Mainstone House

Very happy with Mainstone House there were no surprises as the information, photos and additional documentation were all completely accurate. Ledbury was also a must visit town.

We had an excellent family stay at Mainstone House. Everything we needed was there. Unfortunately the pub over the road shut down the week before we arrived but there is an excellent tea shop directly across from the house. The main road traffic noise and the daily attendance of the hot tub maintenance individuals were the only two small slightly problematic issues. The landlord was lovely and did inform us when the hot tub was being maintained so we did our best to ensure the two dogs we had with us were out of the way to avoid barking! The main road noise is just something to be aware of, it didnt affect our stay. All in all it was a lovely experience, it was clean, had ample facilities, the beds were extremely comfy and the garden and outlook was fantastic. Id thoroughly recommend it as a base for a large party to explore the area.

We were contacted at 3pm on Friday we were due to arrive at 5pm by the property owner to let us know that the Aga was not working. We were a party of 13 8 adults and 5 children and we had booked this property to gather as a family to celebrate my Sister's 40th Birthday. I had planned a menu for the weekend which included cooking Filet of Beef En Croute and Dauphinoise potatoes on the Friday and Roast Chicken on the Sunday. I had planned the menu, bought all the food, prepped the beef and potatoes, and also had a Tesco food shop being delivered that Friday night. I had read reviews of the property that said previous guests had been able to cook a Christmas Dinner so I had every confidence that I would be able to cook the planned menu. When speaking to the owner, he asked me if we would be able to manage with just the hob which I said we wouldn't, and that they would purchase a portable oven for our use. I asked whether this would be big enough to cook a meal for 13 people and the response was that the portable oven is the same size as the aga. It was the same size as ONE of the Aga ovens, but the Aga has TWO ovens. On our way to the property, feeling very anxious about the cooking facilities, I phoned Sykes and explained the problem. The person I spoke to said they would speak to the owner and call me back. They never called me back. On arrival I could see that we had 1 small portable oven, and also a microwave oven which works as a convection oven. The first meal that I attempted to cook was chicken and chips for the children. It soon became very clear that the small portable oven was not able to cook 2 things at once it was not an adequate substitute for an Aga, and certainly not adequate to cook a meal for 13 people. Having already prepped an expensive meal for the Friday night Filet of Beef and Dauphinoise potatoes I did my best to try and cook it with the inadequate cooking equipment that had been provided, but suffice to say, it was very stressful, very time consuming and the food was not cooked in the way that it should be due to not having a proper oven or Aga to cook in. We had arranged to go out for a meal on the Saturday which was a welcome relief, but I had bought 2 chickens to roast on the Sunday. There was a Slow Cooker in one of the kitchen drawers which I thought would be a good option given that I did not have an oven that worked properly. The slow cooker initially heated up, but after an hour had cooled down and it was apparent that this was broken too so I ended up having to poach the chicken on the hob. As a family, we had put a lot of time and effort into planning this special weekend, and indeed had planned an extensive menu to ensure that 13 people would be well fed and enjoy some nice food. Unfortunately, a broken Aga and a feeble portable oven as a replacement meant that cooking was stressful and far more time consuming than it should have been, everything took twice as long to cook and even then, the food wasn't cooked in the same way as it does in a normal oven. Mostly it was overcooked because the oven temperature was so low, you had to cook everything for much longer. In addition to this, the hot tub was not hot, it was warm at best hot tub maintenance kindly turned this up for us on Sunday morning but it had already affected our enjoyment of the hot tub. Also, the downstairs floors were not clean I ended up hoovering and mopping myself as they were so filthy. Please can you let me know what compensation will be provided as the property is advertised as having a working Aga, which it didn't have, and the replacement was not fit for purpose.

Great place to stay, incredibly well equipped for children with toys, books and garden play area. Great little Pub across the road as well.

A most unusual and quirky, historical house. It was like stepping back into history. Fantastic. The quality of kitchen equipment, crockery and cutlery was of such high quality. There was ample seating for our party of 11 aged 5 77years. Plenty of TVs and dining space, a massive garden and hot tub. There were lots of games and some sports equipment, garden chairs and tables and BBQ We visited the Trumpet Inn and the coffeegift shop opposite. We would recommend both. Anyone with mobility problems would need to be very careful because of all the stairs, steps and sloping floors. What hidden gems we found Hereford and Ledbury to be. Mainstone House was the perfect place to be to celebrate my 70th birthday with my family. We would love to stay here again

Just such a beautiful and interesting place. Everything one would need. Books, piano, games, play stuff for children. Hot tub, garden. Two sitting rooms, big dining room just amazing. The cooker was a bit of a challenge and the upstairs ancient wobbly floors made you feel unstable if you have balance problems. Definitely not a place if you have any mobility issues. I did have problems tuning in the Tv as I am not used to having to do this. Those are minor things. A wonderful place and a terrific stay. Would highly recommend.

Super house for our 3 generational family of 10 adults and 3 small children to spend a week together over Christmas! It was clean, warm and spacious with grandparents always able to find a quiet and comfortable corner to get away from the bustle. The numerous toys cleverly hidden in a storage unit and the play kitchen in particular were a great hit with our little ones and the hot tub was great for winding down. The kitchen was very well equipped and we had everything we needed to prepare meals every day. Yes, we even cooked christmas dinner too which required a bit of juggling but we were prepared for the relatively small ovens in the aga and brought 2 small turkeys instead of 1 big one! Thanks to Tracey and Martyn for their prompt communications in ensuring we had all the baby equipment we needed.

