Host & Stay - The Old Workhouse

The apartment is in an ideal location, the rooms are lovely, spacious and comfortable. The kitchen was well equipped. Alnwick is a lovely town with plenty good restaurants and pubs, the castle is superb and gardens and children’s play park well worth visiting.

The key was easy to access, but only opened 1 of the 2 entry doors, unfortunately the one furthest from the car park. The ovens were filthy, we had to clean the grill trays before we could use them! There was only 1 tea towel, one thin dish cloth, no other cleaning tools, 2 dishwasher tablets, the dishwasher filter was also filthy and needed cleaning before use. There only was 1 shower in the apartment in the en-suite bedroom, but the shower head had black mould and had to be cleaned before use. There was only one hand towel in each bathroom to be shared between 6 people, and one toilet roll in each bathroom. Lastly the remote control for the Amazon Firestick was missing.

• This is a beautifully staged flat with an open plan living area. • Clothes hanging rail provided in each room. • Pool table (but only one cue) • The three main bedrooms had comfortable beds. • There are two off road parking spaces (accessed off Park Rise, nowhere near convenience store you are directed to) • The flat is dog friendly. • The permanent residents living below were delightful and very helpful. • The location is convenient for walking into town

• Asked for specific directions to the property, but despite difficulties with directions mentioned by previous visitors (see reviews) the response was still factually incorrect. Building is called Wagonway House, no mention or signage anywhere for The Old Workhouse. • Only 1 front door key and fob to enter the building provided. This caused real difficulties for our multi-generational group doing different activities at different times. A request for a second set of keys was refused point blank. • No mention in the description that this is a First floor flat with no lift. Not easily accessible to all. • 3 broken light bulbs in the open plan area, making it quite dark, and an exposed screw were reported on arrival, but was not resolved during our stay, despite being told twice to expect the team to attend. • Many of the window ledges have decorative objects on them which had to be removed so that the secondary windows could be opened in order to use the blinds, which are fitted between the two window layers. • The communal bathroom is minimalist: no shower, no shelves or surfaces to place things on, nowhere to hang a hand towel and no loo roll holder. • The only shower is located in the master bedroom ensuite, which is inadequate for 8 people and somewhat awkward. • There are numerous small saucepans, utensils and crockery but very little cookware/serving dishes etc. I was told by the Host and Stay that I should have brought my own! Odd mixture of tinny, cheap cutlery, with only 5 teaspoons. • The bed on the mezzanine is a sofa bed, which was not made clear in the description. • Advertised for eight people, but only enough seats at the dining table and in the lounge area for six people. • Only one bedside table and lamp in one of the bedrooms, despite plenty of space for two. • No basic provisions - no spare loo rolls, salt / pepper, kitchen hand towel, first aid kit, light bulbs, kitchen roll

The location was excellent for what we planned to do. Barter books, Alnwick garden and Castle and town all in walking distance. Alnmouth a 10min drive. The apartment was spacious comfortable and overall well equipped. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The 3 main bedrooms were all a good size and the beds were comfortable.

Cleanliness of shower (some mould in grouting) and ovens needs improvement. Other suggestions. It would have been helpful to have a shower in the main bathroom. Minor thing. Spare toilet rolls. Directions to apartment were a bit confusing. Could have been more straightforward.

Location is ideal, very close to alnwick centre.

The main bathroom could have a shower added.

This is a fabulous apartment, situated in an excellent location for the centre of Alnwick. We were 3 couples and a single. It was absolutely perfect for our purposes

The weather was beautiful for the days we were there. It would have been nice to use the communal garden. The residents made it clear that the garden furniture belonged to them, and we really weren't welcome. It is not easy to find as it isn't called the old workhouse. It is waggonway house. It is an apartment in the building.no clear signage anywhere.

The property was lovely, well equipped & ideal for our family stay. The other real bonus was how central it was with everything on the doorstep so we didn’t need to use the car while we were there.

There wasn’t anything we didn’t like. The only thing that would’ve made things easier was if it had a shower in the main bathroom but apart from that happy with everything.

Brilliant location Lovely building and lovely inside Comfy beds Easy to contact host and stay Free parking

Confusing directions - is on a different road than address says Confusing instructions to lock box - we were looking on the building not in car park Although the building is the old workhouse the actual building is wagonway house Check out too early When asked where we could park was told anywhere - not strictly true Ovens could do with a clean ( we didn’t use them however)

The location was excellent. A short walk into town and to Alnwick Gardens plus the park just round the corner was great for the kids and the dogs. The beds were very comfortable.

