Flanders Fields Cottage Beveren

The stairs are really noisy, and rainy days left us struggling to find things for toddlers to do. The cottage itself was nice and roomy, and clean, with free WiFi that had good speeds.

Apart from the disconcerting sprays going off in the kitchen and living room every few minutes to kill flies, it was a very clean place.

We read a bad review a week before arriving, but unfortunately it was too late to cancel. Trying to communicate with the owner got us very little. We also tried to speak with him during our stay, but apart from a brief visit from his mother to clean, nothing came of it. He ignored our follow-up email, and we never received the compensation we were promised. It was a disaster. The smell hit us as soon as we arrived. It was overpowering, and seemed to us like a mix of bleach, vomit and mold. Ants and flies were all over the place, and along with the mosquitoes, they drove us out of the house. There is a nice terrace, but the table was rotten with nails sticking out, the parasol was broken, and the children's swing set was falling apart. Be warned, staying here might give you a fear of germs. If you still decide to book after reading this, here's a fun activity: race to find five things in the house that aren't broken. Hours of fun guaranteed!

We only made it through one night of our three night stay before getting in the car and going home. There really wasn't anything positive I could think of, which is a shame. The house felt very dirty and outdated, and nothing about it made us want to stay. This is just our honest opinion, nothing personal toward the owners. The kitchen looks ready for demolition, and the bathrooms are old and have no ventilation. There was mold and a musty smell in the house, plus dead flies everywhere when we arrived. The living room sofas smelled terrible. There are no fly screens, so flies ate us alive. The back door has broken glass with PVC sheeting up against it. We all slept badly. There's no air conditioning, and the beds were poor and outdated. Even the included sheets and towels stank. The small garden overlooks other people's gardens, and the patio is worn out. The parasol is so old and clumsy that it's hard to open. Everything is completely worn out. I could go on and on. :-( We suspect the roof is covered in asbestos shingles. Renovating this place seems out of the question. It would be best to demolish it and build a new house. :-(