Castle Keep at Stanhope Castle

I arranged this property as a surprise for my friend’s special birthday, and it surpassed what we’d hoped for. It’s a stunning place, full of character, with thoughtful details that bring out the castle feel. The host was brilliant, quick to communicate and very accommodating, which helped make the birthday weekend memorable.

We wouldn’t have booked Cosy Cave if we’d known the courtyard and garden were shared, the garden wasn’t really enclosed, and the grass area was hard to reach. In the photos, what looked like a fence separating the third property seemed to have become a row of planters. There were no stairs or ramp up to the grass. Luckily, the other property sharing the courtyard was empty during our stay, so we could use some of that space. Cosy Cave looked welcoming on arrival and was generally clean, but the kettle was badly limescaled and there were a couple of small dried blood patches on the sheets. In the evening it got cold. I couldn’t find a heating controller, and turning the heaters from 0 to 5 didn’t warm the place. I emailed stanhope castle and someone came round quickly with the controller. It was hard to get a signal in Cosy Cave to turn the heat on or up. We found online that someone else had also had trouble with the heating, as the controller is kept in the property above Cosy Cave. We were fortunate nobody was staying upstairs. The TV room had a real damp problem. The dehumidifier beside it filled up after one night and needed emptying, otherwise it stopped running. When it was off, you could really feel the difference in your chest sitting in that room. Our clothes felt damp too, as we kept our suitcase in the passage through to the TV room. The heater in there barely warmed the room, even on 5. It could be a much more enjoyable space if the damp and heating were sorted, because the TV was great and the surround sound amazing. The bathroom was clean and really nice, with great shower pressure. We also liked the hot tub, though there were bits at the bottom and we couldn’t tell if they’d fallen in from the cover or if it hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly. The cover was a bit worn, which happens with use. We cleaned the cover and gazebo ourselves because they were covered in spider webs. The damp in the TV room made it feel unsafe to stay, so we left early. I asked Sykes for help and heard nothing for weeks. Update: Sykes told me today that the owner wasn’t willing to offer any financial compensation, including a partial refund.

The village has a great greengrocer, a lovely pub, and a little “garage sale” shop down the road. The ladies there were so nice, especially Beryl, who I could have talked with for ages. We were five on a family holiday and spent lots of time inside, but there was enough room for everyone to have their own space. The huge kitchen had everything we needed all week, and the beds were really comfortable. Amazing place to stay, and a lovely spot to meet new friends ❤️

The area is lovely, but the stay itself was deeply disappointing. The hot tub was filthy, with debris floating in the water, so we bought nets locally and tried to clear it. Its cover was rotting and mouldy, there was no chlorine tablet, and the canopy had cobwebs and dead bugs. There was also a camera directly above it, facing the tub. The barbecue was grimy, rusty, and full of water, held together by what looked like two bolts, so we didn't want to risk touching it and being fined. The kitchen had a warped frying pan, no scissors, and only a few pans all the same size. Three of the oven's five rings worked. Water or ice from the fridge dispenser could build up on the kitchen floor with nothing to stop it. There were cobwebs in nearly every bedroom. The shower in the sauna room had no light or extractor fan. Several pages had been torn from the guest book, so I guessed the owners didn't want negative reviews seen. Signs everywhere listed things you couldn't do and the consequences, and I felt like I was walking on eggshells the whole time.