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00:00I've been marshmallow-ed!
00:02Four sets of holiday hosts.
00:04I don't think you're going to get any more.
00:06Check in to each other's places.
00:08How you doing? Good morning. Good to see you.
00:10And check out one another.
00:12I truly believe you can smell dust.
00:14I've never heard anybody being able to smell dust before.
00:17Today, there's monkey business.
00:20I don't know if I'm so much into the monkeys, but each to their own.
00:24As they battle.
00:25They've come here twice now.
00:26If I was coming here for a quiet getaway, I wouldn't want that much interaction.
00:31To be named Best Value for Money.
00:33For we? This is crazy. I think they're jealous.
00:43The second visit of the week is to Croftemy near Loch Lomond.
00:47And Finn Village, owned by Cliff and Monica Clarke.
00:51A couple with conviction.
00:53We make decisions pretty quick.
00:55We didn't waste any time. We got married within two years.
00:59Yes.
00:59Do you remember this month?
01:00Yeah, August.
01:01The day?
01:02Fourth.
01:03Third.
01:06Guests who like an eye for detail
01:08will find a range of accommodation including B&B rooms
01:12and a self-catering glamping pod with sheltered outdoor lounge
01:16for up to £320 a night
01:19and experience domestic bliss.
01:22It's our home as well as a place that they're paying to stay at.
01:25So we want to make them feel comfortable.
01:27If they want to come down and use the space,
01:29we will happily tell them to enjoy and have fun.
01:31And this pair won't let the weather rain on their parade.
01:34We think that we were the first people to put covers over our hot tubs.
01:39To provide all year round experience.
01:41About to arrive are today's first guests.
01:44See this here, with no water, this is the kind of view that just does nothing for me.
01:49Yeah, it's bang average.
01:52Dipping their toes in are brothers John and Andrew Picken,
01:56owners of Domes by the Sea in Kirkabrie in Dumfries and Galloway.
02:01On the last visit over drinks, Cliff and Monica gave a flavour of their hospitality.
02:06We have a personal touch. We do interact with guests. We've sat down with our guests for breakfast.
02:13But today, John and Andrew are keeping themselves to themselves.
02:17How are you feeling about Cliff and Monica's hosting style?
02:20I think they'll be very attentive. I'm not sure whether they'll be overbearing.
02:24Yeah, we'll see. Finn Village.
02:28Here we are. Looks pretty well manicured.
02:34Oh, glamping pods. That's going to be a bit of competition.
02:37We'll go for a look. Let's go.
02:39How you doing? Good morning, Andrew. Good morning, John.
02:42Welcome to Finn Village. Tonight you are staying in our sunset glamping pod,
02:46which is priced £320 per night.
02:49The breakfast is excluded and optional and it costs £15 per person.
02:53Brilliant. Thank you very much. See you later.
02:59I think it's nice, but it's quite small.
03:02With John and Andrew feeling the squeeze, today's next guest is hot-footing it.
03:09And she's off.
03:12With a need for speed is Sue Grundy, owner of Brooklyn's guest house in Penrith, Cumbria.
03:18Last time out, Cliff and Monica raised expectations.
03:22The place and the area we were just so astounded by that we thought that we cannot share this with
03:28other people.
03:28We kind of set standards, trying to provide the best that we can.
03:32So today, Sue's expecting anything but standard fare.
03:36I do have the impression that it'll be top-notch.
03:40Probably quite modern, quite minimalistic.
03:42Not a lot of fuss.
03:45Hi, guys. How are you this morning?
03:47Oh, lovely to see you again.
03:48Welcome to Finn Village.
03:49Tonight you are staying in our jungle room, which is priced at £185 per night.
03:54That is inclusive of breakfast and the use of a private hot tub.
03:58Enjoy your stay.
03:59Enjoy. Thank you.
04:02Yeah, that's a jungle room.
04:05I don't know if I'm so much into the monkeys, but each to their own.
04:10With Sue throwing the book at the jungle, today's final guests are flying the nest.
