Devon Self Catering cottage, Alston Hall, Battisborough Cross, sleeps 38

DO NOT BOOK? HORRIBLE. There are much better places?
My family booked this property I understand for the region of £8000 for the week. Reviews said it was a little ?tired. I would suggest that any bad reviews have been hidden. Tired is an understatement. For 30 people Kitchen One small range cooker, the hobs didn?t work to standard. An amazing array of baking trays that were too big for the oven One dishwasher as one was broken. One normal family sized sink A charity shop mix of glasses/crockery/ cutlery. Dining room- Chipped ugly furniture Mix of chairs Dirty windows Broken skirting/scotia Generally unpleasant It looked like everything had been sourced from a charity shop and we needed washing before use. Main lounge we didn?t go into?.Who puts a cream carpet in a family let house? Any money spent was rather ostentatiously spent here on a room that could seat maybe 8, presumably for the promotional pictures. Top floor showers didn?t work due to low pressure Bedrooms- Holes in the carpets Stains on the carpets Carpets in the bathroom ???? Windows that either wouldn?t close or wouldn?t open. Windows actually screwed shut. Dirty windows Holes in the window frame Large room with two stained wall lights so the room was dark and dim. Cheap curtain rail that had not been fixed properly so it came apart when used and the curtain fell off. Every morning! Dubious cheap cushions that were immediately discarded as looked unsavoury. Broken unusable ugly furniture masquerading as bedside cupboards though the door was broken. Cobwebs Broken toilet Ridiculous shower height 2/3 foot that didn?t work anyway Switch for non existent heated towel rail Tv so small couldn?t see it from the bed. Asked to strip beds on leaving, revealed stained bedding?. YUK!!!(possible blood/urine) Reports from other family members of the same, Windows unable to be touched as looked as though they were ready to fall out of the frame. Daylight seen through the frames. Faulty lighting EVERYWHERE Ripped wallpaper Peeling wallpaper Stained walls/ceilings Terrible messy repainting in areas Chipped paint In some bedrooms a lack of clothes space Chipboard tables used as bedside tables ??? When on holiday you expect the accommodation to be at least to the standard of your own home if not more. This house is not equipped to host more that 15 people but is charging huge sums pretending that it is able to cope with more. I have NEVER stayed in such a dump. The location beautiful. Gardens beautiful, as long as you didn?t venture into the house. Horrible Horrible Horrible. Do not be fooled by the photos, they in no way reflect the house as it really is.
Navigator532676
2022-07-19

Family get together
Alston Hall is a fantastic venue for large gatherings. However there are serious health and safety issues that need addressing urgently. The steps for the outdoor pool were coming away from the mounting, a problem that was also reported in 2020. The pool was so cloudy you couldn't see if someone was swimming under water. The indoor pool was secured from inside the house, and could only be accessed by a coded keybox which was a great safety feature. Unfortunately any child or vulnerable person exploring the outside could gain entry to the indoor pool via a back door. Inside the house there had been some work but overall Alston Hall is in desperate need of major works. Photos show an example of some of the bathrooms.
ritapI1210SY
2021-08-01

Needs urgent attention
We had an amazing family holiday, the location was beautiful and we definitely made the most of it. Alston hall is a stunning property with so much potential, it is sad to see that it has clearly been left to deteriorate and for the price you pay to stay youd think they have enough revenue to do essential maintenance and repairs. Having children there were a few safety concerns, access to the indoor pool is through the house and is locked, only those with a code can apparently access it, however as we found out it can also be accessed from the outside via an unlocked door with no way of guests locking it. The outdoor pool turned cloudy which was reported, however they were waiting our departure to fix the issue, we hadn't realised until the kids dove under water and we couldn't see them. The windows inside were.a concern especially the 1st and 2nd floor, some were nailed shut/unable to open, some did have child locks, however some opened wide open and onto the roof, most window frames were rotten and literally had gaps between the wood and glass where the wood had rotted away. There was black mould and damp in some of the bedrooms including backs of the kitchen cupboards. The grounds were poorly maintained, the tennis courts weren't safe to use fully and had overgrown brambles all around so when the balls were lost there was no way of retrieving. Internet was terrible, unless sat in the hallway or one of the lounges, no chance of wifi anywhere else in the house which could be updated. The house had not been cleaned adequately, thick dust on top of head boards, baths not fully clean (not to mention carpeted bathrooms and showers that were mounted waist height) Trays in kitchen were rusty, and kitchen in general was not cleaned to a good standard, needs a serious gutting and deep clean. As a family we did make a list of areas that really needed attention, Heres hoping they make the improvements and bring Alston hall back to life.
SarahPickering1983
2021-08-01

Needs urgent care
This is a great house on the surface and on all the photos that you get to see ! However this place is very very tired and mouldy and rotten . The bathrooms were very poor mould round the bath round the tiles on the ceiling ,wall paper falling off in nearly every room . The windows in my bedroom were rotten and left gaps all the way round .Infact I have never seen such bad windows except in a derelict building . This also applied to the doors in the indoor pool which were completely rotten and nailed shut , is that even legal for fire safety . So we couldn?t open them and enjoy the area by the pool .which spoilt it for the non swimmers , The outdoor pool wasn?t brilliant full of debris and the ladder that you climb up to get out nearly fell off . The TVs were rubbish and wouldn?t work of the remote ,no WiFi upstairs and hardly any downstairs .also when sat in main hallway at night out flys a bat . . .. the space is good specially if you have kids and they are oblivious of all the stuff that needs doing . But for the money that this cost for a week ?7,800 it's not up to standard and I was disappointed and having stayed in other big houses around the country I would not come back here or recommend it .
Jaynemck
2020-08-09

Absolutely fabulous ?Event? property
ALSTON HALL 9/10/2018 We were looking for a large property with sufficient bathrooms to accommodate our extended family and one dog who were all travelling from different parts of the country to Devon. Alston Hall fitted the criteria perfectly. We arrived at the property and were welcomed and were shown around by the absolutely charming property manager named Rosie, both she and the property exceeded our expectations and although I must admit that the kitchen was more than adequate it could do with a re-vamp but I must say the beds were really comfortable and the property was lovely and warm. Absolutely everything expected was provided with the exception of hairdryers, a small thing when you consider the enormity of the accommodation. The size, comfort, charm, facilities, warmth and character as well as location of Alston Hall takes your breath away. Needless to say we had a fabulous family break and none of us would hesitate for a minute to hire or recommend it again for any large gathering from family to corporate events....it truly is magnificent. Seeing is believing, a brilliant property!!!!!!
Madeline G
2018-10-10