Dog Friendly Cottages in South East

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Claire - Verified booking

  We are going to start with the positives….

  . Great location. It’s a characterful and quirky property, which on the surface looks great. There were some lovely touches, like bubbles and chocolate in the fridge and smellies for the bath. Sadly, over our stay, we picked up on more and more issues. The frustration we had was a lot of them had been picked up by previous guests so we had expected them to have been addressed but they weren’t…… The main shower is not fit for purpose. It looks great, but the water trickles out of the rainfall head. You can’t shower properly, and certainly can’t use it to wash your hair. Also, the water struggles to flow down the drain so what water you do have stands; when it does go down slowly there is a problem with the drain and you get a load of debris coming back up, making the shower floor dirty. This issue was picked up in June ‘21, July and Nov ‘22, yet not been rectified. Shower sealant needs replacing. Kitchen doors are difficult to open; one of us lost a finger nail! Need fixing or door handles putting on. Picked up previously. The dishwasher had been left with standing water in it….owner came and put it on a 3hour cycle which we then had to live with - it’s open plan and very noisy….if you use it, put it on when you go out! WiFi password not provided, so we had to ask for it…..so simple to leave this somewhere, along with instructions for heating, oven etc….nothing provided. Picked up previously Nov ‘22. No plug by a mirror …picked up previously. The beam in the main bedroom is low and a hazard. It’s mentioned in particulars but doesn’t say it’s low….beware. I am 5’10” and have a photo to show it coming to just above my eyes and it’s between the bed and bath/loo. I’m guessing I am not the only person to walk into it in the middle of the night. Previously mentioned in Aug ‘21. It says you can laze in the bath and admire the countryside in the fields surrounding the cottage. It’s a lovely bath but I have a photo of the view and it’s of a fence immediately outside the window. We found dirty and stained crockery in the cupboard. We stripped the beds when we left and were disgusted by the state of the pillows. They were very poor quality, had no protectors on them and had LOADS of stains….made us feel sick. They need replacing and protecting. Thankfully the beds had protectors but they also badly need washing, Main bed squeaks with every move you make….loud enough to wake someone if you are sharing. The garden is in need of lots of TLC…..loads of weeding, pruning and the brickwork needs cleaning. As previously mentioned in 2021, the metal furniture is very rusty….wouldn’t sit on them…the pictures of it are obviously years old and not a true reflection of the furniture or garden in the current state. Also the garden is not very private as it is on the front so other guests and owners can be around. The pictures make the garden look much bigger than it is. We had wood for the log burner but no kindling so had to get some before we could use it. There are lots of things that need addressing but most have been mentioned previously so not sure if anything would be done; it’s such a shame as the style is great but the issues make this a disappointment and not worth what you pay. Also, be aware that it is actually smaller than you may think from the photos….great size for 2 adults, or with 2 children, but too small for 4 adults. We didn’t mention all the issues as they arose, as whilst owners on site, they were not really engaged with us….there was no welcome either face to face or text; they did pop in to switch on the dishwasher but we saw one on departure but they didn’t even acknowledge us. Also, we had a power cut…nothing from them to check we were ok or offer us candles…we text them and we just got a one line text back to confirm it was a power cut. This, with most issues having previously been raised, we saw no value in trying to pick up with them when there. In summary, this place could be a delight, but the issues that are recurring need to be addressed and some care and attention made to the maintenance both inside and out.

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• 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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• Julie - Verified booking

  We booked 11 nights at the Hemmel in July prior to the May/June reviews publishing, so we were reasonably alarmed by the description of unhygienic and unsafe conditions that later followed.

