Dog Friendly Villas In The North West

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Martin - Verified booking

  We have been delighted with Sykes Cottages before, and were therefore very disappointed with this one.

  It wasn't as good as it sounded in the description. We weren't impressed with the cleaning before our arrival e.g. Plates had been washed then put in the cupboard still wet, the oven knobs and bowls were very greasy and we had to wash them before they could be used. There was not enough washing up liquid, toilet paper or hand soap provided to see 4 economical people through a week, yet alone 6 as advertised. Therefore, we did have to use "a well-stocked convenience store for picking up any last-minute essentials". We had only expected to use the shop for newspapers, milk and food. It wasn't a "well equipped kitchen" for 6 e.g. only 3 egg cups, only 4 dessert spoons, only 1 shelf in oven, no lids for v limited range of pans. There were no cupboards for us to store our food. The space was used storing more wine & other glasses than we can ever imagine being used all at once. Not as comfortable as expected e.g. leaf of dining table sloped, and once the table was laid for a meal it was hard for people to pass to sit down. There weren't a matching set of dining chairs, we had to gather chairs from various rooms. The sofas were very low, there weren't sets of matching crockery etc. It was very difficult to "head out to the large rear garden" as back door was very hard to open, and side gate was very badly damaged before we arrived. Hard to "retire to the sitting room to relax" as there was only 1 small candle like light bulb in a light fitting that should have 5 lights. We wanted to be able to see so that we could read and write. The dining room only had 3/5 bulbs working. I found a spare bulb, but it didn't fit in either room. It looked like an "overhead shower.", but the fitment was broken before we arrived, so it could only be used as a hand held shower head which was awkward, especially as we'd been asked to leave the shower curtain draped over the shower screen. We eventually found the bath plug and ran baths instead. The bedrooms didn't have "plenty of storage for your belongings" as 2/4 cupboards in master bedroom were secured closed, and the other two cupboards already stored things like spare linen & clothes drier. In the back bedroom we couldn't turn the knobs to open either of the white cupboard doors, so all of us had to live out of our cases all week. However, we do agree that The Hawthorns is in "a prime location", "Tucked away in the pretty Cheshire village of Christleton", we did "enjoy leisurely strolls along the Shropshire Union Canal or around Christleton’s Duck Pond". We also appreciated that it was only a "short drive into the bustling city centre of Chester". It would have been nice to have some leaflets, bus timetables and maps available to read. We would also have appreciated information on basic things like which bin was for which rubbish - none of us came from Cheshire so we didn't know the system here. The wonderful location was the main reason for selecting this property as 40 years ago we had our wedding night in Chester. This holiday was to mark our Ruby Wedding Anniversary with our best friends. It was certainly a memorable holiday.

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• Victoria - Verified booking

  We had an unexpected but lovely stay at Springarth cottage after we had to move at very short notice from our original holiday cottage due to a serious problem.

  The owners took us in within an hour of Sykes calling them late on Saturday evening and made what initially felt like a total disaster feel so much better when we were warmly greeted by the owner. Springarth is a very pretty cosy little cottage within a small ,extremely sympathetic and well done barn development. The house is very clean and comfortable and beautifully furnished. There is parking outside the front door and a seating area which can be accessed via patio doors from the sitting room. There is also a very pretty little pond area that can be accessed from a gate near to the driveway. The cottage is easy to find as has a red telephone box and flagpole as landmarks and is close to the crossroads. The cottage is set within peaceful countryside and quiet roads. The kitchen has plenty of space , storage and is well equipped. But do bring 1 large stock pan and an extra baking tray if you need to cook for a large family. ( as is usually case with most cottages). The living room furniture is very comfortable with enough seating for all 6 of us. There is a large traditional farmhouse table for meals in a separate room adjacent to the kitchen. Water pressure was fine in both the over bath showers .The bathrooms are clean and attractive. From here there is a useful large Sainsburys supermarket (easily accessed by car) in nearby Penrith for supplies (/approx 15 min drive)The cottage is also very handy for Keswick and Ullswater., and visiting Aira Force via boat. Grasmere in the Lake district is a 45 minute drive away mostly on good roads and worth a visit. There is also a riding stables and Llama/ alpaca attraction close by and several historic points of interest including Castlerigg stone circle and Arthurs table. The owner has thoughtfully produced some itineraries for days out to places of interest and towns within driving distance . But best advice if you want to book days out such as Ullswater ferries, riding, etc is to either book in advance of your visit or when out doing your shopping as the cottage is in a bit of a dip so the wifi signal is not the best. This was actually a positive for us as we really enjoyed the peace and proper family time together without our teenagers being permanently glued to devices. We brought a favourite board game with us and had lots of laughs in the evenings after some lovely days out. So don't let the wifi signal put you off as this cottage is lovely! We would definitely stay again if we return to this area.

