Villas In Derbyshire

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Dawn - Verified booking

  Just got back from a week stay at Woodthorpe Cruck cottage.

  Upon arrival the cottage was clean and there was a lovely welcome basket which was really appreciated. There was lots of information in the cottage for things to do in the area and guidance for the cottage. The surroundings were stunning and the cows were a lovely sight, the kids loved them. Some points or suggestions would be: 1) There is a drain smell coming from the downstairs wet room. Was particularly bad in the living room. We had to buy air freshener to help. 2) Some stepping stones would be beneficial from the cottage to the hot tub and robes provided considering farm workers can be on the property at anytime of the day (as we established during our stay) 3) Give guests the option to adjust the temperature of heating as they feel comfortable. Most days the cottage was really warm, too warm, and we had to leave all windows open, which meant lots of fly's in the property. 4) A sign at the end of the drive would be beneficial as the entrance kind of jumps on you. The vending machines at the end of the drive are a great idea, but could do with a spruce up. And the pictures updated on Sykes website would be beneficial also. 5) The kids games and books were old and tired and of no real interest to our children (5 and 11). Maybe these could be updated and maybe a DVD player and a small selection of DVDs would be a great addition. We would also like to leave a comment here for other guests, (mainly for reassurance reasons) about an incident that took place while we were there. One evening at around 7.30pm, we were surprised to see a man standing at the wall of the cottage staring into the kitchen windows. He then moved to near the gate, staring into the dining room windows. He was there around 2 minutes in total. He really caused concern to our children so we contacted the owner to see if this person was known to them. We was reassured that he was and they also suggested that this was to be expected as the cottage is on a working farm (which we knew about when booking) Initially I said this was fine, as I was relieved that the man wasn't a stranger to the owners. However, afterwards i have felt that his behaviour was in appropriate. I respect and understand the cottage is on a working farm and the farmer workers should attend to farming duties when needed. However, looking into the property where guests are staying for as long as he did, we feel wasn't usual farming duties or behaviour and did make us feel uncomfortable at the time. I felt it was important to add this to my review for future guests reassurance incase it happens again. Especially those with children. I would suggest maybe a note somewhere telling future guests that they may see farm workers actually on the cottage property in the evening and not just working there in the day. I also think the owner and farm workers need to be aware of how this made us feel and maybe some tighter boundaries around respecting guests privacy too. Other than the above incident, we enjoyed our stay at Woodthorpe, nice cottage, beautiful surroundings.

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• James - Verified booking

  From the moment of our arrival, it was beautiful, peaceful and tranquil.

  Everything was as described, and even better than we imagined. Tucked away at the top of the farm, a totally private getaway. Opening the door to a surprise was a special touch- couple of delicious brownies and a bottle of bubbles. Alice and Tom go beyond being wonderful hosts, they’re extremely helpful and nothing was too much at any time. Stunning views from the hut and hot tub and both of which were immaculate, clean and cosy. Currently starting to write this review at 6:30am on the morning we are leaving after being woken by the wildlife - a very persistent pheasant who wants to get into the hot tub! We can’t blame him, it’s a lovely place to sit and soak up the beauty surrounding it- even better with Storm Kathleen whipping around us. Not that we minded the wake up call at all- it’s lovely to be so close to nature and very amusing no matter what the time. Even in the midst of a storm, we slept peacefully and deeply on both nights. Cooking was easy enough, but a must do for every visitor is definitely a meal at the holly bush (a short drive away). We will certainly be back (as someone who’s partner likes to travel and not particularly visit the same place over and over, this was that special it’s definitely somewhere we will come back to again and again). We have recommended several friends to come visit here because of how incredible it is. We will be back to this little bit of paradise soon. Thank you again Alice & Tom, you guys have created something very special and totally nailed being fantastic hosts. J&M

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• Georgia - Verified booking

  We absolutely loved our stay!

  This was honestly one of the cosiest places I have ever stayed and it was just the perfect first trip away with my boyfriend. The Shepards hut offered a private space at the top of the farm for my boyfriend and I to chill out and relax together, enjoying the facilities like the beautiful hot tub and the lovely open fire inside the hut. I also loved the fact that if I did have any problems I knew I would be able to go down to the farm and ask someone. The interior and exterior of this place was just lovely and I would honestly recommend it to anyone. The only downfall would be the signal to the TV as it wouldn’t work at times, but the fact we were left with a helpful book of things to do nearby, we were never once bored. The book tells you everything ranging from places to eat , walks to do and even takeaway and taxi companies. The book also tells you how to work the hot tub, open fire … etc , which I also found helpful. I can’t thank the hosts enough for making this trip so special for me and my boyfriend. I loved every second.

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• Laura - Verified booking

  The hut is a beautiful place to stay and has everything you need for your stay.

  Inside the hut is clean and well laid out, the attention to detail makes the space work perfectly. It was a lovely welcome to find a couple of slices of cake and Prosecco in the fridge, along with milk. We met Tom on our arrival, but other than that we didn’t see the hosts. They were nearby if we needed them but we had no issues and the welcome pack gave us all the info we needed for our stay. There was more than enough wood for the hot tub which was nice to relax in looking out onto the fields. The location is wonderful, looking out over the fields, only noise is the local wildlife and odd cow. During our stay we ventured out a couple of days, plenty of things to do in the surrounding area for a short car ride. We enjoyed some lovely pub lunches, tea and cake at local cafes and we had a beaut Indian takeaway that was listed in the welcome pack. All in all we absolutely loved our few days here.

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• Neal - Verified booking

  If you’re looking to escape from the world then here’s an idyllic bolt hole, can’t fault anything about it to be honest, we didn’t even have to bother our hosts as everything you need is supplied in and around the hut.

  The hut has a tardis interior and is clean, comfortable and practical with a touch of personal. The hot tub is a great addition ➕ easily attended to, how anyone could run out of kindling or wood is beyond me we were there for 3 nights and didn’t make a dent in the supply. Great way to end your day with your partner. The location is perfect tho you will need to drive to visit the area which is only to be expected, the farm dog made us laugh with his inquisitive nature especially when he was in the hole in the wall with his head poking out and Harry the hare joined us in the adjacent field for a bit of music and hot tubbing in the evening. My girlfriend didn’t want to go home which cost me another small fortune in one of the many superb local pubs which we found to be friendly and fair priced, we will definitely be returning to the hut on the hill

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