Carmel House

The property has lovely décor, a comfortable bed and beautiful views, especially at night. It looked clean and well presented at first glance, had the basic amenities, and included a sufficient breakfast. It also has a great location and could offer a really good stay. Getting in was frustrating. Communication was slow, emails got no answer, and the contact numbers weren't picked up. We were left waiting outside because the access details hadn't been sent in advance. One number went to a voicemail from a young child that lasted around two minutes and said they were “probably busy.” That felt unusual and unprofessional. We only got inside because another guest happened to be leaving. Looking back, that was concerning since it could have been anyone. I found it quite off-putting, and if I had been alone, it would have affected my sense of comfort and security. The cleanliness, communication and host presence all need to improve to meet expectations.

Once we turned on the heating, the clean room warmed up quickly. But the bed was broken and sloped toward the middle, the most uncomfortable one we've ever slept in. We had an awful night's sleep and woke with bad backs. We were told this was self check-in and that the entry code would arrive at 3pm on the day. By 4pm, nothing had come through. I tried contacting them and got no response. When we arrived at 7pm, the door was open, but we still didn't know which room was ours. They eventually answered the Ring doorbell and told us. The self-service breakfast was meant to run from 08:30 to 09:30, with cereal, toast, croissants, fruit and yogurt. We went down at 09:00 and found only a couple of cereal boxes and some yogurts, so we went to a cafe instead. We tried to discuss the stay with Carmel and also contacted them through Booking.com, but neither got back to us. We'll never stay here again.

The staff were very helpful, and the rooms were clean, tidy and well equipped. Great place, and the gluten-free breakfast options were fantastic.

My friend and I stayed one night, on Saturday 14th of September. Self check-in went smoothly. Rooms 1 & 4 were spotless, with lovely big comfortable beds and nice duvets, and we enjoyed the continental breakfast. As we were leaving, my friend realized she'd left her lights on all night and had a flat battery. Jess went out of her way to help, calling her sister to come over with jump leads. They were both so kind and helpful. Jess is a credit to carmel house, a very pleasant person who really made the effort. I'd definitely recommend carmel house.