"Daisy Cabin Herts - bonfires, brown duvets, bed bugs, no nature."

I'm sure Canopy and Stars will write a reassuring response to my review. So, this organisation doesn't seem to allow reviews on the properties they represent so you won't see any negative reviews when you book.

I stayed at the Daisy Cabin in Hertfordshire which really is a lovely Cabin. I really love the kitchen, the solar panels, the wood burner, it's clean and tidy.

However, I wasn't greeted by the owner as the email said I would be and my stay was only for two nights.

I gave my Feedback to Stars and Canopy and then you get more feedback in response from the property owner. Fair enough, it might just be me who was bitten by the bed bugs and yes the brown duvet may well be a tannin stain rather than an actual stain. The sheets themselves were very clean and fresh smelling.

My biggest issue is that there isn't really any nature, there in no forest just beyond what you see in the photos so I felt as though I couldn't go anywhere.

I really think the cabin would be improved with planting trees all around the cabin because as soon as you leave the cabin ( I did go for a very short walk) it looks like a converted shed in the corner of a field which doesn't really do it justice as I want it to be more than that because you can see a lot of effort has gone in to it and it nearly works (if there were a few more trees and no toxic bonfire smoke.)

I won't be using the company again as I do feel like they are trying to get money for something that isn't quite on point, it's good photography and marketing and I feel the negatives were framed as my fault for not speaking to the owner at the time. I think if I had had that conversation with the owner at the time I would have left early but I had things to do and I basically knuckled down and got on with what I needed to do. The bonfire smoke (which I did receive and apology for) was enough to have sent me packing but I stayed on because as I said I had a couple of things to do.

"Stayed in an amazing little converted…"

Stayed in an amazing little converted barn called ‘The Wisp’ for 3 nights. Not far from Brighton in Ashurst, West Sussex. The place was really quirky, absolutely immaculate and the hosts were great. Welcomed us when we arrived to check we had what we needed and gave us some tips on places to visit etc. Also made a point of coming to see us as we left. Warm and cosy, peaceful and relaxing with a lovely outside space. Have booked to go back to their larger property for New Year .

"Straw Bale Barn Beacon Hill"

I can't fault Canopy and Stars for their customer support, but it all falls down as they are just middle men. If the holiday location is a complete rip off, (as ours was) they have to request a refund from the owner of the property, which in our case was refused, as the owner simply skirted around the multiple issues we had. Canopy and Stars offered a goodwill voucher for another holiday at least, but here is our experience of Straw Bale Barn.

As you arrive into the small wooded area you are greeted by a view of old gas cylinders, tarpaulins, paint tins and a neglected small wooden barn heavily shaded by mature trees. The open views mentioned on the web site from the bedroom window had long since been blocked by vegetation growing over the end of the building. Around the front door lay various broken solar lights and some wooden outside furniture that has seen far better days that added to the feeling of neglect and it quickly became clear that no work had been done to maintain this barn for many years. A metal chimney led up through the roof into the branches of a mature oak just waiting for the moment to set the tree alight if the log burner got over excited.

The inside looked like it had been the dumping ground for old carpet, curtains and odd furniture from a far grander house, all cobbled together to make it look " quirky". The heavily cracked walls were covered in various artworks, pictures and books to show it had once been an art studio. All the windows bar one appeared to be fixed shut and the place was littered with various air fresheners to try and mask the general musty smell, as ventilation appeared to be a problem.

The main feature of the living area was the log burning stove (with plenty of wood) and best to make do with reading a good book, or streaming something off the wi-fi for entertainment in the evenings on the very well-worn sofa, as there is no music, TV or radio.

The kitchen area had a blackening wooden sink surround and heavily blackened wooden drainer, (carefully hidden by a cloth) with a tap that was very loose on roughly assembled units. Underneath were wicker baskets containing the cutlery, plus odds and ends etc, which were quite obviously whatever was laying around at the time of making it a holiday let. A motley selection of plates and drinking vessels with left overs supplies from previous guests (some past their sell by date), were held in an old dresser. No niceties of fresh farm produce as mentioned in some other reviews.

