Ivy Cottage, 11 Sandy Lane, Chester, Cheshire, CH3 5UL

Although this cottage has two downstairs bedrooms, they are not at all suitable for infirm or disabled people. This is because the downstairs "bathroom" is an understairs cupboard containing a shower, basin and a toilet! You need to be a contortionist to enter and exit this cupboard - even my teenage children thought it was ridiculous. The proper bathroom is on the middle floor up a steep flight of stairs. The main double bedrooom is also on the middle floor, and is perfectly acceptable, just across the landing from the very large bathroom, which was all clean and functional. However, the main bedroom had very thin curtains with no lining, so don't expect to get a good night's sleep. What is worse, and perhaps not obvious, is that Sandy "Lane" is a very busy road, so if you open one of the windows for ventilation you will get even less sleep. We were kept awake most nights by very noisy 'idiot' cars blasting past at high speed, police cars with sirens, and people parking just outside. The top floor contains an open plan kitchen and sitting room (packed with clutter on every available surface) with great views across the meadow on the other side of the river. It becomes very hot in summer, even with all the windows open. Ivy Cottage is situated a good distance from Chester city centre, so be prepared for quite a long walk there and back (check Google Maps if you have small children). It is not possible to walk along the riverside to reach the city centre. The car parking space, behind a brick wall to the side of the property, is quite difficult to exit, so you'll need to be very careful to avoid the walls as you back out onto the busy road, with your view obscured by parked cars. One final disappointment is the mean arrival/vacation times. You cannot arrive until 4pm (IIRC) and you must be out by 10am on your final morning. On the day we left, the cleaner was hovering around at 09:50 waiting for us to get out, which was irritating and unwelcoming.