Sarah - verified booking

"Pine Lodge may well be suitable for dog owners, but if doggy smells aren't your thing then I wouldn't recommend booking the Lodge. The dog smell in the living area was very strong, and the sofa in particular smelt so strongly of dog that we were unable to use it as we found that the smell transferred to our clothes.Some of the windows have no blind or curtain. This includes the shower room window and the kitchen window. Our kitchen window looked out onto the shower room window of the next door Lodge and when the occupants used the room with light on it left very little to the imagination! I would recommend careful thought about how the shower room is used after dark.Apart from that - the Lodge is starting to look a bit tired, and the contents are very much in a "used" condition. For example, the chopping boards are ingrained with dirt, one of the mugs supplied was chipped, and the shower head is partially blocked with limescale. The fittings are also showing signs of a long life - the kitchen flooring is discoloured through use and there were at least two stains (dog wee?) on the carpets.Having said that, the Lodge had been cleaned well and the bedroom, bed, sheets, etc were all clean and fresh. We found the bed to be very comfortable. The site is just off a main road but is very quiet.If you like interaction with the owners - this Lodge would disappoint. The only interaction we had was via text message, although written instructions were provided about where to find the owners if needed. Unlike other cottages we have stayed in, there was no welcome hamper.Leaflets about the locality are in the coffee table drawer - but don't expect them to be up-to-date. Most of them are more than a year old.Well located for travelling into York and further afield."

L - verified booking

"disappointing to say the least, the lodge has a guest book for your comments clearly this is just a PR exercise and achieves nothing for the next guests comfort as none of the comments were acted on.Once we had arrived it soon became clear that there was little privacy to the lodge at all, the shower room has no blind this means that the window directly above the toilet and at such a level that it leaves nothing to the imagination, my wife looked in horror as the lady in the next lodge was taking a shower once again nothing was left to the imagination as there were no blind to that shower window either, this just left you to think that none of the lodges has shower room blind to the window.The kitchen window above the sink once again there was no blind up to the window this looked across to the entrance door of the neighboring lodge, this is where the wife was at when she saw the lady taking a shower, this comment about privacy was mentioned in more than one entry in the guest comments book, clearly no one is bothered as nothing has been done, whilst still on the subject of the shower room it would have been a nice touch to have supplied a shower cap for the ladies.I suppose the question would be would I stay here again the answer straight away would be NO I would not stay again, however, if the comments were addressed then I would probably say that yes I would stay again.the request to share your best photo of you enjoying the lodge, unfortunately, we do not any due to the comments above we cant say that we enjoyed it.None of our comments has any reflection on the staff who we found to be very pleasant warm and friendly, she was the reason that we stayed had she had been any different we would have left.A very disappointed guest."

Andrea - verified booking

"Firstly I would say that the "cottage" was clean and tidy, however our initial and lasting impression was that it was incredibly small and dark. In effect it was not a cottage but a room with a mezzinine floor. The only direct light and ventilation into the lower level was from the front door and if that was open we could hear every word from the neighbour. It's description as a one bedroom property is inaccurate, the bed is on a mezzinine. Open plan is also stretching the point as it is basically a studio, with the daytime facilities cramped into an approximately 13 x 13 foot square space. The only window that could be opened was behind the bed, as the one above the front day was too far from the mezzinine bannister to reach. The view from the door was of a six foot fence and the owners property beyond. The description states "These properties are are situated in 10½ acres of unspoilt natural grounds on the edge of Dartmoor" but there were no instructions about how to access it. There was not even information on where the local supermarket was. The photos on the web site gave the impression of light and space, we felt so claustrophobic that we had to leave after two nights/one day of our one week holiday. The only communication from the owner/staff was when we were leaving despite my trying to make contact during our very short stay. If what you want is just a base from which to explore this may be the place for you but we wanted to relax within the "cottage" surrounds as well and this was not possible."

Sam P - verified booking

""What a fantastic venue Blackdown Manor is. Prior to the event I was worried about how smoothly my 30th birthday would go with 24 people attending. It couldn't have gone better with the help from The Big House Co and especially Claire making the whole weekend run like clock work. The clay pigeon shooting was fantastic as everyone enjoyed the experience. It didn't matter if you were a total novice or if you were a descendant of a famous Western shooter - everyone learnt something from the instructors. The house is perfect for hosting a party (80's party in this case), as the kitchen and living rooms are all in close proximity with plenty of space for everyone to mingle. Even the likes of "you cannot be serious" John, "Funhouse" Pat and Del Boy made it to the party at Blackdown Manor. The kitchen had all the amenities needed and was the main gathering room in the house, whilst the dining room being large enough to fit 24 people, was also cosy enough to give a real homely feel. If this wasn't enough all the bedrooms were nice and spacious, and the beds were super comfy, with plenty of bathrooms. The Merry Harriers is just down the road and offers some real Somerset ales and great food (also make sure you leave enough for desert - the menu is huge) Altogether this house was a real treat and this can be confirmed by the fact that all 24 people that came for the weekend had a great time, I can now see why people go there to get married. Thanks again Blackdown Manor."

Lynne - verified booking

"the waiting rooms is a fabulous place to stay, especially if you have 2 dogs. we had a working guide dog and a retired guide dog with us and they loved the huge garden to play in. we loved the garden too as it was very secure and the location is very peaceful. the cottage itself is lovely and just the right size for 2 people with 2 dogs. very clean and looks quite new. our only grumble, if there was any at all, was the lack of cupboard space in the kitchen for our grocery shopping, but this wasn't insurmountable and didn't detract from our enjoyment of the cottage. the owners live next door in the station house and they are a lovely friendly couple. our youngest guide dog was fascinated by their young labarador pups. we didn't use the pub or the shop in the village so can't comment on those. Cawston is about 16 miles or so from the coast and not much further to Norwich so easy to venture out. we had a ride on the steam train from Sheringham to Holt and were lucky enough to meet a lovely old chap who had been a steam train driver and had actually driven his train through Cawston station when it was still working. he told us quite a few tales about it. all in all we will be back if we get the chance as it was perfect for the dogs. thank you."