Dog Friendly Villas In Lossiemouth

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Sharon - Verified booking

  Having just arrived home from our week at The Lookout in Hopeman, we wanted to give you/the owner feedback before our experiences fade to memory.

  Overall, we enjoyed a beautiful week in the area and The Lookout provided us with a super central point from which to explore. Sadly, The Lookout itself, didn’t live up to expectations - especially for the price paid. We had holidayed with our elderly parents, who are able to manage stairs and lower than normal beds - however, our shock on arrival to find that the beds were literally on the floor, found us wanting to turn round and come home. Our folks are in their 70’s, and fit for their ages … but, had we known that they would have to crawl on hands and knees into their bed, we would not have booked The Lookout. Further, the beds were situated under the coombed ceilings meaning that even the most agile and fittest of people had to bend double to get into the bed, crawl from the bottom and manoeuvre into a sleeping position - after what felt like an agility course to get into bed. Getting up from the bed saw the reverse as it was impossible to get out of the bed at the side, the only way out was to crawl back to the bottom and ease out avoiding the coombed ceilings. Our parents banged their heads many times during the week. On our first night, my wife banged her foot on the wooden base of the bed which was not visible under a throw at the end of the bed, and a black and bruised and swollen toe meant a fair bit of pain and discomfort which persists. We enjoyed the ground floor of The Hopeman, the facilities and space was super and we all very much enjoyed the views and the outdoor space. We were disappointed to find that the kitchen was not as clean as we would have expected: the shelving on which glasses were stored rim-down, were not clean, some of the oven trays were very grubby and over-used and the top of the fridge was similarly dusty. The kitchen had no tinfoil or greaseproof paper for use when cooking, which meant the very worn oventrays etc had to be scrubbed clean after each use. The cushions for the two loungers on the deck were beyond threadbare. The shelving in the TV room was very dusty - behind the TV and nearly no-one had reached over to dust them in a while. Skirtings and ledges throughout the house hadn’t been dusted for some time. The house just felt a bit tired and unloved. As to personal storage space: my wife and I spent the week living out of our suitcases on the floor by the side of our bed in the smaller bedroom - there was limited drawer space for 4 adults (with one unit on the landing being used to store the properties linen supplied) and no hanging space at all for dresses etc. Finally, the rubbish bins were stacked at the front door of The Lookout. They had clearly not been cleaned in a very long time and were very smelly. Worse, the green bin had a thriving colony of maggots feasting on the detritus available to them … and I mean, crawling with maggots! So, yes, we enjoyed our holiday but felt awful for our parents as we had no option but to make do with the bedtime challenges. It was disappointing to find on our last evening that the sofa in the downstairs TV room was actually a pull out bed, and had we known that, we would have made that room up as a bedroom for our parents. Perhaps this facility could be advertised and offered for future visitors’ information and benefit. Making it clear that the bedrooms suffer from little or no headroom when entering and rising from the beds (which are mattresses on the floor) would also be helpful information to share with would-be visitors. I’d be grateful if you could respond to this e-mail to advise me of the steps taken to improve The Lookout as I would hate for others to feel as we do, having paid handsomely for use of the house, our expectations fell short of reality. Many thanks Sharon Saunders. PS: We found an item of jewellery (necklace) in the small jewellery box on the chest of drawers in the main bedroom - left by a precious visitor ... we left it in the jewellery box.

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• Alison - Verified booking

  Learig is easy to find in Buckie.

