Dog days

 Dougal for Michael - Thursday

A few weeks ago, I posted about the dog who came to dinner. Jeff commented at the time that we were only getting one side of the story. I admit that was true. I’ve now picked up the accommodation review that Dougal posted concerning his visit here. I must say I don’t think his comments are totally justified, but in the spirit of fairness, I felt that I should share them here also.

The dissatisfied guest

RATING ***

 I don’t really like giving a place a bad review, and I’m fully aware that anything less than a five star rating is regarded as poor for an accommodation establishment. (My B&B never gets less than five stars.) Still, in referring to my recent stay at 14 Ridgewood, I do feel the need to point out several shortcomings, which I hope that the owners will accept in the spirit of improvement for the future.

Place was a mess. Not good enough.

In the first place, I would expect a welcoming establishment to arrange and “pretty-up” the place before the guest arrives. But no, all the carpets were folded over, spoiling the décor and making it impossible to have a comfortable lie down, let alone a roll. How much trouble would it have been to straighten things out? I will say that the main bedroom had a fitted carpet, but even there I found mats and towels all over the floor as though the previous guests had left the place in a mess and the owners hadn’t bothered to tidy up. Really not good enough.

More what I had in mind...

Then there was the food. I can’t really say it was bad, just very ordinary. I mean it was exactly the same as what I get at home! Surely when one visits a new place one expects to try the local cuisine, something different and interesting? But no, it was the usual biscuits and gravy. Uninspiring. A little more flair and effort was required.

The owners were also quite bossy. Do this, do that, come, stay, wait. I'm amenable to polite requests, but, really, I'm the guest here!

Refreshing morning at the lagoon

As far as the excursions were concerned, they were pretty much as advertised in the brochure. The beach and lagoon visits and swims were enjoyable in good weather, and rambles through the surrounding countryside were arranged when the weather wasn’t as good as it might be. No complaints. But the timing was haphazard. If the arrangement was to leave at 8:30, I was always ready and waiting in good time. But often the trip was delayed till 9am or even later! Because of certain bodily functions which we all have to address (I’ll spare you the details), this can be quite uncomfortable. It’s thoughtless and unprofessional not to stick to the schedule.

Finally, there was the occasion when they closed the place altogether and insisted that I spend the day in my own house while they did something else. I thought that perhaps it was to spring-clean the accommodation or to install a new chef, but no, everything was just as I left it in the morning. I do feel that a refund for that day would be appropriate. You have the banking details.

Your guest

Dougal