After spending £670 on 3 nights, which was payable 100% upfront with no refunds under any circumstances, I was looking forward to a magical stay in the Squirrel’s Nest Treehouse (Forest of Dean) and “getting away from it all” for my boyfriend’s birthday. The comms with the owner was great, and all seemed well at first.When we arrived, we were shown to the treehouse which is set in the back garden of the owner’s house, with no access to the forest without getting in the car.The Treehouse, while I was not expecting a 5-star hotel, was little more than a glorified shed. It was absolutely tiny, so once you had a bag or two on the floor, you were tripping over constantly. There was nowhere to put clothes or anything for that matter, so you had no choice but to live out of a bag for the duration of the stay.It was September, so the weather was wet, which made the whole experience miserable, with wet muddy footprints constantly strewn across the tiny bit of floorspace we had.There was nowhere to prepare food at all, with zero workspace, meaning that prepping pizzas etc for the pizza oven was nigh-on impossible. Not that we wanted to spend the time watching TV, but it was the weekend of the Queen’s death, so I flicked on BBC to find the Sky TV didn’t work at all. And the shower was absolutely rubbish, either boiling or freezing, and no pressure whatsoever.Sadly, on day 2, my boyfriend, whose birthday it was, fell ill, and we had to go home. For 2 weeks, I have been politely messaging back and forth with the owner. He told me even a partial refund was out of the question, and I asked whether we could return to use our dates another time. He told me his hands were tied by Canopy and Stars, and no such arrangements could be made. I was advised this accommodation is booked up almost every night of the year, meaning it makes well in excess of £70k a year, yet a small refund is out of the question, not even £100. That, to me, is just greedy and unkind.After what was meant to be a magical birthday experience - which, in the current climate, was a real “splash out” moment for me, I have now returned home out of pocket by almost £1000, and without any nice memories at all. Utterly disappointing, and I would not recommend to anyone. Get a nice hotel for the same price, or just go camping if you want to be outdoors! Or pick another treehouse (this, by the way, didn’t even seem to be in a tree / it was more of an outdoor lodge?)
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We inspect and select the most inspiring places to stay in the great outdoors; treehouses, cabins, yurts and more. For those in search of a life more wild.
