Dog Friendly Cottages in South Hams District

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Lisa - Verified booking

  No frills cottage in a great location.

  We were concerned about previous reviews and as is clear in the photos, Highdown is an older cottage which still feels more like a residential than a rental property. The owner had worked hard to make the place clean and fresh for our arrival, even down to a new coat of paint in the utility room. Good points - the house was generally comfortable (although the mattress in the master bedroom should be replaced), the kitchen was well equipped (though no pantry provisions except salt and pepper) - it was not at all spacious, as stated in the description but certainly adequate, there is a large fridge freezer in the utility which is useful, the wifi and TV were excellent, the conservatory when sunny was delightful, the fire was cozy and the garden a nice size (although not completely dog-proof - a tenacious terrier would squeeze through the front gate in a second). The driveway was tight, but we managed to get our Landrover 4x4 in with a bit of skilful manoeuvring (on my part). Less positively, we arrived in a wet and windy Easter week and storage heaters hadn't been turned up so the house was very chilly. On colder days I think the heaters struggled to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the day and into the evening. The bathroom needs some storage (shelves, a bathroom cabinet?) as there was nothing to accommodate the smellies of 6 people and the provision of towels were a disappointment. Not sure why they state they are provided when all you get is one thin medium sized towel to last a week and no hand towels. I suggest you take your own. The owner however was responsive and did provide an extra electric radiator and a couple of hand towels on request. All in all we had a nice stay as Bigbury on Sea is a heavenly location for kids of all ages and dogs - The Journeys End pub has superb food. I wouldn't rent this cottage again as I think its rather basic and overpriced, but if you have realistic expectations it is a nice base from which to explore the area.

  Read more less >

• Paul - Verified booking

  House is very nice with fabulous views over the river dart.

  The overall cleanliness was very good particularly things like towels and bedding although there was a stain on my duvet which I didn’t know until I stripped the bed before we left. Some kitchen utensils were unusable because they were caked with burnt on grease And we didn’t use the cooker because the filter in the hood was filthy. It was rather chilly in the evenings and there was central heating. I couldn’t find any advice or instructions on how to operate it. Fortunately, I have Hive at home so I managed to get the heating system up and running However, there is one radiator valve in the front bedroom that I could not Work out how to operate. Parking is an issue although we were able to park outside for unloading and loading on the final day it was an inconvenience having to park in the main town car park. The property details mention it being a short walk of 10 minutes or so down into the town and whilst this might be true coming back up from the town is a different matter. basically you have to choose between a very long flight of steps or a short Hill that must be about 45° at least !!. I ended up needing to use my car to drive my wife and elderly dog back up to the house and then return to the car park and then walk back up myself. On one occasion, I did have to stop and gather my breath. I would mention that we are both in our 70s and although reasonably mobile this was really too much. I don’t think the house is at all suitable. 70s and although reasonably mobile this was really too much. I don’t think the house is at suitable for anyone with mobility issues unless driven up there in a vehicle. For this reason I don’t think we would ever return there and I’m glad that we were only there for a few days. Thank goodness the weather was good and we were out and about every day.

  Read more less >

• Tracey - Verified booking

  Wow...

  Bigbury-on-Sea is beautiful. Highdown is situated at the top of a very steep hill. Beautiful views to Burgh Island, which is worth a walk over, even just to have a drink at the Pilchard Inn. Little cafe/takeaway down on the beach car park which is pretty basic but lovely food. There is a food store within walking distance on a caravan park along with Fryer Tucks fish and chips (also very nice) but it is along quite a narrow cliff path. WiFi was very hit and miss but kind of expected that to be honest. Make sure you visit Pickwick Inn (pub) which is so lovely. Great food, lovely atmosphere and very dog friendly. Beware of the narrow lanes in the area, cars go pretty fast round them and although there are pull in places it does get a bit scary at times. Highview itself is a lovely bungalow. Pretty dated but we quite liked that. Could have been a bit cleaner but very cosy and warm. Loved sitting in the little dining area looking out to the sea even when it was raining. The garden is lovely too, wraps around the whole bungalow and is very safe for dogs. On two occasions we did have a chap come right through the garden to the shed at the back apparently to collect laundry? If he’d of knocked and said he was about then we would have been happier but to suddenly see a man walking around outside was a bit unnerving. The patio area again is lovely but not for small children. There’s quite a drop down a grass bank at the front of it. All in all we went away as a family of four (2 grown up children) after having an illness for most of the year to have some quality time together and a well earned rest and that’s exactly what we did. Would we go back there again? Yes definitely

  Read more less >

• Renae - Verified booking

  The house was lovely, very well equipped with great showers.

  The lounge was not the most comfortable with the TV and chair positioning (you'd have to twist your neck), but we hardly spent any time in there apart from late in the evening so it didn't bother us. The showers were a highlight as the water pressure was fantastic. There is a crack in the main bathroom door however which needs to be sealed as you can catch a glimpse of whomever is in the loo! It would have also been nice to have more than 1 toilet roll provided per couple for 7 nights to give more of a sense of being well accommodated as that felt a little bit of an oversight, especially given the price we'd paid - it would've been nice to have loo roll supplied for the week! Another tricky issue was the carpark. We had no issue finding a park when we arrived on Friday but we drove to Salcombe on Monday and when we returned the carpark was full. We had to circle it for a while and wait for someone to leave which was a bit stressful as there was nowhere else identified for us to park. Perhaps a backup option of another carpark, such as the park and ride, that could be used with the permit would help as we were put off driving anywhere else out of fear we'd not be able to park when we returned. Overall however it was a gorgeous property with the most picturesque view and we'd definitely recommend it. I think it's highly likely we would return for another holiday given we had such a wonderful stay.

  Read more less >

• Patricia - Verified booking

  We have been fortunate to have stayed in a few Sykes holiday lets, and have never been disappointed.

  However, we would not have booked Highdown last year if we had read the recent reviews written. But here is an update - Highdown is old and tired looking, but we felt the owner had read the same reviews and had made an effort to make changes. The property was clean, thick soft white medium size fluffy towels (no hand towels), tea towels, hand soap, and washing up liquid was provided, and the kitchen was well equipt. We found the master bedroom's mattress to be comfortable, and also there were two radiators to use if you found the property not warm enough. The only complaints we would make are, the little utility room with the large fridge freezer has a funny smell and this problem needs investigating, and there was no shower curtain / screen. Meaning that every time we used the shower, we had to mop the bathroom floor. (We must admit that we did not contact the owner regarding these problems, because we could not get a signal on our mobile). The welcome tea / coffee / sugar / milk and biscuits after along journey was very much appreciated. Thankyou. Bigbury on Sea is a beautiful location.

  Read more less >