StayCotswold — Local services in Cotswold District

Stayed The Farmhouse, Aston Somerville, 4/8/2025

We were a bit concerned that a property that always seemed well booked only has 5 reviews on the Staycotswold site for 2025. When you try to review on their site you realise why. Reviews are by invite only and if they think you have had any issues then you don't make the invite list! My advice is don't believe review scores on their site while they continue to adopt this dishonest practice which keeps review scores misleadingly higher. Hence this review on google and trust-pilot (where they hope nobody notices!).

Upon arrival it appeared the cottage hadn't been cleaned as there were stains on the kitchen floor, food crumbs on the work surfaces and generally a bit dusty in most rooms. We checked with the owner who assured us it had been cleaned so we just accepted we had different ideas on cleanliness and gave it a clean ourselves. This was after we had purchased our own anti-bac wipes, jay cloths and washing up sponges. There was 1 jay cloth and 1 washing up sponge provided but they were disgusting and went in the bin. The untidy utility room has cupboards jammed with items but we couldn't find any of the above.

I appreciate that Staycotswold aren't responsible for the properties but they are marketing them and should be responsible for the pictures on their website which are obviously out of date.

Starting from the outside the pictures show a nice carport and parking for 4 or 5 cars. The carport has been boarded off and used to store what i assume is the owners junk which obviously limits parking to 2 or 3 cars. The window frames are in desperate need of refurbishment and the bolts on the main doors don't match up and can't be used. It will take you a while to work out the keys as the locks are fiddly.

The pictures also fail to show- A cluttered kitchen with hardly any space on the work surfaces, who needs 4 coffee machines especially as only 1 is usable with a couple of pods provided. The cupboards are full of items you won't need including food items obviously left by other guests, some of which are out of date. The garden is generally untidy with the bottom part being unusable and overgrown with nettles. The utility room is really untidy with items such as a hoover just stacked in the corner. Not sure of the point of the pool table with the ripped cloth stacked in the other corner. There isn't enough room to play and it's too heavy to carry anywhere else. The living room is OK but could do with a new TV stand to replace the one that is falling apart. The upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms appeared cleaner (barring the stain in the roll top bath left by the greasy head of a previous guest) but there are no dressing tables, TV's or drawers in the bedrooms. Just a wardrobe in the main bedrooms which is propped up with wooden blocks to combat the really uneven floors. There is also a tasteful elastic band holding up the shower head in the main en suite. Plus points include lovely views from the back terrace although take sun cream as there is no shade/umbrella. Also some nice touches with flowers, alcohol and a food hamper although only use the items in the hamper or you will have to send it back or pay £50 for another one LOL.

A mug got broken in the dishwasher so we were charged £18.50 to replace it! It will look a bit out of place next to most of the other chipped mugs. A bit of a sore point seeing as we spent more than this amount on cleaning items plus our first hour cleaning the kitchen.

Unfortunately disappointed on the whole with our 4 night stay, although not all bad, it wasn't good value for the price paid.

We have stayed in cottages in the Broadway area for several years but wouldn't book with Staycotswold again. Previously we have stayed in cottages run by hotels such as The Fish and the Broadway Hotel. They are immaculate and cleaned to hotel standards. These types of rental companies bind you to the owners standards so will not always suit.

An honest review but looking forward to the usual Staycotswold defensive reply denying all...

The little cottage is comfortable, peaceful and well equipped. There is plenty of hot water and the heating is very efficient. All the equipment (eg microwave, oven etc) are working.

However there are issues. I hate being negative and this is the first negative review I have ever left on Airbnb in over 10 years since we joined. I do appreciate that some of these things may seem nitpicky but at over £1200 for 6 nights (2 adults/one small short haired dog) I think it’s reasonable to expect the place to be clean which it is not: The carpet is very dirty and stained The bath has black and orange mould around the edges The bathroom door (the door from the loo/bathroom into the open plan kitchen/ sitting room / dining area) does not shut/cannot be shut The bathroom is shabby and grubby The shower door is dirty The bath around the taps, and the shower hose itself are very dirty The outside decking area around the table and chairs, where chicken wire has not been nailed on, is lethally slippery when wet and needs a power wash. There is outside seating for 2 (not 4 as currently stated in the details).

I have photos if the owner or “Stay Cotswold” wish to take issue with this review.

If the owners are short of time to clean their carpets may I suggest they buy some cheap washable rugs?

When I sent our arrival time through a few days prior as requested, I had a messsge from the owner to say she was away but that he parents were around.

On arrival however, we pressed the gate entry button and said we had arrived, to be told peremptorily to leave deliveries outside. The gate did open and we looked in the lock box for the key, where we were told it would be. No key. We went in search of assistance and found someone who told us she had no idea where the key or the gate fob were.

We tried the cottage door and found it unlocked and we did find the key / gate fob in the cottage.

Given that the owner was away and we were unable to find an adult to help, we did not see much point telling the person in charge, who we could not find anyway, that the cottage was dirty. After all, they were only looking after the little cottage, they were not responsible for how it was left.

No one at any point contacted us to see if we had settled in ok, and we did not see an adult on or around the premises during our stay.

For £200+ a night the state of the property and the “customer service” were abysmal. I’m sorry to say. Had the owner been around we would have discussed it but I’m not sure what could have been done about the filthy carpet anyway.  I think it needs a professional clean.

The walk from right next to the cottage, over the fields to Bourton on the Water is lovely. There are 6 stiles so not suitable for prams or heavy dogs that can’t be lifted over, and the Cotswolds are...

Surrounding area was lovely, however, there were a few downsides, unfortunately.

When initially making the reservation, I selected 2 adults and a dog and was quoted a price. However, after confirming the reservation and making payment, I received an email from StayCotswold, requesting another £40 for the dog. It was my belief that this was already included in the price, as I’d specified the dog straight away, however, they said this was not the case. This was resolved, after getting Airbnb involved, but just be aware when booking; it did put a bit of a downer on things straight away.

We then made the mistake of booking with them again, a couple of months later. Even after the first issues, we wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the ‘service’ was even worse this time. My partner and I wanted to book one last trip, before my treatment for stage 4 is stops however, Tina ENDERS too it upon herself to cancel our booking, without giving us prior warning, all because they believed we were still taking our dog. We had arranged for someone else to have, which they were notified of instead of, but they chose to distrust us and cancel anyway. This was deeply upsetting.

I think the attention to detail is lacking in some areas too and I believe this comes down to it being hosted by a company, rather than an individual. There were no shower toiletries, as you would usually expect when staying somewhere like that, the glasses and cutlery were dirty, the welcome folder was extremely out of date (there were leaflets in there, dating back to 2011) and the paddle boards were nowhere to be seen. They are only small things, but things that take very little effort and would go a long way. Even a little jar of dog treats would have been very welcome, and a nice gesture, however, our dog wasn’t catered for at all. The hosts did leave a bottle of wine, a pint of milk, a packet of biscuits and some crumpets for us humans though, which was greatly appreciated.

The veranda also looked nothing like the photo. We were expecting to spend our evenings sat out there, with a nice glass of wine; it looked so inviting in the picture but, in reality, there were just 2 old chairs out there. The neighbouring properties were also closer than expected, so not as private as we’d have hoped.

Also, if you’re planning on going on some walks (there is a lovely walk down to the river, which goes in a loop), make sure you have a decent pair of wellies, as the ground in some areas, including the Vespers private garden, is absolutely saturated.

Vespers was well located for supermarkets, if needed, there being an Aldi, Waitrose and Tesco nearby.

Overall, nice stay but a few areas for...