Juniper Lodge

I don't often leave bad reviews for independent B&Bs, but this stay was very disappointing. The room I got wasn't the type I'd booked: it was listed as a double, but had two singles pushed together with an uncomfortable gap between them. There were several problems in the room. A drain smelled bad, the TV lost its signal for most of our stay, the blind was broken and stuck open, and the ground-floor window was damaged and could be opened from outside, which felt like a real security issue. I reported everything on the first morning and was told someone would get back to me. Nobody did. No one checked the room, offered another one, or gave us an update. Staff were barely around, and we only saw someone a couple of times during the whole stay. The place had a strange feel because it was so often empty. There's meant to be a bar and kitchen on site, but they might as well not be there when nobody's available to serve guests or help with problems. I understand maintenance issues can happen, but leaving guests without a response after they report them isn't acceptable. With the room in that condition and such poor service, we didn't enjoy the stay and didn't feel it was good value.

On arrival, the entrance road through the grounds looked dramatic, but things went downhill at the main building. First there was the old, boarded-up Otterburn Hall, with the Coach House opposite. It was raining hard, and having to call a number to get someone to let me in meant a long wait and a poor first impression. Once inside, I was shown to a room with a keypad code. It was okay and had fresh sheets, but never seemed to get warm. I was there for work, and an evening meal was supposed to be provided. The host, Amma, said the bar wasn't open on Mondays or Tuesdays. That was very disappointing, as the remote location meant driving back to otterburn to find food. Breakfast was a reasonably decent English one, but nobody told us what we could choose, such as sausage or beans. I only stayed for one night, which I'm thankful for. Sorry, but I wouldn't come back.

The rooms were clean and nice, and the place was easy to find on the map. But our room had two single beds instead of a double, which was a bit uncomfortable. Breakfast was available, though there was no dinner and the pub wasn't open.

We had a lovely stay, and the breakfast was 10/10. The room was good value with breakfast included, but the shower was so small I couldn't move around in it. Nothing near the Coach House was open at that time of year, so we had to go into town.