Cornwall Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Ruth - Verified booking

  I had my 75th birthday here with hubby, two daughters, one son-in-law and five teenage grandchildren.

  The location is superb for surfing beaches a short drive away, King Arthur’s castle ruins and amazing new bridge. Etc. The house exceeded our expectations in many ways but in a couple of others didn’t. However the owner, who lives next door was always on hand to answer queries and more than ready to take on board our suggestions. We were only his second guests since he took it on and so was keen to hear any slight quibbles and to put them right for future guests. The info from Sykes about the house was a bit misleading with the Covid instructions. They said there would be no cushions on the sofas and that there would be no games, maps, books etc. All these things were there so we needn’t have brought our own. It also states that there is a beach 200 metres away! No there isn’t! The sea might be but not a useable beach. Also we assumed, wrongly, that as it is a big house it would have a reasonable size garden. So we brought a gazebo but there was nowhere to put it up. The outdoor space is tiny with the hot tub taking up half and a BBQ and two benches with small table the rest. So if you have a BBQ meal you really need a table and chairs to eat it at outside. The hot tub is a luxury but we felt a garden dining set would be more useful. Also there is nowhere outdoors to dry wet swimmers, towels or washing although an electric drier and clothes horse indoors is provided inside. A rack for wetsuits is outside the front with a hose which is handy. The house itself is very well appointed and tastefully decorated with no lack of seafaring themed ornaments and wall pictures. The kitchen fantastic for catering for large numbers and a very comfy lounge. All bathrooms are great with endless hot water for those after beach showers, even all going at once! The bed I was in did sag in the middle rather and gave me a backache for the first half an hour each morning but maybe my age had something to do with it. Matt the owner was so friendly and helpful that I don’t want to upset him but felt that these comments might help those people thinking of booking up at Trevena Lodge. Oh and the view from sitting on the loo in my en-suite was the best I have ever experienced! We managed to avoid the crowds to avoid the Covid and altogether we had a super holiday and I had a memorable birthday!

  Read more less >

• Adrian - Verified booking

  On arrival we were greeted by Sheila, who couldn't wait to show us comprehensively around Wagtail Cottage.

  It has everything you could need and crucially, there is a freezer - perfect for ice packs to take delightful local produce on a lengthy journey hone in what is laughingly called the British Summer. Many holiday cottages don't even have an ice box which is just unnecessarily too basic. Wagtail Cottage is rural, no road traffic sounds and only nature all around. Feeding the birds is a must and bird seed is kindly supplied - top marks - and the little feathered friends hang around in the bushes, pretty much waiting for you to put more out! A small, covered outside space allows relaxing and winding down after a day of sightseeing. Ah, yes, on to the beds, often a cause for disappointment. Not here. I can confidently say the bed was the best I've had in a Sykes Cottage and we've used Sykes for many years. Sheila almost apologised for it being higher than normal off the floor. I would have happily used a stepladder to sleep on this one! The beds and comprehensive fittings are standard across all their cottages on the complex, mind you, you can't hear anyone else. The owners were on hand most of our week and even sought us out her and there, Sheila especially eager to know if we were comfortable and all was good and was quite lovely to talk with. That level of friendly customer service is often absent elsewhere - other holiday cottage owners should seriously take note. Granted, there are good 'uns out there and I've dealt with a fair few. But you feel the absence of others after accidentally stumbling upon them on arrival, then never seeing them again. If basic things are broken or missing and need replenishing, phoning up is fine, but can feel anonymous, rather like complaining in your normal life. For the money holiday cottages cost (which is currently increasing quickly), patrons deserve better. I could go on longer, so I say if this is available, just book it - you won't be disappointed.

  Read more less >

• Clare - Verified booking

  Firstly you failed to let me know that the property booked and for which you took all the money had been double booked and no apology.

  I only found out 10 days before going to Cornwall because I checked up. Then I had to book 2 more cottages for the family which was difficult and no where near the sea. The one called Tom is very tired. The owners are rather mean. It needs a lot of updating, bed linen and carpets, soft furnishings are tatty. The wifi is always falling out and the shower temperature could not be adjusted so we could not have more than 20 sec showers until it was eventually sorted half way through the holiday. The meanness is the fact that 2 toilet rolls and a couple of bin bags were provided only. I’ve never stayed anywhere which shouts “mean”. My adult children stayed at “Sleepy Fox “which was very much nicer and clean and welcoming, Tom has no manuals or guides or anything that makes you welcome.. I lived in N Cornwall and know many areas and rentals but this seems as if the people are just going through the motions of making money on a country Estate that they bought which already had a rental business BUT they have done nothing to update or care for this cottage. It could be very nice but £ 850 is too much for this place. To top it all the caretaker sent me a text asking me to strip iff the beds and put them in black bags as this was due to covid (which it is NOT). She never produced the black bags but I did strip off the beds and put the towels and everything together just o be a good person. I still think it is a cheek. I did ask to have the shower and wifi looked at but we gave up on the wifi in the end. As someone who does AirBnB all the updates could be set against tax so I think the people must not care or be disorganised. They need to bin their duvet covers, duvets and linen- it is Alll abominable. Please let me know if you can help me gain confidence in booking again with you. Regards Clare Luscombe

  Read more less >

• Denise - Verified booking

  General layout was good with plenty of space and in a lovely setting.

  However the cottage was damp when we arrived and it took several days for the smell to subside. Part of the kitchen wall was mouldy as were some of the walls in the bathroom. We were particularly disappointed with the poor standard of maintenance in the bathroom, namely: the floor in the vicinity of the wc had structurally failed where the floor depressed alarmingly when stood on, unsightly discolouration of the mastic bath seal, mould on walls, broken blind affording little privacy for a ground floor facility and general deterioration of the window frame. There was no positive air extraction in the bathroom other than opening the window. Elsewhere in the main bedroom there was significant open cracking in the plasterwork, the windows had not been adequately cleaned and appeared to have smears of paint on them. In the kitchen the tiled worktops had stained and missing grout, the oven was not clean. The above reflects the general tired appearance of the property and we noted from the visitors book that we were not alone in thinking this. Similar concerns were raised some two years ago, but no action appears to have been taken. We are surprised that this has not been picked up on through your company's vetting process. Overall we did not feel that this was good value for money and would be reluctant to book with you again.

  Read more less >

• Rodrick - Verified booking

  Our holiday in Cornwall to celebrate our 45th Wedding Anniversary was absolutely wonderful but it was made extra special because of where we stayed.

  Wagtail Cottage was totally delightful in every way. A beautiful spotlessly clean and very well equipped cottage with everything you could possibly need. The cottage is set in a truly peaceful and tranquil setting which is exactly what we needed. The views were amazing. The locality was perfect for being able to visit all the places we had on our list and we covered many! At the end of our busy and fun day we would return to this gem where we stayed and it felt like our home. This is just what you need when you go on holiday. Our family visited from Redruth and there were toys and puzzles etc. The lovely garden to sit in and the fields across the way to go and look at the horses. So thank you to lovely Sheila and Peter for your warm welcome and information on things to do and places to go. For being on hand if we had any questions. For the bottle of wine and card not to mention the delicious jar of grape jam from your very own vines! We really hope to return to Cornwall one day and revist Wagtail Cottage. I can hear it calling our names! With best wishes from Michele and Rod Jones from Whitstable Kent.

  Read more less >