Christmas Villas In Northumberland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Leslie - Verified booking

  Lantern View (Ref.

  1122121) “It’s a pretty picture; but it’s for looking at not living in! This is the first time I’ve been disappointed with our choice of get-away accommodation”. This statement was uttered within 10 minutes of our entering the property. And all whilst standing in an attractive property that has obviously been subject to fairly lavish care and attention. So why? We are two couples, active but past the first flush of youth, who meet for a few days each year in some corner of this Sceptred Isle. One of us, whilst otherwise very mobile, has difficulty climbing stairs and getting into a bath without help. So, the critical advertised facility that lead to our choosing Lantern View was - “Ground-floor Bathroom with bath, walk-in shower and WC” – there is no walk-in shower. The listing also advertised ”1x ground-floor twin with TV” – there is no TV; we don’t want TV in the bedroom but the facilities should reflect the listed facilities. One other item expected, but neither listed nor present in either bathroom, is an electric shaver socket. The first-floor bedroom is listed as having an en-suite with walk-in shower, basin and WC; but the “room” is around 5-feet square, the shower base is smaller than the smallest available from B&Q and the maximum door opening is 14”; wide enough to allow an adult to sidle in, but not enough to allow them to reach down to wash the nether regions. Back to the facilities listing; “Open-plan living area with kitchen, dining area and sitting area with woodburning stove” – this is a very nice feature of the property and, works very well. However, there is a step up to the sitting area that is not as obvious as it could be; one of our group tripped over it twice in the first hour of our being there. Fortunately, no damage to person or property but one day? We suggest a length of eye-catching adhesive tape be applied to minimise the risk. Finally, a few words regarding the ground-floor bedrooms neither of which has easy access around the beds nor adequate stowage space for suitcases or for clothes hanging. The twin-room has been fitted with a 9-inch deep shelving unit behind the bed-heads; this has reduced a comfortable walking space between the foot of the beds and the wall of about 21-inches to about 1-foot. This means we have to shuffle sideways to get past the beds to reach the window or boiler room, and this isn’t good for aging knee joints. The shelves serve no useful purpose and obscure access to the wall-sockets mounted in the wall behind them. The double room is more difficult, but it could make a very comfortable room for a single bed or even good quality bunk-beds. IT’S A PITY. Given the richness of the Northumbrian culture and heritage, this could have been our best get-away yet, but the accessibility issues detracted from full enjoyment of the experience. We will return to this area but, sadly, not to Lantern View. Regards, Leslie Cumming.

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• emma - Verified booking

  Dairymaid Cottage has been thoughtfully and tastefully presented for holiday lets.

  Everything is provided and easy to use. We enjoyed the staying there, and appreciated all the comforts. However, there was no indication from Sykes about the building works (in the "vicinity") being actually adjacent to the cottage.. I also asked whether the approach road to the cottage had lighting at night, and was told that it did. In fact the cottage is reached from an unlit junction, into an unlit lane, then to locate an unlit gateway. Neither outside light on the cottage was working. By telephoning the Chester office, we managed to get one swiftly repaired. The main reason why we will not recommend Sykes to anyone is because Customer Support has now been digitalised. This means that one cannot speak to anyone directly, and even my call to Northumbrian Cottages from the cottage about the lights was answered in Chester. Personal contact is essential for tenants when holiday issues need to be discussed, and it is sad that this lets down the good quality of the rest of the operation.

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• Debra - Verified booking

  Bathroom sink slow running due to dirty hair filled drain, shower was the same.

  Dusty cobwebs everywhere in the cottage and bathroom skirting boards not cleaned covered in dust. A hoover would be great to clean up sand brought in which being a seaside location is inevitable, brush and dust pan no good for older couples ! Oven not cleaned food bits left in the bottom. Would like more essentials, no one wants to take washing up liquid or toilet rolls on holiday, and what was supplied was insufficient for a week! Cafetière obviously for decoration only as we wasted some of our ground coffee as it just poured out the grounds with the water, had to buy one from Morrison’s. Wi-Fi didn’t work used up so much data, on phones as it only came on occasionally and even then was poor connection. Rug in sitting room was dirty too, perhaps not the best colour for a holiday let. The cottage is ‘okay’ but a few small simple changes would easily take it to excellent. Not the best value for money, we stayed in cheaper places in the area with far better facilities and much cleaner.

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• Cara - Verified booking

  Overall a good experience!

  Some extra touches would have made our stay easier/more pleasurable. For Example: there is no WIFI signal in the upstairs room and sporadic connection throughout the property. No full length mirror or place to do hair/makeup in upstairs room. No SMART TV for apps such as Netflix/Disney. Property is Advertised as “Pet Free” however Dog Hairs visible on soft furnishings (sofa), this was also noted early on after an allergy response on arrival.. not a great way to start the Holiday and should not be advertised as Pet Free if this is not the case!! Beds are either double or single, no king size option. Room upstairs was very hot after a warm day and stayed warm throughout the night. No welcome pack (or even toilet roll) so make sure you shop for essentials on the way in. Kitchen was well stocked and in good working order. Property location ideal with just a short drive to Alnwick for supplies and views are beautiful, very peaceful and restful stay!

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• Alison - Verified booking

  The Annex is perfect as a base to see the wonderful Northumberland countryside.

  The hosts are friendly and welcoming, they were there if we needed them but were not 'in your face' they helped to make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The Annex itself was a home from home & had everything we needed. There are a lot of steps down to the Annex so something to think about if you have mobility issues BUT both my daughter and I are disabled and apart from bringing things in on arrival and packing back up at the end we managed well and it will NOT stop us going back. We will just pack things a bit differently. All in all I would highly recommend this property to anyone wanting a good holiday in the area. We are already looking at dates to go back, and we don't normally go to the same place twice.

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