74, Orchard Park

Less than a day in and it's already been a bad stay. The bed was broken and on the floor when we arrived, and check-in didn’t work. We’d paid for early check-in, but that failed too and turned into a right faff. There’s no body soap and only one partly used loo roll for a week’s stay. A hole in one of the doors, a green, limescale-covered table outside, and no batteries in the fire remote. It’s also bloody roasting. Maintenance was supposed to fix the bed, but no one showed for half an hour. When they did arrive, the grass outside our door was being cut painfully slowly on check-in day. Why not do that on a Sunday, when most people are leaving? The hot tub’s cold because they hadn’t switched it on, so we can’t use it today either.

The lodge was spotless and everything in it worked as it should. We noticed there were no steps for getting into the hot tub, but reception sent some over within minutes. I found the tub a bit awkward to get in and out of, though my partner loved it and used it every day, rain and all. We had a relaxing seven days at Orchard Park, the smaller sister site of Devon hills. Our spot was in a quiet part of Devon hills, not far from The Blagdon inn, where we had a really tasty Sunday lunch. There’s also a pool on site, though we never got around to using it. The bus stop just outside the park made it easy to explore the area. It felt like a great home from home. 😊

The beds were tiny, and the curtains almost touched the pillows, which kept us awake. We paid for luxury, but I couldn’t see what made the place luxurious. Apart from one lovely lady, the staff were rude. They wouldn’t let anyone check out later than 9am, then were rude when we tried to report a fault. They also tried to keep the deposit for no reason.

The Blagdon Inn is very handy, though it can get a bit noisy late at night. We stayed in winter, when the site was quiet, and the pool and spa were closed because of fire damage in the building. It’s a convenient base for exploring the coast and surrounding area.