Cameron House Lodges

Feb 13th, 2023

Jan 28th, 2023

Nov 9th, 2022

Sep 10th, 2022

Comfortable lodges let down by poor housekeeping and limited kitchen equipment. Not comparable to other 5-star holiday lets (e.g. Rural Retreats). The Lodges at Cameron House are definitely showing their age, although overall they've been well maintained (NB that the Lodges at Cameron House are separate to the newer Lodges at Cameron Club and the Cameron North Lodge). Interiors are comfortable, and generally furnished well, although the beds and bedding is definitely more 4-star than 5-star. However, general housekeeping standards were poor. There was a layer of dust so thick on the back of the bedroom TVs that mice could have skied on it (obviously, you'd need to teach the mice how to ski first). Bathroom toiletries hadn't been refilled before our stay, one even had the dispenser pump hanging out from where previous guests had presumably removed it (because the wall bracket was so loose it was hard to use) - a really surprising oversight by housekeeping staff. Drinking glasses weren't properly cleaned. Also, kitchen equipment was too limited for a longer stay, and oddly stored. There were no baking trays or oven safe dishes other than a casserole dish. There were no serving spoons and no storage containers. Drinking glasses were limited and mismatched, and all glassware was stored in a dresser in the living area which was hugely impractical. What kitchen equipment there was had also been spread out across every single drawer and kitchen cupboard - even if it meant there was one utensil taking up an entire kitchen cupboard shelf. It was obviously intended to make it look generous and well supplied, but actually it meant there was no space to put your groceries, without first having to rearrange the entire kitchen - what a pain. Also, charging separately for electricity usage is odd. Ours was roughly equivalent to 1% of the total cost of the stay, so it seems a very strange thing to separate from the rental price (especially since electricity use is tax deductible for furnished holiday lets). The inconvenience of having every guest call up to provide card details for this ahead of the stay, and the labour costs of having someone manage those calls, monitor meter readings and charge them, can't possibly justify it. In truth these are minor gripes (though they really do need to sort out the cleaning), and our stay overall was good. What they highlight, however, is that the lodges aren't truly comparable to other 5-star holiday lets. If you've stayed in a Rural Retreats or Landmark Trust property, you'll definitely notice the step down in quality at Cameron Lodges.
Aug 16th, 2022