It was blowing a gale and bucketing down with rain when we arrived at 8pm exhausted from the 6 hour drive from Leicestershire. The reception staff were very friendly and welcoming. We found our lodge easily although picking our way to the entrance door from the car parking slot was not so easy as the path was unlit and slippery with autumn leaves. As we struggled to empty the car the rain ran down our necks from the leaky gutter above the entrance door. Inside the lodge was clean but the open plan living/dining/kitchen was cold as the storage heater did not work. A fan heater had been provided though which soon warmed the room. The inside of the lodge badly needed a face lift and refurbishment. The dining table and coffee table were stained. There was only one television ( which was in the living room). The leather sofas were very comfortable though. The kitchen had a dishwasher, cooker, microwave etc but no washing machine or tumble dryer. You could pay to use a laundry on site though. The dials on the cooker hob had worn off and the diagram on the wall to show which rings were which was incorrect. The settings on the toaster had also worn off and the door handle to the freezer was broken and the freezer was frosted up. The bathroom had nowhere to dry wet towels as there was just a storage heater there with a warning not to put anything on it. The bathroom fittings were serviceable. The 3 bedrooms were compact so we were glad that we had not taken friends with us as we could then use the spare bedrooms to dress and undress. It would have been an idea to put televisions in the bedrooms. The curtains in our bedroom were missing a few hooks which rather spoilt the appearance of the room. The beds though were very comfortable. Guest relations at the resort promised a refund of the utility charge if we attended a presentation but was unable to fit us in as the person was away most of the week. The swimming pool at the resort was lovely and mainly empty partly due to the heater not working for the first 2 days of out stay. There is a lovely gent called Ron who takes visitors on very interesting walks in the area. The resort is well placed for trips to see the Robbie Burns museum, birthplace, memorial gardens etc. Ayr is only a 30 minute drive away with some interesting shops. We ate a fantastic meal at Wildings restaurant at Maidens. The mobile fish and chip van at the resort provided an experience not to be repeated which was a shame as the fish should have been fresh as it was provided by a fishmonger in Ayr. The chips were some of the worst I have ever eaten.
