This review is actually about our second stay at the Secret Garden Cottages. I have stayed there once before in June 2005, and the pictures are from that stay. However, the property looked almost exactly the same during our May 2008 stay except for a few added fountains in the garden and better patio furniture on the deck. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take any pictures of the inside of the cottage.
Secret Garden Cottages is a cute, cozy alternative to a regular hotel. It's very convenient if you're going to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, as it's only about a block away from the cottages.
I would like to give this place a great review, but I had a few problems. My family and I stayed in the Main House. The property features a sun deck with a hot tub surrounded by a beautiful garden and 5 charming cottages. However, the hot tub was out of order during our stay but fortunately the owner notified us about that beforehand. So that was more of a minor inconvenience than a major issue.
The Main House has a full kitchen so we brought our own food to cook. When we tried to cook our dinner, we discovered that the stove didn't work. We called the owner and she sent someone to come and look at it, but he was unable to fix the problem immediately. So we had to improvise for dinner.
Another problem was the deck. Some boards in the deck are very flimsy and my fiance actually broke one of them while walking across it. He was lucky he did not break his ankle. The pictures on the Secret Garden Cottages website are old. They show a beautiful, white, freshly painted deck. Now the paint is peeling and some boards have been replaced and not even painted. One of the boards on one of the steps was still broken.
The property is not in a spectacular neighborhood, but it is totally surrounded by a 6-foot privacy fence and has a locking gate so you can open the gate and drive your vehicle inside if you choose. The Main House is beautifully decorated and it offers a certain at-home comfort that you simply cannot get from a hotel. The owner left 2 movies for us to watch during our stay, which I thought was a nice touch.
Due to our problems, the owner took care of us and refunded a good portion of our money. My only hope is the owner of Secret Garden Cottages is able to better maintain the property in the future.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
20 December 2008
On 10-24-08, my husband and I became the proud owners of Secret Garden Cottages. We have made and continue to make upgrades to the cottages and grounds. The cottages are clean, comfortable, and are in a quiet and peaceful area. We live 1 and 1/2 miles from the property and are available to assist with any needs you may have during your stay. We will not be offering hot tub facilities, however, we do have a fire pit, charcoal grills, and a chiminea at each cottage. We also provide a free continental breakfast. We have free wireless internet, and cable in the main house. Our mission is to provide a clean, healthy, fun, safe, and relaxing lodging experience at an affordable rate. Check us out on our web site. We would love to have you as our guest.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC