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Bolthole Retreats is a boutique holiday letting agency specialising in unique and remarkable holiday homes throughout the Cotswolds, Forest of Dean and Herefordshire in the UK.
Reviews 378
David Wright
Oct 05,2022Cae’r Borth We stayed with all the family (14) from Sep9th-16th What a special place for a family holiday to or celebration or two families to share The house & gardens are extra special with everything you can think of provided The kitchen & dining area are perfect & the long gallery with all the old family portraits The situation is idyllic with the coastal path nearby and so peaceful I cannot recommend this property enough you really must enjoy the whole experience yourself
Laura Kahn
Sep 05,2022I wish I'd read this before booking with Bolthole retreats but at least disaster was avoided as I was able to cancel my booking within the Airbnb 48 grace period. The advert on Airbnb clearly states the property accepts pets but after I booked they told me only one small dog - not two cats. This not mentioned on Airnb and then the rude customer service person using only the name `Bolthole Retreats' tried to blame me for not looking at their web site. What a shambles, avoid!!
Jayne Pawson
Sep 05,2022We have just returned from four nights at Cornelyn Manor in Anglesey. The location and the apartment was fantastic and five star without a doubt. Everything you need to ensure a perfect stay was there. Can't wait to return.
Joanne Leighton
Aug 02,2022We booked a cottage nearly a year in advance and not long after had to cancel due to unforseen circumstances. In all my years booking UK holidays I've never had to cancel completely and was shocked at the disgusting way Customer Service would just not help in any way. The £150 deposit I have now lost which is a massive deposit for a cottage that was only £400 for the week to begin with. I then thought rather than loose the £150 I would ask my parents if they wanted to go. Oh no, you can't just do that with this substandard company either, that costs even more money £45.00. It seems to be ran by people that don't truly care and there are far better holiday companies out there. Honestly avoid.
Mrs Lyons
Jun 21,2022I never write reviews but feel I have to do this one. We stayed at Oliver Cromwell cottage in Winchcombe. It is a good looking property and lovely location. It was clean but... When we arrived the oven was not working so we called the maintenance number and someone came very quickly. Whilst he was fixing it the oven exploded! We were offered to use next doors oven which meant carrying hot food between cottages. There was a leak in the upstairs shower into the kitchen below leaving the floor slippery. This was again reported but not fixed. After the holiday I contacted bolthole Retreats who where less than helpful. Telling me that we had been offered other accommodation which was just a lie Not good enough on all counts
Chris Bennett
Dec 18,2021I booked a property so that we could attend a family wedding and paid the deposit. Several months later, with no warning or consultation, Bolthole Retreats unilaterally cancelled the booking. This has caused huge problems as alternative suitable accommodation is almost impossible to find in the area at the time of year in question. To add insult to injury I received an email expressing disappointment that I would not be staying with them, as if it was my choice, and hoping that I would consider them in the future. No chance whatsoever.
Lee Buxton
Nov 15,2021AVOID AT ALL COSTS! I WOULD GIVE A MINUS STAR IF I COULD, this company has the poorest customer service I have ever dealt with, the customer service team were rude in all correspondence when we complained, the house we stayed in the cotswolds was in very poor condition, ceiling leaking and lots of things in the house were falling apart, not worth the money considering this is meant to he luxury accommodation!
NGLondon
Oct 23,2021We stayed at South Winds for three nights in October. We experienced several problems with cleanliness, underfloor heating not working etc, but decided to try and enjoy our holiday. On our final night, however, water started pouring in through the ceiling in the bedroom. It woke us several times in the night and caused a slip hazard and electrical hazard (water was pouring into the fuse box too). I notified the owner and Bolthole Retreats within hours. Four days later Bolthole Retreats contacted me and apologised for some of the problems we experienced, but strangely not the water leak. They stated that it was a shame that I hadn’t contacted them sooner about the problems we experienced (this incident happened in the middle of the night and I contacted them first thing in the morning. Given that it took four days to hear back, I am not sure contacting them earlier would have helped with this!). We never heard back from the owner, which is a shame as we felt our safety and comfort was compromised.
Rich Drain
Sep 28,2021Avoid it all costs. We stayed at a property in Fossebridge via an Airbnb listing and the property was not laid out in the manner described per the description and the floor plan on the Airbnb listing. Members of our party also suffered from a woodlouse infestation in their room. We tidied the property to a high standard before leaving but Bolthole retreats left a review for us saying ‘not great guests’ and won’t explain to us what the basis of their review was - unfounded. Unprofessional company and will be avoiding in the future and would recommend others to avoid as well.
