“Difficult review to write without sounding unfair to the owners, which isn't our aim.”
The property is spotlessly clean and well-equipped, including a very useful Nespresso machine (a lifesaver when the local coffee shops close early afternoon) and would suit many people, as per the positive reviews, unfortunately it just didn't suit us. Both house and garden were much smaller than anticipated from the photos on the website. A number of changes have been made since the photos were published.
We found it difficult to relax as there are so many ornaments and pictures everywhere and whilst our two greyhounds are well behaved they are big dogs and one wag of a tail could easily knock things over. We had to move some ornaments high up. There wasn't much room in the kitchen for feeding two big dogs and we struggled to find a place to store their food out of reach. It rained on and off all week so the dogs were continually leaving muddy paw prints coming in from the garden. We didn't find a mop, which would have been useful. One fence in the garden is quite low.
The sofa is very uncomfortable and I got sciatica, something I've never suffered from before and don't want again.
The bungalow is set in a very quiet location, tucked away on a housing estate. We have holidayed in Norfolk for many years and know Hunstanton well. Had we known before booking exactly where Waddling Ducks is located we wouldn't have chosen it but that is the chance you take.
Thank you for your review, we value guests taking time to share feedback with us. Pleased you found it clean and well equipped.
You’re right, there have been a number of changes to the bungalow since the photographs were listed on the website, including a new combi boiler, more efficient electric fire, a fully refurbished bathroom, new table & chairs in the kitchen, & new blinds. The photos were approved by Sykes; it’s the first time we’ve had negative comments about room size. Apologies too that you found the sofa to be so uncomfortable. There is another sofa in a completely different style, and two easy chairs. You’ve mentioned about a lack of storage at a higher level for your dogs’ food; we purposely leave a top cupboard empty for storage in addition to a large cupboard next to the fridge. Re the height of the garden wall/fence; this is approximately 6ft save for one panel at the side which is approx 4ft. There are photos of the garden on the Sykes website. You’ve suggested having a mop handy; we will certainly take this on board (our cleaning team steam mop every changeover but I agree it would be useful for guests to have access to one, particularly when managing muddy paws!). Your comments about there being too many pictures and ornaments is noted; we’ve made every effort to make it homely and modern. This is one aspect that has not changed since the original photos. The most puzzling comment pertained to the location, which you quite rightly point out is in a quiet part of Hunstanton, and not to your liking. This does add to the negativity of your review and is odd as you say you know the area well so could have researched the location before confirming your booking - the website does allow you to pinpoint where we are, which means you don’t have to leave it to chance as you describe.
Thank you again for taking the time to leave your comments.
Property Owner
