Overton Cottage, Church Lane, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, DT10 1DH

My partner and I have just enjoyed a week in North Dorset staying at Overton Cottage. The comfort and facilities at the house were pretty good with easy control of heating, kitchen utilities etc. The beds are especially comfortable.

However, the cottage was rather sparse on expendables e.g. only one bag left for a week of food waste, 1 toilet roll per room and of the flimsiest quality obtainable. The main negative for this property is the difficulty of vehicle access: a modest saloon car could only just be reversed into the offset rear gateway with 6" clearance on each side.. this ruled out driving for a meal in the evening and returning in darkness. The rear courtyard was neglected and overgrown. ALSO, who thought it a good idea to put the keysafe 18" off the ground: this octogenarian had to sit on the pavement to open it!

We recently stayed here with some friends for a weekend get away. Overall this cottage is exactly as described, we loved our stay and felt very comfortable.

Plus points: clean and warm, large cooker range, comfortable beds, nice towels, quality bedding and comfortable settees. Quiet area and short walks to pub.

Not so good: car parking needs a bit of negotiating - and mind the the rude neighbour who will not give an inch when struggling and clearly feels aggrieved at a rental in her area. The carpet in the front room is a bit stained (who thought light coloured carpet would be a good idea in a holiday cottage) the back yard is a bit messy, and although winter, I would not expect Christmas tree to be still there beginning of February.

Apart from the one neighbour we found most people we met extremely friendly and helpful and I have no hesitation to return

The one thing I would advise the owners to do is make it clear that the bins need to be put out on a Friday night (or perhaps the cleaners could do it and leave a big notice for incoming guests to bring the bins in on Saturday morning) We were not immediately aware when we arrived so when we put our rubbish / recycling in the bins on the Monday of our departure found that the bins were quite full.