Wendy - verified booking

"Not luxury. Really disappointed with the lodge expected much better for the money paid, basic maintenance needs completing plus misleading description. See below for fair pros and cons:Pros:* Nice location* Use of hotel facilities * Reasonably clean* Good size garden* Cons:* Limited hot water (had to use kettle to top up baths for children)* Disgusting kettle full of limescale* Toulet flush broken* Poor design of kitchen door and fridge* Telephone doesn’t work* Hidden welcome pack / guide* Washing machine outside meaning having to leave children alone to wash clothes, go out in freezing temperature to do washing and go in and out to check if the cycle had finished! It should be clearly stated it isn’t in the house!* Missing Basic kitchen utensils, grater, potato masher etc * Poor service* came back one day to find 3 men in the property servicing the boiler, they had put our dog in the kitchen. These things should be done in between guests and if not only with consent* Dogs not allowed in living room!* Requested cot, travel cot and Highchair as are stated as available. None in property when arrived, called to request. One travel cot and Highchair arrived. Explained we requested a cot too- another travel cot arrived which was left in the hall. Called back and asked them to put in a bedroom as I couldn’t move the beds and do it. When they came was told there wasn’t room in the bedrooms for it! I explained I wasn’t having my 2 year old sleeping in a hallway! And suggested they either moved a bed out or rearranged the furniture to make it fit!Although it is a lovely area your money is better spent on a different property."

Elizabeth - verified booking

"We had a lovely stay at the Lions Retreat at the October half term. The house is spacious, comfortable and well-located with an enormous garden bordered by a stream. The stream was only shallow when we visited and hazardous only with very young children.The owners were very pleasant and helpful.However there were a few things about the property that could be improved to make the stay even better.The dishwasher is actually a pub-style glass washer and required constant filling and unpacking as it held only a few items at a time. There were no instructions when we got there, but Mike kindly came up to the house having printed some out.There were a few items of equipment that would have been very useful. As a family group with 4 children we ate in most evenings but it would have been great to have a potato peeler and a large tea-pot. Also a small sharp knife.We struggled to get any heat in the upstairs rooms despite turning up the thermostat . Fortunately it wasn't too cold and we managed without. Downstairs was heated by underfloor heating which was very responsive and comfortable.The quality of the fittings and furnishings was good, plenty of towels and comfortable beds. The jacuzzi was excellent and easy to use. The laundry room contained an extra fridge and freezer . the fridge was really useful to accommodate our overflow of milk etc.All in all a very pleasant stay but it could have been much beter with just a few little improvements."

Sarah - verified booking

"We had a lovely time with our 4 children aged 4-18. We love the area and have previously stayed at Balmer Lawn Hotel when we've had the odd break as a couple. This time we wanted somewhere we could relax as a family which is why we booked the lodge. Downsides - no storage for clothes in the room with two single beds which we were unaware of when we booked, a big pile of horse poo left in the front garden when we arrived (the gate was shut so whoever had done housekeeping would have seen it before they left) and the stopper behind the master bedroom door was broken. Only small things but we paid a premium for the luxury of the lodge. We were even told by the neighbour to put the bins out! Whilst it's nice to have use of the beautiful hotel leisure facilities during our stay, we felt there were some aspects of basic maintenance that the hotel could have catered for. I don't think we'd book the lodge again but we had a lovely time enjoying the surrounding area and exploring new places we hadn't visited before."

Melanie - verified booking

"Very private grounds. Enjoyed hot tub and games room. TV adequate size and quality. Liked the large dining table as well. We had 8 in our party.When we arrived we all got stuck in to cleaning up, a bit dusty, lacked attention to detail in the cleanliness ( I have been to worse!) kitchen utensils, plates/pans all washed before use. Not sure why you need to have an industrial dishwasher that you have to watch and drain yourself- we didn't bother using it. The cooker took some getting used to as well. The upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms were particularly difficult to negotiate with steep eaves- you had to bend over to use the sink and I'm only 5'2. The shower door would stick and wobble. One of the showers wouldn't work properly. I was disappointed with the cleanliness and some of the equipment however the space was excellent, indoor and outdoor."

Sian - verified booking

"We loved our holiday here. The location and facilities in the hotel were brilliant. The lodge itself is very clean and functional, based on the limited number of bathrooms / toilets I think a mid week clean would have been appreciated. The kitchen is spotless. A couple of things to consider would be giving the garden and outside space a bit of a tarting up as it’s looking slightly tired, a dog crate already at the lodge would be welcomed too. Some chicken wire along the bottom of the gate onto the main road would be a good idea as our dog managed to get through the gao and onto the main road However, none of this affected our stay in any great way, it was an amazing holiday and loved the fact that we could use the side gate and get straight into the outdoor pool."