Steele Cottage

The lukewarm hospitality makes you regret staying here, and the setting doesn't help, with a jail or detention center surrounded by razor wire right beside it. In the morning, a yipping dog came in and left a fresh, stinking turd in the room. Breakfast is still up for debate. I wouldn't recommend this place.

My room was okay and mostly as described, but the bathroom was very basic. The extractor fan was caked with years of dirt, something a quick hoover could fix. The house may look nice in the photos, but it's old and wooden with no sound insulation. Every footstep makes it creak, and you can hear everything other guests say. Two people staying below me talked past 11 pm, and one person's phone kept going off while I was trying to sleep. It was noisy and infuriating, and I can't imagine how much worse it would be with the two rooms next door occupied. I paid a reasonably good price, but the stay was nothing like what I was promised or expected. The advertised extras didn't happen either. There was no wine or cheese on arrival. Instead, I was met with a foul-mouthed woman arguing with a debt collector over a $40 debt. Stray dogs roam the nearby streets, which didn't feel safe. The promised three-course breakfast wasn't there: I showed up at the scheduled time, knocked, rang the Ringo doorbell, and got no answer or follow-up. There was no tour of Duff Green Mansion either, nobody answered the door, my emails were ignored, and I had no contact at all. Book somewhere else. You can read the history boards outside and leave it at that.

We had a nice night at Steele Cottage and would stay again. Our room was the only one without an ensuite bathroom, though, so it meant going out into the hall. It would have been helpful to have disposable cups and some water in the room, since there wasn't a cup in the bathroom either. The breakfast sign was useful, and we enjoyed the short walk to Duff Green Mansion, though that's a separate review. For self check-in, a note by the outdoor lockbox with host contact details would help if the check-in text or email doesn't arrive in time. A small notebook with basic B&B information would also be welcome.

The interior is lovely, and the staff are friendly and very accommodating. Breakfast and the tour at Duff Green were amazing. I do wish there were a more welcoming outdoor spot to sit and relax, and Mrs. Steele's room could use blinds in the bathroom.