We were six adults and two kids who stayed over the (Canadian) long weekend from May 17 to May 20. Generally speaking, the house and the property are great.
There are a few easily rectifiable issues that could make it much better though:
1. When we arrived there was a large mound of dog pooh in the fireplace room. We have pictures. I have to imagine that this was somehow just a freak accident (i.e. a dog accidentally got in when someone came by?) but it was not an auspicious start.
2. There is no Wi-Fi. The description is incorrect. I would consider Wi-Fi a bare minimum for a vacation rental property – particularly a rural one with poor cell coverage. If it does not have Wi-Fi then that should be in bold letters when booking. It would also just be very easy to get it so that guests can stream music.
3. There were two issues with the kitchen:
First, the fridge was half full of very old groceries. There was a Worcestershire sauce bottle that had literally expired in 2008. There were multiple bottles and containers that expired more than 3 years ago. We had filled half of the garbage bin throwing things out from the fridge before we even began unloading our groceries. The freezer is even worse but we did not need any space in it.
Second, and notwithstanding the kitchen is relatively large, all of the cupboards, drawers, and the pantry were jammed full of old plates, cups, and platters. The kitchen counters are also half covered in various decorations. The result was that we had to stack our groceries (cereal, bread, chips, etc.) on top of each other on the counters.
Both of the kitchen issues can be easily solved: Make sure that the fridge is empty every time a guest leaves and clear out two or three cupboards so that arriving guests (who inevitably have brought groceries with them since it is a rural property) have space to store them.
That said, it is still an excellent place. The grounds are stunning, the house is enormous, the bedrooms are spacious, and the fireplace room is a great place to spend the evening.