Drift

It was exactly as pictured, with an view of a field and castle in one direction, and the back garden in the other. The beds were comfortable, the bedding was clean and there was additional bedding if required. The dining and sitting rooms were big enough for the three of us (would be tight for 5 though). No shortage of hot (careful how hot) water. The local community was very friendly, and it was a short walk to the local shop, restaurants and beaches. There was a pack of useful information on local attractions and walks. Parking was always available in front of the house. It felt safe and comfy.

Despite there being a reasonably well equipped kitchen, there were no supplies provided except tea bags, bin bags and cleaning materials. No salt, pepper, sugar or oil, no grease-proof paper or foil. Most properties provide these essentials and a welcome pack of milk, local biscuits or similar. There were fresh flowers in the dining room, which was a nice touch, however thinking about the basic needs of a family, staying a week, would have been appreciated. There was a stocked book case, and a pack of cards, but not the normal cupboard of old games that many such places have. Similarly we were disappointed by little things. The cutlery was the cheapest i have ever seen, made in metal, much of it broken: stuff that nobody would normally use. (In contrast the glasses and crockery was very nice quality). The kitchen scissors were broken and badly repaired, the oven tray was the wrong size, there were no clothes pegs (but there was a line and clothes horse). The toilet paper was the cheapest money can buy (although there were two roles). In short it felt like a place that had once been a home but that had been stripped and randomly restocked without much thought for anyone living there. Some things were great, but others really not. There was no ice cube tray for instance, whist there was a big fridge freezer. It had been cleaned but, the windows facing the castle were so dirty you couldn’t really see out of them. I cleaned some of them myself in the second day and the window cleaner came the next day. The sitting room cushions were damaged and dirty and there was a light switch that none of us dared touch it was so covered in something… I found it frustrating not to be able to communicate with the manager by any means other than by phone. However she was perfectly pleasant and helpful when phoning to receive the key safe code.