1 shower which was not based in the main bathroom was not ideal. It meant having to come into another persons bedroom to use their en suite. There were quite a few cobwebs on the beams and a fair bit of dust under the sofa.

Our 4th stay. Works for us as lots of space for parents and two teenage boys

Shower could do with a proper clean. Looking a bit grubby but really just picking fault. Not a game changer

We had a great weekend, the property was just perfect for meeting up with family. The open kitchen living room area made it a very sociable space.

Not a thing.

The photos were exactly as we found the property. Excellent living space for a group of six. Great location.

There was only one shower in the en-suite bathroom which was the only downside to the property. The other bathroom had a lovely bath but would have benefitted from a shower also.

the place was lovely. went for my Dad's 80th .He loved BUT on arrival the key didn't work and we couldn't get in. we called host and stay and got a Philippines call centre. she said she'd call back in 15mins.She called back after 90 mins with instructions on where to find the key. All this time my dad with mobility issues waiting outside. after 90mins I called and got ? Luke in Richmond. he was more helpful. called the owner who said fiddle with the key. people have reported issues there's a nack to opening the door. I was never able to open it but mum managed one in 20 times. we were then told it's a functioning lock and they wouldn't be coming out to fix it. we then managed to lock ourselves in the flat. clearly we were going to have to leave the door open for our stay. we called again and got the same response.if we called a lock smith ourselves that would be malicious damage. it was only when my mum had the bright idea of calling the council to report the fire hazard being locked in did Host and stay contact the owner and arrange a locksmith. of course the locksmith found a broken lock and couldn't understand why it hadn't been reported before. we then spoke to a neighbour who had seen a previous guest with exactly the same problem having Driven up from the home counties. For this reason alone a all the ago cause I would give host and stay a zero. of course now the flat has a functioning lock. any issues we reported following this were dealt with promptly. The flat itself was lovely. I don't feel I can go without reporting this extremely bad and quite frankly dangerous service. the attitude being it would see. to avoid any kind of call out with phrase such legally functioning lock. make sure you know the law.

the issue getting into the property

Beautiful

Not easy to find as Not called the old workhouse & if you don’t arrive in a car you would never find the key lock

Location is excellent and only a 10 minutes walk to Alnwick Castle.

In the instructions it explained to collect the keys from the key box. What they did not explain was the key box was at the car parking space. We only found this out 20 minutes after arriving as another guest was going to their car and told us where it was. Very misleading and not what you need after a 7 hour drive. The wording needs to be changed for arrival. Then the kids wanted to play pool but there were no cue tips on the cues. We messaged the property and they didn't understand what we meant, we ended up buying some so the kids could play. The 4th bedroom is NOT a bedroom but a bed in the play room area. No privacy so the guests had to change in another bedroom and it is a very small double bed so one of our guests ended up sleeping on an uncomfortable sofa. Only one shower which is a pain for 8 people. The bathroom is huge and could easily have had another shower, poor planning.

Location, stylish.

The cordless hoover was left to use but the dust collection part but was completely full. Obviously hadn’t been emptied for a long time. I normally give a quick hoover before I leave but didn’t want to pull out old dirt and empty the hoover first. Some of the cutlery and utensils were grubby. Had probably been through the dishwasher but no one had checked for food being stuck on.

Excellent location and well equipped. We used the thermostat to control the temperature and this worked very well as weather during our stay was quite changeable. Good accommodation for 6 people with the mezzanine floor and pool table working extremely well for our family plus partners group.

What could be improved? A welcome pack, doesn’t have to be big, would have been a nice touch, as many of your guests have already mentioned another shower would definitely have been beneficial and lastly being told to strip our beds because of Covid-19 really?! If anything it forced us to notice marks that perhaps you would prefer your guests not to see! And we didn’t have bath robes not a problem unless you think we’ve taken them and charge us £70 per robe.

The apartment was as beautiful as it looked in the photos, just stunning. Very handy location for the town and also The Treehouse restaurant in Alnwick Gardens. Very spacious with superb attention to detail throughout. The bookshop is just across the road along with a supermarket. Great facilities.

