I'm currently near Looe in Cornwall, in a small holiday apartment with a stunning view across a beautiful bay.
Arriving yesterday after an extremely tiring and frustrating 7hr journey by car (hubby drove) I then found myself with the task of making up 3 beds (I had to bring own bed linen as part of covid requirements, and son & girlfriend arriving later in week)...a job I find exhausting at best of times, then unpack the suitcases and pay a visit to the supermarket.
These few tasks alone took several hours, and as all of you will understand, resulted in me experiencing complete & utter exhaustion! Imagine my horror then, when we unfortunately discovered that the apartments 'deep clean' described on the website, had definitely not been undertaken by the apparently 'new' cleaning company. We discovered really 'fluffy'/dusty surfaces everywhere and carpet that clearly hadn't seen a vacuum cleaner. The kitchen surfaces still had some breadcrumbs on them and when I made up the beds I discovered a hairslide and a used plaster behind one!!
So...only one thing to do!!....I had to start cleaning/sanitising our holiday apartment myself. Obviously we've complained but I didn't want to be waiting for the cleaners to return...it needed sanitising swiftly. Needless to say, I was on my knees by the evening and feeling completely wiped out. NOT the start to the holiday I'd hoped for!
By now, I was feeling really fed up and disappointed and almost wishing I was back home, but after a knock down, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get on with it.
So!.....David cooked us both a lovely meal and then persuaded me to walk the 2min walk to the beach bar, where I had my first prosecco in a very long time and watched the sun go down from the shore. Was simply beautiful. When I finally got into bed, I was definitely feeling somewhat 'wired' after such an exhausting and stressful day and was very concerned about the impact it would all have on my general well- being for the next day or so.
As I settled down under the duvet, all I could hear was the sound of the sea......the gentle lapping of waves as they rolled in and the occasional seagull. I slept like a log in a really comfy bed and awoke this morning to the sound of the gentle lapping of the waves on the beach again. I feel refreshed and so much better than I'd expected to. Just lying in bed now, listening to the sea, is so therapeutic..... calming, soothing, healing. I truly thought I was going to be completely out of action today, but a good night's sleep with nature's wonderful influence has somehow alleviated that. I feel rested, calm, content and most importantly...Happy!
Don't misunderstand me.....I intend to have a very restful day and take it really easy as I know yesterday's experience will have some consequences if I don't react appropriately over the next few days, but how glorious a feeling to have woken, just for once, free of the 'expected' complications of 'having done too much'!
I absolutely love the sound of the sea and to have it sending me off to sleep for the next 2wks feels like it will be balm to the wounds. I wish I could capture it in bottles and send you all some.
Just shows you that sometimes the 'expected' can become the 'unexpected'!
Written by
Kendrew
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Good morning, what a horrendous start and after a long journey. So glad you have had a good night and are feeling more rested and relaxed this morning. View looks fabulous, a very relaxed lazy day or two is now on the menu. Weather b. awful here, very heavy rain, dull, dark and miserable. Very wet me and dogs this morning. Hope the rest of the holiday goes well.
Horrendous start to a holiday!! However, looking over that scene will make you feel better even if you can't do much more over the next couple of days. Take care! 🍀🍀🍀
You’ve turned your lemons into lemonade! Have a lovely restful time. I do commiserate but I won’t conjure it up again, just keep listening to the sea - in out - in out. 💙
How wonderful to read your post things could have been so much different this morning, but they are not, you’re rested and enjoying the views and sounds of the sea, you so deserve it, I wish you a wonderful two weeks of rest and relaxation 😘
It is always worth a shot and saying how disappointed you were and due to ill health etc..........
My neighbours own a holiday let in the Lakes and they had complaints and refunded then changed their agent. As they said 'we would not like to go on holiday and find that it was not up to the standard we expected'.
I agree, but the lady who owns it is really lovely and before the new cleaning company took over, she'd had no problems. She's thought of absolutely everything you'd possibly need and I've never been in such a well equipped property. I've read the visitors book up to the previous week and almost everyone without exception mentioned how spotless everything was. She was so upset and apologetic and I felt it wasn't her fault as she wasn't to know they wouldn't do the job she'd payed them to do. Under the circumstances I feel I don't want or need to make a big fuss about it but just hope she's sorted it for the next holiday makers and learnt a valuable lesson!
Mmmm - but that means the company should provide the refund to both of you.And the mention of a review on their website should encourage them!!!!!And really - had I changed my agent, I think I might have got a friend to check, even if I couldn't. I'm not a very trusting person.
