“When we arrived in the chalet we were all overwhelmed with a fusty/ mould smell that even my sons commented on.”
The property pictures were very deceiving as the property was much smaller than expected with dated furniture & decor.
Mainly our biggest disappointment was the cleanliness of the chalet. It hadn’t been cleaned properly after the last guests as there were visible hand marks on several of the windows, dusty surfaces, the bath & sink were still visibly dirty and the floor was filthy & stained. The bedding did not smell clean at all so much so that I had to strip all bedding and take it to a local laundrette.
The owners were informed of our disgust at the state of the property & came to apologise ( it seems they are managing the cleaning themselves- I did advise they might need to get a professional in between guests!!!
Compensation was offered but never followed through with.
We also saw them on 2 other occasions during a walk & when the door lock stopped working.
They were quick to respond & assist in fixing the door.
My husband has cancer and is undergoing treatment so we were hoping for a stress ( and germ ) free stay … however I ended up spending hours cleaning ( with products I had to purchase myself) just to ensure it was disinfected enough to be safe for him during our stay.
Had it not been for our young son’s excitement for the holiday we would have left….
The walls were paper thin & we were woken by the neighbours shouting at their kids when they rolled in around midnight!
In a positive note the chalet is well situated within Hemsby.
We had a lovely week when not in the accommodation.
Thank you for your feedback which we take very seriously and use to improve our guest experiences.
Firstly, you arrived on the hottest day of the year. While the property is being cleaned all windows and the door are opened to air the place through. However, once the windows and door are shut, there is a build up once again of condensation and this is what creates that initial smell that you mention.
In our opinion, the photos reflect the sizes of the rooms accurately. Seaside chalets are small roomed and appear to be of similar size and construction across the Uk.
Addressing cleanliness. My husband is a ‘professional’ cleaner having worked in both factories, schools and colleges over several decades.
Before any guest arrives, the chalet is aired, it is brushed through, hoovered through and steam mopped through. Due to the condition we found the chalet in prior to your arrival, this was done twice through…brushed, hoovered, mopped. The day you left, my husband actually had to spend additional time having to brush, hoover and steam mop three times through. I actually watched my husband wash out the bath and sink during a brief visit to drop off the sheets.
I personally washed, line dried and pressed your sheets which were a good quality American high count thread cotton, very cool for such hot weather. When we received your text communication we were quite shocked at all you had to say as we knew we had spent over two hours cleaning. As my husband was already at the site, I asked him to visit you as a courtesy. We were quite shocked that considering your husbands illness, you hadn’t phoned prior to arrival. We would have suggested that this type of holiday might not have been suitable for your family due to the type of building, location to sand and grass etc. Seaside holiday chalets are pretty much built to a similar blueprint. They are not luxurious. We are glad your son was excited and that you were able to enjoy all that Hemsby had to offer.
Property Owner
