“We love staying here – this review is intended to encourage improvements, not simply to be negative.”
This is our second stay at The Old Beach Store, and there is so much to like. The location is superb, with the beach, the Old Success and the Beach Bar all on the doorstep. Overall, the facilities are great – a comfortable bed, a well-presented kitchen and bathroom, the stunning bifold doors and, of course, that incredible view.
However, we do feel the view is masking some fairly basic maintenance and housekeeping issues that really should be addressed if guests are paying premium prices to ...
This is our second stay at The Old Beach Store, and there is so much to like. The location is superb, with the beach, the Old Success and the Beach Bar all on the doorstep. Overall, the facilities are great – a comfortable bed, a well-presented kitchen and bathroom, the stunning bifold doors and, of course, that incredible view.
However, we do feel the view is masking some fairly basic maintenance and housekeeping issues that really should be addressed if guests are paying premium prices to stay here.
Firstly, the outdoor patio. On this visit we were disappointed by the amount of dog hair stuck to the walls, trapped between the glass panels and under the ledge. I actually took a brush to it myself just to stop it blowing into our drinks. This clearly hadn’t built up over just a week or two.
The patio furniture also feels rather tired. It’s very weathered, fairly basic and not particularly comfortable if you’re spending any length of time sitting outside enjoying one of the property’s biggest selling points. Even a couple of comfortable reclining or gravity chairs would make a huge difference without taking up much storage space.
The lounge cushions (most of which have removable covers) also felt and smelled as though they hadn’t been washed for quite some time, with a noticeable smell of sweat and suntan lotion.
The underside of the toilet seat was heavily stained yellow. I even bought some bleach to try to clean it, but it made no difference, suggesting it needs replacing rather than cleaning. Likewise, the black staining beneath the toilet rim was obvious without looking for it. I’m certainly not a ‘Four in a Bed’ type of guest who goes searching for faults, but these things were difficult to ignore.
There are three internal doors, and both the bathroom and lounge doors don’t latch shut properly. The bathroom can at least be secured by locking it, but the lounge door also catches badly on the floor. The first time you open it, it suddenly sticks, and because you’re naturally walking forward as you open the door, it’s very easy to lurch into it. I actually remembered this happening last year too, so unfortunately it hasn’t been addressed.
The bifold doors are a fantastic feature, but they really need some attention. The runners appear to need lubricating because they require a surprising amount of effort to open. The Old Boat House Stores even sells WD-40 for a couple of pounds! I could have bought some and sorted it myself, but after already finding myself doing a bit of cleaning, I decided to leave it. As a result, we probably didn’t open the doors nearly as often as we otherwise would have.
Finally, the pricing. Last year we booked our 2026 stay while we were still here because July was almost fully booked. This year, however, the price for next year has increased by around 28%, yet as of 3 August 2026 almost all of June, July and August 2027 remains available. I suspect the significant price increase, coupled with some of the maintenance issues above, may be having an impact. That’s a real shame because we enjoy staying here and love supporting the local businesses, especially the Old Boat House Stores.
Despite everything above, we genuinely enjoyed our second stay. We simply wish these issues hadn’t taken a little of the shine off what is otherwise a wonderful place to stay. We hope the owner takes this feedback in the constructive spirit it’s is intended, because with a little more attention to detail this property could be exceptional. We would love to be able to justify returning again.
