Having reviewed our reservations system, we did not have anyone matching the description of these guests staying for two nights May 2011, so this is truly mysterious feedback which is difficult to respond to, 12 months after the fact. It is also interesting to note that from their other review that their stay at Hawley was followed by a family holiday in Cambodia the following month, therefore with a newborn baby in tow?! Not likely . . .

The claims of the room reeking of vomit is equally strange - Hawley is a secluded and quiet escape, and we do not have raucous drunken parties resulting in vomit over furniture and carpet - surely if this had been the case the reviewer would have asked for a change of room?! It just does not make sense.

The Blue room is not advertised anywhere as our flagship room, however it does feature two french balconies and a King size bed, as well as stunning views, and does happen to be requested specifically more than any other room by returning visitors.

Our accommodation is located within a 130 year old family home - this is by no means intended as any sort of excuse but is simply an accurate description of the experience our guests should anticipate. The house and guest rooms are cleaned thoroughly on a daily basis.
Sophie Houghton
Owner

Thankyou for your review, we are happy to hear you enjoyed your stay at Hawley!
We hope to welcome you back before too long.
Warm Regards
Sophie

Dear Nigel,
We describe our property as being a '130 year old, idiosyncratic, animal friendly, family home set on 400 acres' which I think is a perfectly accurate description of what visitors should expect. I am not sure how you got the impression that you would receive a cookie-cutter spec-built resort style room from that description, or the photos we use (including pictures of our very friendly dogs featured on the website).

That aside, if you were not satisfied we would have done all that was possible to make your stay an enjoyable one had you talked to us about it at the time - by offering an alternate room, or assistance in operation of your plasma TV & Shower screen which both work perfectly well. Why you instead chose to tell me a tall tale at 10:30pm about your grandmother's dementia is baffling to say the least, particularly when you then accuse us of being deceptive.

The room was repainted last year, our linen is white and freshly laundered and the outdoor furniture is wrought-iron French style furniture which is made in this style. The property is strictly non smoking, and I apologized to you upon check in for any remnant smell due to prior guests unfortunately blatantly ignoring this policy, however the room had been thoroughly aired and cleaned and all linen replaced.

I am sorry that our property did not meet your expectations, however it is impossible to satisfy everyone all of the time.
Yours sincerely
Sophie