“We booked the lodge but there was a small problem with the cooker so only had one night there.”
The owner came to see us and gave us a free upgrade to the Bluebell (a converted barn) just a few yards away. The lodge is very nice and clean. Three steps up into the lodge. Comfortable double bed. Nice view and could sit outside for breakfast. It was very hot when we first went in and I had to open all the windows and there was no fans. We didnt get to use the hot tub. The Bluebell is spacious with 3 double bedrooms, 2 on the ground floor (one ensuite) and another up on a mezzanine level with a 2nd bathroom. Nice kitchen with big fridge/ freezer and dishwasher and comfortable sofa sitting area with a large smart TV. The Bluebell is a recent conversion and was very nice but needed a little fine tuning as some of the work was not finished to the best standard. Bedroom doors did not close properly, one handle was loose and dropped off as the owner opened it, bathroom had unfinished rough plaster in areas, there was no toilet roll holder. However, these are minor things that can be easily remedied and did not really detract from the overall accomodation and we enjoyed our stay and we were obviously grateful for the upgrade. Although the view is better from the lodge as its higher up the hill. It was all very clean. The hot tub was lovely and we used it most nights and you are not visible from the road when using it. A few things to note if you have small children or dogs. The garden area is not fenced off so unsafe for children or if your dog is prone to wandering . Ours isnt so not a problem for us. But, this also meant dogs belonging to other guests could wander into the garden and there were a couple of spaniels whose owners allowed them to wander unaccompanied. Didnt bother our dog but they did leave a few 'presents' on the lawn and their owners didnt pick these up. The road is nearby and busy with no pavement so not suitable to walk along with children or dogs. The road also isn't far enough away to stop traffic noise but that didn't really bother us. Other than the noise from passing traffic, its very quiet. The entrance to the property is via 2 large sliding doors that take up the entire frontage and as it was hot when we were there, meant there was a greenhouse effect and it was very warm in the accomodation, especially at night as there are no windows in the bedrooms. Some fans would make a welcome addition. Also, there is now a fence partially separating the Bluebell from its neighbour- (the Primrose which is a mirror of the Bluebell ) at the front of the property so you get privacy if using the hot tub and which isn't shown on the site photograph. There is an inter-connecting door from one to the other too so larger parties could book both and make it one bigger accommodation. Having to have the doors open also let in lots of horse flies and insects, of which there are lots of course as the barn is in the countryside so bring some fly spray with you. There are no walks immediately nearby but some nice places a short distance away in the car. The Exeter Inn is closest pub and about 8-10 minutes walk. The Anchor Inn is also lovely with a beer garden bordered by the river. The Tarr Steps are worth a visit and the pub on site does lovely meals. I can recommend the lasagne. Be careful though, as the postcode on the internet takes you to the wrong side where there is no parking. We had to go back and approach from the opposite side after a phone call to Exmoor park ranger service who gave us the correct postcode for the car park. All in all, we had a nice week break and can recommend both the Lodge the Bluebell and would like to thank Rebecca for the upgrade
