Buttercup

A cosy cottage in a good location. We had a lovely Easter weekend at The Bitten, and since our last visit there’s a new kitchen and bathroom. Thank you.

The location is great, but the property is far below an acceptable standard for what we paid and badly needs modernising. The upstairs bedroom and bathroom may be dangerous to reach, as the stairs are nearly vertical with very narrow steps. The towels and bedding are very old, the kitchen looks handmade and about 20 years old, and the place was tired and dirty in spots. Outside, there was grime and filthy decking, with wiring everywhere. The power went off twice while I was showering. There were stained cups and old tea towels too.

Our holiday got off to a terrible start when the owner messed up the booking and a family was in the cottage when we arrived. It took more than half an hour of calling different numbers to reach her, and she wasn’t helpful once we did. We got into the cottage the next day and found used towels, bedding with dribble stains, unwashed toothbrush holders, and an uncleaned top floor and stairs. The stairgate was unsafe, and the outside door stuck and was hard to open. The outdoor area was badly maintained. The owner advertises this as a four-star Visit England assessed property, but Visit England confirmed it isn’t. There were other problems too, which the owner wouldn’t acknowledge. Her only response was that we should have raised them during our stay, as the terms and conditions require. The poor cleaning and other issues weren’t urgent, such as a broken cooker, and we certainly didn’t want anyone else entering the property because of covid. Based on my experience with the owner, I’d advise against booking this cottage or any of her other properties.

It’s a lovely cottage in a lovely area. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with mobility problems, though. The main bedroom’s en suite is up very small, steep stairs, and the only other toilet is through the twin bedroom.