Forest Holidays Deerpark — Hotel in Great Britain

Went for a windy half term 2022 as a couple. Stayed in 3 bedroom Golden Oak number 12 overlooking the water. Accommodation was fantastic much better than expected after reading other reviews. Clean plenty of space and good amount of seating. Towels provided (2 large ones each) 2 robes in the onsuite bedroom other guests will have to provide their own. The kitchen had everything you would need for self catering, plenty of crockery and cutlery, fridge freezer, kettle and toaster, the only thing missing was a second baking tray. As only two of us staying it wasn't an issue but as the accommodation is for 6 I'm not sure you would get everything on one tray for each meal. They provide washing up liquid, bin bag, dishwasher tablets (2) cloths and tea towels so no need to take your own. This is much more than other self catering accommodation I have been to. The location is great for East to Mid Cornwall visit's, other than walks in the surrounding woods and a very small children's park there is nothing else on site, however that's the reason we came for the quiet and seclusion. Despite it being half term it was very quiet with no sounds of children and relaxing in the warm hot tub with the light rain falling around us was a twice daily event. Log fire had kindling but you need to bring your own logs or buy from the small shop on site but very easy to light and gave off a really good amount of heat. There is also temperature controlled electric radiators in all rooms so very warm cabin and great for drying towels and bikini on bathroom radiators. Beds were really comfortable with plenty of pillows. Negatives....(reason I've removed one star) WiFi you can buy a better package as TV is very basic, however, we mirrored Netflix from our phone, this works on the standard WiFi but can need a couple of buffer moments. However, for the price of the holiday as better WiFi is available I really believe it should be their standard not an extra. If you need WiFi to entertain children etc the standard wouldn't be enough. We stayed in No 12 but the hot tub is right under the main bedroom window and turns itself on (ticks over) throughout the night so if you are a light sleeper don't use this bedroom. Had it been moved to the other side of the decking it wouldn't be a problem as no bedroom there. They could also do with a couple of towel hooks next to hot tub as we kept having to drape ours over the wooden balcony. Exterior light from No 11 killed all hope of seeing the stars from the decking. You are in the middle of forrest and the stars are amazing as very little ambient light but as 12 was set back from the water the external light above the door of 11 shines over all the front of no 12 all night so all blinds had to be closed as it comes straight into the onsuite bedroom. No laying in bed looking over the trees at night. If you need total darkness don't use this cabin. A cover over the top of the light would prevent this issue but still allow light onto the door, steps for the occupier. However these are on niggling issues and didn't detract from an amazing relaxing holiday. If you want seclusion, quiet, woodland walks with the modern conveniences of fitted kitchen, onsuite and the warmest most amazing hot tub then I'd...

We've been to this specific deerpark 4 times in the last 10 years and we've witnessed this place go downhill. We used to love coming here with the dogs; we'd each get our own robes and slippers for the hot tubs, we could watch the TV freely at our pleasure and there was even a rubber duck race in the river that everyone could participate in, cost about £1 for a duck. Now everything you have to pay for: pay for better WiFi, movies to watch, extra robes for everyone, bikes to hire (£18 for adult bikes!), activities to entertain you when you don't want to drive somewhere, and no duck race, it's only done in childrens holidays as that's where the profits lie.

Now we are never going to return. We had a silver cabin to sleep 6 near to the reception; this one was the worst we've seen. The living room layout was ridiculous, with the sofa blocking half the doorway to get outside, so we had to push it away. They gave us a mini fridge for a cabin of 6 people! Last year there was three of us and they gave us a full sized fridge and freezer - make sense of that! The sliding door to the balcony was so heavy to close, not good for mother with arthritis! Also the lock was broken, so we had to slide it and pull it hard towards us to shut it, which didn’t feel secure. On our second day there, we had to get maintenance to fix the door lock, the shower upstairs wasn't working and the hot tub had stopped working also. They were late getting our cabin ready even though we got there for 4 o'clock. This was a big birthday celebration for my mother and wanted everything to go perfectly, so all these little things really spoilt the trip.

The only blessing was the staff, they were brilliant. The bar staff were so lovely and friendly, bringing drinks over to your table. When my mother complained about the hot tub and shower breaking, they were very attentive, writing everything down and getting the maintenance people to fix it 30 minutes later. Everything was fixed in about 15 minutes and he was very polite and efficient. They checked up more regularly on our hot tub to make sure everything kept running smoothly and we had no more problems with it.

Despite this, we will not be returning to the Deerpark holidays, might try a different park in future but definitely going to leave it for a long time, really sad to see a place with fond...

Unfair pricing policy and not customer friendly: I was always a big fan of Forest Holidays having been many times. However, their pricing policy has knocked my confidence in their service. I was advised last year by the customer services team that I would get the best price if I booked my next holiday within one month of my last stay to get a 10% discount. I did this as it made sense. I found out this week that the identical cabin next to the one I have booked, for the same week is £300 cheaper 5 months before the holiday than the one I booked 11 months before - that’s £600 cheaper (20%) if you booked without a discount. I phoned up customer services who initially said there was nothing they could do. I responded by saying that I would vent my frustration on social media for which I was told by Sheila the agent that she would not be bullied by me. She then did throw in some additional towels and take off the cost of the entertainment package which I think she did because she felt she had overstepped the mark. I left a few polite, quite witty but not very complimentary posts on their Facebook site. I have had my comments removed and I have been blocked from commenting further. Of course this is their choice but it does appear that Forest Holidays are rather defensive about their pricing policy and clearly do not want people either giving it attention or challenging it or being critical of them on their Facebook site. Maybe that is why the comments tend to be positive - they just delete the negative ones?! I did ask to cancel my holiday for a refund but I was told that I would only get a £1,000 back from the £3,000 charged. I am taking my family on the holiday in August but the service and cabin better be top-notch. I have turned a blind eye to cabins that have not been cleaned well or items of clothing that have been stolen in the past but not this next time and they have already lost someone who was a loyal...