Canopy & Stars Avis 

Have just returned from a very long awaited stay at Tin and Wood in the ‘Ted’ shepherd hut. Couldn’t fault the service we received from Canopy and Stars, particularly when needing to change the booking due to Covid. The accommodation itself exceeded our expectations… beautifully presented with such attention to detail and comfort, and the log burner heated hot tub surrounded by nothing but wild flowers and peace and quiet was just divine. We really felt that we had ‘escaped it all’ for the weekend. Couldn’t recommend highly enough!

Having booked several stays via Canopy and Stars, my wife didn't hesitate to use them again to book a surprise get away for my 40th.
Unfortunately a couple of days before we were due to go, we both got a positive test for the dreaded COVID.
My wife emailed the owners of the property we were to be staying in (a showman's wagon in the middle of a field on its own) to check they were happy for us to come. Unfortunately we were told they wouldn't allow us as they are high risk and wouldn't have time to air out the cabin. The latter being odd as there were no bookings after us.
Under the circumstances we of course understood but given the current advise, we neednt actually have told them.
My wife contacted Canopy and Stars to make them aware and hopefully get some help in getting a refund or moving the booking. We were told neither would be offered and to claim from our travel insurance!
Now, I understand cancellations require 10 weeks notice, but as we were not cancelling and it was the property owners who would not allow us to visit, I feel their response was disgusting.
We shall see if they bother to respond, otherwise we will be seeking a charge back through our credit card

Terrible stay. Initially very helpful trying to rectify issue until owner of site refused to engage with refunds.
At that point I was advised they are only a booking agent so would not refund. They offered me a gift voucher for their site for 75 (I was on a 700 holiday) .
That also advised they have had multiple complaints about the same accommodation but continue to advertise it.
They have not published any negative reviews (including mine) and only publish the good ones - I was advised this is because “ we are not a review website like trip advisor. We try to liaise with them to rectify issues” .
My issue is not rectified . They will not remove the accommodation from the site despite multiple complaints of it being sub standard due to the fact they are a charity- so we all end up out of pocket and then cannot get our money back

gift voucher purchased as a gift for us, unable to find any one night stays to use voucher, 2 night min stay in most! very disapointing! looking like our daughter has wasted her hard earnt money. As no refunds given.

Do not book with this company. They are a bunch of con artists. The website doesn’t “clearly” display that their booking deposit is non refundable At any point prior to booking which violates U.K. consumer law. All the page mentions is a 25 percent deposit at multiple intervals but doesn’t mention clearly that it’s non refundable until after you press pay. Customer service is useless Steer clear

Edit: this company claims giving the consumer a gift card is “working” with them. It’s not. And they have been reported to trading standards for their illegal terms and conditions in relation to non refundable deposits. This company claims to be ethical but have no idea about legalese or contractual law. I provided screenshots to this company that at booking it’s NOT made clear when booking that it’s non refundable Prior to hitting pay. They categorically don’t understand. Their screenshot was not only for a different property but not on the mobile version.

I stayed at the cabins in Ayr, the location is fantastic overlooking the sea and a woods behind you, cabin was spotless on arrival. No light pollution in the slightest at night, saw foxes and deers roaming around just infront of us, would definitely stay again, thanks

I'm really surprised by the negative reviews on this site. I spend hours browsing the website, dreaming of my next adventure. We've stayed at several of their spaces and have our next trip planned for November. All of the spaces are truly unique and the owners seem invested in sustainable holidays, which is something very important to myself and family. The customer service team has always been very helpful when we've had any questions.

We had the most amazing stay at Tyr Drew treehouse with Canopy & Stars, the team were so helpful with my questions and the hosts so helpful. I cannot fault the service and stay.

Customer experience did not match glossy PR - we left ‘Castaway’ in Llanthony early in distress. Although the owner acknowledged our distress by offering a (sweaty) farm car to protect our car from driving through the faeces-covered access road to the cabin - we still had to walk through ground covered in copious sheep excrement (not droppings!) to open & close two gates. The sheep would congregate overnight on the access road and around the gates - by morning the road and the ground by the gates would be totally covered and it was impossible to avoid stepping in faeces. We felt constantly exposed as there was nowhere to clean our footwear or the undercarriage of our car. We cut our visit short because it just felt unsafe, unhealthy and distressing.

