Devon Self Catering cottage, Garfield House, South Brent, sleeps 10

Little niggles need attention
Firstly, this is obviously a family home of some age and is stuffed with personal items and vintage furniture. The owner lives next door and is helpful.The bedrooms are all generously sized with one on the ground floor and three have en-suites. The remaining two share a bathroom. Downstairs all rooms lead off one another except for the bedroom. Upstairs two of the bedrooms are accessed by going through a third - not so good if everyone wants to have an entirely private bedroom. Our stay was enjoyable and good weather meant we spent a lot of time outdoors where we enjoyed the gardens and the views from some aspects. Indoors there is room for improvement. The fridge freezer was temperamental and occasionally cut out. The toilet seat in the shared bathroom needed fixing properly, the bathroom taps elsewhere weren?t fixed securely and sometimes did not work. Some form of manual, explaining the house, would have been helpful - we did not discover the separate toilet on the first floor until the day before our visit ended as it appeared the door was locked. Finally, the whole house needs a good dust and clean, particularly the kitchen area and the oven. You don't expect to have to clean out a kitchen cupboard before you feel safe to store food in it. Overall these niggles did not spoil our holiday but, as Garfield House is with an agency, we were surprised the issues had not been picked up by their staff. The location is quiet but, given the very narrow lanes leading to the village, you would think twice before walking down to the shops or pub, which means a car is essential for every trip. With a little more attention to detail this could be a 5 stair property so at present I would recommend it, but with reservations.
Tina D
2020-09-10