Christmas Bed And Breakfasts In The United Kingdom

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Rachel - Verified booking

  From the photos it looked like a typical mass market holiday challet and we expected that it would be fine, clean and functional and perfectly adequate for a short break as a base to tour.

  When we arrived the site strongly marketed it as a luxury holiday home for a disabled person. That changed our expectations and left us feeling utterly annoyed as it was basic, not that well maintained, pretty impracactical and not in any way luxury and not suitable for a person with a disability except that it was on one level. However, when I re read Sykes' property description on my return home, it was accurate and had only given 3 stars which was fair. It was very attractively set in a private dip in the wooded valley. We enjoyed sitting out in the evening, alhtough it was next to an unmaintained area of weeds and deteriorating decking and damaged steps up to the lodge. The beds were comfortable and the bedding clean and fresh, the fabrics were nice in the unit and it was nice to be able to order food if we wanted it. Other than that it was not great. The kitchen provision was very basic and minimal, with a low powered microwave, cracked ceramic hob, feeble extractor and all quite cramped, especially the dining room table. The toilet was not pleasant being directly off the living room and facing the door and the floor got dirtly easily and was not cleanable. There were insufficinet surfaces to put toiletries on or have contact lens or toothbrushing facilities on hand, few places for 3 people to hang wet towels and the fittings were a bit rusty. There was one bin and no provision for recycling in the cabin. We only found out that there was recycling as we were leaving by which point it was too late. The guest information was not that usefull it was more of a marketing pack for luxury accommodation. It would have been helpful to have a sweeping brush to get rid of the sand inevitably picked up from being on the beach. My daughter got a splinter from playing in the playground as child friendly bark had not been used and the windows of a cabin running along the path opened out onto the path a head height of my daughter and a risk for passers by to walk into. My husband mislaid his keys and asked reception to lock the cabin for us whilst we were away that day. They said they would but forgot and it was unlocked when we returned at the end of the day. We also did not have hot water one of the days. It was definatley not quality - basic equipment, small TV's, cheap fittings, neglected bathroom, no wi-fi except a the bar etc and not for a disabled person who having wheeled themselves in would have to navigate oddly shaped carpet edges then would not be able to reach the pegs to hang their coat, no seating to use the shower and good luck with the WC! - not the welcome I would want if I were a wheelchair user. These comments are only applicable to the owner though as Sykes do not say that it is luxury and do not say it is for a disabled person.

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• Mark - Verified booking

  Overall impression upon arrival was excellent ,secure gated entry into the park .

  Lodge looked lovely ,well presented with parking along side .upon entry we were reminded once again of the pets policy for our 4 legged friend ,pet friendly is an overstatement , pet tolerant would would be a better description.nothing was provided which we have been accustomed to at other places we have stayed ( dog bowl ,blanket ,dog treats etc ) ,I know we were advised to bring everything for our dog beforehand ,which we did ,but its the little touches which mean a lot . The pets policy also threatens that you would be leave the site if your dog was found seeing on the grass ,we had to exercise our little dog on the road outside the site ,which has no footpath , not ideal with the amount of farm traffic using this narrow road . we were also concerned upon arrival of a guy spraying weed killer on the grass and gravelled areas around the lodges , although he did say it was ''pet-friendly ''. The layout of the lodge was great , all on one level which was a bonus .the inclusion of a washing machine and tumble drier was a great help with the wet weather we experienced ,the dishwasher and the cafetiere were a big help also . plenty of crockery and adequate pots and pans were available ,the only comment I would make is there was only 3 large spoons for cereals ,soup etc . The sofas were nice but uncomfortable ,no back support and the zip -together king size bed was also uncomfortable ,luckily we were able to move to the much more comfortable double bed in the other bedroom . the overall cleanliness was okay but we discovered all sorts of hair and grit under the sofas and under the cushions ,which we hoovered ourselves. we did appreciate a change of bedding and towels after our first week in residence though , which was nice. The major gripe however was the lack of WIFI ,although it was not advertised as having this facility ,its something that we expected this day and age in a luxury accommodation ,its something the owners may wish to consider if the technology is available in the area. we went to the local pub in the village to use their free WIFI ,and enjoy a good pint ! Overall ,if you don't have a dog and don't mind the lack of WIFI ,this lodge is ideal for you ,plenty of space for 4 people ,and a nice outside seating area when the weather is fine .The village of Gargrave is nice ,a bit of a walk ,but everywhere is within walking distance ,it just depends how dedicated you are

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• K, W, G & L - Verified booking

  Thank you for letting us to stay here. We had a lovely time in this wonderful cottage. I would recommend going; - Blackberry picking along the lane (beware of the thorns and nettles). - Plum picking - Leith's Orchard (if you are here in summer). - Holkham hall tour - very informative and you see deer and hares. - The railway - it's really fun and if you get off at Sheringham station there is a corner shop with lots of sweets you can choose and eat them on the way back to the train. - Old Hunstanton and Brancaster beach are good (Brancaster is better) because in the evening you can eat fish 'n' chips watching the sunset, they are both sandy and if you go further along you can see the seals. - Eric's fish 'n' chips - it was amazing and they also do scampi which is amazing. - Eric's pizza - same place as Eric's fish 'n' chips. If you sit next to the pizza oven you can see the pizza cooking (and it's hot hot hot!) - Crabbing - Wells-next-the-Sea on a bridge - if you are lucky you will get crab and shrimp (only go when it's high tide). - Horse riding, Walsingham - you learn how to trot and go on rides on the road and practice trotting on the road as well. - For grown-ups - food at The Gin Trap restaurant is amazing and The White Horse is lovely as well. - On the beaches if it's a rainy day buy an umbrella and sit up in one of the sand dunesWe would love to come again. Thank you.

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• Edwina Mary - Verified booking

  First time with Sykes and I found this property listed as accessible, neccessary as my husband uses a wheelchair and cannot walk at all.

  It is not accurately listed as the distance from the car parking space has loose gravel all the way to the front door and it was very difficult dragging him to our car each time we went out, we gave up in the end and he stayed in while I went out. There is absolutely no room for a wheelchair at the side of the bed and I had to move the bed against the wall for my husband to get into bed before me. I moved everything back before leaving the property in accordance with your rules. As a woman of 74 years old I don't believe I or indeed any guest, should have to do this. This property should not be advertised as accessible because it is not. The chairs at the table were not as pictured so my husband could not sit to the table for meals as he didn't feel safe. On a positive note our bedding was clean and the bedroom quiet. We were provided with a shower chair as requested which was really helpfull. The owner was friendly and called to see if we were ok on one occasion. Finally the property was not ready for us at 3pm on arrival and the welcome bottle of wine was noticeable by its absence. I prefer the service provided by airbnb who facilitate contact between owner and guest, I will not use Sykes again.

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• Trevor - Verified booking

  Overall we had a great week in the lodge.

  The lodge is furnished to a high standard and fully met the description. I would point out to the owner that they probably ought to check on the contractors carrying out the cleaning from time to time. I wasn’t going round inspecting but some things had been missed and probably for a while; light fitting above the breakfast bar were greasy and dusty and there was a pile of hair / dust which had been swept up but left in the passage. However the lodge was generally very clean and nothing major wrong. The lodge and area was very peaceful and provided a great base for our week in Gargrave. Lack of Wi-Fi was disappointing but I didn’t realise until after I booked. I realise this was not stated in the list of facilities so it was my oversight but maybe a warning to prospective visitors would be helpful. Again this wasn’t major but may be to others. All in all a lovely week in lovely accommodation.

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