Christmas Cottages on the Isle of Wight

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Barbara - Verified booking

  Roebuck Retreat is a nice bungalow with a lovely modern kitchen and a range of comfy chairs in lounge area.

  There is an enormous patio with good views over the countryside. However, it was let down by the fact that the combi boiler hadn't been checked, it had lost working pressure( the gauge was showing zero pressure) and needed repressurising (a 5 minute job). Sykes only give a landline phone number for contact with their emergency team, not much good if you are deaf like we are but we texted my son at home to contact them but apart from saying they would contact the owner and providing a mobile number for the housekeeper ( which we sent a text to but no reply from her) NO ACTION or prompt help was done. In the end as we have a combi boiler ourselves and know how to set the pressure we did it ourselves so we could have hot water. We are home now and its eight days since we texted the housekeeper and still waiting a reply. If we had not known how to reset it we would have been without hot water for the whole weeks holiday. We were initially reluctant to reset boiler as it is not ours and did think of asking my son to call out an emergency plumber as we had not heard back and still haven't from the housekeeper. The lack of WiFi and the very small tv are unusual as most holiday lets we have stayed in in the past provide a full sized TV and WiFi. The arrangement of the way one bedroom and bathroom doors open into hall while the other two open into the rooms takes getting used to. The bathroom has a shower over the bath running off a mixer tap, the taps were difficult to operate to get the shower running at the right temperature, in fact all the bathroom taps could do with replacement washers if not outright replacement. The external door locks could do with a shot of WD40 so they operate smoothly while the front door handles look ready to pull out of their housing. There is an infestation of ants under the patio doors. The duvet on the double bed was winter weight and that on top of the memory foam mattress made for hot uncomfortable nights. The bedroom curtains could do with black out linings as the sunrises early and floods the bedrooms with light The roads leading to the property are unmade and make for a bumpy ride especially over the speed humps. The property is also quite remote and there are no local shops within walking distance, not even a general store on the site. Finally, there is a lack of storage for suitcases, not a problem if only 2 people staying as they can use the second bedroom. The owner has stored large bags on top of cupboard in hall and bedding on the top of the "open" wardrobes in the bedrooms. To sum up, Sykes need to get their act together regarding emergency repairs, the owner needs to leave a mobile contact number for the same reason. It does not help that currently check in times are after 5pm ( a hangover from Covid, in theory properties needed to be cleaned, disinfected and aired ), a check in time of 3pm would give more time to fix any problems found upon arrival.

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• Judith - Verified booking

  Very disappointed.

  The owners not friendly told me key in the door on arrival by phone and that is where I left it as they did not make any attempt to say hello or goodbye. Their 10+ dogs are a nuisance and kept coming around our cars as we were driving away and left dog faeces all over the lawn in front of holiday cottage/owners cottage. No sea views as advertised. Adverts should state that cottage only suitable for certain height as the beams inside only for 5 feet 2 inches people - my daughter is 5'11'' and kept banging her head badly. The kitchen washing machine is in a disgusting state with rust on the outside and the dispenser tray filthy and obviously never cleaned as it was black with old washing powder or washing liquid. Tap in downstairs bathroom is moving and leaking. Only 2 wastebins in cottage - one large downstairs in kitchen and 1 tiny one in en-suite bathroom. Not possible to empty bins as large disposal area blocked off from using. Only 2 wardrobes for 4 bedrooms. No interior doors close properly and have large gaps at the top and bottom when pushed too. Every morning the stable hands played loud music which could be heard inside the cottage as the stables and owners cottage back directly onto holiday cottage. The hire of this cottage is not cheap and I think the agents are overselling and not taking account of the obvious limitations. It is obvious the owners are only interested in taking the money for the cottage and more interested in their horses and stables.

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• Lin - Verified booking

  The property overall was good and convenient.

  Sadly there were items “missing” from the contents. Hand towels were not provided. Only one Bath towel per person for two weeks. No cafetière for fresh coffee. No dishwasher tablets starter pack or salt for the table to name a few. No black plastic bags as advertised on arrival. The shower wasn’t so clean looking and the bath room had no towels. The furniture was very tired and saggy and I would certainly not recommend this property for anyone with mobility problems. The stairs are rather steep and very little safety in the way of handrails. Not for granny with arthritis! You must keep the gates shut each time you enter and leave the property. The gates are heavy. They have dogs and they must be kept away from the lawn. I have been to Sykes properties where the owner takes pride in offering a cake she made and other items. A bottle of bubbly was a nice gesture at Hill Farm but some of us are not alcohol drinkers. Overall I would recommend but remember this is a 400 year old farmhouse and that’s the quirkiness of staying in an old cottage. You can have a lovely time here but don’t come with great expectations it’s convenient and cosy and that’s okay with us We only saw the owner once or twice and we left without saying goodbye because there was no one one around at that time. Anyway thank you to the owners for their hospitality.

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• Mark - Verified booking

  This is a lovely little cottage, very convenient for local amenities - pub right opposite & another a little further down the road ( this was great for food !

  ) , a Co-Op , and a couple of restaurants- not to mention the castle. Newport easily reached, only about 2 miles away. The cottage, is right on the high street, so can be a bit noisy with traffic during the day - but we got used to that ( we would rather be close to local businesses than in the middle of a field ) It was just the right size for the two of us to use as a base , kitchen had all the facilities we needed. Always great to have bath as well as shower. Good size double bedroom, and although mattress perhaps a little hard- I found it suited me. Clean throughout, and not the sort of musty smell you’d get from some properties . Lovely little garden & patio area to the rear. The few details I would change, however- I would have preferred a comfortable sofa , rather than the two bolt upright armchairs in the living room. Thicker curtains may have cut down the traffic noise particularly in the bedroom. The house was warm enough, and hot running water, bit slow - but plenty . Had trouble with TV , but having contacted the landlord ( Nick ) soon replied, spoke pleasantly regarding the issue ( which was down to us being impatient with the remote !) We would love to stay again, regardless

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• Darren - Verified booking

  We have just returned from a 2 week stay at Hill Farm Cottage.

  We booked a UK holiday this year as we've had enough of air travel for a while. Reading the most recent review we arrived a little nervously. However, within minutes all trepidation had disappeared. We were met by the owner having mistakenly driven into their driveway and were helped by him to the correct entrance to the cottage.We spoke with them almost daily during the course of the stay and were grateful of their advice on best beaches, best walks and a dog friendly taxi firm. Fresh flowers, a bottle of fizz and some orange juice were very welcoming touches. The cottage itself is totally charming but it is a 400 year old property and comes with the quirks and original features of that age which we and our guests loved. Despite that, the wife speed and strength was excellent. The only visitor to our garden was our dog and had no issues as its completely separate from the neighbour and riding school provided you close the garden gate. We never experienced more noise than you would expect from booking a cottage within a working riding school. The staff at the school were all respectful and friendly. We had a terrific time. Both our guests and us intend to be returning, soon!

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