Arlington House

We had a really good stay and would still consider coming back, though there are quite a few things that could make the house more comfortable and accessible. The kitchen was well equipped, but a second measuring jug would have helped. The window is awkward to open because you have to reach across a large space, and most of the oven knob labels have worn off, so it was hard to tell what each one did. The placemats were practical but unpleasant, and slid around on the table. Some silicone ones like the coasters might work better. A few dining chair backs also popped out if you didn’t sit just right. The lounge sofas seat only five, which made relaxing together difficult. More comfortable seats, perhaps in place of the storage benches, would help. When everyone sat at the dining table, people at the far end couldn’t get out unless others moved, because of the two bits of wall sticking out. A few more coat hooks in that corner would be useful. The fridge and freezer doors didn’t seem to stay closed very well. There was a cracked, leaky gutter dripping beside the front door, and the space outside was very tight unless you had a small car. Three cars might fit if they were small, but there’s little room for anything bigger than a Fiat 500. We couldn’t get the lower ground floor heating or heated towel rails working, despite trying the thermostats on both lower and ground floors. The downstairs stayed cold all week, so the towels remained wet and things got musty. The bathroom downstairs is meant to be accessible, but there’s nowhere handy for shampoo unless you bend right down to the floor. At the entrance, there are a few steps and, if I remember right, a small metal lip. With the door half open, the only thing to hold is the post box. A rail would make getting in safer. The bedroom without an en-suite shares the main bathroom, which has a shower over the bath. We were all older and couldn’t lift our legs over the side to get in. Most bedrooms had en-suites, which was a real plus. There were no drawers, so we mostly lived out of our suitcases. The IKEA cubes provided didn’t sit flush against the wall because of the skirting boards, and things kept falling behind them. Some rooms had hanging space, but not enough for two people staying a while. One first floor bed had a broken slat that needs replacing, and some of the bedding could use an update, though nothing was awful. The games cupboard downstairs seemed more like a place for things guests had left behind than a proper selection of games. Board games would be good. We’d hoped to have a movie night, but the internet wasn’t strong enough to stream anything on Netflix on the large TV. That’s also the only room where more than five people can sit comfortably. The house was very clean, well stocked, and well located, and it worked well for us despite the things we had to work around. We hope to return. Even if some of these points haven’t been improved, we’d still like to come back sometime. Thank you.