We stayed at the Dinney two years ago in Garden Cottage which was excellent and on that basis we decided to return. This year, as Garden Cottage was unavailable we booked Duck instead. Sadly, we were disappointed with the standard. The paintwork was marked in places and there were stains on the lounge rug and on the back door mat. Overall the cottage looked tired. The kitchen was ill equipped and had odd numbers of glasses, crockery & glassware. Three adults eating at the dining table (tucked under the stairs) was too cramped. We had a very thick, heavy winter duvet on the double bed. 9.5 I think, which was not suitable for June. On our arrival in the evening, the cottage was cold and we couldn't get the heating to work. There were no instructions in the folder or online. The owner Karen did arrive promptly the following morning to sort it out and showed us that to work the heating you simply turned the thermostat up to 22.5. It seemed that was the only way it would work!
On the plus side, we loved the small garden and the beautiful views over the lake. The location was excellent, with lots to see and do. Especially the arboretum which we all enjoyed.
