We had visited Ardgour house a number of years ago and enjoyed a stay in a tired but comfortable house that was a little dated. Seven years later I recommended it and returned with a family group and were shocked to find that not a penny had been spent on the upkeep of the property. Every room had an issue of some sort, most have wallpaper hanging off the walls, dampness, missing cornicing, carpets or bits of carpets that are threadbare, window frames that are rotting. The majority of the sockets don’t seem safe and are so randomly placed that it requires joins in the wiring that I wouldn’t trust. No PAT test stickers on any appliances, no smoke or heat detectors anywhere and only 3 fire extinguishers in the entire building.
Our bathroom was hanging with cobwebs and all the lamp and light shades were thick with dust. None of our party dared to have a bath. After enthusiastically showing the family the swimming pool I was completely deflated when it too looked as if it had not been cleaned for a while. You could scrape the dirt off the light switch in the swimming pool with your fingernail. I avoided the pool and after discovering broken glass in the sauna, that too was off limits. If they can’t clean a bathroom, what are the chances of the pool filters being cleaned?
I understand the difficulties and expense of maintaining a large old building but cleaning should be standard.
We were told that we couldn’t bring more than 2 dogs and I’m glad we didn’t bring any, the kennels they stayed at were cleaner.