The sleeping area was a huge clean and comfy bed on a mezzanine area in the roof space up a narrow wooden stair case. You then have to manoeuvre yourself through the roof supports to get to the bed. The tight bed space area was filled with an unnecessary large chest of draws making access to the bed really tight on one side, with no bed side tables on either side to put a drink or like. You can’t physically get dressed one side of the bed due to the bed position and the low ceiling. Faded plastic flowers covered the rough wooden strips that provided an open wall behind the bed.

The bathroom had an exposed large gas water heating system and lots of pipework, plus a very roughly installed huge blue plastic bath surrounded by lots of tired LED candles in jars, but no working shower as the mixer tap had long since failed. The white wash paintwork (with some faded plant artwork) was obviously many years old, with the mottled roof plasterwork showing though the old paint. The supplied liquid toiletries where so old they had solidified and to run a bath needed great forward planning as the water supply was poor and bath huge. A note on the toilet instructed guests to not flush paper as it was an eco loo. Confusingly, it was a water-based loo, and eco loos are dry so, presumably a cess tank that should take loo paper. I can only conclude that the drainage was so poor that loo paper was a problem, so instead of fixing it, its easier to call it "Eco" and be done with it. Having to place used loo paper into a bathroom bin is not what you expect for this price.

On the last night the water heating failed, and this being the final straw,we left for home a night early highly disappointed and mislead by the photos of the property on the Canopy & Stars web site. Generally, the place showed huge potential given some TLC and serious maintenance but there is a clear line between rustic charm and neglect and unfortunately this falls heavily into the latter with zero spend being the obvious approach to its running as a business. It would be fine if it was dirt cheap but at £150 a night it is a joke and simply saying something is upcycled or eco, does not make up for zero maintenance and decay. Don’t waste your money on this one!

"Unreasonably high prices and fee"

I haven’t been able to book a stay yet and I’m already disappointed.

I’ve received a £200 voucher from ex colleagues to book a stay with Canopy & Stars. I booked for next week end September 10 but I had to cancel for unforeseen circumstances (house moving delays).

I cancelled about 2 weeks in advance and the dates re-sold almost immediately, to no loss by Canopy & Stars. My original voucher of £200 was only refunded for £145. So £55 was taken away for no real reason, but justified as an ‘admin fee’.

I’m now trying to re-book the same place for the same date next year, and the price for 2 nights is £60 higher than it was this year!!! OK nature and all, but I’m sorry guys I’m not paying £310 to stay 2 nights in a hut in Crediton that I have to cater for myself. I normally do this stuff for free in my tent.

I paid £448 to stay 3 nights by Saint Paul Cathedral last month. In comparison these fees are honestly insane. Also it’s not cool that you have a mandatory stay of 2 or sometimes 3 nights minimum.

To the pain of risking disappointing who gave me this as a gift, I may have to save myself some money and give it a miss.

Steer clear!

"Not impartial, only out for one thing.... themselves"

Not impartial, don’t care about the customers experience, just pass off any issues to the property owner - who in turn doesn’t care as Canopy & Stars will pay them the money regardless.

Dont believe any of the reviews that you read on their website about the places to stay. They aren’t the whole review and don’t publish any negatives.

During a compliant I received this information:

“We don’t publish 100% of the feedback we receive on the website. We’re not an impartial listings site, like trip advisor or booking.com, and as such, we don’t rely on guest comments to help people decide where to go.”

I will never use this company again, I’m sure some owners provide decent accommodation - but that has nothing to do with Canopy & Stars, they are just a money grabbing organisation that don’t give a damn about the customer.