Tbh we were extremely surprised at the lack of goodwill from Canopy & Stars given their much vaunted status as an eco-tourism social enterprise. Perhaps, we are the wrong kind of guest - deserving to be made to feel like liars, not to be encouraged or even offered a goodwill gesture after our distressing experience. Their justification for refusing our request for a refund was that we should’ve expected sheep excrement because we’re on a ‘working farm’. We’ve stayed at quite a few working farms and we’ve never had to repeatedly walk through such a disgusting and distressing amount of animal faeces.

A deeply disappointing experience during these difficult times. We were so excited to be off-grid in beautiful countryside only to have the experience ruined by a faeces-covered access road. Wish we’d checked Trustpilot before we booked because it looks as though we’d been fooled by glossy PR given the 62% ‘Bad’ reviews!

Btw what is the connection between Canopy & Stars to the BBC and why are so many glowing reviews across social media appear to be predominantly by members of the media fraternity?

I stayed in an amazing wagon in Cornwall with a private hot tub! I wasn't sure what kind of holiday I wanted but the woman I spoke to in customer service was really friendly and suggested a number of options. When I arrived, the owners were welcoming and gave us plenty of ideas for where to go and what to do nearby - they'd even left a cake for us! Great experience!

An absolute joke of a company who only care about making money and not about people at all. Do NOT book with this company. They actively encouraged us to go on our planned trip despite knowing we were Covid positive and could potentially infect many others! Refused to give us our money back or change our date.
We were originally staying in Cobblenuts in Devon but this was cancelled by the owners due to Storm Eunice for our safety. Booked for our 15th wedding anniversary and now out of pocket and no trip away. Just what us needed in this awful time of everything increasing in price!! Horrendous company, book elsewhere and give a better company your hard earned money!!.

JOKE OF A COMPANY

Absolutely no regard for there customer and totally out for themselves and the owners of there property.

We could not attend due to covid. Sent proof of a PCR result and they then said it wasn’t proof.

Absolutely laughable. Go down the chargeback route as you will not get a dime back from these lowlife scum bags.

We paid almost £1000 for a 4 night stay in North Brewham, at a cabin based on a farm. We arrived in the evening, so it was dark and we had no familiarity with our surroundings. On the way up to the cabin, my partner slipped and electrocuted himself on the owners electric fence, and the owner paid no attention. Then when we got to the cabin, we discovered that on 5 out of SIX doors, the locks were broken?!? When we asked the owners how to lock the doors, they said it was complicated and had someone coming to fix them in January. But the thing is, they tried to fool us into thinking that the doors do lock, by telling us to lift the latches from the inside. On the outside, someone could easily pull the latches down. The husband came to act surprised as if he didn't know the doors didn't lock and then said 'sorry if you feel uncomfortable'.We thought that was absurd. We left the next morning as we couldn't trust the owners after their lies and shadiness, and then asked Canopy and Stars for a refund for the nights we didn't stay. They didn't listen to us, acted as if we were lying and refused to give us any compensation.

Canopy and Stars clearly are not on the side of the customer and are only in allegiance with their property owners, even in times of health and safety concern. Even worse, they choose to side with lying property owners who could be sociopaths and psychopaths. It's disgusting.

Due to the renewed quarantine rules for all travelers from other countries, we can no longer start our trip. I thought this was reason enough for Canopy and Stars to refund our money. Last year, quarantine regulations came up shortly before our trip and two other companies reimbursed us unconditionally. After all, as a holidaymaker you are punished enough if you can't travel, we had been looking forward to it for a long time. But it was wishful thinking that Canopy and Stars would see it that way too. Apparently it doesn't matter at all that we are not able to comply with the applicable laws, as we cannot drive to our booked accommodation without a stopover. Apparently we are expected to accept the punishment and the administrative offense. All I can say is that we will never book through Canopy and Stars again and that we will call on our lawyer. I can only advise everyone to book somewhere else!

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 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 .

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!

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, 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 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.