“We arrived after a long journey early evening for a 10 night stay to a cold cottage, no logs, no kindling and a heating system that wasn't even on.”
Going out buying logs was not what we wanted to do after a 6hr journey. Most cottages we have stayed in have one log delivery factored into the price. There are only blinds at the windows so not well insulated.
Welcome hamper wine, crisps and biscuits, thank you, but milk would have been a better option. Half a toilet roll, no kitchen roll, just an inch of soap in pump dispensers, 1 dishwasher tablet, no bin liners... economy seemed to be high priority here. We don't expect to have our entire stay catered for but it came across as very penny pinching.
There was only one rug in the entire house, bare floorboards everywhere painted white and stone floor in the kitchen made a cold experience if you hadn't packed slippers. Up in the bathrooms (that is a plus for 4 sharing, a bathroom each) it made for a very slippy experience despite bath mats so pack your wet shoes as well. Nice, thick fluffy towels but because the house was so cold despite us having mastered the heating, they never dried. 10 days dealing with damp towels.
The kitchen, units made by a local cabinet maker? Doubt it, no closers so every time you tried to close a door or a drawer quietly, there was a load 'snap' which resounded around the house and extremely irritating. The fridge had no ice box and as people who enjoy a G & T, this was a disadvantage. Be aware the backyard has this property and surrounding properties bins in it. So it can be noisy.
The stairs are very steep, that's typical of most properties in the centre of Aldeburgh (we have stayed annually here for the past 20 years) but with no carpet, painted in a high sheen white paint which also matches the walls, they made walking up and down precarious. If you have visual challenges it would difficult to see the edges of the steps.
This was not really a holiday for us so we just rubbed along, sorting out family issues meant it was more a base than relaxation time. For a family with a dog it would be ideal as no carpets = easy cleaning. The sofas were huge and very comfortable as were the beds. At that end of Aldeburgh too, if you work with the parking restrictions you can park, if you find a space from 4pm-until the next morning.
Looking at other holiday properties in Aldeburgh the style is very similar. Same style kitchen, same bedhead, same painted floor boards and in one or two reviews, similar concerns. Possibly run by same person or company? Everyone has to make money but we walked away feeling a little bit like we had been had by a hard nosed business model.