“The barn conversion is lovely but it is so minimalist it’s as if the owners couldn’t be bothered.”
I echo many of the negative comments found in other reviews and I would urge others to read them fully before booking this property. Firstly the noise. I knew the property was at the back of a pub and fully expected the noise associated with a beer garden. What we didn’t anticipate was music so loud we couldn’t hear the television or ourselves speak. There was a live band on Saturday night, and I understand this is a weekly event throughout the summer. Even our daughter complained she couldn’t listen to her own music through her earphones. On Sunday there was a disco that started at 4.00pm and went on until 10.30pm. Again, it was so loud, we could clearly recognise all the songs over the volume of the television. I did note during the week that the listing for the property was updated to reflect the live music but it still does not impress just how loud it is. Secondly, the private court yard is essentially a car park / building site. There is another property being converted opposite this which means there are builders there most days. On the one day it was sunny enough to sit outside (Sunday), the builders were working and the noise forced us inside. It should also be mentioned that the property is side on to the town car park where coaches park so you have them running their engines and reversing frequently. Other issues have been mentioned in other reviews: The sofa is past its best, there is no dishwasher (and there is plenty of room in the kitchen, there was one cupboard that just contained a high chair), there is a minimum amount of crockery etc, the mattress on the double bed is atrocious and there is no storage in the bathroom. The mattress was so soft that my husband and I felt like we would roll out the bed every time we turned on our sides. That said, we both slept well during the week. There wasn’t even a saucepan big enough to cook spaghetti for two people without breaking it (the spaghetti) in half. There were other little niggles too such as there only being one bedside lamp in both bedrooms, and in the twin room, this not even being next to the beds. There was one tall mirror in the double room but not anywhere practical so that I could do my hair etc. Also, the blind in the twin room and the hook on the back of the double room door were broken. It was really difficult to dry clothes. There was no washing line due to the building works and the airier didn’t cut it. The washing machine was loud. It’s a shame a small utility room wasn’t incorporated in the conversion. Like other people have said, the door was a pain to lock. It did require brute force. I have to say that I don’t think I have ever written such a poor review of somewhere. The property was clean, although the hoover had not been emptied. It was warm and on the whole comfortable. It was really good having parking and it was conveniently placed for shops and food outlets. We did have a really good holiday in terms of everything we did but after the first two nights, we were always on tenterhooks regarding possible noise. We didn’t have over the top expectations of the accommodation as we deliberately went for somewhere cheaper but it was still £750 and I don’t think it was worth the money.
