Dog Friendly Villas In Derbyshire

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Sean - Verified booking

  We enjoyed staying in Youlgreave, and the cottage is in a peaceful location on the edge of a river valley at one end of the village and a short walk from pubs and shops.

  Unfortunately there were problems with the cottage which have also been raised in previous reviews; we didn't let them spoil our stay and we had a relaxing week, but we probably wouldn't return. The cottage is about a hundred yards down a path from the main road, behind another house and far away enough from the road that you don't hear any traffic noise. The website map is a bit misleading; the cottage is closer to the village than the map shows. We didn't have any problem parking on the road above the house, but a couple of houses on the road were empty; at busier times it might be difficult, though there is a free public car park further up the road. The stone path down to the cottage isn't slippery, even in the rain, but it is fairly steep and uneven and might be difficult for anyone with mobility problems, and the house itself isn't particularly accessible. The house is an old stone two up two down with a more recent block extension, on the edge of a steep sided wooded valley. There is a patio to one side with garden furniture, and an open area to the front, not part of the property, which was full of wild flowers when we were there in early June. A footpath across the front of the house, shown in the main photo, leads down to the river but is quite steep, muddy in wet weather and overgrown. There are views across and down the valley. The living room, kitchen and scullery are on the ground floor with main bedroom at one end of the first floor and a small single bedroom and bathroom at the other end. We found the house quite cold and draughty in a fairly cold week in early June, but the heating was effective. The scullery / utility room is draughty and not very secure but has a door direct to the yard which might be useful for those with muddy boots or dogs. We didn't use the small bedroom, but the main bedroom was a good size and comfortable. Bathroom and kitchen are usable but fairly basic with some odd quirks. The owner had left a welcome pack with some biscuits, muffins and milk. We had a good stay in Youlgreave, but for us the cottage was disappointing with quite a few niggles which made it not quite the cosy retreat we were looking for, and at the price we expected a much better standard. There is a visitor book with a page or two of information, but we couldn't find instructions for appliances or much information about the house. The listing photos show the cottage to its best advantage, but make it look much brighter inside and tidier outside. The back and one side of the old part of the house are against the hill; when we were there the house smelled of a mix of mustiness and strong room freshener. We found the cottage less well decorated and maintained than it looks in the photos and quite shabby in places, particularly kitchen and bathroom. The shower head is low, would not stay in place and has a very short hose, making it quite difficult to have a decent shower. There is a stop on the bathroom door which prevents it opening more than 2/3rds; we nearly walked into the edge of the door a couple of times. The kitchen was adequately but not well equipped, a bit tatty and poorly lit from a central fitting. The oven is behind the kitchen door and is blocked when the door is open. Broken bulbs had not been replaced. Outside, the overall impression was saved by the wooded valley location and the wild foxgloves and other flowers outside the garden, but the patio is very uneven and there seemed to be little effort to maintain the area, with borders, boxes and paving becoming over-run with weeds. Garden furniture was quite rickety to the point of being unsafe; seats on the picnic bench were loose with screws rusted through, and one leg of the curved bench was broken off and the bench propped up on a loose block of rotting wood. These issues will matter to some and not others. What's worrying is that they would be simple to fix and have been raised by previous visitors, going back over a year, but have not been addressed; we couldn't speak to the owner at the time and raised them again through Sykes, but the owner has not responded. The cottage is in such a good location and could be a wonderful cosy place to stay with a little effort, but from our experience we'd suggest reading the reviews carefully and looking at the photos critically before booking.

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• Natalie - Verified booking

  The new cottage stay was a refreshing and peaceful experience.