  I used google maps and followed the owners directions to the property before we arrived so that I could see the route exactly. The cottage is warm, clean and beautifully furnished with the most spectacular views over the Moray Firth. There is a well set out instruction folder with details regarding the property and appliances. The owners provided a lovely welcome basket with some Scottish treats which we thoroughly enjoyed. And the provision of binoculars was great for scanning the horizon. The kitchen is well equipped with everything you could need to prepare meals. There are also washing up liquid, dishwasher pods, tea towels, hand wash and cleaning products provded. The sitting room has comfortable sofas upholstered with Harris tweed, which are very cosy on cool evenings. The instructions for the tv were easy to follow and we watched some great films. The beds are quite firm but comfortable and we slept well. The bedding is high quality and the towels soft. The shower we used, on the ground floor, was excellent with plenty of hot water, but a little snug. I used the washing machine and tumble dryer whilst there, both were very easy to use and efficient. The tumble dryer water tank and fluff filters had not been cleaned out by a previous guest even though there are instructions to do this, so I did it, and left them cleaned after use. I was unfortunately unable to clean out the condenser as it is recessed and my ancient knees wouldn’t allow me to get down low enough to retrieve it! Perhaps the owner could consider that the tumble dryer be checked by the cleaning team on change over day. The bins are the four nearest the house at the side of the parking space. We found the general waste bin quite full already when we arrived but managed to squeeze in our bag of rubbish at the end of our stay. Fortunately the bin lorry was in the locality on the day we left, so hopefully it was emptied. The brown bin seemed to have a mixture of various sorts of rubbish and was very smelly, this may need attention. As it was unclear which bin the food waste bag went in, we unfortunately ended up putting it in the general rubbish bin. Perhaps the owners could consider adding a note to the instruction folder regarding the correct bins for particular types of rubbish. Despite the bin niggles, we had a lovely week in Buckie and enjoyed staying in this super property and would recommend it to anyone wanting a comfortable place to stay in this beautiful area of Scotland. We would also recommend a visit to Lily’s Kitchen Cafe in Cullen for the most delicious Cullen Skink, sheer heaven in a soup bowl!

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• Richard - Verified booking

  We had a very helpful email from the owners the day before we arrived which was very informative and welcome.

  Although we had an enjoyable week at the Doocot and its proximity to to the beach is fantastic - there are some things that need to be addressed for the comfort of future visitors. With a weekly rental of £1k we would have expected a little more and doesn’t stand comparison with the more expensive property we stayed in the week before in the Cairngorms. More wine glasses required - there were 2 - one huge, 1 small. No tea pot. More small tables required in lounge - nowhere to put a mug/glass if using sofa in front of tv apart from on the floor. The TV needs to be properly connected so you can if you wish, watch mainstream tv easily - eg the Scotland v England game last week was inaccessible No visitor book. Presumably it is intended to plaster the wall around the fireplace? The fridge is too small, it will be difficult/impossible for many to access without getting on their hands and knees. It didn’t seem to us to keep things v cold - eg a bottle of wine had to go into the freezer. The property description needs to make it clear that there is no parking immediately by the property- this would be a significant problem for some; as would the very steep stairs. Both would be beyond some people

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• Catherine Louise King - Verified booking

  The property's well situated with great views.

  Decoration and finish of the property inside leaves alot to be desired, with flaking paint on walls as well as evidence of what looks like mould in the dining room, caused by dampness in wall. Bathroom upstairs decorated in a hurry. Shower screen leaks onto what looks like MDF boarding which has swollen. Heating perfectly adequate with lots of hot water. Blinds in dining room don't shut properly so lack of privacy in this part of the house otherwise pretty good. Good selection of books and game's etc. Sorry to see at least 7 dead millipedes around the accommodation including 2 in the game's drawer !! I would like to note that the interior staircase was difficult for myself as I have mobility problems, I'm pleased to say I managed alright taking extra care. The carpet in the bunk room was stained and has seen better days. Outside area was pretty good. I didn't intend to go in with a crical eye but it could be so much better if issues were addressed and it was given the finish it deserves.

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• Desney - Verified booking

  Wonderful, peaceful location.

  Gardener's Cottage does however feel tired and a little neglected. Not luxurious, but practical and functional. Appliances were all clean and good quality. The cottage is well-equipped too. Furniture was old and uncomfortable and there were a few maintenance issues which have been shared with the owners. Beds were comfortable but when stripped, the mattresses were not very clean. The grounds around the property were lovely, walled garden a delight....but it did all feel a little rundown especially around the steading.....benches were rusty and in need of a lick of paint, flowers in pots had died off and needed replacing, leaves needed removing from in the carport.....just little things that would have made a better first impression. That said, our holiday was relaxing and refreshing but if I'm on holiday, I do prefer a little more refinement than Gardener's Cottage offers. Also, for us, no toilet facilities on the first floor was awkward and this should be mentioned in the description.

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