4/10 Poor
Linda B.
22 July 2022
Liked: Check-in, location
Disliked: Cleanliness, communication
Tired and dirty
We have stayed at a number of self-catering cottages in this price range, and this one did not justify the fee. It had not been cleaned properly (we had to hoover the living room carpet after our grandson rolled on the floor and came up covered with black dog hair).
The house was generally grubby and tired looking. Crockery and glasses were smeared, probably because the dishwasher (dirty hinges and seals) had not been maintained properly, and we chose to wash up by hand for the duration of the stay. The extractor fan was filthy, and the light underneath it didn’t work.
A table lamp in the living room had been broken off at the base and propped up again, and it fell apart at the slightest touch, revealing jagged edges which would have been a hazard for children in particular. We also found paracetamol tablets in a low, child-height drawer in the kitchen island.
A reclining chair in the garden was broken, and luckily we spotted this before our heavily pregnant daughter-in-law sat in it. The table on the veranda was so rickety it would be difficult to use it for eating from.
There was a buried bin for dog waste at the end of the garden, but it was half full of dried waste, and no one had added the necessary chemicals to deal with it, so we didn’t use it.
I note from the online reviews that we are not alone in our disappointment, but it seems that no action has been taken by the owners to address those criticisms.
We would normally expect the owners to look in at the beginning of the week to ensure that everything was OK. They didn’t do this, and I could hazard a guess as to why that was. We did look for the comments book that was supposed to be present, but oddly, we couldn’t find it anywhere.
It’s clear that as long as people are willing to pay these prices, little will change, although I doubt they will get much repeat business. Certainly we will think twice before booking through Sykes Cottages again. We will be leaving a review online.
Linda B.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2022
