Oak Lodge Retreat

The location is a nice location, easy to reach, plenty around in the immediate area (pubs, supermarket etc) The grounds, facilities, and bell tents are spacious, clean and safe. The only drawback in terms of the locale is the slight vehicle noise which can sometimes be heard from units in the area (it is sporadic and very slight and I would certainly not consider this to be an issue) Facilities: We went during Covid Times, the Hot tub, etc was not open, but we were informed of this prior to booking. The toilets and showers were immaculate and excellent. Whilst we were visiting it was horrendously wet with yellow wind warning, and other than the smoking shelter which took a bit of damage, the facilities all withstood a real buffering. The Bell Tents: Initially seemed well equipped, however, the quality of the bedframe was poor and was unstable. The mattress was not comfortable for us - but this could be a personal choice / what we are used to. , however, the "plastic covering" on the beds are extremely uncomfortable and noisy (and we have a fleece blanket to cover it with) The type of plastic needs to be looked at if this needs to continue. The Bell tent was spotlessly clean inside. There is a coolbox and coat hook etc which were more than welcome and effective. There was not a heater in the bell tent which resulted in extreme cold (due to the weather) and perhaps this could be addressed for a more comfortable stay (we did have a heater, but spoke to others who did mention the cold) The no utensils, crockery and bedding due to Covid rule is odd and feels less related to Covid. However this was explained to us prior to arriving. One of the most frustrating "issues" we experienced was the extra cost for the FirePit, the firepit is extremely small and not what we were expecting (perhaps place an image on the website to avoid disappointment) on our arrival the logs were under the cooking area, which was unfortunately not weatherproof ( I am aware that this was extreme weather ) and the logs were wet and unusable, we placed them into the Bell Tent to see if we could dry them out to no avail. As we were eager to leave on our day of leaving, we did not give the owners the opportunity to have a conversation to resolve this, so we take some responsibility for some of this disappointment. The vending machine was a bonus and seemed to be well priced. All in all, it was an ok experience for the money we paid on a deal, it may well be a different experience in a Non Covid world.

This is nothing but a series of promises followed up rapidly by excuses and disappointment. Awful customer service and as you can see from the replies to other reviews - the guy is an arrogant keyboard warrior. Waste of money.

My husband and I, like many others during this time we’re really looking forward to a weekend away in what seemed like a welcoming retreat. We booked via groupon and there were no conditions stating that we needed to complete some information within 28 days of receiving an email. We didn’t receive this email, as it went to a junk folder (which we later found) - which can quite often happen - and were unaware of this so we contacted Oak Lodge retreat a few days prior to confirm that our stay was going ahead. They advised that because we didn’t complete the form that our stay couldn’t go ahead and we could re-book for next season. To us, this wasn’t very helpful - there wasn’t any offer of help or assistance in the matter. It was their way or no way. I’m assuming they had now given the space to somebody else. Couldn’t get through on the phone, so emails were sent and they responded that they could call us but we’d get a quicker response via email. Just awful service in my opinion. We requested a refund and they refused, advised as we booked via groupon that we needed to request the refund from them and again offered an alternative date next season. Which we didn’t want because of the lack of service we received. We contacted Groupon and they said they are happy to refund us if Oak Lodge retreat would confirm in writing that the stay didn’t go ahead. They have refused to do this. So we have now lost our money and I can only assume that they have made double; money from our booking and the money from those that must have stayed in our tent - otherwise they could have assisted us and honoured our stay when we got in touch. A bit of kindness and understanding would have gone a long way - something we all need during the pandemic. I can appreciate that times are tough for all of us; especially businesses but I think they need to advertise more openly about the changes in their T&C’s. It should have been noted on the groupon terms of booking and it wasn’t. You have to look on their actual site, at the very bottom of the page - tucked away. So in my opinion they are getting away with not refunding customers, but by not by treating customers fairly. From reading other reviews now and others have commented on their poor service and that they feel the company has a “keyboard warrior”, I feel the same. I wouldn’t recommend dealing with the company - but cannot comment on facilities as the trip couldn’t go ahead.

My friends and I stayed on 23rd & 24th September unfortunately the weather was horrendous but we had a great time. The tent,toilets & showers were spotless, Paul was on hand if we needed him, the fire pit kept us nice & warm & despite the rain we sat round the fire chatting & cooking marshmallows. Will definitely visit again in the summer.

Much needed break which we both thoroughly enjoyed, camp is quiet, clean and comfortable. Yes there are restrictions in place but no issues with these and no different to other places. Paul was welcoming and on hand to ensure all our needs were met.