“Fantastic experience in an amazing beach house”

“The most marvellous holiday home.”

Response from the owner Thanks Helen! So glad that you had a great time and we hope to welcome you back soon. Very best - Richard

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not TripAdvisor LLC.

“Absolutely amazing (again)!”

“Didn't want to leave”

“An amazing property”

“The perfect holiday”

“Lovely house but everything else was compromised”

Response from the owner Dear Maithreyi and party, I am very saddened to read your posts. Thalpe House is primarily our home where we reside for up to four months of the year, often my wife alone with our three young children and nanny, and as such we take the security and safety of our young family and guests very seriously. This is why we hired the most reputable security firm, thoroughly vetted and used by most premium villas in the area, to provide security for us each night. We also insist on having at least one member of staff always on the property and each room can be locked, the individual wardrobes all have locks and there is a safe in all principal bedrooms. As I explained to you via email immediately on learning of your incident, my wife and I were as shocked and appalled by it as you. The guard in question, though provided by an external firm, has worked regularly with us for over a year and during this time nothing has gone missing. On the contrary he had shown to be seemingly very trustworthy by collecting up any valuables left out by guests and safely locking them away in the kitchen overnight; which is where I have personally found my phone, my wife's camera and the children?s ipads securely stowed on numerous occasions. For him to attempt to steal from your party within ten minutes of your arrival when the entire house was occupied is unfathomable. On the night in question, we acted immediately to do all possible to remedy the situation and make you feel secure: the guard was instantly dismissed and replaced, the Managing Director of the security firm was called to the house to apologise in person, two new security guards were placed on duty for the duration of your stay, our Manager and extended staff committed to stay on site full time to ensure you felt safe, we filed a report with the police (despite you not wishing to take matters further) and offered you complimentary bottles of wine from our personal stock by way of apology. I am truthfully not sure what more could have been done - switching to another security firm would not have provided any further reassurances, just more unknowns. I did in fact ring first thing the following morning to follow up on my email of the previous night, but everyone was still sleeping and Sathish assured me you and your party were happy with our response and the arrangements made. I apologise for taking his word for this and not speaking to you directly; an oversight on my part and as a new owner the single greatest learning I take from this entire incident. Please be assured, however, that I was in regular contact with Sathish to make sure the rest of your stay was made as comfortable as possible and our staff did everything they could to make amends for such a terrible start to your stay. This included serving you and the external guests you invited to the house until dawn each morning - not a service the team would normally provide. I would also raise at no point did I receive an email, missed call or text from any of your party requesting I contact you - had I know how important this was to you then I would have done so without hesitation. With regard to my correspondence generally, I would also like to add that I was in contact with you and a wide number of your party for many weeks responding to multiple requests regarding your transfers and three day stay, all of which were accommodated without question. While banking details were exchanged and a contract provided, standard procedure for any hire, the correspondence was focused on making sure the house and team were prepared for your stay and any special requests you may have. As you rightly say, Thalpe House is a beautiful home and somewhere we as a family consider a sanctuary; indeed all of our guests who have mostly booked through air BNB to date have loved their experience staying with us and have only praised the attentive service of our team. As an isolated incident, not lying at the fault of our own staff, I can therefore only hope your reviews do not detract from others enjoying it and you too can accept my deepest apologies for any personal shortcomings in not managing the issue to your satisfaction. If there is any further feedback you wish to provide to me or any follow up actions you would like us to undertake then please do not hesitate to email me. Best regards, Richard

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not TripAdvisor LLC.

“Unsafe environment, unreliable & unhelpful owner ( Richard )”

