The Annexe at Moulton Grange

Beds and linen and garden landscape

The bad bits - where to start? We’d booked for accessibility and had had called owners before booking. Whilst it is true that there is a bedroom on the ground floor with en-suite, to get to the front door there were six stone steps, covered in debris, to get down first. We later found a route with one step to the courtyard, but it was blocked with a ladder and overgrown hedge. Once in the house, the accessible bedroom was divorced from the rest of the house by four very steep, slippery tiled steps with no handrail. One of the tiles was broken and loose. In the accessible bedroom, the toilet seat was very loose. When we arrived, one of the owners told us on the phone that the main house wasn’t occupied and she had made a couple of extra rooms available to us by opening the doors. This would give us a second kitchen and access to the garden. Not everyone in the family seemed to be on the same page. One son said we could go all the way through the main house to use the (astounding) pool room, while another let himself and a party of ladies in through the kitchen (while we were in the house) to show them around what we assume to be a wedding venue in the main house with no explanation, going on to serve them refreshments using our supplies. There were no locks between the annexe and the main house, leaving me feeling quite unsafe. The heating hadn’t been on for months, maybe longer, and the house felt like it had been closed up for a very long time. The boiler, we were told, was temperamental and needed turning on and off manually and didn’t always work. It took the owner about half an hour to get it going initially - although we didn’t know he was in the house doing that, we just heard noises coming from the cellar, where the boiler turned out to be. The heating has no thermostat, so you can either cook or freeze. The cellar smelled of turps or maybe petrol, a smell which permeated through the annexe.

Don't stay if you plan on cooking anything here for more than 3 to 4 people. Luckily we had our caravan with us as were heading off afterwards on holiday so we were able to get the supplies we needed from there to provide a cup of tea for everyone (only 4 mugs) and cutlery to actually eat. There were eggs left in the cupboard that were 3 weeks out of date. I don't mind if some things are left from previous stays if they may prove useful for future guests but seems like this isn't check or monitored. We had to go through the the main rental property to get the keys for the annexe (the owner wouldn't do it for us) and they were having a party and were very confused as would I be that we had to go through their house to get in to ours and to don't the keys. On both sides of the house there are internal doors which access either where the owners live or the main rental house. You can't lock these from your side so you have to trust they are locked by the other parties. Left us with an odd feeling. We had just enough seats for our group size in the evening but you'll struggle if you plan to fill the 16 bed spaces available Not the cleanest but ok.

It was very well kept, very neat, tidy, and good value for money

Finding the keys, and the hot water was playing up a little

A grand property in beautiful setting with fabulous history/

Spacious bedrooms (although 1 was not fit for purpose) the other 7 were great. Beautiful gardens and the ability to use the main house dining room.

The location was amazing, the size of the property on the whole was great for our needs, the grounds were lovely but in need of some attention and upkeep. It was obvious that the photos from the property were taken quite some time ago, probably after initial renovation. Bed linen was fresh and of good quality.

One of the bedrooms couldn't be used as there was a significant smell of damp and, on inspection, a wardrobe was placed in front of a bodged plastering job covering damp entering from outside. It is an old property that will require constant maintenance. The kitchen was not clean - everything felt greasy and so we washed everything we used first. This was challenging without a plug for the sink and a washing up bowl (we improvised with a saucepan). Whilst the property can sleep up to 16 (well 14 without the damp room!) it didn't have adequate cooking and serving utensils to be able to cook appropriately for that number. Cutlery and basic crockery weren't sufficient for our group of 12. We managed but were glad we were out at a function on our second day. Changeover times are too short - you can stay until 12hrs and the next group can arrive at 3pm - this is not long enough for adequate room changes and cleaning- particularly when both properties are changing over (unless more staff are involved). We carried our own towels to help out. Furniture in the kitchen needs cleaning or throwing out (grimy) and the cupboards are tired looking and in need of attention. We didn't see a welcome book or information and it was unclear how we should lock the property when out for the day despite calling for help on this. Outside furniture was lacking for the annexe and features like the swing chair in an amazing tree were just hanging broken. Despite all these 'snags' we had a wonderful time together and we did find a fairly good price on this website (others were stating higher rates for the same time) but the property claimed to be a high end/luxury place and these expectations were not met and so disappointing, particularly as you have to pay in full a month ahead and can't get a refund after that point. When I booked, reviews were 9+ - a great find!

The property was spacious and the beds were comfy.

Some of the rooms needed a slightly better clean or a touch up. For example, the broken chair in the kitchen, the broken fridge door and a cupboard in the bedroom. The small garden was unkept and overgrown and there were a few stains on the floors in some bedrooms.