Blacksmiths Cottage, Bosham is a spacious, well equipped house in a great location.
However, the last time we stayed there in 2019 we had serious concerns about many cleanliness issues which we conveyed at the time and for which the company apologised. We had hoped that these issues would be in the past, especially in the current Covid situation but unfortunately we discovered that they persist.
On arrival the entrance to the house is dirty and unkempt, with cobwebs everywhere, two ancient milk bottles on the step covered in bird poo, and a post box crammed with yellowing leaflets. Incidentally the access instructions say the key box is by the side door – it is actually beside the front door.
In the kitchen the inside of the oven door was covered in food splashes. The microwave was also really smelly and dirty inside. The hob splashback had many grease spots all over it. We had to clean all these before use.
The widows in the dining area are badly in need of cleaning inside and out; when the sun was out it was difficult to see through them!
Upstairs the first thing we saw in the master bedroom was a badly crumpled and torn vallance which was too small for the bed. There was no bedsheet, but the vallance was being used as the sheet. On stripping the bed at the end of our stay we were horrified to find the mattress topper was stained and had no mattress protector, also two of our pillows and two of the pillows in the other bedroom we were using had no pillow protectors – surely this should be a very important hygiene precaution.
The toilet surface under the seat hinges was stained with, presumably, urine.
In the front bedroom we found a used cotton bud on the floor next to the chest of drawers.
The access arrangements said the gardener would call once a week. We saw no evidence of this and the garden, which is potentially a lovely feature of the property, was badly overgrown and weedy.
Being told that we could not access the property until 4pm because of ‘deep cleaning’ reassured us beforehand but I’m afraid that the standard of cleaning falls far below our expectations and I believe those of most normal people. Doesn’t anyone from the company inspect holiday properties from time to time? It is a great shame that what could be a really nice holiday property is let down by these issues, and in the current situation cleanliness is more important than ever so it is very concerning when even basic standards aren’t met.