04:15Morning, Mr Magpie.
04:17Good.
04:17He's got his old family out.
04:19They're following us.
04:20Follow them, follow them.
04:23Shining bright.
04:24Our mother and daughter duo, Fiona Livingstone and Melissa Harrison,
04:28of the courtyard in Falkirk in the Forth Valley.
04:32Last time were they hosted.
04:33Good morning.
04:34How are we doing?
04:35Welcome to the courtyard.
04:36The guests drank in the pub.
04:38Oh, I like it.
04:40Yeah.
04:41Oh, it's nice and fresh and everything looks new.
04:43Oh, my God.
04:44It's comfortable, baby.
04:46And, come feedback, they received a full house of return requests.
04:50A big yes.
04:52Yes, I would.
04:54Yeah, I feel I probably would.
04:55Yeah.
04:56Yay!
04:59So, today, this pair are on the up.
05:02I think I'm still on a high after that, to be honest.
05:04Positive, absolutely positive.
05:05I think we're in with a good chance.
05:08Hello.
05:09Hello.
05:09Good morning, ladies.
05:10And welcome to Finna Village.
05:11Tonight, you are staying in our black room, which is priced at £185 per night.
05:17Here's your keys.
05:18Enjoy your stay.
05:23Wow.
05:24Can you smell dust?
05:26No, I can't.
05:26It smells very fresh and clean.
05:29With the hosts out of the way, the guests can see if Finna Village is off the scale.
05:34It looks very, very clean as well.
05:36Yeah, there doesn't look to be any dust or anything lying about.
05:39There's no hairs.
05:41Anything, it looks fine.
05:44Yep.
05:45Totally spotless.
05:46Here's the bathroom.
05:47You can smell how clean it is.
05:49I'm not too keen of that neon sign.
05:52It's a bit kitsch.
05:53Oh, wow.
05:54That's a lot of stuff, isn't it?
05:56That seems really, really excessive.
05:58And again, so clean and so fresh.
06:00I mean, that towel feels really, really nice.
06:03Wow.
06:04So this is a hot tub.
06:05I love it.
06:06They've got chocolate.
06:07They've got biscuits.
06:09That's a massive expense.
06:10Oh, what have we got in here?
06:11Oh, wow.
06:12So I'm not a big fan of an inside hot tub.
06:14It's quite nice and a cold night setting out a hot tub.
06:17And here you're just in a bath inside.
06:20Oh, wow.
06:22Holy moly.
06:23What a size of a bathroom.
06:25It's huge.
06:25One of the beautiful things about this location is you've got nature right there.
06:30So I don't know why they felt the need to fill this room with fake nature.
06:35I really dislike it.
06:36I'm not a fan of lighting up signs.
06:38Kind of got the feel of a hen weekend.
06:40Bit tacky, really.
06:42Room inspection's almost over.
06:44Melissa and Fiona are fizzing with excitement.
06:47If the Prosecco's included, I'll jump in there later on and watch that view.
06:50Absolutely.
06:51I might even go in the shower with a bottle.
06:53John and Andrew hold all the cards.
06:55Couples drinking game.
06:57Describe the sexiest thing about me.
06:59Or a drink.
07:00Or a drink.
07:00I think I'll have a drink.
07:02And Sue's planning a singular soiree.
07:05Oh!
07:06Looking forward to this tonight.
07:08Oh-ho!
07:12Legend has it that Robert the Bruce planted yew trees on Loch Lomond to create bows for his archers.
07:19And today, hosts Cliff and Monica are hoping for a bullseye with a trip on the water, as they arrive
07:25at Luss Estates on the Loch's western shore.
07:29I'm looking forward to that.
07:30That'll be lovely.
07:31That'll be lovely.
07:31Makes you look nice monster.
07:33That's Loch Ness not Loch Lomond, you'll love it!
07:37The group are heading to the island of Inchconachon, best known for its unique population of red-necked wallabies.
07:45And while on route, John springs into conversation.
07:49So do you guys, do you come up to the, like, the loch quite often?
