Brookside

The smell of damp was strong, and the place felt like a dated, neglected old motel. We paid £1400 for two weeks, but found mould on the walls, bedroom ceiling stains, dirt and dust throughout, and marks on the carpets and woodwork. Windows were wet with condensation, and the garden was overgrown. It needs a full refurbishment or accurate, current photos. There was no useful information about the property or heating, just owners’ letters scattered around. We felt so uncomfortable that staying there seemed worse than leaving. Parking was ridiculous, and the area felt more like restrictive housing than a holiday let, with rules about where to park, walking on grass, noise and keeping close to the wall. We booked through Sykes. They looked at the photos with us and agreed it wasn’t suitable, especially because my wife has asthma. After getting no reply from the owner, they offered a refund. It was 5:30 pm, at short notice and in the middle of nowhere, but leaving was still a better choice than staying in that awful house. I saw the five-star review saying there were no issues, even though the reviewer’s own photos show ceiling stains. Maybe get your eyes checked.