We booked this lodge for a week instead of our regular trip abroad so we could holiday with our dog this year.
After looking at cottages and other lodges we chose Arlington Lodge at Kentisbury Grange. After looking at the reviews we thought that following previous customers saying about the lodge requiring some TLC it would have been rectified, how wrong we were.
On arrival we collected our keys from reception and headed to the lodge. Before entering straight away there was a smell from the dog waste bin that hadn’t been emptied for some time (okay minor issue). After that the problems really started, the composite decking felt very bouncy and unsafe, on entering the lodge it did not look as if it had been cleaned very well, kitchen surfaces were dirty and cobwebs visible all over the curtains and blinds. I phoned reception, and they sent somebody down straight away to start cleaning. Whilst we were putting some stuff away we noticed how dirty the cutlery and crockery was, so the went straight into the dishwasher (that was not fitted correctly). On opening some of the cupboards that were a mismatch we noticed the veneer coming off. Wallpaper was peeling off the walls in every room (would have been an easy fix) and the bi-fold door in the lounge was broken so that couldn’t be opened, the sofas and cushions had seen better days. All in all the lodge was tired, and needed a refurb.
Hot tub was nice, but I don’t think anybody came to look at it whilst we were there.
We booked it through Luxury Coastal so I emailed them to report these issues, and fair play they were very good, as were Kentisbury Grange in offering a partial refund, and a voucher from Luxury Coastal. We were also told that they were not booking this lodge until the decking had been sorted.
We ended up leaving a day earlier than we should have because it just didn’t feel clean. It would have been nice for a hoover to be in the lodge especially as it’s dog friendly, a broom, dust pan and brush is not enough.
It’s just a real shame as the setting is lovely (our dog fell in love with the ducks on the pond) and the food in the restaurant very nice.