Dunsley Chapel

The living space was excellent, and when we arrived the house looked lovely. But the cleanliness let it down. There were dead flowers inside, weeds and rubbish left by previous guests in the front garden. The company said they’d send someone to clear it, but nobody came. The downstairs bedroom wardrobe was packed with storage items and a vacuum, so there was nowhere to hang clothes. We also had no sweeping brush or dustpan. The ground-floor twin room smelled of cat urine, which we reported, and we had to spray it every day. It’s a lovely home, but for the price we paid I wouldn’t recommend it. We’re back home now and still haven’t heard from the agent.

We had a great time, and the WiFi worked just fine for us. The rental company was efficient and supportive. The accommodation is spacious, very well appointed and has great facilities for a large family or a couple of smaller ones. There are plenty of walks and a sea view, with rural surroundings, a small village shop and Whitby or Sandsend only a few minutes away by car. For a supermarket and pharmacy, there’s a Costcutter and a pharmacy in the Parade before Whitby, which has plenty of regular shops and facilities too. Try the White Hart, and definitely avoid the Beach Hotel.

We booked this as a special getaway for my mother-in-law and were excited because the property looked stunning. It is beautiful and in a peaceful location, but the cleanliness and the service from Host and Stay really let the stay down. The place clearly hadn’t been vacuumed. There were dead insects in the bedroom, cobwebs, hair and crumbs on the sofa, and dried mud in the shared areas. After a three-hour drive I went to make tea, only to find the kettle heavily scaled and unusable. There were cigarette ends on the outside windowsill, a discarded mop head by the entrance gate and balloon ends inside, which our dog found. The main room felt colder because of the size of the property, so we tried the log fire, but the three logs in the outside shed were wet. I reported all this to Host and Stay. They said someone would get back to me but couldn’t say when. I ended up cleaning the property myself and buying a new kettle and blankets. After 24 hours there was still no update. When I contacted them again, they said they were waiting for housekeeping to respond and didn’t know where the extra logs were, as those were managed by the owner. The service was terrible. On day three I contacted them again, and they offered to arrange a housekeeping visit for the day before checkout. It’s such a shame the property was in this state and the issue was handled so poorly. After the stay I made a formal complaint and asked for one night’s cost, £278, to be refunded. They refused and offered only £120.

The only thing I’d criticise is the WiFi. It wasn’t very good, and connecting was difficult. Otherwise, we loved the place and might try to return later in the year. It’s a nice, quiet little village, just a ten-minute drive from Whitby. We were all impressed by the property’s very good standards, modern features and nice decor. Everyone was pleased with what was there, inside and out.