Bricklesey Cottage

Reviewed by Wendy 31st August 2026

We arrived shortly after 17.00 and were surprised to see the general waste bin overflowing with the lid unable to close to cover excess plastic bags. The glass bin was half full. We assumed the cleaner had seen this and that action would be taken. We were wrong. We obtained the key safely and noted that the door was covered in marks.. presumably hRead moreand prints and found these on both sides. We would have stopped and taken photos but we had a grandson to feed without delay. We put luggage and bags in the sitting room and went to the kitchen. A drink would have been good but every coffee cup was dirty and stained .. We were shocked enough to take that photo before loading into the dishwasher. Unfortunately almost every cupboard and drawer we opened either needed washing or bits cleaned up. The sink and draining tray were stained and the next day I had to purchase some bleach, a product I do not use in my own home, to be able to use it without concern. The exterior of the cupboard were fine.. not the interiors. The plate and dishes were clean but pans generally needed washing, and the oven had a greasy baking tray and shelf with a baking paper full of crumbs. It was an awful intro and problems like this happened through the week. We used the hot wash in the dishwasher every day to work our way through it. The utility had not running water. T he sitting room carpet was stained and the sofa had not had the cushions moved to remover food/crumbs. The windows were generally dusty with lovely ceramics but thick with dust. Cobwebs and dead flies were generally seen if we moved anything, like occasional tables. Thankfully the bathrooms were clean enough but the towel heater was badly stained and the shower not spotless. The main bedroom was clean and the bed comfortable but again the windows were cobwebbed and as we had our grandson, who loves hiding, we soon learned under the beds or behind anything was a no no. There was too much dust and even some litter under the beds. The heating was very regular but exceedingly noisy, particularly in the main bedroom if anyone was using the shower. Our son and daughter in law arrived to join us on Monday and whilst their bed was clean it was lumpy and uncomfortable. They had arrived in another vehicle and by that time we had joined a number of neighbours conversations about the grass verge. we learned to not park in front of the garage as sometimes it was not possible to get out due to full parking on the verge. As a space for visitor/residents it seemed lawless and dangerous with such a drop which meant many parked into the narrow road space. The interior of the cottage and furnishings were lovely , as we had seen on the web site so that whilst it was relatively expensive we chose it. I did phone the company number twice but the reception was so poor they could not hear anything, not even the name of the cottage as no one rang back. It did not seem reasonable to talk to the property cleaner. On Wednesday we requested we put out the bins ready for collection Thursday. None arrived and by now the open general waste was full of flies and really unpleasant. We did not have a lot of rubbish but in wednesday we could barely even balance a few bags on top. We did notice a large number of champagne bottles and wondered if there had been an unusual messy group? I did phone Rio and left a message about the bins and pour problems as I thought the bins were a hazard for any other visitor. We could not really leave the lobby door open as flies were too present. My husband liked the rather wild garden and whilst he it was considered unsuitable for elderly or small children, information which would have been useful in advance .. but he persevered carefully and even cleared the blanket weed from the pond, leaving it to the side so that any inhabitants could climb back in the water. He was rewarded with a frog,, a grass snake and a slow worm. Whilst I usually religously ensure a property is as clean and tidy as when we entered, this did not seem appropraite. I nearly cracked and started hoovering but the machine was absolutely full. We lovedf Lulworth and found all the places which we visited many years ago... when our youngest son was small. Everyone was really helpful. It clearly is very busy and as we live in Oxford we know how this can be... but everyone was very helpful. It is a lovely cottage but it was too expensive for this kind of disappointment. I noted you intro stated the house had been sanitised and that you handbook contained info about what it means to have a clean let property with good examples of what this meant. Sadly the commitment was not lived up to. Hide