Boughey's Barn

The booking was a mess from beginning to end. A week after we booked through Home Away, we got a call saying our property was already booked, so they moved us to another place on site. With so little notice, we agreed. Then Keith asked us, at the last minute, to switch from Saturday-to-Saturday to Friday-to-Friday. We rearranged work and car hire to fit his request. He promised a meal as an apology for the late notice and booking problems, but we later learned it covered only a main course. When Keith saw the receipt, he remarked that we’d chosen “the best on the menu”, even though two of our four had burgers. The meal still hasn’t been paid for. When we arrived, we were told the replacement property couldn’t take dogs, despite our booking clearly stating we had one and our search being specifically for dog-friendly accommodation. It made us feel awkward arriving with our dog. We ended up back in the original property that had supposedly been double booked. We enjoyed the stay itself, though we noticed a camera facing the hot tub, and using the pool table cost £1 per play. Afterward, Keith left a bad review claiming we’d left the place in a state. His messages were so badly worded they weren’t entirely understandable. We can say categorically that we left it as we found it, apart from sleeping in the beds and using the towels. I’m utterly disgusted by the whole experience and Keith’s treatment of us. He’s rude, doesn’t apologize for booking mistakes, and seems to be running what can only be considered a scam. I’d avoid booking at all costs.

The farmhouse was very nice and we had a brilliant time, but several things went wrong. The oven kept tripping the electrics, so we couldn’t cook breakfast. Keith did get a replacement oven installed as soon as possible. We also ran out of hot water. It didn’t seem like there was enough heated water for a family of eight, and we had to wait until it reheated the next morning. Keith was polite, but he’d double booked us and wanted to charge an extra £117 for his mistake. We eventually sorted that out. His advert says up to two dogs are allowed, but when our holiday came around he said dogs weren’t allowed because a child might lose its sight if a dog made a mess in the garden. He asked what kind of dog we had, then said it would be acceptable if we paid £25 per night for it. I’d like to think Keith was sensible and caring, but he fooled me. He lied about my family and waited until we’d left to accuse us of breaking COVID rules, to cover his own failings. Since he brought up Covid, his hot tub hadn’t been cleaned out either. Scum was visible around the edges, and his idea of cleaning was leaving 3/4 tablets to dissolve in the water. He wanted us to pay extra because of his mistake, lied to Airbnb about how many people stayed, and seemed to see a chance to make more money when we’re all struggling. He has trouble telling the truth. The farmhouse was lovely, but he doesn’t deserve your business.

The kitchen was nice, but the cottage we got was a four-bedroom one for eight, with a sofa bed in the lounge, even though we’d booked a five-bedroom cottage for ten. It wasn’t clean when we arrived and stank of dogs. About a third of the bulbs were broken or missing, and the en suite shower was over the toilet, so you had to dry the toilet after showering. There was no pool table or barbecue, despite both being advertised. The listing said wheelchair accessible, but every bedroom is upstairs and there’s no ground-floor level access. The owners, Keith Mayer and wife, were rude and very unhelpful. It’s also very hard to find because there are no signs. Maybe that’s because the owner keeps renaming the properties to dodge the bad reviews. Search the hay barn. Avoid it even if it’s the last cottage in the country. The owners are scammers, and very unpleasant. See the fake five-star review below, unless it’s been removed.

I never got to stay because Keith cancelled our booking. We’d been messaging back and forth, but after I paid the deposit it became hard to get hold of him. We arranged a visit, and when we turned up the next day he’d forgotten we were coming. I left really disappointed. I’d paid the balance six weeks before the booking date, as requested, only to get a cancellation message from Keith.