Dog Friendly Cottages in West Midlands

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Lisa - Verified booking

  On arrival we had to set to and wash all the dirty plates, dishes, cups, glasses and then clean out the cutlery drawer.

  No instructions for the oven and a grill rail / slider is broken so you cannot put the tray under the grill. No instructions for the washing machine and a regular leak on the pantry / utility room floor. Kitchen / larder well equipped. Some of the floors were dirty and all the windowsills throughout had dead flies, cobwebs and dust on them. The kitchen dustpan and brush were filthy and thrown behind the bin on the kitchen floor. The downstairs double bedroom has extensive bubbled walls with damp, the radiator did not work, only one bedside lamp and no drawers. Not user friendly or suitable for an elderly family member, apart from the fact it is downstairs. The other downstairs bunk bedroom had no drawers, soiled bed linen and one single open wardrobe for effectively a 3 bed room. The 4 poster bedroom had the most disgusting toilet cleaning brush ever, a useless bin that was dirty and fell over when you tried to use the foot pedal. The room was generally dirty and dusty, a small sink with nowhere to put any toiletries and annoyingly very creaky floorboards. The kingsize en-suite bedroom had no wardrobes or drawers and the foul smell from the septic tank regurgitated up into the en-suite bathroom. The other 2 x double rooms and 2 x twin rooms upstairs also had a lack of wardrobes, drawers, bins, some soiled bedding, dead bugs on the roller blinds, no plugs near a mirror to do hair. The shared bathroom upstairs has a shower curtain which sticks to people when in the shower, which is very unhygienic when it is to be used by up to 8 people from the 2 x double and 2 x twin rooms. A shower screen would be much more suitable, or even remove the bath and have a walk-in shower to make it safer. The shower is difficult to use and water goes all over the floor. Although there is a coat rack in an inner hallway between the kitchen and downstairs bathroom, there are no coat / boot facilities at either the front or back door. No door mat at the front door and a manky door mat at the back door. The lounge had 5 large poor quality sofas in it and a pub table stood in the open fireplace. No coffee table or side table for drinks / snack bowls. We rearranged the sofas and put the pub table in the centre of the room (too high really). We used double sided sticky tape to secure the Hessian rug to the floor because its' curled up edges were a trip hazard. Whilst doing this we noticed how dirty the floor was underneath the rug. Outside there were 2 good quality picnic benches and a nice bench on the front lawn. The random outdoor chairs on the rear patio were scruffy. The shared games room is a health and safety hazard. There is a large hole in the floor with a laundry bag dropped on top of it. There is a chest freezer full of meat in there?? There is bleach and also laundry waiting to be collected or being delivered back. Is it a games room, or a laundry / cleaning room? The sofa and chairs in there are a disgrace and belong in a skip, there was even a resident mouse living in the sofa that we called Zac. Only one broken pool cue available. Table tennis was also available. Although the youngest in our group was 15, you would not want young children in such an unsafe and dirty environment. It is a stretch of the imagination to call it a games room. Also, it was left unlocked all week with various (property) keys on the table. For safety there could be an outdoor security light on the courtyard parking area for people walking to / from said games / laundry room. Large potholes in the driveway up to the courtyard parking that need filling in. I have taken photographs to support the detail given in this feedback, if needed. As a family we have booked a large property through Sykes several times for our annual get together. We always go for 4 or 5 'tick' ratings. This property was rated as 4 ticks but really should only be 2 ticks. The owners seem to have tried to maximise capacity for the house, without considering the amenities in each room. This property needs a deep clean, it needs to smell clean too. With Covid we were shocked at the lack of cleanliness. The property badly needs renovation and some attention to detail in each room to warrant a 4 tick rating and the amounts that are being charged. Until this has been done, we think Sykes should inspect and regrade the rating for the benefit of others considering booking this property. Also, very poor and random internet access. Extremely disappointed on all counts; accuracy of listing, cleanliness, comfort and facilities.

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• Alima - Verified booking

  The property is beautiful from the outside in terms of the building and the countryside and the owner seemed nice.

  However we were 20 plus people and found it hard to be together as there were 2 separate houses so the living rooms could only accommodate 10 people each. The dining room was big enough for everyone but too narrow to move around in. Anyone could not get out if others were sitting on the benches. The 2 small kitchens were such that anyone passing by would be an obstruction for the kitchen users due to the smallness of the kitchens. We had to distribute items over 2 fridges and kitchens. Extra items had to be placed in the freezer in the games room outside which has items in it already. The saucepans were difficult to cook in due to their thinness and burning our food. The grill gave off such a bad smell that couldn't be used. General cleanliness was low. There were cobwebs and the handwashes were diluted with water. The toilet seat in one bathroom was loose and a shared ensuite bathroom had no lock in it. In one side, 8 people shared one bathroom. The games room is in a bad condition with 2 less balls in the Poole table and the cue ends were not fully in tact. The table tennis bats had the material torn off and the table looked battered though could be used. The kids enjoyed the swing hanging off the trees though. The grounds were too narrow for football games or Frisbee without the items going into the bushes, but ok to sit out in.

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• Malcolm - Verified booking

  A lovely comfortable cottage, that was probably an old farmhouse.

  Very clean and very well equipped. A slightly strange layout probably due to being very old. All bedrooms were very comfortable and the heating was very generous. Plenty of cups, cutlery, and chinaware. 2 big cookers, dishwasher vast fridge and big freezer. Washing machine & Dishwasher. The lounge had plenty of comfortable seating but we all thought that it needed a wood burner, to add that little touch of homeliness. There was an alcove with a flue pipe, as if the wood burner had been removed. The TV also didn't appear in proportion with the room. The stairs to the 1st floor had to be negotiated with care especially when descending. The shared games room in a nearby barn, was not a deal breaker for us, but had we wished to use it, due to the rain there were a lot of leaks in the roof and the table tennis table and pool table were wet, also no ping pong balls and only 1 strip light came on for quite a big area. 3-4 old armchairs in there also suffered from the leaks. Overall we had a great time and the minor points we mentioned didn't tarnish our visit. 9 out of 10. Thank you.

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• Christopher - Verified booking

  The property is absolutely lovely.

  We were unfortunate in that we arrived in the middle of horrendous floods, and were trapped in the property and local area for a few days, and it was big enough that nobody went stir crazy. There are plenty of books and games to keep the kids engaged and occupy your mind. TV connection is good. The kitchen is capable of feeding a house full of people, and the cooker is good. The heating clicks and bangs a little when it starts up in the morning. The only real downside is the connectivity. Mobile phone connection is quite poor, and inside the house is only available in a few tiny locations. Outside is better. WiFi connection is very slow and intermittent. Speedtest reported the download speed at 0.2 MBPS and upload at 7 MBPS at one point. If you are travelling to get internet connectivity you might want to rethink your plans. Outside the property, there are lots of attractions to visit, and the area is positively bristling with beautiful scenery. We plan to revisit some time soon when the weather is more favourable.

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• Lorena - Verified booking

  We had a fabulous time - the accommodation was stunning along with the beautiful scenery.

  We really enjoyed our stay. We very extremely lucky that no one else was staying on site in the other properties. I’m not too sure I would have enjoyed it as much, as I do feel the properties are too close and sharing the facilities with others could have been challenging if there were larger families, as it was only my partner and I staying: I think we would have been disappointed if we couldn’t use the pool and the outdoor facilities which is reflected in the price. I would highly recommend the property - it has been decorated to high spec and exceptionally clean. The grounds are well maintained and the views are stunning. Sarah and Gavin work extremely hard managing the properties and grounds. We will definitely return. Thank you.

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