Villa di Axbridge

I really don't like leaving negative reviews about a property, if I don't like somewhere I don't usually leave a review unless I think that other travellers should be warned about a property, the Parsonage falls into that group. I had seen lots of 5* reviews which waxed lyrical about the Parsonage and I was really looking forward to staying. The first problem was that I couldn't find it. I'd had an email telling me that reception was between 4pm and 8pm, no mention of problems finding it. It would have been helpful to have given directions at that point. After several attempts driving up and down I phoned them and got directions. The next challenge was the driveway, an unmade road which was in an awful state. I was really worried about damage to my car. That said I got there, parking is a bit tight. That said the house looks really impressive and has gorgeous views. When the door opened I got a smell of dampness, which progressed in my room into a strong smell of dampness...I emptied a tin of lynx into the air to try to deal with it. To be fair, the bed was comfortable but the pillows absolutely awful. I was also a bit surprised at the size of the TV, it was a large room the TV was tiny. The ensuite whilst clean was dated and bore no relation to the age of the house Rooms in the Parsonage don't have locks on the doors, it has 3 lettable rooms. They also don't have bolts on the doors, that includes the bathroom....I can handle no lock, but no bolt!!! I was disappointed that the WiFi didn't work, my biggest concern was a lack of fire safety. This is a big old house, run as a commercial B& B, with lots of soft furnishings. There are no smoke detectors, there is nothing in the bedrooms which give any advice about fire evacuation procedures. My room had a lobby to it with a fire extinguisher in it. The extinguisher had no evidence of being maintained and more worrying was of a type which I understand is not appropriate for use, on health grounds, in residential property. I then discovered that one of the bedside lamps had the cable extended by joining two cables together, the PAT test sticker said 2005! Breakfast was OK, it was well cooked, not a particularly substantial full English,.cheap sausage but the bacon was OK. I must confess that I don't understand all the other reviews saying how wonderful it is, in my view it's very average...not unpleasant but certainly not exceptional I personally will not be returning

Excellent B&B. Friendly owner and very good facilities. The location is fantastic as very central for lots of interesting visits and activities. Reactions are personal and for me the only negative point was that the duvet was much too hot for this time of year, making it difficult to sleep. Fortunately, I could use the towels instead. I highly recommend the Old Manor House for those with a car, wanting to be reasonably close to Bristol airport and wanting to visit the area (Cheddar Gorge, Mendip Hills, Wookey Hole Caves, Wells, Glastonbury, Weston-super-mare, Burnham- on-Sea, etc), and at the same time enjoy good comfort in a friendly environment. To be noted that the rooms are on the first floor and staircase is a bit steep. Ok if your luggage is not excessively heavy. My stay was too short and I really hope to be able to return one day.