Host Stay The Old Dairy

The property itself was clean, tasteful and to a very good standard. It’s The Old Dairy, Masham, accessed from the south, while The Dairy is upstairs and entered from the north. You drive through wooden gates into a private courtyard, where parking is good. Google Maps was a little misleading about the location. There’s a well-stocked kitchen, though a casserole dish would be useful. The conventional oven worked well, with its power switch on the corridor wall, and the cooker hood came in handy after we underestimated the grill. The small fridge was good. Behind a door there’s also a microwave and a small freezer, which was nice to find, though it was iced up and needed defrosting. There are plenty of mirrors and USB-A ports, but I didn’t spot a USB-C port. The living area was good, with games and local information, and the TV screen was good too, though I’d like the GBNews app installed. The bedroom had good lighting and enough room for luggage. The bathroom was fine, but there’s no nightlight. If you get up in the night, you might want a torch before hitting the bright light switch. The toilet sometimes needed a second flush, with some solid stuff seeming to fall back down the chimney. The outside door lock was my biggest gripe. It was very problematic, and every day we could spend several minutes trying to lock it from inside or out. My wife had the better touch, though I managed it sometimes. My strong complaint is with Host & Stay, the chain handling the property. Very near our stay, they messaged to say that, whether or not any accidental damage happened, we had to either deposit £200 and get £10 back as an “Admin charge,” or pay £25 and get nothing back. In my opinion, Host & Stay should carry annual accidental insurance rather than make this a mandatory extra on top of the agreed rental. Is it hidden in their T&C’s? Are they simply being dishonest? It made me want to give a one-star rating. My spouse and I arrived without complying while waiting for booking.com to decide, but they didn’t. We did accidentally break something, told the owner and offered to pay. In the Christmas spirit, he just said, “Forget it; accidents happen”. My complaint is only and strongly with Host & Stay, and I’m less likely to knowingly book any property they oversee.