High gables Apartment 1

Our stay at High Gables apartment 2 got off to a poor start. The day before we left, we received an email reminding us that bath towels weren’t supplied. I’d never come across that before. After I complained, the owner made an exception and provided one towel per bathroom. The heated towel rails didn’t work, so wet towels stayed wet. On arrival the hallway was filthy and the locks were difficult. The apartment was very cold, and for the first four days we couldn’t get the heating to work. The owner struggled with it too. The twin room was freezing, the beds felt damp and there was mould on the walls. The duvets barely covered the top of the mattresses. After a miserable night, we moved to the double room. It was a little warmer, but the mattress was very old and had broken springs. There were no bedside tables or lamps, so nowhere to put a clock or drink, and reading in bed wasn’t an option. The kitchen needed a proper clean, and the pots were so grimy we couldn’t use them. We were given one jay cloth, but no scourer or tea towel. There was no welcome pack, not even a teabag or pint of milk, so after a stressful six hour journey we had to go shopping. No complimentary toiletries or hairdryer either. I’ve been in the holiday accommodation business for many years and judge by my own standards. This place fell sadly short. The owner kept referring to her good reviews, almost as if we should deny what we could see for ourselves. I suspect those reviews may date from before she took over, because they certainly don’t fit the property now. I can’t recommend it.