"Cancelled Bank Holiday Weekend away the…"

Cancelled Bank Holiday Weekend away the weekend before we were due to go.
Very, very, very disappointing! Quite frankly, this is shocking behaviour to cancel our booking so close to when we were supposed to stay, especially as we received a confirmation email from you then 4 days previously. Our booking was made way back in April, so for C&S, or the owners, to tell us just 10 days till we were supposed to be there, that our booking is cancelled is completely unacceptable!

To add insult to injury, their "alternatives" are not alternatives at all. None of the options listed in the link that they sent have availability during our original dates. No doubt this is because our original dates were for the Bank Holiday weekend and of course, just 10 days to go, everything has now booked up. This has effectively cancelled our holiday as we will now find it nearly impossible to book anywhere on such a busy weekend, with just over a week in advance. We will also not be looking for another date to stay at The Greedy Gander as I would be extremely hesitant to book with people who are clearly very disorganised. Plus, these "alternatives" were nowhere near the same standard as what we had booked - no hot tub, not in the same area some adding significant distance to our journey, some weren't even structures, they were tents!


This has ruined our holiday and I would expect some kind of compensation after this monumental mess up, but on writing nothing. I am very disappointed in the company as we had a very good experience booking through you last September and were very much looking forward to our weekend away. But after this, I am not sure I will be booking through you again as I now cannot be sure whether my booking will go ahead or not.   

On another note, you can't leave a review on the canopy and stars page which gives the feeling they are definitely trying to hide the poor service.

"Utterly disgusted"

Utterly disgusted. Booked on Sat, canx next working day-Mon as suspected covid, refuse to refd as not cancelled before 10 weeks-we did not have 10 weeks as only booked on the Sat and due to travel on the wed! No budge at all even when we emailed proof a covid test was ordered through NHS. Absolute rip off merchants not adhering to government guidelines or showing any compassion. Lost a lot of money, will never recommend or use again

"Very frustrating search engine"

Very frustrating search engine, the prices reflected in initial listing are always at leat x3 the price when you go onto the page. It very much feels like you're being deceived, this even happens when entering in the date you would like to go before searching. Their main competitor Air'b'n'b is much more transparent in their pricing and I will be using them in the future.

"My Dad sadly passed away,so I had to…"

My Dad sadly passed away,so I had to fly to Poland then come back and quarantine for 10 days. Unfortunately we had to cancel our holiday 8 days before arriving!
We couldn't amend our dates for staying, our holiday didn't resold. So basically they take our 290£ for nothing. I think this company is owned by robots without any empathy or sympathy for people. We will never book with them again, or Hinterlandes.
Enjoy your free money!!

"We'd never stay there again, not even if they paid us."

In May 2021, we stayed two nights in an awful pod in North Norfolk whose owners didn't have a clue what hospitality means (or were not interested in that part of their business). We had paid £120 per night when we reserved our booking for October last year. Due to Covid, we could change that (after a lot of hassle) to May. Current price per night is £105 so we would have expected at least some correction. Nothing was mentioned. It's only £30 but it is the principle.
The quality and cleanliness of the pod was so poor - we didn't even find any proof of it having been disinfected - that we wrote a long letter with all our complaints to Canopy and Stars (via the feedback email system on their website). We did not receive any response from them. We wrote another letter a few weeks later asking them if they had received the letter and, if they had, to confirm how they were going to follow up our serious complaints and comments. After a week, still no response.
Let's take just two of the self-promoting statements C&S make on their site :
1. Our friendly Guest Experience Team have one of the best customer service scores in travel
2. We have social skills.
They also claim to visit every place they offer on their site. That obviously doesn't mean anything when you don't know their criteria.
C&S are at the bottom of hospitality industry. All empty, wonderful words. Thinking about using them? We suggest that you re-read our review before you decide.
The pod we stayed in was way below the minimum standards we expect.
It's always disappointing when you cannot give zero stars for an organisation, the owners and their accommodation.
We've been ripped off big time. Hugely overpriced even if the quality had been slightly better.
Don't be fooled by their Eco jargon. That's for the gullible amongst us. The real Eco warriors would have been shocked. We're not gullible and felt conned.