Devon Self Catering cottage, 5 Prospect House, Hallsands, sleeps 4

How much can you charge for a view?
Location first. The view from the apartment is undoubtedly spectacular ? a full 180 degrees from Dartmouth on one side, across Start Bay to Start Point Lighthouse on the other. Prospect House was originally built in 1923 as a hotel. The history of the hotel, its owners and of the village of Hallsands, which fell into the sea in 1917 is worth reading; it can be found easily via Google. The Coastal Path runs outside the front of the building, allowing ready access to Hallsands beach c. 400 metres away (fairly quiet, shingle and quite steeply shelving; good for paddle boards and kayaks). Some 1km further along the path to the north is the village of Beesands, offering a pub and an excellent fish and chip shop as well as a larger shingle beach. Roughly 2km miles from Prospect House in the opposite direction is the lighthouse. We do plan to return to the area - an utterly beautiful location. As for the apartment, it has a lot going for it. It is quite compact, with three main rooms plus a bathroom. There are two fairly small bedrooms, one en-suite, and the living area incorporating kitchen, dining area and sitting area. Total floor area is stated to be 538 sq. ft. It is generally well appointed and the owners have clearly taken notice of some previous, negative reviews. A new carpet had been laid immediately before we arrived and a new microwave and built-in washing machine had been installed. However, we felt that the decoration of the apartment remains tired, especially in the kitchen area. Sadly, the new washing machine had not been set up properly and the vibration from the unbalanced drum made it unusable. Also, the kitchen unit door to go in front of it had not been fitted. The skirting board at the base of the unit had been prised off to install the machine and not refitted. I gather that these points are being addressed. Leaving aside the issues above, in terms of value for money (especially at high-season prices), we are unconvinced. Obviously, the location is unique and there may therefore be a captive audience for whom location and view trump cost. We are not among them. For top dollar, we expect nothing less than a pristine property. In our opinion, that remains a work in progress here.
Stephen N
2020-09-13