Golden Cross Park

I loved staying here at the start of the year. I've just booked another visit for this weekend and am thinking about coming back in January too. Everything was amazing and clean, and the hot tubs were brilliant.

The staff ignored me when I got in touch about a problem, which made an already disappointing stay even more frustrating. I also noticed that after I'd looked at particular dates, the price seemed to rise about an hour later. It looked as if the lodge used technology to track interest and then push up the cost, so I'd book straight away if I were considering it. For what I paid, I expected a lodge in better shape. There were holes in the walls, marks across the shower and scratches on the walls, and the place felt poorly maintained. Other reviews make it seem like some of the other lodges have upkeep problems too. The comfort and condition weren't what I'd expected for the price, and the poor service and pricing that seemed questionable made it hard to justify.

We were staying for three nights while our car was being worked on at EST Performance down the road. The lodge was lovely, very clean and modern, with all the cooking equipment and facilities we needed. They even let us check out late for free. The one drawback was the decking. With an open field and other lodges nearby, fencing it off would help. We struggled to let our dog out without a lead. Thanks for a lovely stay.

The hot tub was a good size, but we couldn't adjust the temperature. We tried it once, found it far too hot, and didn't use it again. It also smelled strongly of chemicals or pool cleaner. There are no facilities on site, so plan to keep busy or do nothing. We couldn't find anyone to complain to and never saw a staff member. At the start, we waited outside reception for 15 minutes, knocking without an answer, then found our own lodge with the door open. Inside, the floor was unstable and so squeaky it felt a little like being seasick as I walked through. My one year old got her toe caught in a broken floorboard. My in-laws were in the lodge behind us, and we nearly fell several times on a loose paving slab on the front steps. The dishwasher was useful until it leaked water everywhere and nearly flooded the place. The bed was noisy and uncomfortable. When I dropped something under it, I found dusty rose petals, a vape and what looked like a lifetime's worth of dust. It clearly hadn't been cleaned thoroughly. There were Skittles on the children's bedroom floor, and, more shockingly, toenail clippings. This was a very stressful 'holiday', and we won't be repeating it.