Oliver
Sep 28,2021TERRIBLE - I stayed at the house in Fossebridge in September and was devastated. The Airbnb professed to be a cotswold gem but was more of a cotswold calamity. The house was a shell and in poor condition. The property was infested with bugs and woodlice were all over the soft furnishings. The decoration was dated and minimal with a cold brutalist feel about the place. The cooking facilities were exceptionally poor with old dirty pans in the cupboard, an asthmatic extractor fan and the windows were bolted shut. The bathrooms were all damp with black mould around the edges. Bolthole retreates need to sort their act out... DO NOT VISIT!
Anon
Aug 31,2021Terrible company to deal with, during Covid restrictions they wouldn't allow us to cancel our hen do booking, they forced us to reuse the booking and reschedule. They demand all sorts of unreasonable cleaning upon departure, such as stripping beds and washing and putting away all dishes, they just want to save their cleaners time. Would NOT recommend
Liam Scholes
Jul 28,2021I’d give them 0 stars if possible. Booked a property in March 21 to stay March 22. They immediately got in touch demanding best part of £1000 deposit to secure the property, to then email me 4 months later and say they’ve taken it off the market. Marketing manager (mark) said he had sent me an email explaining why which he hadn’t and basically had the attitude that it isn’t their problem and they don’t care if they’ve left me in the lurch. No doubt the property will be advertised again for next year with new pricing to make up for the pandemic. Avoid at all costs.
JSD
Jul 06,2021TAKING ADVANTAGE of COVID 19. Refuse to refund £70 cleaning fee despite giving just over 14 days notice of our non occupancy due to the extension of Covid restrictions by 4 weeks.
MS
Dec 22,2020Due to the unfortunate restrictions around Covid I had to cancel a trip a few days before my booking started. I got immediately refunded with no questions asked. I am loooking forward to finally be able to visit the cottage once the Covid madness is over and will surely use Boltholes Retreats again !
Rachel Leonard
Nov 18,2020BEWARE of booking with this agency. If as happened to me, sudden covid 19 restrictions were put in place and prevented you going you would receive no sympathy. We did not expect a refund,just another date at anytime in the future. Firstly they said come anyway. Which was against the law. We had paid in full for a break in a cotswold cottage for my Mother. Who having been widowed was then shielded for several months, alone to grieve. Tripadvisor refunded a small booking fee. But we had no other help or sympathy. Then to make things worse they sent an email asking us to review our stay. These people are unkind and unfeeling. Well here is the review they asked for. Dont go near them!!!
Tanith Dodge
Oct 30,2020I would never use this Company again. The attitude of The Founder is inappropriate and he has zero customer care. I recently booked a cottage with Bolthole Retreats for myself, elderly mother and daughter. I checked that the cottage was suitable for an elderly lady and was advised it was. Whilst the cottage was excellent, and we made that clear in our review, we had two safety/security problems. Whilst there were outside lighting on the long driveway none of them worked, We were advised that an electrician was required but none available until after we left. This was a problem as it was unsafe to walk along the long driveway in the dark, even with a torch. The latest we would return was about 7.30 pm. The following morning we found that the first of two security coded electric gates was jammed partially open. We could not open or close the gate and therefore couldn’t leave the property by car. It was eventually opened but left propped open with a piece of wood, which we thought was insecure. We had a very cordial exchange with Lee, A representative from Bolthole Retreat, whom was empathetic to our concerns and most apologetic. He even gave me his mobile number in case we wanted to call him. It was acknowledge in writing by Bolthole Retreats that the points we raised about the lights and gates were correct and were issues that need to be resolved. I was asked in writing what compensation would make me happy? I also received a communication from the housekeeper apologising for the inconvenience caused because of the gates and outside lights. All our exchanges were polite and courteous and we left the Cottage immaculate. The response I received from the Founder of Bolthole was totally inappropriate. To quote, ‘I am afraid darkness at night-time with no street lights, is a feature of the countryside, maybe you should pack a torch next time’ (I wonder if he would respond in the same way to a group of 3 male guest raising these points?). Following a balanced review of the Cottage on the website, the review I received was ‘Difficult guest, I’m afraid’ I think it is totally reasonable and not at all being difficult to be concerned that there is no outside lighting and that the security coded electric gate was jammed open. I have a duty of care to my mother and daughter that we were safe.
CE
Oct 13,2020Poor customer service. I fell ill just before our booking and we had to cancel on short notice. We completely understand this means losing the full accommodation fee, but they refused to reimburse the £100 cleaning fee despite not needing to clean the cottage given our cancellation. Extremely unpleasant attitude from Lee over email exchanges. Thought about rebooking for another time but absolutely won't be doing that now as have no faith that they will provide a good service during an actual stay.
Burlington House, Lypiatt Rd, GL502SY, Cheltenham, GB
http://boltholeretreats.co.uk
K & T
Oct 16,2022Lovely accommodation for our annual Sister’s getaway. We had plenty of beds and bathrooms to accommodate all of us.