Christmas Cottages in Scotland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Penninghamme is a lovely place and Gardeners Cottage is lovely, but a few things made me unhappy. The Welcome Pack, a short dated pint of milk and a packet of short cake custard creams with a greasy mark on underside. There was tea and coffee, but this looked old. In the kitchen, a tray with foil, peeled the foil off to see it was poorly cleaned. A mug had a dirty mark on the inside. The back door was still in a coat primer on the outside. A bulb was failing in the extractor. The bread knife was missing. In the lounge, the dining chairs were uncomfortable and were more suitable in a Conservatory - this is a matter of taste I know. Both recliners had minor issues, one wobbled - looks like a leg was facing the wrong way and the other lent slightly to the right. In the bathroom we loved the mirror with its light and touch screen demisting. The toilet seat did not fit properly and was at a slight angle - it doesn't really match the suite. Anoying issue with the shower, that it would cut out for no reason, forncing the user to turn the water up. Pressure was great, even if the water went everywhere. The beds were soft and comfortable. All the windows bar one were painted over, meaning only one opened. Information for guests was basic, some of the Discover Scotland info was not for SW Scotland. We left our pre printed walks information for future guests. In the grounds there is a sign close to the Gardeners Cottage, that said private, with another mentioning about the ducks. Is it private to guests or not? as the path seems to run up the side of the forest in front of the cottage, somewhere I could have found Red Squirrel or Deer etc.? The speedbumps could have done with some better indication, maybe painted like public speedbumps are. There is the estate office on site, however we did not use this feature as we were out everyday exploring the history of the area. Even with a long list of "issues", I will return as I have plenty more to explore or maybe try to walk the Merrick when the footpath isn't a stream!

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• G Williamson - Verified booking

  Really loved our stay in Gardeners Cottage on the Penninghame Estate and would definitely recommended this place for a lovely chill out holiday. The estate is just off a road next to the River Cree. Lovely and quiet this cottage has a lovely homely feel and is tucked away at one end of the estate so nobody drives past your cottage to get to other parts of the estate. The whole place was lovely and clean and decor and furnishings were to a good standard, the kitchen was also very well appointed with many items seeming to be pretty new. The place was lovely and warm and welcoming on arrival with the heating on at a background level and there was always lashings of very hot water for baths showers etc with all utilities included in the price. There are 2 single bed rooms and a double bed room and while we only slept in the double bed this was lovely and comfortable and was a good length for anyone over 6 foot tall ! 2 pillows per person were provided, one a bit firmer than the other so you had a choice to suit you if you are fussy on your pillows ! There is an office on site if you have any problems and very friendly, helpful staff to sort stuff straight away. Negatives from the stay,well, dont expect fine dining in the local area for your evening meal if you don’t intend cooking, the nearest town, Newton Stewart manages a few pubs that serve very basic food, cheap prices but basic fare, but together with a couple of takeaways thats it for food. The security on the cottage was really my only concern from our stay with the locks on the doors and window being very minimal and basic and when we arrived 2 of the downstairs windows could be opened from the outside with no way of locking them on the inside ! When I reported this to the office the following day basic locks were fitted to these windows within a couple of hours.

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• Paul - Verified booking

  Absolutly fantastic cottage.

  Normally book in the UK 4 to 5 weeks a year as we've got a dog so don't book abroad as we like to take it with us. I wanted somewhere quite rural but as we've got 5 and 6 year old children needed to have plenty to do within driving distance. We dropped really lucky with this one. Was absolutly perfect for what we needed. It probably helped that the weather was great all week so we could make the most of the fantastic outside space. The cottage ended up being just somewhere to sleep as we were outside all the time. Loads of space for the kids to run round and enjoy themselves. Great walks in Ae forest which is on the doorstep plus it was great that there were so many places to start your walk and different ways to go in the forest that you felt you were in a new forest each day. Loads and loads of stuff to do nearby for both children and pets. Have just come home and tried to book the cottage again for the summer holidays - we never go to the same place twice as I like to explore new places but I feel that there was a lot of stuff that we were planning to do that we didn't get round to. Unfortunately it seems to be booked out for months and I'm not surprised. We will return but will probably have to wait until later autumn or winter but will be nice to stay here in a different season to see what it is like.

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• Jane - Verified booking

  We had a wonderful stay in Glebe Cottage.

  The cottage is beautifully designed with everything there you need. From the moment you walk through the door you know you’re in for a pleasant stay. The cosy underfloor heating was very impressive, it made for a warm return after a brilliant day out. The washing machine was good along with the tumble drier meaning I had very little washing when I got home. The kitchen was well stocked with all the crockery, cutlery, utensils and equipment you need for a week away. The shower was spacious and powerful, and the bed very comfortable with plump pillows. Why complain about them, I’m not sure, do what I did and jettison one for sleeping! The weather wasn’t suitable to use any of the seating areas outside but I’m sure they’re all excellent, they looked good. The scenery around the cottage is beautiful, walking the dog along the lane was great, all I could hear were the birds singing and the water in the burn, plus no traffic …….heaven! So we left with our batteries fully charged and feeling rested and relax. Thank you.

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• Paul Walker - Verified booking

  Cottage was well equipped and appeared to have been recently upgraded. Bed was good quality and really comfortable. On arrival, it was a little bit chilly, but I expect given the time of year that there may not have been other guests in the cottage for a few days, so perhaps it was only being heated for our arrival. Cottage is perfectly located for the Galloway Forest Park and is situated in the Penninghame Estate that has some extensive grounds. Both the park and estate were perfect for us and our dog to have a safe and enjoyable stay. Only real grip would be the lack of outside light near the steps down to the car parking area. For safety reasons this needs to be addressed. Fortunately we always pack head torches for our walks. Overall, a great little cottage, with quality fixtures and finish. We would definitely consider this location for future visits to this area.

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