  We rang Sykes as soon as we saw the reviews and were informed we needed to speak to their sister company Manor Properties. After some chasing up on our behalf we were finally able to speak with someone who advised some of the issues had already been resolved and took my outstanding queries back to the owner. However, no one followed this up with us again prior to the holiday which was disappointing. Given we were unable to cancel without losing our payment we decided to take a chance and continue with the holiday as planned. We will start with the positives: The location of the property was fantastic, we were able to visit lots of areas of natural beauty, National Trust properties and even Oxford city centre. The house was very private, despite proximity to the second holiday cottage and owners home. In addition, it is worth noting The Hemmel is attached to another cottage (belonging to a separate owner?) but we were not disturbed by anyone in any of the other properties. The most we saw / heard was the occasional car driving in/out. The front garden we thought was delightful with lots of flowers, and it was peaceful enough to enjoy the bench without being overlooked. Little Coxwell was literally over the road from the property and cannot recommend The Eagle pub enough – fantastic food, but do make sure you book! We were very comfortable in the property, slept well on the four poster bed and had everything we needed for a pleasant enough stay. The downside to the property: Our biggest issue (and really does need addressing) is the very poor quality shower. It looks pretty and has good temperature settings but has no power to it at all and takes ages to wash/rinse. Don’t be fooled into thinking you will be able to use the shower over the bath as this does not work – the handle moves but you can only get water out of the bath tap. The bath itself was fine, although doesn’t drain fully (tilted back slightly) so beware of standing water. Also, a little trading standards discretion needed with the promise of “you can laze in the glorious roll top bath in the corner of the bedroom and admire the Oxfordshire countryside in the fields surrounding the cottage”. You can see next doors lawn and hot tub (where a fence panel has now been moved to one side) but only if you crane your neck over the taps, otherwise you really are looking at a brown fence. The hot tub belonging to the other property we were attached to is literally outside the living room window – thankfully no one used it during our break but this could impact your stay. Generally the house is like a show home – looks really beautiful but not always functional, which is a shame. We are glad we went but would not look to return to this property and wish we had been more informed prior to booking.

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• Rebecca - Verified booking

  The property was excellently located; a short walk into Lymington and with pubs (the Borough Arms and the Monkey Brewhouse) located at the end of Lower Buckland Road.

  The property was exceptionally clean - very high standards maintained with this. The beds were also extremely comfortable, the kitchen was extremely well equipped also. The downstairs area was really useful for cooking and then bringing to the table - this also has a small portable radiator which was extremely useful in the cold weather and where the conservatory looses heat very quickly. The modern interiors were lovely and the sunny extension was wonderful, even in rainy weather. There's plenty of storage space and the rooms have their own bathrooms which was extremely handy. The information packs were very thoughtfully laid out and had everything that we needed during our stay, including useful pointers on local places of interest. There were a few aspects that could use improvement. When we arrived the whole property was extremely cold and we had to leave the heating on for a long time for the property to heat up which was probably less than economical. There was a small portable radiator which did help but it might have been useful to have this on a remotely controlled timer for out of season guests to make sure it's not so cold on arrival but still make cost savings with it being switched off when empty. The first floor bathroom had an air evacuation flap which was loose and kept banging in the wind all through the night and also the shower temperature control was extremely difficult to control - stiff and very sensitive! In the top bedroom, we noticed half way through (as we weren't using that level) that the light was left on in the bathroom, probably during cleaning between residents. This is probably me being overly fussy as the kitchen was otherwise very well equipped, there wasn't an espresso machine which is usually found in most holiday properties (there was a french press though!). Finally, the cleaning supplies were quite limited (dishwasher tablets - we did leave some for the next guests which we purchased) and the cloths weren't really able to make sure we could wipe down properly before we left as requested in the check out pack. For future residents, I'd just be aware that the staircases are very steep. We attended with our dog and the poor thing did fall a couple of times because it was quite steep. Additionally, the garden isn't really very dog friendly, we were advised the back of the garden isn't fully enclosed which is fine. However, there is no grass and most dogs usually will only want to go on grass so if you are bringing a pooch, you might want to take them to the grassy patch a minute from the property in order to toilet.

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• Lisa - Verified booking

  The Hemmel is a pretty cottage in a fantastic location.

  The cottage is a good size for couples, or families with smaller children (however the twin room is next to the living area and walls are very thin, so noise could be an issue). It’s not suitable for 4 adults. The master bedroom has a few very low beams, that need negotiating if your anywhere over 5ft! The games room is brilliant, a WiFi extender would be a good idea, so then it can act as a second reception room. I have given a three star rating, because I felt that although the Hemmel looks great, but there are a few key issues: 1. The living room area needs more comfortable / better seating for relaxing. The sofa is so uncomfortable, not suitable for relaxing. Same goes for the small chair. Fine as a seat, but you wouldn’t use it to read or watch TV, not comfortable enough. This may sound petty, but it meant we couldn’t relax comfortably and that’s what holidays are for!! 2. Cleanliness - the cottage was clean, BUT there were cobwebs everywhere, not only at high levels. In addition, the towels were clean, but smelt very musty. On leaving I found out why, the laundry at changeover is dried in a small outhouse/ shed. 3. There were a few things missing: - more cutlery. Four settings is skimpy - oven gloves - iron - new / better outside seating. - access to hose for dogs muddy paws - handle on the kitchen cupboard with the bin in….very difficult to open! For me, the cottage was style over substance. With a few simple but important tweaks, it could be so much better, instead it left me a bit irritated and not relaxed!

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