When we received the welcome pack I was disappointed that the pictured log burner & fire place pictured are not currently useable & there was no mention of the two bikes that are mentioned in the description, the pictured full sized TV was now described as a small TV with built in DVD and again no mention of the extra touch of luxury of the electric under-blankets. Disappointing!
When we arrived our disappointment was confirmed when we found that many other items shown in the photos were not actually in the property. The ground floor (kitchen & dining room) and exterior photos are recent but the others are not and although some of the contents pictured remain many are now missing, enough to make me feel misled & that the description 'luxuriously appointed' was inaccurate.
For example the lounge still has the sofa but no chair so not really providing seating for 4 people, no side tables, no lamps and now just a small tv with portable aerial on a shelf, the log basket has gone, the logs remain but as you can't use the log burner not sure what they are for other than to be misleading. Some of these may seem petty but this property was missing all the things that had made me choose to book it.
The building is an attractive Georgian house and it is close to all the local amenities however the stone floors & single glazing make it feel a bit cold and it smelt damp when we first arrived. The central heating soon warmed it up but the house would benefit from reinstating the fireplaces and the heating being on when you arrive in the winter season. A new thermostat was fitted during our stay so the heating can now be controlled remotely and it was turned off at exactly 10:30 despite us allowing the owner and engineer access during our stay.
There are two mugs for 4 people, the cushions in the lounge needed washing, the sheets in the 2nd bedroom didn't match, no mirror, no paper bin (in any room) no bedside lamp so had to stumble round in the dark to get in to bed. Just lacking all things that would make the place homely or "luxurious".
Parking was a minor problem as we arrived on a Saturday evening and there was nowhere to park to unload and similarly on the morning of departure in heavy rain. Parking during our stay at the leisure centre was fine though.
The best description would be basic accommodation, well placed to enjoy Monmouth but needing a bit more thought to make it up to the advertised standard.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Nov 6, 2014
I'm disappointed that these issues weren't raised on arrival, I would have attempted to rectify. I will try to address each point in turn:
1. I had only just taken the bicycles to Monmouth and they were not mentioned in the Welcome Pack sent to the guest a couple of weeks in advance of the stay but were in the hard copy left out in the kitchen
2. As there were only two guests I only left two mugs out with the complementary tea and coffee.
3. The electric blanket is in the bedroom wardrobe. I will add this to the Welcome Pack.
4. I thought that the bedding in the second bedroom did match, it was bought as a set. Perhaps it is a matter of taste!
5. The spare chair is now in the dining room as it is only usually required if there are more than two guests.
6. Heating system now upgraded. Heating will be on when the guests arrive in colder weather. It does shut off by default at 10.30 but can be easily overridden on the thermostat as the engineer explained to the guest. It was fitted while the guest was there and I gave them a bottle of good wine to compensate for the inconvenience.
7. Photos now upgraded showing, I think, that the property has improved since the initial photos owing to upgraded dining furniture etc.
8. Fair point regarding the lights in the second bedroom. I reading light will be added.
9. I am surprised that the guest found the bathroom dirty. Had this been raised on arrival I would have course cleaned it again. I had in fact cleaned it myself the previous evening.
As a general point I wish that these issues had been raised on arrival. I could then have addressed them to avoid the enjoyment of the holiday being compromised.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.