Dog Friendly Cottages in Isle Of Wight

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Jason - Verified booking

  On arrival the house is impressive.

  It’s obviously spacious and well designed. However, the initial impression didn’t last long. Our excitement at arriving was massively tempered when we saw there were dead plants in plant pots in several of the bathrooms and the garden the planters were all dead. Plus the garden area was really dirty - there were cobwebs and plant waste around the garden and the patio had stains across it as well as there being food waste left on the grass. Obviously we are aware there was a drought in place but leaving entire planters with dead and dusty planters added to the unloved and shabby look of the garden area. And then there was no welcome pack at all. Not even a packet of biscuits or pint of milk. The kitchen is impressive looking, however there weren’t enough plates, cups and crockery settings for all of us, given that with a dishwasher you should have a minimum of 2 per person. Because whole drawers were given over to the owners spices and sauces and etc it felt very much as if we were in an Airbnb rather than a dedicated holiday home. All the things above made the place feel much less special and to be honest we were all pretty disappointed. However the biggest issue was the ‘fourth bedroom’. This was not actually a bedroom. It was an office with a pull out double bed which was like sleeping on a rock. The room was not furnished to be a bedroom - there was no bedroom chair, no dressing table or mirror and nowhere to put a suitcase. You couldn’t even pull the blinds down without standing on the rock hard bed. My daughter had to sleep there and even sleeping with three duvets under her we had to go and buy a mattress topper to make it a comfortable room. This is not a proper bedroom and she slept badly all week. My mother in law, who had paid for this trip as an 80th birthday treat to her family, was bitterly disappointed and felt like we’d been let down. To add insult to injury on the last three days the neighbour was having work done and the fence/gate was taken down so that our dog had to be guarded when in the garden and the noise and dust from power tools meant it was impossible to sit in the garden during the day. We loved the location and the size of the house but we did come away feeling very ripped off. When we communicated with your company initially about this booking, we were told that the owner sets the price, but I do feel that your job as agents is to mediate and to check that the house is good value. For around £600 a night for a three bed with ‘add on’ bedroom, I can tell you that this is not good value. For that rate we expected it to be slick and luxurious rather than a basic level. The fundamental principle of a good’s night sleep should be met as a minimum. When you are stretching yourself to afford something this special it is so disappointing to walk into a home that felt like it had been uninhabited and unloved for months. To then be unable to guarantee a proper bedroom for one of the party was really unacceptable.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Penda Cottage was beautifully decorated and well equipped. The house keeper, Jan was excellent. However, there were a couple of negative things. Jan explained that the holiday cottages had been closed for several months whilst the lighthouse was being updated, but unfortunately, the skip full of rubbish outside our cottage had not been taken away as planned. We arrived on the Friday, and the skip was not removed till the Wednesday. The bench outside our cottage was broken, so we could not use it. The other disappointment was the welcome hamper from Rural Retreats. I think this is our sixth or seventh RR lighthouse holiday, and the welcome hampers have always been fantastic. We understand that the reduction of hamper contents is a policy decision which, presumably, is driven by a desire for cost saving. However, given the premium pricing of the property rentals, and the positive impact a quality hamper of locally sourced produce has upon arrival, we were disappointed to see your company had taken this approach.

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• Sairah - Verified booking

  Lovely cottage tucked away in a quiet location, we really enjoyed the peace and quiet.

  Whilst the cottage was well equipped, for 4 people, the living area was rather cramped, it would be fine with young kids. Disappointed with the courtyard access having no internal entrance, meant we had to block the front entrance with chairs just to get some air and stop the dog escaping. Whilst the single beds were fine, the master bed was creaky and saggy, my husband resorted to sleeping on the sofa the first few nights. We seem to have mouskitoes every night, a plug in repellent would've been good, we could only find candles which we never purchased. I should point out the cleanliness wasn't great, dirty floors, bread crumbs in the kitchen, musty bedsheets in both rooms, and blonde hair in and on the bedlinen, not great. On the whole, a lovely property. The welcome pack was a lovely touch.

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• Claire - Verified booking

  We had a lovely week at Aquanaut.

  Although pricey, the property was probably actually better than the online description and the stunning sunsets were incredible - could be seen from the garden, ground floor and upstairs sitting room. The kids had a great time in the hot tub and enjoyed the toys in the house. Bedroom space was good, though the ground floor double is not nearly as nice as the other bedrooms. We walked or cycled to the nearby beach in Gurnard (though it's a steep hill!), and had lovely cycles along the beach front into Cowes. Overall a very nice villa, though we felt it was probably over-priced.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  We've been to some wonderful places. St Catherine's Oratory was well worth the walk, views were amazing. The Needles boat ride from Allum Bay is a must. Osborne House and Carisbrooke castle were both good days out. IOW steam railway and monkey haven were enjoyed by all the family. The walk up to the Buddle Inn is worth the effort, fine ales and good food. Niton Post Office cream teas are the best and of course a visit up to the lighthouse, to learn some of the stories about the lighthouse were wonderful. A wonderful week had by all. LH, Stourbridge

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