“We had a very enjoyable time during our week at the Lodge and appreciated being able to contact the owners if and when necessary.”
The welcome wine among other gifts were more than welcome after our journey of over 1,000 km.
The lodge is situated in the peaceful countryside of Belper and is accessed by a public footpath/track about 600m long. We had no problem driving up. Visibility is good and there are a few passing points. The key is to drive slowly.
The description on the Sykes site is accurate. Unfortunately, the damage done by tenants in 2024 (review by Hasan) are apparent, such as a cracked window, torn wallpaper, ripped flooring and broken blinds (not possible to close the blinds in the dining area at night which made you feel exposed at nightfall).
Cleanliness - We found the lodge to be in general very clean, especially the bathrooms, bedrooms, dining and living area. However, all windows were grimy, the oven was greasy, and we found a drawer of greasy cooking trays in the kitchen. The freezer was in desperate need of defrosting; it was almost impossible to open the draws. Such details are such a pity since it really let the side down.
Upon arrival we had problems opening the key box. The release button didn’t work, but we eventually managed to gently prise it open using a fingernail. I must admit we were very tired after our long journey!
The lodge is comfortable, especially since we were only two people. Although the Lodge sleeps 7, the dining table only seats 6 and the settee only 4 (5 at a squash) plus a chair. The television is rather small, but the availability of Netflix included was a bonus. There are far too many cheap ornaments cluttering the place which makes it look tacky.
The kitchen is well-equipped. The big fridge was greatly appreciated. The good-quality kitchen knives were very blunt, so we had to purchase a knife steel to sharpen them to use them safely. The washing machine / dryer and oven were of good quality but not easy to use at a glance. A user pamphlet for the washing machine / dryer would have been helpful instead of having to search the internet.
We only used the on-suite bedroom. There is a dressing room between the kitchen leading to this bedroom which is useful. However, there is no hanging space for clothes, despite the space and it needs renovating. The bed in the main bedroom was comfortable, but a second bedside table and lamp is lacking. There is a large hanging rail next to the bed, which would have better if it had a curtain or sliding doors.
The on-suite shower room was very small and lacked heating. There was nowhere to hang towels or bathrobes. We found the evacuation of the spacious shower partially blocked and were worried that water would overflow onto the floor. The main bathroom did have hanging hooks for a couple of towels and bathrobes but also had no heating. The water pressure throughout the Lodge is very strong, you have to be careful otherwise water sprays everywhere. The towels and toiletries, as well as the bathrobes and slippers were of good quality and greatly appreciated.
We enjoyed the outside area very much, however, there is only a small table with a very unstable bench and two rickety armchairs outside so impossible to eat outside. The spa was appreciated; however, we saw no one to come and service it (as mentioned in the welcome book), and the sharp pebble surround made it painful when getting in and out. We had the impression that the spa lacked water since the water was barely above the water spouts and we could see a “tide mark” at a higher level. We didn’t have any additional towels for outside so used some from one of the other bedrooms. There are two dilapidated sun loungers which we didn’t dare use, and the bare breeze block wall surround was very unattractive to say the least. The view though the windowless gaps in the breeze block wall was very nice.
All in all, the lodge was comfortable but more attention to detail needs to be paid, especially when compared to the rental properties next door.