Response from the owner Dear Guest, I am very saddened to read your posts. Thalpe House is primarily our home where we reside for up to four months of the year, often my wife alone with our three young children and nanny, and as such we take the security and safety of our young family and guests very seriously. This is why we hired the most reputable security firm, thoroughly vetted and used by most premium villas in the area, to provide security for us each night. We also insist on having at least one member of staff always on the property and each room can be locked, the individual wardrobes all have locks and there is a safe in all principal bedrooms. As I explained to you via email immediately on learning of your incident, my wife and I were as shocked and appalled by it as you. The guard in question, though provided by an external firm, has worked regularly with us for over a year and during this time nothing has gone missing. On the contrary he had shown to be seemingly very trustworthy by collecting up any valuables left out by guests and safely locking them away in the kitchen overnight; which is where I have personally found my phone, my wife's camera and the children?s ipads securely stowed on numerous occasions. For him to attempt to steal from your party within ten minutes of your arrival when the entire house was occupied is unfathomable. On the night in question, we acted immediately to do all possible to remedy the situation and make you feel secure: the guard was instantly dismissed and replaced, the Managing Director of the security firm was called to the house to apologise in person, two new security guards were placed on duty for the duration of your stay, our Manager and extended staff committed to stay on site full time to ensure you felt safe, we filed a report with the police (despite you not wishing to take matters further) and offered you complimentary bottles of wine from our personal stock by way of apology. I am truthfully not sure what more could have been done - switching to another security firm would not have provided any further reassurances, just more unknowns. I did in fact ring first thing the following morning to follow up on my email of the previous night, but everyone was still sleeping and Sathish assured me you and your party were happy with our response and the arrangements made. I apologise for taking his word for this and not speaking to you directly; an oversight on my part and as a new owner the single greatest learning I take from this entire incident. Please be assured, however, that I was in regular contact with Sathish to make sure the rest of your stay was made as comfortable as possible and our staff did everything they could to make amends for such a terrible start to your stay. This included serving you and the external guests you invited to the house until dawn each morning - not a service the team would normally provide. I would also raise at no point did I receive an email, missed call or text from any of your party requesting I contact you - had I know how important this was to you then I would have done so without hesitation. With regard to my correspondence generally, I would also like to add that I was in contact with you and a wide number of your party for many weeks responding to multiple requests regarding your transfers and three day stay, all of which were accommodated without question. While banking details were exchanged and a contract provided, standard procedure for any hire, the correspondence was focused on making sure the house and team were prepared for your stay and any special requests you may have. As you rightly say, Thalpe House is a beautiful home and somewhere we as a family consider a sanctuary; indeed all of our guests who have mostly booked through air BNB to date have loved their experience staying with us and have only praised the attentive service of our team. As an isolated incident, not lying at the fault of our own staff, I can therefore only hope your reviews do not detract from others enjoying it and you too can accept my deepest apologies for any personal shortcomings in not managing the issue to your satisfaction. If there is any further feedback you wish to provide to me or any follow up actions you would like us to undertake then please do not hesitate to email me. Best regards, Richard.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not TripAdvisor LLC.

“Do not stay here - Security guard caught red handed stealing”

Response from the owner Dear Sitara and party, I am very saddened to read your posts. Thalpe House is primarily our home where we reside for up to four months of the year, often my wife alone with our three young children and nanny, and as such we take the security and safety of our young family and guests very seriously. This is why we hired the most reputable security firm, thoroughly vetted and used by most premium villas in the area, to provide security for us each night. We also insist on having at least one member of staff always on the property and each room can be locked, the individual wardrobes all have locks and there is a safe in all principal bedrooms. As I explained to you via email immediately on learning of your incident, my wife and I were as shocked and appalled by it as you. The guard in question, though provided by an external firm, has worked regularly with us for over a year and during this time nothing has gone missing. On the contrary he had shown to be seemingly very trustworthy by collecting up any valuables left out by guests and safely locking them away in the kitchen overnight; which is where I have personally found my phone, my wife's camera and the children?s ipads securely stowed on numerous occasions. For him to attempt to steal from your party within ten minutes of your arrival when the entire house was occupied is unfathomable. On the night in question, we acted immediately to do all possible to remedy the situation and make you feel secure: the guard was instantly dismissed and replaced, the Managing Director of the security firm was called to the house to apologise in person, two new security guards were placed on duty for the duration of your stay, our Manager and extended staff committed to stay on site full time to ensure you felt safe, we filed a report with the police (despite you not wishing to take matters further) and offered you complimentary bottles of wine from our personal stock by way of apology. I am truthfully not sure what more could have been done - switching to another security firm would not have provided any further reassurances, just more unknowns. I did in fact ring first thing the following morning to follow up on my email of the previous night, but everyone was still sleeping and Sathish assured me you and your party were happy with our response and the arrangements made. I apologise for taking his word for this and not speaking to you directly; an oversight on my part and as a new owner the single greatest learning I take from this entire incident. Please be assured, however, that I was in regular contact with Sathish to make sure the rest of your stay was made as comfortable as possible and our staff did everything they could to make amends for such a terrible start to your stay. This included serving you and the external guests you invited to the house until dawn each morning - not a service the team would normally provide. I would also raise at no point did I receive an email, missed call or text from any of your party requesting I contact you - had I know how important this was to you then I would have done so without hesitation. With regard to my correspondence generally, I would also like to add that I was in contact with you and a wide number of your party for many weeks responding to multiple requests regarding your transfers and three day stay, all of which were accommodated without question. While banking details were exchanged and a contract provided, standard procedure for any hire, the correspondence was focused on making sure the house and team were prepared for your stay and any special requests you may have. As you rightly say, Thalpe House is a beautiful home and somewhere we as a family consider a sanctuary; indeed all of our guests who have mostly booked through air BNB to date have loved their experience staying with us and have only praised the attentive service of our team. As an isolated incident, not lying at the fault of our own staff, I can therefore only hope your reviews do not detract from others enjoying it and you too can accept my deepest apologies for any personal shortcomings in not managing the issue to your satisfaction. If there is any further feedback you wish to provide to me or any follow up actions you would like us to undertake then please do not hesitate to email me. Best regards, Richard.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not TripAdvisor LLC.