  After reading previous reviews. I put my good old walking boots on before arriving to the cottage going the steep path to the cottage, which the path was clear and easy to walk down. Even my 71 year old mum made it down and up the path fine ( no mobility issues). The views were really special and breathtaking. I needed a much relaxed rest after the 2023 year and this cottage and area fulfilled my expectations. The cottage has everything a person would need From excellent high quality bedding ( habitat) a make i love anyway and also high quality eco friendly toiletries. ( beautiful smells). The tv was a bonus . I loved waking up on the comfry bed every morning and watching the sunset rise and set and the wildlife with so many birds around. Down at the bottom is the river. Where you can here it in the background as so quiet. The property may not be for everyones taste but for me , my mum and my dog it was a perfect little gem of a find.I bet it us beautiful in the spring/ summer .0ver 3 weeks stay and thank you for mel , mike and yourselves for a well needed rested break. Spending christmas and new year in new cottage has created a long lasting beautiful memory. My dog settled so well too and thankyou for going that extra mile mel and mike for the bottle of wine , fresh milk and butter. New cottage has set my new year 2024 of on a high and i am well rested. Hope this feedback helps and i look forward to going back in the summer or when my work schedule is not to busy Kind regards natalie , my mum and my dog

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• Charles - Verified booking

  Thank you for letting us stay at the sunshine apartment.

  As a family with a toddler, the first thing we want to acknowledge is that the apartment was very baby friendly. We could happily let him toddle about in the apartment which was fantastic for him and great for us! The location is great. We explored lots of the local area and the parts we visited that we needed to drive to were not too far in the car. The owners have also provided a folder of local hikes which they have kindly laminated for ease of taking with you! I thought that was a really nice touch. The facilities were ample and comfortable. We felt it was a home away from home kind of feel which was lovely! The social club downstairs was quiet (but we didn’t stay over the weekend when it was fully disclosed that it would be noisy) - we would have liked to have popped into the social for a drink in the evening but it’s members only, not sure if this is something that can be negotiated for future guests as I think that it is a nice feel. Jeff who runs the club is also very welcoming, which was nice. The bathroom would benefit from a towel rack as there is limited places to dry you wet towels but that’s just a constructive thought. Some touch ups are needed on fixings (as we have already text you about). We would absolutely stay there again. Thanks so much!

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• Christine - Verified booking

  First of all they need new cleaners!

  We left the property cleaner than when we entered! The cooker hood hadnt been cleaned for weeks. (We didnt clean that, though). The log burner was full of ash and burnt logs. The cooker shelves were dirty as were flat pan trays and frying pan. We moved a settee to give us more room to get round the table and obviously they hadn't hoovered underneath. It was clean and tidy when walking in but had clearly not been bottomed! We hasd an enjoyable stay although the beds weren't very comfy. Thanks goes to the caretaker who decorated it for christmas. Lack of doormat by the back door (we had to use our towels), sparse utensils (no potato peeler for one). No spare bin bags etc. Not clear enough what the recycling bins were used for. The shower head just trickled water out so we had to take it apart and clean it ourselves! There was absolutely no additions which we have always found when staying in holiday lets. You have to mentally consider whats in your cupboards at home and take with you! No salt and pepper for one and anything else you would use when cooking a meal! The cottage is situated in a very quaint village with plenty of walks and pubs not too far away. We enjoyed our stay but didn't enjoy the cleaning or having to travel into Bakewell to buy the additions!

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• Bhavesh - Verified booking

  Lovely, well-appointed cottage in a beautiful village located just outside of the Peak District.

  Excellent location for exploring the park and the surrounding areas with a car. The local pub, chippy and bakery serve delicious food, with the friendly service you’d expect from this part of England. The attention to detail in the cottage was exceptional - from the welcome hamper to the instructions on how to properly build a fire for the wood burning fireplace. The wifi was strong throughout our stay, we encountered no issues with the heating and the water and found the whole cottage to exceed expectations in terms of comfort. In addition, the kitchen has all the equipment needed to cook up a three course meal, should you wish to. As mentioned by previous guests, the property doesn’t have on-site parking, but that wasn’t an issue as we always found a spot up at the square (a 30-second walk). The only minor issue we had was with the lack of plug sockets in the bathroom, which meant that we we couldn’t use our hairdryer there. Still, I’d highly recommend Archway Cottage for anyone looking for a country cottage experience near the Peak District.

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