Betula Chalet- Holiday Home

When I discovered Betula Chalet, I was really excited about booking a stay as it looked like a great place and had favourable reviews. The property itself a detached building in a peaceful rural setting certainly lived up to expectations. What seriously let this place down is the unprofessional manner in which its managed. As I was looking to stay in the chalet for several months, I went to meet the owner, prior to booking, and she seemed really nice. Her invitation to simply ask if there was anything I needed during my stay felt reassuring and implied she was keen to ensure I'd be comfortable. Sadly, this was far from the reality that transpired. Ill focus on some key examples which highlight the sort of issues I encountered: When viewing the chalet, there were two single beds in the main sleeping area and Id seen online these can be set up as a double. Asking if this could be done for me, I was told it wouldnt be a problem. On arrival, I saw theyd literally just pushed the two single beds together and there was one single duvet cover on top. Both beds had single sheets on and there was a gap between the two mattresses. I didnt consider this to be a double bed, and, in a nice way, explained to the owner this wasnt going to work for me. She responded by stating: This is how the chalet is always set up for any kind of guest (single, couples, friends) and how it's described and shown on pictures and when you came to see it. As a compromise, she agreed to purchase double sheets and a bed-bridge (to fill the gap between the mattresses) but was unwilling to provide a double duvet. She also advised me there were two single duvets at the laundry which would be back the following week. In the meantime, I had to make do with one single duvet and a blanket. There were also issues with the heating/hot water. When I arrived, I was told they didnt know how to set up the timers for the heaters and underfloor heating (6 separate timers) but I was left with instruction manuals to work it out for myself. It rather surprised me a host wouldn't have these ready set up and functioning. I then discovered that the bath water didn't get very hot, although they did arrange for a plumber to come and fix this. I also realised one of the heaters in the main living area wasnt working properly and I asked if this could be sorted. After two weeks of not getting a response, it became apparent I needed to have a chat with the owner to establish if she was going to be willing to address issues which arise in the property during my stay. Again, I tried to do this in a gentle, non-threatening way, but was met with a rather acerbic response. She told me that it's a holiday let and it is what it is making clear she wasn't happy about spending money on repairs. After this conversation, I decided to leave and gave notice. When giving notice, I told her not to worry about fixing the faulty radiator, but, bizarrely, she now sprung into action and called the radiator company. They provided a sequence of buttons which needed pressing to sort the problem and this took me around 30 seconds, after which the radiator worked fine. Its a pity this had become such an 'event' for the owner, when it ended up costing no more than a little of her time. Finally, and perhaps most disturbingly, she informed me she'd found some blood stains (small specks) on my bedding, and told me I should wear plasters if Im going to bleed in bed. This is a personal boundary no accommodation host should be crossing. If indeed the blood was mine, I certainly wasn't aware that I had any cuts, and I clearly can't cover my whole body in plasters as a precautionary measure. Im actually left in disbelief at my experience with Betula Chalet and am relieved to have now found alternative accommodation at a professionally run holiday let. N.B. The owners response to my Google review demonstrates their unwillingness to take responsibility when they get things wrong. That's the very reason I left their holiday let.
Dec 11th, 2022

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Sep 24th, 2020