I booked the Cook's Cottage for a little getaway weekend retreat. I planned to relax, read, walk…read morethe grounds with my small dog, sleep in, enjoy the ambiance. I was VERY disappointed when I got inside the cottage. Friends who have stayed at Butler Greenwood told me the cottages are a little older and rustic, but the pictures online looked charming. None of them had stayed at the Cook's Cottage might I add.
I wasn't expecting a pristine, modern accommodation, but this cottage was closer to disrepair than rustic. Everything needs an update/upgrade/thorough cleaning. The sofa/chair slip covers were worn, dirty, and covered with random material squares where they were ripped, two of the three lamps were broken at the top so the shades tipped over to the side, the entire cottage aside from the bathroom was carpeted in old blue office carpet with some throw rugs on top. There were various prints and blankets covering the wall, one I noticed was taped on the glass where it had cracked. Cobwebs and dust were visible on many of the old wall hangings, the fireplace tools, the top of the mantle. There were dead bugs under the bed, in a kitchen cabinet with some random large pans, the air conditioner unit was old and only got somewhat cool no matter how low I tried to set it. The mattress on the bed was hard and probably thirty years old, the pillows stained and of the caliber of what they use in hospitals, the bathroom faucet and toilet were worn down and chipped, the jacuzzi tub faucets had such low pressure I had to run the water for over an hour to fill it enough to run the jacuzzi. Everything looked and felt dirty. There's mold on the shower door, a blue metal trash can that looks like something from a 1980s grammar school cafeteria would have used, a ceiling fan that could only be run with all of the overhead lights on.
I thought about leaving the first night, but the weather was bad and it was already dark. I did ask Ms. Ann Butler, the owner, if I could move to another cottage, but she said all were booked for the next day. I had the opportunity to go look inside the Dovecoat cottage before the renters arrived, and it was one hundred times nicer than the Cook's cottage. Much cleaner, more light, renovated, more updated furniture and flooring. I cannot believe she rents these two cottages for the some price (she rents any of them for $150 if only one bedroom is used). I felt like I had been tricked as my place felt like a cheap motel. An old, dirty, cheap motel while the others appeared significantly nicer, more comfortable, up to date, etc.
I spent Saturday walking the grounds, tried to swim (the pool was dirty and had mold on the stairs leading in), and enjoyed sitting on the back deck reading and looking at the lovely pond view. The grounds are lovely. As long as I was outside my cottage, everything was charming, pleasant, and nice enough. I chose to make the best of it for the day and then packed my things and drove home at sunset as spending another night in that cottage was not an option. I thought about talking with the owner about it, but I cannot imagine I am the first to complain about this cottage, and I could tell by her response when I asked about moving cottages she was not concerned about customer satisfaction. I am so disappointed and felt really swindled by the misleading website pictures. I am sharing some of my own so no one else makes the same unfortunate choice. From what I'm told, Chases's Cottage, the Pond House, the Tree house, and the Dovecoat (I can vouch for this one myself) are all lovely. The place is truly worth it if you can rent one of those cottages, but you would literally be better off staying at a 2 or 3 star hotel in the area than this cottage.