07:52We love driving along the loch.
07:55It's long, 22 miles and it's extremely picturesque.
07:58So would you recommend this area to your visitors?
08:02Yeah, I mean, Loch Lomond, it's got so much to offer.
08:05You've got islands with beaches on, you've got islands with restaurants on, you've got islands for golfing.
08:11So there's a lot more than just water in this loch.
08:13Yeah, definitely, it's beautiful.
08:15Having the national park so close, it will certainly attract so many people.
08:20Yeah.
08:21It's an outstanding part of beauty, it really is.
08:24Location hitting the spot.
08:25The boat reaches its destination, where Skipper Lewis is on hand with some facts about the locals.
08:32We've now arrived at Inchconachon, better known as Wallaby Island.
08:36The wallabies were brought over originally in 1940 by the previous owners.
08:41They grew to about a population of 60 at one point.
08:44There's estimated about eight to ten of them left.
08:47Aww.
08:47So keep your eyes out if you can spot any.
08:50Have you ever seen one?
08:51Yeah, I've seen them a couple of times at night, coming down to get a drink out of the water.
08:54That's so unusual.
08:57I didn't expect there to be wallabies on an island in Scotland.
09:01I'm shocked.
09:03While the wallabies are nowhere to be seen, the group sets sights on their hosts.
09:08So how long have you had this place then, now?
09:11So we moved, it was in actually...
09:13Three years.
09:14Three years.
09:14It's three years.
09:15Yeah, and we wanted to do something different.
09:17Sort of get away from the rat race.
09:18I mean, it wasn't so much for the rat race.
09:21We wanted to look for better ways that we can sustain ourselves.
09:24We wanted essentially some land where we could grow our own food.
09:28Because we're really into meditation and spirituality, so eventually we wanted to build some sort of retreat for meditation, meditating.
09:38Yeah, we want to try and expand on that.
09:41I can see that's the ideal place to do it.
09:44To me the way they're talking and portraying themselves is just not aligned with the decor and the themes in
09:50the room.
09:51The glamping pod we're in, to me there's nothing calming about it, so it's really made me even more confused.
09:56And as the boat comes into moor, two of the guests are planning to do a deep dive tonight.
10:02I'm looking forward to drinks because I do have a few questions.
10:06The amount of amenities that's in our room.
10:08Almost like what we would class as extras.
10:11Absolutely.
10:11Are they standard?
10:13Yeah.
10:20The second visit of the week is to Croftemy near Loch Lomond and Finn Village.
10:26Where tonight, hosts Cliff and Monica have invited their guests for a drink.
10:30This is our games room, hope you enjoy.
10:33Cheers!
10:34And as everyone tries their tipples, John homes in.
10:38How do you guys find having the guest in your house?
10:42We weren't sure how we were going to feel about it at first, but it's been very nice,
10:46because obviously you're having the chance to meet people.
10:49So do the guests have access to everywhere in the house, in the kitchen?
10:52We've even done things like the washing.
10:54We like to make the guests happy.
10:56And if we can accommodate it, we will.
10:59Do you ever feel that you're maybe overstretching yourself?
11:03Sometimes it may seem like we're doing maybe a little bit more than we should,
11:06but it reflects with the customer.
11:09Finding out that Monica and Cliff's guests have access to the whole house was quite surprising.
11:13Me personally, I would really struggle with that.
11:15Yeah, and as a guest, I wouldn't want to be interacting with the owners all the time either.
11:20With the hosts not on a home run, Melissa has an extra question.
11:25There's loads in that room. There's so much in that tea tray.
11:29Biscuits and hot chocolates.
11:30And then we opened the fridge.
11:33And I'm like, I mean, absolutely buzzing to eat it all, to be fair.
11:37But is that just a standard? It is. It's a standard, yes.
11:40It's a standard. Wow.
11:41That's got to add, like, 35, 40 quid to your, you know, it must.
11:46We want to give it a little bit of a well, always.
11:49We always would like to give something that's going to surprise.
