“Firstly, I sent text messages 48-72 hours beforehand as per instruction to confirm with the owners where/how to collect keys, and also for us to confirm check-in / check-out times as there was some confusion with the information given.”
As in one booking confirmation email received it stated that check-in was at 12pm and checkout at 9am, and then in another email it said that check-in was at 3pm and checkout at 10am. I text both numbers and didn't get a response back at all. In the end we just planned to get there for the later check-in time of 3pm. Luckily I text again on our check-in day and did get a response - we were told we'd be met there when informing them of our arrival time, but when we did arrive we didn't see anyone and wasn't greeted. We ended up finding the keys under the doormat and just let ourselves in in the end.
During the evening of day 1 we noticed the lodge getting very hot inside. We tried all sorts to turn off the heating, using the Nest heating dial to turn everything off. Only later on in the night did we find that each room had its own control panel on a wall in that room that controlled its underfloor heating, with some rooms set as high as 26oC (it was a lovely sunny day so no heating was needed).
If you stay in the bedroom with the on-suite, expect a very disturbed sleep. During the night the Jacuzzi turns itself on for an hour ever so often, presumably to do a filter cycle, and as the bed's headboard in that room is back to back with the jacuzzi outside you get kept awake by the sound of the jets and buzzing and water gushing around. This was a major annoyance for us, didn't make the mornings enjoyable being sleep-deprived, and simply put... made us look forward to going home to our own quiet bed.
And then there's some minor things that we wouldn't normally complain about, but considering the other stuff... there was a dishwasher but no dishwasher tablets, kitchen sink but no washing up liquid, and there were no spare binbags or extra toilet rolls.
If the above was rectified then it would be a 5-star, 10 out of 10, but sadly it was a disappointing experience overall, with very disturbed sleep - the opposite of what you want when you go away on holiday!
There's multiple reviews mentioning the issues with the radiators / underfloor heating, so why not simply pin up a small poster with a guide, or leave a leaflet with the information so guests know right away how to turn it all on/off. And more importantly, the Jacuzzi's auto-cycle needs to be programmed to not come on during night time.
Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate you taking the time to pass on your comments regarding Kipling Lodge.
We have been successful lodge owners with Sykes as our booking agent for many years and receive excellent reviews and scores from Customers.
Sykes would like to apologise for the incorrect check in time on your confirmation. We had provided Sykes with the correct times however they were sent out incorrectly. This is being investigated but we can only apologise for the confusion. We as owners are always on hand to receive calls and emails from customers about their stay. We aren’t always onsite but are always contactable. We are looking into your comments regarding this.
On changeover, we do check the thermostats in the lodge. The high temperature occurred as this was missed as a previous customer had turned up the gauge and this was missed. We do apologise however this can be turned down.
We appreciate the comments regarding the hot tub. We have never had negative comments about this before however we have to follow strict health and safety guidelines from the manufacturers to ensure the amenity is safe. The filtration is minimised however this depends on how often the hot tub has been used during the day and how late a customer finishes using it.
All of our lodges are self catering. Sykes do provide a suggested list of items to take with you as owners don’t provide everything for your stay. We will speak to the cleaners but dishwasher tablets are provided under the sink as is washing up liquid. We don’t supply spare bin bags or toilet rolls and this is standard with most other property owners
Once again, thank you for your feedback. We hope to welcome you back again in the future.
Property Owner