Everything was just perfect for our extended family's preChristmas celebrations. The beds were particularly comfortable with crisp linen and warm duvets.

We had a most enjoyable holiday. Flowers in vases, celebration chocs. and biscuits were a lovely welcome. Many thanks. Lucille & family

Excellent stay in this fascinating old house loads for room for a big party. Hot tub was lovely and relaxing, kitchen well equipped and lovely to have so many toys for our grandson. A great weekend!

The beautiful old house is filled with everything needed for enjoyable stay, which we all had. The house was cleaned to perfection and filled with every kitchen utensil needed as well as an abundance of crockery and cutlery. The hot tub towels provided was maintained daily without intrusion. Our party of 12, with ages ranging from 80 years to 8 months, was well catered for, lots of space for everyone.

Mainstone House is the most fabulous place to stay. We spent a week there in late Julyearly August for a special family celebration 13 adults and children and one baby and it was amazing. The house has so much character, everything was spotless, masses of room and masses of games and activities both inside and out. With a library and piano room, a huge lounge and play room, it fitted all our needs perfectly. The garden is enclosed and safe for the children while having lots of character. We loved it all and wouldn't hesitate to return. The Trumpet pub across the road was handy with friendly staff, huge beer garden and lovely food, and Ledbury town just seven minutes drive is a beautiful little town with masses of character.

It was an excellent venue for a family celebration, the only downside was the noise from the traffic, which we did know about beforehand, but due to the hot weather we had to have the windows open. It would be perfect for a Winter stay! The pub over the road and The Nest farm shop, deli, coffee shop and nursery were excellent and so was the visit to Ledbury.

A fabulous house for a three generation family weekend plus two small dogs! . Spacious, comfortable, special and also homely. Well equipped from bedrooms to cooking and entertainment. Enclosed garden with outdoor furniture, plus the lovely hot tub. We manage to Sue most of the facilities, including the table tennis table for a family tournament. And as a musical family, we enjoyed the beautiful piano too. Only slight downside was traffic noise in the garden, but soon managed to ignore it and relax regardless. A wonderful property.

Very good. Lots of rooms and well equipped. Door bell needs mending and a decent broom for the kitchen. Nine of the party came out in insect bites, seven children and one adult. Possibly the sofas in the tv sitting room. However, the stay was very successful and comfortable. The garden and hot tub were very much used and appreciated.

Our wider family of 10, including 4 children, had a great time at Mainstone house for a week over Easter. The house has a WOW! factor at its history, size, number of rooms and facilities. The kitchen is good for cooking for a crowd though the AGA style range takes a bit of getting used to, take a food thermoeter!, the hottub is a must as is tabletennis and garden furniture. We spent the week canoing on the Wye, visiting castles, walking, running and trying to work out how the house has grown since Tudor times! Thanks a for a wonderful stay!

The property was reasonably priced & able to house a large party comfortably. We loved having the piano & the kitchen was well stocked. Communication with the owners was very good & they were very kind in looking for lostleft jewellery. The only negative was that it really is close to the cross roads & so on one side of the house sleep could be disturbed by lorry noise.

Very well equipped property with an amazing hot tub! Great place for large family to get together.

The house is beautiful, and so well equipped. Its bigger than it looks in the photos, and all rooms are comfy and spacious. It was spotlessly clean, same applies to the garden and hot tub. Would highly recommend and definitely will be rebooking! Thank you

We had a wonderful family weekend in this beautifully appointed and restored house. There was everything you could need , whatever the age of the visitors . We particularly appreciated the piano and music as we had several musicians in the party and our chef and team were very happy in the spacious well equipped kitchen. It would be good to go back to Mainstone House in the summer to take advantage of all that was in the garden ,although the hot tub was put to good use ! Thank you Martyn and Tracey

The property felt a lot bigger than what the photos show which was a lovely surprise. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the hot tub, it was a fantastic surprise 60th birthday get together for my Mum. Tracey and Martyn were great, their communication was fantastic. We came across a leak in the kitchen one morning and Tracey and Martyn got this sorted very quickly and were very accomodating. Would definitely reccomend this property as somewhere to stay. We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

We had a wonderful stay at Mainstone House. Very comfortable ,spacious accommodation,full of character. Plenty of toys and games for the children and a great library of books. The hot tub was very popular with all. The goodquality piano was well appreciated too,especially for singing carols around it! The welcoming litup Christmas tree was a lovely touch,as were the vases of fresh flowers and the box of chocolates. Family members are very keen to return there.

Great character holiday cottage. Big enough for all of us and nice and warm throughout when we needed the heating. All facilities were fine including the hot tub. Lovely, thanks

We had a wonderful stay at the property, had a couple of hiccups but Martyn had these sorted within a day and kindly sorted a meal for us too, Road a little noisy for some of our party but manageable, great facilities for the children and lots of little extras were included. We would defo recommend this property, thank you for a fabulous stay.

The house was extremely well equipped, especially regarding toys and games for the children. I defy anyone to not find a book from the many bookshelves, to interest them. The hot tub was fabulous and serviced daily. Arranged so as not to inconvenience us. Martyn and Tracey were very helpful with a list of things to do and the vases of fresh flowers were a lovely touch. The Trumpet Inn, across the road served an excellent Sunday roast, catering well for the children too.

Lovely house, very well equipped, great facilities. Perfect for a large family gettogether. Great location too, perfect for exploring the beautiful surrounding countryside lovely walks in the Malvern hills and nearby Forest of Dean. Pub and tea rooms opposite also very handy. Owner helpful throughout. Highly recommend and would definitely stay again.