Rural Retreats Reviews

They have dealt with a cancellation caused by a double bereavement with commendable speed and understanding. Very good customer service.

Had no issues with our accommodation or booking. Everything was perfect and we were given paperwork in plenty of time with instructions. We stayed in Dorset and would definitely stay there again.
Had the most stunning cottage and scenery couldn’t have asked for more.

We have had so many very good breaks with this firm. Lovely cottages in very good locations. Strongly recommend.

My negative review is based on Rural Retreats passing my details to third parties who then used the details to send me marketing information.

This is despite me making sure I ticked the boxes to say I didn't want marketing info and definitely didn't want my details passed to anyone in the world with an interest in using my personal information.

This is a very disappointing abuse of trust.

I do understand that many customers are quite happy for their data to be passed, without consent, to third parties. But I am not one of those people.

I actually enjoyed my holidays booked via Rural Retreats but their lack of data protection puts me off future bookings, which is a real shame.

I have contacted them about this and await their response ( if any ).

And will take the issue up with the ICO ( Information Commission ) as this abuse of data is a potential breach of GDPR.

Had a wonderful Easter Break at the Well House, Crossbrook Farm. Vicki and Stuart were there to greet us, made us feel very welcome with the hot tub and fire pit ready to go and left us with a lovely Hamper. It is an amazing and relaxing place and is even better than the photos, we didn't want to come home. Lots of walks, and meals out, Pizzas at the Queen Head and Yorkshire pudding wraps at Ascotts. We already decided on the way home that we will be back next year. Perfect getaway x

Just had a fantastic holiday at Trevose lighthouse.
From booking to arrival rural retreats were very informative.
The hamper on arrival was excellent
The accommodation was lovely and clean they had thought of everything you may want.
Can't wait to go back next year.

BEWARE-Never book with this company as you will get below par accommodation followed by even worse customer service when it goes wrong. I booked a house which when arrived had not been cleaned and had some of the most outrageous insects in places they shouldn’t be like the beds for example. Instead of an apology and refund or credit we were accused of bringing those insects in with us. Special shout outs to Elizabeth & Justine (Head of some department, but in reality shouldn’t be in charge of running a bath) who were disgusting in every way and should never be allowed to work in Travel & Tourism every again.

As I said, BEWARE!

We had booked the lovely cats abbey cottage in the cotswold for a family Christmas reunion , unfortunately Covid struck son in law in London and in the end we decided to cancel. The bookings team were helpful with this process and great communication- would definitely use Rural Retreats in the future and would recommend to anyone.
Thank you to the bookings staff.

We stayed at a cottage owned by Castle Howard recently which is bookable through Rural Retreats. The standard of accommodation was awful. The decor was tired, the fixtures were rickety, with nails protruding from furniture and fixtures falling from the wall. The lighting was not working in the upstairs, the fuse box seems dangerous when we tried to reset the fuse, the landline provided to contact them in emergencies was not working, the heating had been off all week, and there were seven unguarded mousetraps in one cupboard. We lasted one night of the stay before leaving. We were also given admission to Castle Howard a part of the rental, but the house closed and no offer of an alternative date was given to use these. We are now pursuing a full refund but Castle Howard staff are not accepting this request. I would recommend you definitely avoid Lime Kiln Farmhouse, and any other properties owned by Castle Howard. I am surprised Rural Retreats deal with properties this poorly maintained.

We recently stayed in Inglenook Cottage in Broad Campden. We had a slight issue with the key safe on arrival, but this was resolved promptly and efficiently by a very polite and friendly customer service operative. We couldn't fault the cottage - spotlessly clean and in a lovely location. The welcome pack was amazing (both on the table and in the fridge) and the cottage was extremely well equipped. The housekeepers, who arrived just as we were leaving, were very friendly.

Just spent a great long weekend at RedRoofs in the North York Moors. There were seven of us including two young children. The house was beautiful and very well equipped and comfortable to live in. We had a wonderful valley view which we never tired of but there were plenty places to visit within a short drive. My only criticism is there are 14 steep stone steps down to the house from the driveway and they have no hand rail which makes them daunting for someone who has slight mobility issues. Also there is an unexpected step just inside the front door which I stumbled down. I am sure these issues could easily be resolved and then I would have been able to award 5 stars.

Avoid this business at all costs. With a fully paid trip, booked well in advance, we were given just a few days notice of cancellation. Clearly a case of a better offer in Staycation Britain had popped up and the current policy of profiteering from it came into play.

A well planned holiday in tatters.

Just had a week at 2 The Oaks Hoarwithy in Herefordshire with Rural Retreats. Beautiful location and completely rural and quiet throughout the stay. The cottage is well-equipped and presented and the house-keeping contact, Lesley Anson, was delightful and helpful; particularly with our request for a vegan no soya based hamper. Would return again without hesitation. Covid protocols in place and effective.

I recently booked a holiday through Rural Retreats and had a great experience with them. The website was easy to navigate with lots of gorgeous detailed photos of the cottages, and loads of information. I had reason to ring their office and the lady I spoke to was really helpful, friendly and efficient. I had a wonderful holiday in a beautiful cottage.

Very poor customer service. Rural retreats took our booking and deposit. Actually took 2 deposits which I chased and they refunded one deposit. Months later they called us to cancel the booking as the owner wanted to cancel. Many reasons given for cancellation ( from double booked to they took the booking in error to the owner is moving back into the property from overseas) so don’t know which one is true. Still waiting for deposit to be refunded. Will revert to using smaller local agencies as they seem to care more about their reputation and customer service.