11:52Do not be fooled, we will definitely enjoy the truffles and Prosecco later on.
11:55I bet you do.
11:58I understand the generosity, lovely generous people,
12:00but business-wise, for me, it doesn't make sense.
12:03We enjoy giving the service that we give to our customers,
12:05and I don't think we would want to change exactly who we are.
12:10Extras added up.
12:11Now Monica wants the sum of the next hosts.
12:14How about you guys? You are brothers. Who is the boss?
12:17On the farm, I'm the boss.
12:19With the holiday accommodation, he's the boss.
12:21OK.
12:21Yeah, we get on really well with our mum and dad as well,
12:23so we're very fortunate that a lot of our business meetings
12:27happen around the kitchen table.
12:29Can you tell me a little bit more?
12:30We're very proud of where we come from.
12:33We feel like Dumfries and Galloway is a forgotten area of Scotland.
12:36So we're going to take you for a night under the stars.
12:38Wow.
12:39Wow, nice.
12:41Do we need to bring medges free?
12:45We still don't know much about John and Andrew.
12:49Maybe they've seen our recommendation,
12:51and now they are a little bit scared of the competition,
12:55and now they are less confident.
12:58With drinks done, it's off to their rooms,
13:01where the pre-order breakfast form has some of the guests in a scramble.
13:05I'm not sure if I'm supposed to circle what we want
13:09or if we just get absolutely everything.
13:11Cheers.
13:18It's a new day in Cruftamy.
13:20How did you sleep?
13:22I had a lovely sleep.
13:23The bed was so comfy.
13:25But some of the guests have a few things to straighten up.
13:28What are you doing down there?
13:29It's the only place that I can actually plug in my straighteners
13:34and sit in front of a mirror.
13:35When I come out of the shower,
13:36that mat has not got a rubberised back.
13:39It moved.
13:40Oh.
13:40It kind of worried me.
13:42The curtains were really annoying.
13:43They don't meet in the middle,
13:44so in the morning the light comes in.
13:49At Finn Village,
13:50breakfast is prepped by Cliff and Monica's team,
13:53but today the hosts will be lending a hand.
13:56One of the selling points for our breakfast is the fact
13:59that we have amazing fresh eggs.
14:00We go for mostly organic as much as we can.
14:03Other than that, it's locally sourced.
14:05I'm very confident about it.
14:07Plamping guests are offered an optional breakfast
14:09at £15 per person.
14:12So this is your pre-breakfast.
14:13Perfect. Thank you.
14:14And we'll be with you shortly.
14:15Brilliant. Thank you very much.
14:17While B&B guests have breakfast included,
14:20served in the dining room.
14:22Morning, guys.
14:23Morning.
14:23Good morning, Sue. How are you?
14:25I'm very good, yeah.
14:26And with the pre-orders on the way,
14:28Cliff's out with an update.
14:30Breakfast are going to be around four minutes.
14:32There's a toast in the corner if you want to warm up your toast.
14:35Thank you very much. Thank you.
14:37But back in the kitchen,
14:39it appears four minutes could be false advertising.
14:42Can we pre-take these out?
14:46Not yet.
14:47No?
14:48No. Breakfast, breakfast, come on!
14:51And after 14 minutes, the guests are getting forthright.
14:55Cliff said it was going to be four minutes for the breakfast.
14:57It's been a bit longer, hasn't he?
14:58I thought four minutes was quite specific, to be honest.
15:01Yeah.
15:02Yeah.
15:02Like that was the eggs or something they were just putting on.
15:05It's maybe chest and the chickens round the...
15:08I found when Cliff came into the room and said,
15:10you know, breakfast will be four minutes,
15:12he left himself a bit open there.
15:14Rather than just say, you know, breakfast is on its way.
15:17Would anybody like a coffee or another juice?
15:19Yeah, I agree.
15:19Fill the gap.
15:20A further six minutes later...
15:22Let's go.
15:23..the dishes are good to go.
15:25Thank you very much.
15:27Brilliant.
