initially not working, though we did manage to fix it. We were not as successful with the FireCube; it was unplugged when we got there meaning that we were unable to get the cinema system operational. When we plugged it in, the FireCube was not working. Therefore, we would have struggled to use the cinema room had one of our party not brought a laptop to plug in. The induction hob worked well, but several pans provided were unsuitable for it, causing confusion and error messages on the hob. Although the crockery and cutlery were stylish, they were awkward to load into the dishwasher, resulting in extra washing up after each meal.
It also appeared that the house had not been used recently, as there was a noticeable layer of dust throughout. The ovens needed cleaning before we felt comfortable cooking in them. The hot tub and cold plunge pool had clearly not been serviced for some time and were unusable, which disappointed the younger members of the group—though they did enjoy the gym and sauna. A broken roman blind in the master bedroom meant we couldn’t raise it to enjoy the lovely view.
We were also disappointed to find that the EV charging point wasn’t available for guest use. Fortunately, the nearby park-and-ride offers charging facilities, allowing you to leave your car, take the bus into Oxford, and avoid high parking fees, congestion charges, and zero-emission zone costs. During our visit, we particularly enjoyed the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum.
On a positive note, the house offered plenty of space, with multiple rooms and areas allowing smaller groups to relax or do their own thing. We spent most of our time together around the large dining table and in the cinema room. Overall, while we had a memorable weekend as a family, the property felt as though it over-promised and slightly under-delivered.
Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed review of your stay at Manor House Farm. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed a memorable weekend together as a family and that the size of the house, dining space, gym and sauna all contributed positively to your celebrations.
We are, however, very sorry to learn of the issues you experienced during your stay, and we appreciate you bringing these to our attention.
In particular, we would like to apologise for the cleanliness concerns you noted. This is not the standard we expect or strive to deliver, and the feedback has been addressed directly with our housekeeping team to ensure more thorough checks are carried out moving forward.
We regret that the layout of the annex and stair access did not meet your expectations for guests with reduced mobility.
Regarding the cinema system, unfortunately the previous guests had unplugged the FireCube, and it requires charging before use. We are sorry this was not identified prior to your arrival and for the inconvenience this caused. We will be reviewing our pre-arrival checks to ensure this does not happen again. Similarly, the induction-compatible pans had been moved around the property; we will strive to ensure all cookware is returned to the correct locations to avoid future confusion.
We are also sorry to hear about other challenges you encountered. These matters have been logged with the housekeeping team to ensure they are resolved promptly and do not impact future guests.
Thank you again for providing such thoughtful and constructive feedback. It is invaluable in helping us improve the experience we offer, and we are grateful that, despite the challenges, you were able to enjoy time together as a family.
Property Owner