“A potentially great stay marred by unpleasantness”

Response from the owner Dear Nandini & party, I am very saddened to read your posts. Thalpe House is primarily our home where we reside for up to four months of the year, often my wife alone with our three young children and nanny, and as such we take the security and safety of our young family and guests very seriously. This is why we hired the most reputable security firm, thoroughly vetted and used by most premium villas in the area, to provide security for us each night. We also insist on having at least one member of staff always on the property and each room can be locked, the individual wardrobes all have locks and there is a safe in all principal bedrooms. As I explained to you via email immediately on learning of your incident, my wife and I were as shocked and appalled by it as you. The guard in question, though provided by an external firm, has worked regularly with us for over a year and during this time nothing has gone missing. On the contrary he had shown to be seemingly very trustworthy by collecting up any valuables left out by guests and safely locking them away in the kitchen overnight; which is where I have personally found my phone, my wife's camera and the children?s ipads securely stowed on numerous occasions. For him to attempt to steal from your party within ten minutes of your arrival when the entire house was occupied is unfathomable. On the night in question, we acted immediately to do all possible to remedy the situation and make you feel secure: the guard was instantly dismissed and replaced, the Managing Director of the security firm was called to the house to apologise in person, two new security guards were placed on duty for the duration of your stay, our Manager and extended staff committed to stay on site full time to ensure you felt safe, we filed a report with the police (despite you not wishing to take matters further) and offered you complimentary bottles of wine from our personal stock by way of apology. I am truthfully not sure what more could have been done - switching to another security firm would not have provided any further reassurances, just more unknowns. I did in fact ring first thing the following morning to follow up on my email of the previous night, but everyone was still sleeping and Sathish assured me you and your party were happy with our response and the arrangements made. I apologise for taking his word for this and not speaking to you directly; an oversight on my part and as a new owner the single greatest learning I take from this entire incident. Please be assured, however, that I was in regular contact with Sathish to make sure the rest of your stay was made as comfortable as possible and our staff did everything they could to make amends for such a terrible start to your stay. This included serving you and the external guests you invited to the house until dawn each morning - not a service the team would normally provide. I would also raise at no point did I receive an email, missed call or text from any of your party requesting I contact you - had I know how important this was to you then I would have done so without hesitation. With regard to my correspondence generally, I would also like to add that I was in contact with you and a wide number of your party for many weeks responding to multiple requests regarding your transfers and three day stay, all of which were accommodated without question. While banking details were exchanged and a contract provided, standard procedure for any hire, the correspondence was focused on making sure the house and team were prepared for your stay and any special requests you may have. As you rightly say, Thalpe House is a beautiful home and somewhere we as a family consider a sanctuary; indeed all of our guests who have mostly booked through air BNB to date have loved their experience staying with us and have only praised the attentive service of our team. As an isolated incident, not lying at the fault of our own staff, I can therefore only hope your reviews do not detract from others enjoying it and you too can accept my deepest apologies for any personal shortcomings in not managing the issue to your satisfaction. If there is any further feedback you wish to provide to me or any follow up actions you would like us to undertake then please do not hesitate to email me. Best regards, Richard

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not TripAdvisor LLC.