15:28Here we are.
15:29Lovely, thank you. Enjoy your breakfast, yeah.
15:31Thank you so much.
15:32That looks beautiful.
15:34Yeah, that's delicious.
15:36Yeah, I agree with that.
15:37Yeah, very good.
15:38Who can beat eggs that colour?
15:40Spectacular.
15:41They really are.
15:44You can tell that's not a supermarket sausage.
15:46Definitely.
15:47It's good quality, it's nice, it's tasty.
15:50Breakfast didn't quite live up to Cliff's high standards.
15:54It was a little bit delayed
15:56and when it arrived, it was cool.
15:58A little bit disappointing.
16:00Back at the pod,
16:01the boys are sinking their teeth into their hosts.
16:04They've come here twice now.
16:06If I was coming here for a quiet getaway,
16:08I wouldn't want that much interaction.
16:11And that's not all they're chewing over.
16:13Cliff and Monaco have spoken a lot about food waste
16:16and sustainability and things.
16:17I'm going to struggle to finish this.
16:19I've then got my fruit,
16:20and there's still four bits of toast there.
16:21The story we're being told
16:23and what's being delivered on the ground
16:24are very different.
16:25What we've experienced has been very indulgent,
16:28which is good,
16:29but the story they told was the complete opposite of that.
16:32Breakfast finished,
16:33the guests head to their rooms
16:35to fill out the anonymous feedback forms.
16:37How were your hosts at Finn Village?
16:39I didn't feel that the story they told us
16:41aligned with the product they've produced.
16:44And I would also say
16:45there probably needs to be a bigger distinction
16:48between the couple as host and as a couple.
16:52Yeah, I'm thinking of a seven for that.
16:55Warm and friendly.
16:57I want to give him a ten.
16:59How clean was Finn Village?
17:01Everything was immaculate.
17:03So, ten on that.
17:05How were the facilities?
17:06Lots of added extras that are not required.
17:09Do you need a mirror?
17:10Yes.
17:11Then your hair.
17:12The bathroom.
17:13Matt.
17:13Was it rubber-backed?
17:15Let's go with the six.
17:16The room decor.
17:17It's just...
17:18It's overpowering.
17:19There's just too much of it.
17:20I didn't like the monkeys,
17:21but I loved the hot tub,
17:23so I'm going to go for eight.
17:25The space, the room, is very small.
17:28It's small.
17:28I think the main thing for us is that hot tub room.
17:31Yeah.
17:31I think it just massively contradicts our idea of glamping.
17:34It feels overindulgent.
17:36Yeah.
17:36And then another one, the curtains don't fit.
17:39I think we're all going to have to go quite low here.
17:42Like a three.
17:43Yeah.
17:44How did you sleep?
17:45Comfortable nights.
17:47Sleep.
17:48Definitely deserves a ten.
17:50How was breakfast?
17:51There was a delay resulting in food not being hot.
17:57The eggs were lovely.
18:00A seven.
18:01I find the pre-order bit really confusing.
18:04Yeah.
18:04I think it needs simplified.
18:06Cooked breakfast was lovely.
18:07There was a bit of a delay.
18:08I'm saying an eight.
18:10Eight it is.
18:11Right.
18:11Now onto the big one.
18:12Would you stay here again?
18:14I don't think it's good value for money,
18:15so no, I wouldn't.
18:17Not in this room, I wouldn't.
18:18It's a no for me as well.
18:19Only because of the room decor, I'm going to put no.
18:27Now the guests must pay what they think their stay was worth.
18:31Happy with that?
18:32Yeah.
18:33The cash will be kept secret until the end of the competition.
18:36But for now, Cliff and Monica can see if Finn Village
18:39could be first across the Finn-ish line.
18:42How are your hosts at Finn Village?
18:44Oh, he's got a ten.
18:46Wonderful.
18:47Warm and friendly.
18:48I think that's so true.
18:50How were the facilities?
18:52Eight.
18:53The room decor was a bit overpowering.
18:56I didn't like the monkeys.
