Valerie - verified booking

"Braynesmead is a very quaint cottage but we can't recommend it for the following reasons 1. The beams are so low downstairs that only people less than 5'8" can walk under the beams safely.2. There is a very strong smell of soot which comes from the sooty chimney of the inglenook. It has apparently been capped but had it been swept before that? A visual inspection suggested not. Lighting candles in the grate only helped a little. Soot is not good for your health.3. We knew that the cottage was pet friendly but we did not expect it to smell so strongly of dog. Even the smell of soot didn't completely camouflage it. There was also another bad smell which might have been coming from behind the kitchen units. We didn't investigate.4. A lot of the kitchen equipment needed washing.5. The carpets were threadbare.6. The stairs are very steep and the treads narrow - difficult for people with shoes larger than size 5.7. We didn't in the end invite anyone to stay overnight with us because of the access to the second bedroom bed. There is no access from either side so only suitable for people young and agile enough to scramble into and out of bed via the bottom of it. We knew from the particulars that access was limited. Perhaps a single bed would be better?8. We understood there was parking for two cars and indeed there was but there was a car already parked on site when we arrived and it remained there without moving for the whole of our stay.We were not aware of your customer services and in any case we had too many appointments to make it practical for us to consider a change of location.On a positive note the cottage is very convenient for Gatwick airport and the surrounding road network.It would be helpful for guests to have a working torch with them on arrival. It was impossible to read the numbers on the key safe without one!"

Mr Marriott - verified booking

"The cottage was not as expected. On arrival the premises had obviously been neglected. On using the bathroom the toilet seat was loose, the shower handle was not secure and both the bath and sink had leeks in the U bends. In the kitchen was a fitted refrigerator which was not working correctly and failed to keep the food fresh. There was a further refrigerator in the hall, but this was also very poor. There was no information in respect of either the property or places to visit and there was little communication from the owner. On speaking with the owner when we left the property a day early, we became aware that the property had in fact been sold the previous day so it was obvious that this was the reason that the property had been allowed to get into the state we found it as they appeared to have lost interest as they were expecting to leave the premises and were not interested in keeping it in good repair. A very disappointing holiday!"

Mr Marriott - verified booking

"On arrival the premises had obviously been neglected. On using the bathroom the toilet seat was loose, the shower handle was not secure and both the bath and sink had leeks in the U bends. In the kitchen was a fitted refrigerator which was not working correctly and failed to keep the food fresh. There was a further refrigerator in the hall, but this was also very poor. There was no information in respect of either the property or places to visit and there was little communication from the owner. On speaking with the owner when we left the property a day early, we became aware that the property had in fact been sold the previous day so it was obvious that this was the reason that the property had been allowed to get into the state we found it as they appeared to have lost interest as they were expecting to leave the premises and were not interested in keeping it in good repair. A very disappointing holiday!"

Su - verified booking

"A delightful cottage - it was a privilege to stay in such an historic, charming cottage and in a lovely village also. Will definitely visit again. The only think that let the cottage down (and its a small thing, relatively speaking) was the shower cubical. It seems the tiles had been stuck over an uneven brick wall and they are coming off (looked very amateurish) and the cubical has developed mold in various places - the cubical was unappealing and did not match the standard in the cottage elsewhere. A previous holiday let had also commented on this in the visitors book but it would seem it has not been addressed. Another very minor thing is that the oven could do with a bit of a clean. Other than that, all great."

Wendy - verified booking

"Comfortable cottage right in the middle of the village with post office and shop opposite. Perfect location when I was on my own. The cottage is very old and has lots of character and thank goodness for the hand rails and night lights on the stairs when going down to the bathroom during the night! Took a few minutes to work out that you had to switch on the mains for the TV before any of the remotes would work but once I got that, it was easy. Great to have the driveway for parking as parking in the village is not easy. Am looking forward to my next visit in April"