The Famous Harry Potter House

The town is lovely, and the house has some fun communal spaces, but our stay with 13 people was disappointing and poor value for the price. Traffic on High Street made a lot of noise from early morning. The listing's “nine bedrooms” description was misleading: beds are spread around the house, some are only suitable for children, and most mattresses were extremely uncomfortable. Several of us ended up on sofas, or we bought an air mattress so someone could get a decent night's sleep. There are serious maintenance and safety problems. The upper staircase and children's “Harry Potter” area are unstable and need urgent repair; a child fell there, though thankfully wasn't hurt. The stairs to the games/cinema room are steep and unsafe, ceilings are low, there's a hole in the floor, and the equipment is very worn. The pool table, pizza ovens and BBQ were tired, with only two BBQ burners working. Only two showers worked, and just one was reliable. One en-suite had no privacy door or screen. The house is much more worn than the listing photos suggest. Kitchenware was tired and dirty, the lighting was poor, and we found ants on the worktops. The heating controls seemed to be just on or off, with no clear instructions. Staff came in through the rear without warning, affecting our privacy. Parking information was inaccurate and the local car park cost more than quoted. Even the toilet roll ran out quickly. The property needs better maintenance, clearer listing details, safer features and more comfortable bedrooms. We wouldn't stay again.