Chalet Saunton

We had a lovely long weekend in chalet 1. The living room looks right over the beach, and there’s a private path down to it. It’s well placed for visiting nearby towns and villages, and our dog had a great time too. The place is pet friendly, with a bed and bowl for him.

We’ve stayed in these beautiful apartments twice before, in 2020 and 2021, and this third visit will be our last. They’re laid out well and the location is fantastic, but the cleaning and upkeep have fallen well short. The earlier stays were just about good enough. I’d left constructive feedback with the owner and hoped it would be acted on, but this time things were much worse. There was debris on and beneath the sofas, crumbs in the kitchen cupboards, ketchup on the units, and stains on the dining chairs, rugs, throws and cushions. The bath plug in the main bedroom had a revolting smell. I poured bleach down it, but three days later the same smell was in the main bathroom. The whole apartment needs a proper scrub. I raised this with the owner the morning after we arrived. He sent another cleaner and said the first was new. She tidied some things, but I still had to clean the kitchen cupboards, oven and microwave myself or I couldn’t have used them during our stay. It’s depressing, because the apartment could be really lovely, but the cleaning and maintenance let it down. There were no basic conveniences supplied either, such as a dishcloth, washing-up liquid, dishwasher tablet or hand soap.

The rooms and outdoor areas were immaculate, and the view was beautiful. The beach is so close, and the location is perfect. A real treat.

We’ve just come back from five nights at Chalet Saunton, and it was extremely disappointing. The ensuite smelled of sewage the whole time. It was so strong that we couldn’t sleep even with the windows and door open, and it gave me a headache. We complained several times. The helper and plumber said it couldn’t be fixed during our stay because repairs would mean drilling holes in the wall. The owner knew about it but did nothing, not even calling or offering a partial refund. I emailed a few days ago and still haven’t had a reply, and the helper stopped responding too. We had young kids with us, and all five of us had to put up with the smell while paying £600 a night and sharing one toilet. In the end we bought cling film to wrap the toilet and used towels to seal the bathroom door. The floor was scratched and quite dated as well. We expected luxury accommodation, but this was worse than a 2-star hotel. The location and view are great, though without those I’d give it zero stars.