“We liked:
The view
The welcome pack
The spaciousness
We disliked:
Aggressive midnight calls from the owner
Being told the police had been called
A worry of a £10,000 fine from the fire brigade/officer
Being filmed by the resident in the flat below below
Having to climb over rubbish bags daily to use the key safe
Cigarette and cannabis smells drifting up from below
Noise from nearby pubs until the early hours
Some poor-quality fixtures and fittings
Experience:
One evening, due to the heat (top floor, lots of glass, no air con), we ate dinner on the balcony and used a small indoor/outdoor smokeless/odourless table-top light to create a candle-lit atmosphere.”
Candles were not allowed inside as per the rule book, but didn’t realise this also applied outside. We cleared everything away and went to bed as normal.
At midnight, we were woken by calls from an overseas number. When we answered, the owner was shouting about a “fire,” the fire officer, and the police. Half-asleep, we rushed to the balcony thinking there was an actual emergency, before realising he was referring to earlier in the evening.
We tried to explain, but he continued to accuse ...
Candles were not allowed inside as per the rule book, but didn’t realise this also applied outside. We cleared everything away and went to bed as normal.
At midnight, we were woken by calls from an overseas number. When we answered, the owner was shouting about a “fire,” the fire officer, and the police. Half-asleep, we rushed to the balcony thinking there was an actual emergency, before realising he was referring to earlier in the evening.
We tried to explain, but he continued to accuse us of lighting a firepit, said smoke had been seen and smelled (it hadn’t), and told us he had video footage from taken from below (which showed no smoke). He continued to say that this was a police and fire officer matter with a potential £10,000 fine.
We sent photos of what we had actually used, but message exchanges continued, suggesting that he hoped things ‘calmed down’ and that the police/fire officer didn't arrive at the property.
We would never intentionally breach property rules and can accept this was an unintentional error on our part, but the handling of this was very poor. The whole incident caused significant distress, particularly for our child, and we stayed awake until 5am half expecting the police to arrive - they never did. This completely overshadowed the rest of the holiday. We felt uncomfortable using the balcony, aware of being watched/filmed, and avoided spending time at the property to minimise any further confrontation.
Other points:
The key safe is located within a bin shed, which was overflowing with rubbish for the entire stay. We had to climb over piles of full bin bags to access it, in very hot weather with unpleasant odours.
If you are a light sleeper, this property is not ideal. Two neighbouring pubs generate loud music and shouting into the early hours- I have recordings from around 1am. Opening windows (necessary due to the heat) also allows cigarette and cannabis smoke from below to enter the flat. As mentioned, some fittings are poor (also have photos)