18:59This is definitely Sue.
19:01Obviously, it's quite a busy room.
19:02I have loved the hot tub.
19:06Yes, who doesn't?
19:07How was your breakfast?
19:08Seven.
19:09There was a delay resulting in breakfast arrived cold.
19:13Obviously, it did seem to be a little bit long with the plating up there.
19:16The eggs were lovely.
19:18We need to congratulate to our chickens.
19:20Yes.
19:21Thanks, guys, for a lovely stare.
19:22You're welcome, Sue.
19:23See you soon.
19:24Bye.
19:24Shall we find out with the big question?
19:27Let's find out.
19:27And no.
19:29Okay.
19:30Okay.
19:30That's very surprising.
19:33Shall we move on to the next and see what they like?
19:35How were the facilities?
19:37Six.
19:37The facilities that we're providing here, you can't even compare.
19:41Loads of added extras not required.
19:44I don't think they understood the idea of our rooms.
19:47It's not a hotel for contractors.
19:49A mirror for doing hair.
19:51There's a plug on the desk and a massive wall of mirror.
19:54Bath mat has no rubber back.
19:57I don't think it's normal requirement.
19:59I reckon it is Fiona and Mel.
20:02Obviously, we have no bath and gramping pods.
20:04Yeah.
20:04How did you sleep?
20:08We got to ten.
20:09Comfortable night's sleep.
20:11Yes, it's a beautiful place to sleep.
20:13How was your breakfast?
20:14Eight.
20:15Pre-order form needs to be simplified.
20:19How can you simplify it even more?
20:22Cooked breakfast was lovely.
20:24Yes.
20:25Lovely is good.
20:25Yes.
20:26Breakfast delayed.
20:28Normally, our chef, she's very organized.
20:30Maybe us being there, I think we threw our chef off a little bit.
20:33It's been great.
20:34Thank you for staying with us.
20:35Bye-bye.
20:35Thank you. Bye.
20:36Are you ready to find out?
20:38I'm ready to find out.
20:39Okay.
20:40And they say, no.
20:41That's very disappointing.
20:43It's very disappointing.
20:44Mm-hmm.
20:46So, we are on our last one.
20:48And obviously, from John and Andrew.
20:50And let's go.
20:51How were your hoes?
20:52And we scored seven.
20:54Wow.
20:55Okay.
20:56Story doesn't feel aligned with product.
20:59I'm not sure what I mean by that.
21:03Story.
21:03Maybe bigger distinction needed between you as a couple and you as a host.
21:10I'm speechless.
21:11How clean was Finna Village?
21:13Ten.
21:14That's so important.
21:16Yes.
21:16Everything was immaculate.
21:18I'm really, really happy to hear that.
21:20How were the facilities?
21:22Three.
21:23This is incredible.
21:25Room was very small.
21:27Massive glamping pod.
21:28Hot tap room contradicts our idea of glamping.
21:33Feels overindulgent.
21:35That idea of glamping is completely different from our idea of glamping.
21:39And that's it.
21:40Yes.
21:41Things don't fit.
21:42I'm not sure if it's size or colour.
21:45It's obviously not to guys liking.
21:48But to score us three, it's very mean, I believe.
21:52Thank you so much for having us.
21:53Have a safe journey.
21:54Bye.
21:55Time to move on to the big question.
21:57And I think I know the answer already.
21:59Yes.
21:59I think I'm now psychic.
22:00Would you stay here again?
22:02No.
22:03No.
22:03This is crazy.
22:04I think they're jealous.
22:06I don't think the other guests in this competition are playing fairly.
22:11Next time at John and Andrew's place.
22:13This is something completely new to us.
22:17Sue doesn't go with the flow.
22:19I've had a little bit of a problem.
22:20It's a bit of a flooding situation.
22:22And the guests face the heat.
22:24I know when the onions fell at the hot dog fair was about being sauteed.
22:29I know when I was a man, I'm like, that's one room.
22:36Let's go now and see what you see here.
22:53You
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