Sometimes I am just blown away by the lovely guests I have had the pleasure to meet over the years.
These last few days at the end of February and the begining of March have seen a BIG change in the weather – gone are the weeks of cold grey and suddenly beautiful blue skies, Skylarks singing, grass needing cutting, but still very cold nights between minus 2 and plus 5 degrees. In fact the night skies were so clear we had amazing views of the planets that were all lined up and wont be seen again for 44 years.
Then…
Catastrophe struck.
Today our automatic deliveries of Calor gas failed and Calor let us actually run out of gas here at The old Grove Farm where my own six cottages are.
So, No Hot Water or Heating in my cottages.
I went round to break the bad news to my Farm Cottage guests who had just come back from a big walk, I told them that the hot water and the heating was just about to stop, and the outside temperature would drop to 5 degrees ! Not a happy conversation to have.
They looked at me with a smile and said that nothing I could say would get them to move, they had a roaring log fire, were full from a fabulous meal at the local pub, and just wanted to snuggle down in front of the fire. The oven and the kettle would be more than enough to keep them cosy and happy for the next few days, they were looking forward to the next days enjoying the little cottage.
They said it was their first time at the cottage and they just loved it !
I was speechless – but it made me so happy that I attract such lovely people to my cottages.
I went round to Dons Barn where the big wood-burner was heating up the room and sending a flickering light over my guests there ….. who said EXCATLEY the same thing ! Don’t worry about us, we are more than happy, everything is going to be perfect !
Its Friday and Gareth and his wife and son are turning up from London for a much-earned relaxing weekend escape in Orchard Cottage (I have lost count how many times they have stayed here and at other Grove Cottages) – I hadn’t been able to turn the heating on but I had lit the big open fire just in case a last minute gas delivery happened, and I had asked The Old Steam Mill to look after Gareth if the gas delivery didn’t come.
7pm, No gas and Gareth arrives, and I tell him my tale of Woe…… I have to say what absolutely lovely people ! They literally debated staying in a cold cottage with a brick floor and no heating and no hot water for 15 Minutes !!!
In the end it was me trying to persuade them not to stay but to go to The Old Steam Mill – which is a cottage that is really 5 Star luxury !
I am sitting here now with less than nice thoughts about Calor, and how this is the second consecutive delivery where they have let me run out, thinking about the financial cost and the possible reputational cost – but at the same time feeling so happy that I have cottages which attract such lovely people who really appreciate what we have created.
When I started The Grove Cottages back in 1999 I wanted to create places that had a rural romance to them where historic character and atmosphere where far more important than standard comfort, where brick floors, Persian rugs, old beams and open fires were providing a lovely setting for a relaxing getaway from city life and where a great country pub was an easy walk across the fields.
Well, that’s what I managed to do – and this just proves how much my guests really love it.
So… is it a Good Day or a Bad Day?
Because as annoyed as I am, I am also really happy inside?
Mark