I would have preferred a full size ironing board and iron rather than the tiny one available

location is fab

only one door key for a party of up to 8 is ridiculous

Location good, property very nice

Property is advertised for 8 people. Main bedroom with en-suite very good. I do feel the other 2 bedrooms would benefit massively for Kingsize beds as there is room abd the bathroom is lovely but no shower which was poor all 6 of our guests used the en-suite shower even a shower over the bath would have been a help. But property very nice

Beautiful apartment, really comfortable beds, very clean. Odd having just one shower and that`s in the master bedroom. The kitchen was really well equipped and we loved the small pool table. Loved the location, just over the road from the huge second hand bookshop, 5 minute walk into town. Nice to have a selection of games to play

We couldn`t get the washing machine to work, nor figure out the heating system so we did feel cold at times. Would have been good to have a really big saucepan

The property was clean, very spacious and well equipped. Parking was easy and the location was excellent with only a short walk into the town centre and Alnwick Castle and Gardens.

The bedroom on the mezzanine level obviously means access to the kitchen and living area is restricted, as we expected but it came as a surprise that it is impossible to keep the light out as the blind cord above the sink in the kitchen cannot be accessed. The cord is on the opposite side to where the window opens and the window will not open fully because of the tap, so it is not feasible to close the blind even if you have someone in your party who is actually tall enough to reach over the kitchen sink. Poor planning. If you are going to use this room, take an eye mask and ear plugs. There is only one shower (which all of us ended up using) and the water temperature fluctuates a bit. There is no shower attachment at all on the bath tub in the main bathroom and the one person who tried a bath said the water wasn't very hot. One of the arms on the chaise longue in the master bedroom is missing (snapped off) and no bathrobes were provided. We didn't want bathrobes but were perturbed by a notice saying that they were provided and that guests would be charged for taking them home. Just a bit unsettling.

The property was lovely (slight updating need) great location for exploring Alnwick, we all enjoyed our stay.

There are 2 bathrooms but only 1 shower (which was in the en-suite) which isn’t great for 8 adults. Things in the property need updating, eg chairs around dining table are worn and look terrible. Toilet in the en-suite was wobbly and the lock/handle kept falling off the en-suite door.

Excellent location and very suitable for our group.

Two bathrooms for seven adults cause a bit of difficulty at times. A second shower in the separate bathroom would have helped.

location was great. lovely sitting - kitchen area lends itself to socialising with family and friends - just needed bigger sofas. Host and Stay were very good at reacting to any issue, but don't think they had a full picture of the property details.

not identified that the 4th bed was not actually in a room, no mention of this on website, should have suspected as no floor plan. Lack of showers only one was in en-suite in one bedroom, not really enough for 8 adults. Not enough seating for 8 people either to eat at table (but did bring a couple of chairs from bedrooms, the table chairs are in desperate need of replacement or refurbishment. Signage on the entrance to the parking area would have helped, it took us a while to identify the property. promise of bathrobes for quests were not available.

lots of space with the rooms acoustically very good

only having a bath in the main bathroom

The property is beautiful - very tastefully renovated with lots of room. The master bedroom is gorgeous with an extra large king-sized bed and a very good shower In the bathroom. The kitchen was very well appointed with everything necessary. The location is great with an easy walk into the village of Alnwick which is charming and, as a bonus, it is just across the street from the wonderful, secondhand bookshop, Barter Books, where you can also have breakfast if you are feeling too lazy to cook.

I didn’t like being asked to verify my identity about 10 days before arrival. It seemed intrusive and felt as if the customer had no rights when they asked you to take photos at the beginning and end of your stay so any damage could be verified. I found that this was optional so I didn’t do it. However, on arrival, it made me feel that I might be accused of breaking things that were already damaged so I wasted time taking photos of existing damage and sending them to the booking agent. There was also an instruction sheet saying that the monogrammed bathrobes could be bought for 70 pounds a piece but there were none in the apartment. Apparently they had been removed so the instruction sheet should be updated. The double beds in the other rooms were on the small size - fine if you are used to that. Another separate toilet would have been great.

The apartment is beautiful- well equipped and in a great location.

It would be much better if the main bathroom had a shower.

Location perfect for what we were looking for to visit Alnwick castle and surrounding area.

We felt the apartment was lovely but could have been better with two showers with two sets for adults and a teenage.

Beautiful property, clean, bright, cosy and homely. The area is so quiet and a nice walking distance from the town. Lots of coffee and tea to choose from.

I would mention that the key pickup is where you park your car, it was a little confusing. The only shower access is in the bedoom ensuite. The main bathroom would be great with a shower when up to 8 guests can stay at the property. Hooks would be really great for coats, towels etc. As there are no blinds in the living space it is bright when sleeping in the mezzanine or watching TV. The mezzanine could do with a wall mirror as there was a lot of up and down the stairs so I could use one when getting ready. I hope this honest feedback is helpful