Cherry Orchard Apartment Homes

To someone who had not visited the Isle of Man before they would probably find the way of life somewhat laid-back and this is reflected at the Cherry Orchard. The aparthotel was probably built in the 70’s, is over three floors arranged over a Z shape and comprises of holiday lets/hotel, timeshare and private apartments.

It has a restaurant/bar, pool area, games room and laundry. There are two lifts to the upper floors, several entrances and an adequate car park. Opposite the main entrance is the bus terminus and a hundred yards in each direction are the Steam Railway Station, a comprehensive supermarket, the local shops, pubs and cafes.

The lovely beach area is a further hundred yards beyond. The apartment we had for 4 adults and 2 small children comprised of a main lounge/dining area with a bed/settee, one twin and one double bedroom, a bathroom and kitchen. Off the lounge area was a small balcony overlooking the street area. The apartment had been generally refitted/refurbished quite recently to a reasonable “Ikea style” standard.

The kitchen which was compact but adequate, had been redesigned with new units and had almost every appliance needed for self-catering and was of decent quality.

The bathroom had been similarly treated but lacked basic maintenance, had an over-bath tap shower which produced a poor drizzle (not thermostatic controlled) which was odd when the kitchen water pressure next door was good. The apartment is centrally heated and could be overpowering if left to its own devices. Basic maintenance (or lack off) is the main criticism.

While the interior of the apartment had been subject to renewal the fabric of the building was in need of attention – apartment doors that slammed shut or would stick and with latches which didn’t engage properly, windows that wouldn’t open or close completely and were in need of replacement, and an insecure door to the balcony.

The apartment service comprised of daily bin emptying and replacement towels ( which were plentiful) when required. Any additional services were charged for. The pool area was good, had a graded L shaped pool with children’s slide, sauna and hot jacuzzi. The kids loved it. There is also a games room which was a shambles – broken or unusable equipment and furniture and used as a dumping room for what little visible maintenance was carried out.

This was addressed to a small extent by the end of the week. Contrary to all this, the staff were very helpful, pleasant and obliging. We didn’t use the restaurant but it appeared to have a reasonably priced and varied menu and others we spoke to had recommended it for quality, and service. In summary, not at all a bad place but just missing the Bulls Eye for want of a little more effort and attention. We have stayed (briefly) in much inferior accommodation on the Isle of Man and would generally recommend the Cherry Orchard for its 3-star rating as long as you are prepared for the small idiosyncrasies.