Which leads me to wonder if the agents are also being swindled by their cleaner. It may have been an honest mistake, they do happen, but the Brits are renowned for not complaining about shoddy service of any sort! I've lived out of the UK too long to accept it ...
You're right, and I hadn't actually thought of tackling it from the point of view of the actual cleaning company being the ones to refund both the owner and us. I may well suggest that when I speak to the owner later. I'll find out who the cleaning agents are and definitely address the issues we had in my 'review'.The owner has a gentleman friend who lives on the site and double checks the apartments after cleaning. Unfortunately, as a friend, I think he does it as a favour more than anything, and as apologetic and lovely as he was, he probably didn't put as much emphasis on attention to detail as he should have. In the grand scheme of things it's not desperately important but it's also not acceptable either. Hopefully enough will have been said to prompt a positive response from the cleaning agency....I won't hold my breath though!!!
How lovely of you, what a kind attitude! You'll feel better than you would have if you'd made an angry scene I'm sure. And I bet the owner will give you some money back as she's so nice.It sounds magical - sleeping to the sound of the sea and prosecco in a beach bar - I'm very envious!
The lovely lady who owns the property is now aware and will be contacting the cleaning company first thing tomorrow morning. If she offers us some sort of a refund, I'll accept it with thanks but otherwise I've made my point and feel I don't need to take it further on this occasion. As long as it doesn't happen again, I'm happy.
Fair enough….the problem is if you’re reliant on someone else to do cleaning etc, you just have to hope they are up to standard……and as I said this year, any UK holiday place is booked to the gunnels, so I feel sorry for her….and you! Not what you want after a long drive!
You're right...it's not a normal holiday season for anyone. If I could have dealt with the cleaning company myself, believe me, I would have!!! They would not have got off lightly with me. I felt so sorry for the owner as she was so upset and it was clearly a problem not of her doing. Hopefully it'll be sorted tomorrow. I'm just going to enjoy the rest of my holiday now.
Somewhere I think I said I've contacted the owners and they'll be on to it with the cleaning company tomorrow. Haha!... I'm so confused who I've said what to!!😄
I'm so glad, that your Holiday, is Finally underway- Roads, Dirt and Cleaning notwithstanding. See if you can get into Fowey (pronounced F 'oi') and get some Clotted Cream. (either that or Truro.... NO Fowey, you are on holiday!)
If, and it IS a big 'If', you feel Up To another 'Busy Day' The Eden Project is always 'worth a look'. (It will be a Lot more 'established' than when I was there last, I'm sure.)
If you Don't 'feel like' Doing anything then just Relax, enjoy the Sea, the Fresh Air, the Food- if you get the chance😋. (the genuine Pasty, fresh cooked from the shop, is a Delight.)
Above all ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY Kendrew, you deserve, you Both do. Very best wishes
Am so glad that the very dark clouds had such a silver lining! A really uplifting story and really happy for you and your family Kendrick. Relax and enjoy the next 2 weeks. Heligan and Eden Project are real treats waiting for you round the corner, when you’re ready to visit! 🌈💐
So sorry it was a bad start to the holiday, but if you are anything like me you would have cleaned up anyway, you now know it’s to your level of cleaning and probable feel more safe.
Not at all! We rented a holiday cottage in Dorset some years ago; the cutlery looked as though it had been used for sticky toffee pudding and put straight back in the drawer-I kid you not! The memory still haunts me!My son stayed in an Airbnb recently. He wrote a very good review and the owner replied saying that when he inspected after Steve had left he couldn't find a speck of dust or a splash on the bathroom mirror. Army training or upbringing? 🤔
Have a lovely holiday Kendrew and enjoy yourself despite the tricky start. It might be a blessing in a way because at least you now know the apartment is squeaky clean. Feel sure that view and the sound of the sea will be worth everything you have had to cope with and its great that you have such a positive attitude. I love Cornwall!
Agree about the sound of the sea……I just love it…any time of day.
But then I’m spoilt in that respect…can visit it anytime….and my son has a bungalow a stone’s (or should that be a pebble? a shingle? ) from Chesil beach.
Not always restful lapping of waves though, sometimes very stormy….good for my (our) inner Viking!
Enjoy the stay if not the journey home! …passing Stonehenge or not as the case may be!
How lovely for you. So lucky. Must be why you always seem so calm and serene with your posts! I quite like a stormy sea too....as long as I'm not on it or in it at the time!!
