“Lovely house and helpful owner, let down by local parking and neighborhood friction
We have just returned from a stay at The Mackerel.”
The house itself was excellent—no issues whatsoever with cleanliness, comfort, or the facilities provided. The owner was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and very easy to contact when needed.
We did experience a few issues during our stay. There was a problem with one of the locks on the back door, which meant we couldn’t open it to get air flowing through the house during the hot weather. While the owner kindly resolved this, it was unfortunately only sorted the day before we left. The ...
The house itself was excellent—no issues whatsoever with cleanliness, comfort, or the facilities provided. The owner was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and very easy to contact when needed.
We did experience a few issues during our stay. There was a problem with one of the locks on the back door, which meant we couldn’t open it to get air flowing through the house during the hot weather. While the owner kindly resolved this, it was unfortunately only sorted the day before we left. The owner very thoughtfully offered compensation for the inconvenience, which we unfortunately couldn’t accept due to pre-existing plans. Furthermore, the upper-level garden was rather overgrown, so we felt we couldn't really make use of it during our stay.
The main drawbacks for us regarded the immediate location. Getting on and off the driveway was often a real challenge when cars were parked on the road directly opposite. There also seems to be a lot of tension on the street; we frequently witnessed arguments between residents and other visitors over parking and blocked access. The neighbors were particularly stand-offish and unwelcoming despite our best attempts to be friendly.
While we loved the house itself, the stressful parking situation and the unwelcoming atmosphere from the local residents would unfortunately deter us from staying here again. However the house is a credit to the owner in terms of comfort, cleanliness and facilities.
Thank you for a comprehensive review Jayne.
I have carefully noted your points regarding the parking and your wider experience of apparent tension.
Having now spent a week at the property [immediately following your visit] installing a new patio, I feel better able to accurately respond.
I do accept it can be tight getting on and off the drive, guests can park on the road opposite, but this is obviously a "first come - first served" situation.
The majority of our guests accept that a property with parking in Charlestown is a bonus.
During my week at the property I have honestly not witnessed any of the tension you describe. I am aware that when Charlestown is busy, cars can be parked at the entrance to the development, despite the signage.
As far as the neighbors are concerned, I think you simply encountered busy people, not unwelcoming.
I am sorry you encountered the security bolt issue, you informed us during the fourth day of your stay and we did have someone at the house on the morning of the fifth day, but he could not gain access and was rightly reluctant to use his key without your permission.
I totally accept your comments regarding the upper garden, we tend to tackle the garden on change-over days to reduce the disturbance to guests once they are settled in.
It has been frustratingly wet on consecutive change-over days, hence the untidy lawn.
I have remedied this while being here and the whole garden has had a re-fresh.
Property Owner
