D'Artagnan, Cury Hall, Cury Cross Lanes, Helston, Cornwall inc Scilly, TR12 7AZ

BEWARE! This place sounded idyllic on the website, but being a grade II listed building and having some peacocks wandering around doesn't turn a damp, poorly equipped and shabby barn into a five star resort (or even three star - which is what the owners gave as an explanation for the shoddy furnishings when we complained).

Our extended family goes on holiday together every year in rental cottages throughout the southwest, so we've come to know what to expect for the price we pay. This was our first big disappointment, as the price ($1295 a week) and description on the website led us to expect a much higher standard of accomodation. The decor was shabby and worn, the equipment was not maintained, the bedrooms were damp and cold, and the lumpy mattresses had no padding and sagging springs. (The response from the owner - "the mattresses can't have deteriorated because no one's slept on them for the last four years." Strange, that mattresses left to moulder in a damp barn for four years would be uncomfortable!) Electricity was an extra charge, we ended up paying nearly $100 during our two weeks stay. (They charged us 20p a unit - which seems extortionate). There was rubble and rotting furniture piled up in the courtyard outside the bedrooms (we were told this area was not for our use, but we could still see it). The dishwasher flooded the kitchen the first time we used it and we spent over a week doing six peoples' washing up by hand till they replaced it. The kitchen was poorly equipped and we found many chipped and cracked glasses and mugs. There were no shelves inside the fridge freezer! They had provided a stand alone fridge because of this, which would have added substantially to our electricity bill, as we would have had to run both to have the use of a freezer, so we built shelves out of cans and boxes instead. The grounds were overgrown and unkempt. The muddy, sloping driveway was almost impassable, especially when it rained; we got stuck in potholes several times and instead of filling in the holes the owner has put rocks at the sides so you can't pull onto the grass verge to avoid them - to protect the grass? I could go on, and on...

We learned on researching further that the owners have changed the name of the place at least 3 times to escape bad reviews; originally Bochym Manor; then Beauchamp, and now Cury Hall. They changed agencies each time too. The owners were horrid when we complained, they seemed to think we should be ovewhelmed with gratitude that they replaced the dishwasher for us and they wrote a very nasty letter in response, accusing us of breaking things ourselves. They also said that we must have "brought in the dampness" ourselves by hanging towels to dry over doors. The agency was sympathetic but did nothing regarding our request of a partial refund, and they did not put our rating on their website it still says "new" instead of showing the one star we gave it. Here are some more bad reviews for the place, things haven't changed!

http://www.reviewcentre.com/review266324.html

http://www.reviewcentre.com/review266801.html