The Old Dairy, Masham

I would not book with booking .com again they send endless texts all the same and all trying to get more money from you.The cottage nicely placed,within walking distance of market place shops pubs brewery. There is a step down to bedroom and bathroom not clearly marked a bit dangerous in night. Two gates to open tenter court yard one very stiff catches on path, the apartment above a bit noisy at times.

Review NB: I object to a last-minute rip-off attempt re. The Old Dairy, Masham. A message very near to the stay and by Host & Stay, informed me that whether or not accidental damage occurred, either I must deposit £200 and get back £10 (so-called Admin charge), or give them £25 and get back nowt. IMO Host & Stay should have annual accidental insurance, and not make that an extra mandatory tab over and above the contract rental agreed. Is it hidden in their T&C’s? Are they simply being dishonest? It tempted me to give a one star rating. In the event my spouse & I arrived without compliance while awaiting booking.com to adjudicate (they didn’t), and in fact we did cause accidental breakage, of which I informed the owner and offered to pay. In the Christmas spirit of goodwill, he simply said “Forget it; accidents happen”. My complaint is strongly and solely with the chain handling his property, viz Host & Stay, and I am less likely to knowingly book any properties they oversee. The actual property, not to be confused with The Dairy, which is the floor above and accessed from the north side, is accessed from the south side, and carparking is via wooden gates into a private courtyard. Google Maps was a bit misleading with location. Parking is good within a private gated yard. The accommodation itself is of a very good standard, nice and clean, and tasteful. The kitchen is good and well stocked (a casserole dish would improve). The conventional over is good (a power switch on the corridor wall), and has a cooker hood – we found it useful after we underestimated the grill! The small fridge is good. Tucked away nicely behind a door, there is also a microwave and, we were pleased to discover, a small freezer although it was clogged with ice – it quickly defrosted. If you need a mirror, the accommodation has plenty! It’s also well stocked with USBA ports – I didn’t notice a USBC port. The living area was good, and had some games and local bumph. The TV screen was good, but for my part I’d like to see the GBNews app installed. The bedroom is nice, with sufficient space for luggage, and has good lighting. The bathroom is fine but lacks a nightlight: if you walk in the night you might prefer to take your own torch to hitting the light switch – rather a blinding light in the wee hours. You might also wish to give the loo a second flush – shall we say a bit of hard stuff can sometimes fall back down the chimney? The outside door lock was HIGHLY problematic, and daily we could spend several minutes trying to lock it, whether from the inside or from the outside. My wife had the better touch, but I did succeed at times. That was my big hate.