Overview

A truly luxury cottage by any standards and one which both wheelchair users and able-bodied people alike can enjoy - not to mention the pet dog who loved every moment there.

Transport & Parking

We travelled to the cottage by car and parked in its car park. This was right next to the cottage and had a tarmac surface. Access to the cottage was along a paved patio to a level threshold entrance.

Access

Access into the cottage and throughout its interior was all on one level, with widened doorways and plenty of space between the furniture. There were no steps to negotiate. The cottage included a wet room with non-slip flooring, a wall-mounted washbasin (to allow easy use by wheelchair users), a drop-down shower seat and plenty of handrails. The owners said there was other equipment available on request and we did obtain an upright armchair which could be used more easily by a wheelchair user than the lower level lounge suite.

Toilets

The accessible toilet was in the wet room. It had a wall-mounted grab rail on the user's left side and a drop-down grab rail on the other. There was plenty of space to manoeuvre the wheelchair and the carer could get where needed, albeit a little tightly. The toilet (and the whole wet room) was spotlessly clean.

Staff

The owners" (Beth & Hugh) whole approach was what accessibility is supposed to be about (and unfortunately rarely is). They could not do enough to help us enjoy our two weeks in Cornwall. They provided in advance a great deal of information about accessibility in nearby resorts and places to visit. They had gone to the trouble of checking all of the local pubs and restaurants to do this. They knew which beaches were accessible (and dog friendly - important to us) and had even found a boat trip on a nearby lake which was wheelchair accessible. The holiday included membership of a nearby country club where the pool was accessible with a hoist. Above everything else, the one thing I will take away from the holiday is Beth's understanding that being in a wheelchair is not a lifestyle choice.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

We would definitely recommend it to another power chair user, provided they are accompanied. This is because all of the worktops in the kitchen are too high to use from a wheelchair. We would certainly go back again.

Photos