Guests Video Reviews on you Tube

Real Guest Videos: See Our Bench in Use

Real guests sharing what worked for them, from accessible equipment and cottage features to simply enjoying their holiday.

Sometimes seeing it makes all the difference

What does an accessible holiday actually look like when you arrive? Our guests are helping us show you.

We can give you measurements, photographs and detailed access information, but sometimes the most reassuring thing is simply seeing how something worked for another guest.

These are genuine videos shared by people staying at Our Bench: real equipment, real cottage spaces and real experiences.

Real guests. Real stays. Shared with permission.
Everyone's needs are different, so these videos are not instructions or demonstrations of how equipment should be used. They simply show what worked for one guest during their stay.

See Our Bench in use

These short videos have been shared by guests staying at Our Bench. They show real experiences rather than staged demonstrations and can help answer some of the practical questions that photographs and measurements alone cannot.

Garden Bench · Ceiling hoist

Using the ceiling hoist in Garden Bench

This guest kindly shared a short video showing the bedroom ceiling hoist in Garden Bench being used for a transfer from their wheelchair onto the height-adjustable profiling bed.

Seeing the bedroom being used in real life can help show the position of the wheelchair, bed and ceiling hoist and give future guests a better understanding of how the space may work for them.

Real guest experience Shared with permission

Little Bench · Profiling bed · Wet room · Accessible kitchen

How Little Bench worked for one wheelchair user

This guest shared a short video showing some of the equipment and accessible features that helped make their stay in Little Bench easier.

The video shows Parnell bed rails being used with the profiling bed, a manual wheelchair being used in the accessible wet room, and some of the additional equipment they requested for their stay.

It also shows how the accessible kitchen worked for this guest. She told us that her husband had a real treat on holiday because she was able to cook and wash up — something that could not easily be facilitated at home.

For future guests, seeing the space being used in real life can help show how the bedroom, wet room and kitchen may work in practice, alongside the measurements and detailed access information we provide.

Real guest experience Recorded and shared by the guest

Your experience may be different

Accessibility is personal. A piece of equipment, transfer method or room layout that works well for one guest may not be right for another.

If a hoist, profiling bed, shower chair or another piece of equipment is essential for your stay, please talk to us before booking. We are happy to discuss how you normally manage at home, answer practical questions and help you decide which cottage is most suitable.

Using our hoists? Guests need to bring their own suitable sling and hoists should only be used by people who are familiar and confident with the guest's normal transfer method.

Why we are sharing real guest experiences

We know that booking an accessible holiday can involve far more research than simply choosing where you would like to go. When equipment or access is essential, you need confidence that what you have been told will work in practice.

Our detailed accessibility information will always remain important, but these guest videos add something different: the chance to see real people using the cottages in their own way.

You don't need to use any of these features to stay here. They simply make a New Forest holiday possible for more people.

Would you like to know whether something will work for you?

Tell us what is important for your stay. We would much rather answer the practical questions before you book than leave you wondering whether a cottage or piece of equipment will meet your needs.

Guest Video Reminder

Every guest uses our cottages differently. That is exactly why these videos are so useful: they show genuine experiences rather than a polished demonstration of how we think something should work. Each video has been recorded and shared with us by a guest during their stay.

Real guest experience Shared with permission

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Read our access statements