😄We passed Stonehenge on the way here and although there was a lot of traffic, the barrows and henge itself were deserted. Looked very commanding though. Don't you think there's a kind of strange energy you can feel as you travel close by ?? May be I'm imagining it?
No you’re right… when hubby was in the Army he was stationed at Larkhill twice (once for 5 years, once for 3yrs) - which is only a few fields away from it - so many a walk to it - in the days when you could. My son declined to visit it a couple of weeks ago with his family - knows woods close by from his youth- and the A303 from last couple if years driving to London!
My home town is not far from it either, so have known it all my life .
I remember visiting the stones at Avebury, and my husband is a complete sceptic about anything like that, yet he felt a strange sense of something feeling very different as he walked around them. He often mentions it to this day and can't explain what it was exactly thst he felt.
Love the view, and as for the sound of the sea...wonderful.
It dosen`t surprise me about the non cleaning aspect though....I know of two people this has happened to...one went to Butlins, when she walked in with childern...it was disgusting.....the other in an apartment....it`s obvious what the excuse will be....our staff have ben "pinged!"...so there is no-one to do it....but they still take your money!
Thankyou. I'm definitely not going to let it spoil my holiday. The idea was to embrace the sea air and possibly regain some of my vim & vigour...not deplete it further with stress and anxiety! 😄
What a Glorious post!!! You did do too much but telling you to pile the sheets on the bed for those coming and give it all a lick and a promise I know would not have flown!!! so good for you for doing it and wonderful that you are RESTED!!! Perhaps sometimes a hard workout..and a strong rest after.. IS the ticket!! Have the best best best vacation. what a gorgeous view!!!
Oh yes please. You definitely should...please!!.... it was so helpful when you did those seessions...and they were the reason I decided to continue to practice yoga.
What a nightmare start to your holiday- I would have done the same and started cleaning straightway - and worrying about the payback next day - not ideal! Sounds like you’re having a nice time now though which is good -lovely view too! 😍
You can't bottle the experience, but you can get a sound machine. I have one which I use all the time; among other options it has an ocean sound. (I use the brook option as it is a sound which more effectively blocks or masks ambient noises around where I live.)
No idea what asmr is The sound machine looks like a radio, sits somewhere on a surface near where you are, whether you want it while you sleep, or to create ambience during the day, and you can set it to make different sounds.
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.... definition:- a relaxing, sleep-inducing sensation beginning on scalp and moving down body. Sometimes referred to as 'brain massage'. Triggered by gentle sights & sounds such as whispers, accents crackles. So for instance, I can find a 2hr video of someone stroking a fur covered mike, or gently brushing it or combing it. The noise is reminiscent of waves gently crashing on the beach, but the slow movements and low-levrl noise is so relaxing.
I know I must sound like a mad woman!! 😄 Google it and see for yourself. It won't be for everyone, but definitely helps some.
Definitely different to your sound machine. Really like the sound of that too though! Going to look into that.
I do hope you registered the deficits with the owner/rental company/whoever. I'd expect a rebate commensurate with the work involved.That was the joy of the campervan - it was often not perfectly clean, but it was OUR dirt which I found comforting!
Happened to us once. How did I know it hadn't been cleaned properly? The cockroach under the table ...
I had them all written down and photos to prove what I discovered, which the owner is now in possession of. Just left it all in her hands to discuss with the agency.
I'm coming along very late to reply to your email. I haven't yet read others' replies but I know that I'm echoing what they've will have written in saying that I'm so pleased that you haven't suffered as a result of all that effort.I was hoping that after your description of a comfortable bed and restful sleep you were going to say that you woke up and realised that all that had gone before had been a bad dream!
Your holiday location looks idyllic and I wish you the restful holiday you deserve with sunshine and good company. x
Forgot to say, if you get bad weather any day, try popping across to other coast- it’s surprising how it varies! North coast is much more rugged as well- so makes a change…but most of all enjoy!
Just seen your lovely write up of your journey and holiday arrival in Cornwall. I've been there and it took me back a few years but wonderful memories. Sad you had to clean the place but good news that you still feel ok. Enjoy the next 2 weeks and hope it just gives you a pain free break with your family. I can hear the sea!!!! I wished.
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The sound machine looks like a radio, sits somewhere on a surface near where you are, whether you want it while you sleep, or to create ambience during the day, and you can set it to make different sounds. 