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• Sam - Verified booking

  Well, what can I say, North Lodge is amazing!

  ! Apart from being slightly apprehensive regarding the comments about a man banging on doors and windows, (which I am happy to report we didn’t encounter during our stay) we had a fabulous time! The lodge is very close to the centre of town, walkable but it is uphill on the way back. We visited the Crown and Cushion for a meal, the staff there were lovely and the meal amazing…We can highly recommend the Blade of beef. Fish and chips from the riverside chippy were also delicious, we took them back to the lodge and ate them on the picnic bench outside! North Lodge is ideally placed for days out. We Stumbled upon Penrith Castle where we had a lovely walk around the ruins and park, in hindsight we should have packed a picnic and had our lunch there as the weather was lovely. Windermere and The Beatrix Potter museum is about a 60minute drive away, my little girl loved the museum and my Mum and Pooch enjoyed watching the world go by with a cup of coffee across the road in the Flying Pig where we had a very tasty lunch too. Hadrians wall is approximately 1 hour away, we didn’t research it very well so didn’t get the best experience but the tea room at Birdoswald was lovely and my daughter managed to get a ‘Roman ruler’ from the souvenir shop. North lodge has everything you could need for a fabulous stay including the hot tub which my little girl loved! The kitchen is extremely well equipped, all the usuals toaster, microwave etc but not mentioned in the lodges description is the fact that tea towels, dish cloths, washing up liquid and dishwasher tablets are provided too as well as plenty of loo rolls, we brought our own and were pleasantly surprised when we found them already provided. There is also a hairdryer in one of the bedrooms which is a bonus. The information folder and leaflets are all very helpful and include wifi password and emergency contacts. We have a couple of teeny tiny suggestions - a couple more mats in the hot tub/shower would be helpful as I felt like I was going to slip with my wet feet on the tiled floor and finally, the security light at the back of the lodge…wonderful to have but we looked like we were doing a rain dance every night when we were out with the dog as it only stays on for a few seconds!!! We had an amazing stay and will definitely be coming back, my little girl wants to stay for the full week next time!!! Thank you for making our break amazing & comfortable and we will see you soon.

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• Josephine - Verified booking

  The holiday was disrupted from the start.

  The own phoned me 2 weeks before our holiday and asked if we would be willing to travel on the Sunday instead of the Saturday but we had an all day event to attend so couldn't manage so he said that would be OK. 2 days before our holiday Sykes phoned me and informed me as there was a leak in the bathroom could we travel on the Sunday instead or if not arrangements would be made to put us up in an hotel for the Saturday night which at that time we had no alternative but to agree. Trying to find out which hotel it was was another nightmare as nobody seemed to know and it was actually the day of travelling (and we were coming on a journey of over 400 miles from Scotland ) that we found out which hotel after numerous phone calls! We couldn't get into the Hawthorns until 12.45 on the Sunday which really disrupted our plans for the all day event we were attending. It was all very stressful and Sykes didn't appear to be concerned at all. As for the property itself that was big disappointment after some of the lovely properties we've stayed in. It wasn't very clean at all, kitchen dirty, TV didn't work properly, electric fires in both rooms downstairs had no plugs and just wires hanging out, underneath the seating in the living room was very dirty and dusty and the back garden was a disgrace. 4 cars parked outside the property which didn't add anything at all to neglected feel of the property. Very poor facilities and a really neglected air to the place. And also no sign of any work being done for a leak in the bathroom. I presume you do inspect these properties as there is a considerable amount of work needed on this house which could be lovely. Compensation was offered by the owner but never forthcoming and then to add insult to injury we were phoned about missing items which we knew absolutely nothing about. All very stressful indeed and I feel some sort of recompense should be offered by you or the owner. I'm so disappointed with Sykes and feel very let down after all the years we have been dealing with you. It's been a really stressful time for us both and your thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

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• Euan - Verified booking

  Overall, the property is beautiful and ideally located.

  We've only given it 3 stars because of 2 key issues: 1) There is a warning message in the welcome book about the potential for a disgruntled neighbour (estate manager) to pound on the doors and windows late at night, and if he does to report him to the police (again). This was extremely unsettling for us and meant that we would not let our daughter sleep downstairs as she had hoped to. While no incidents occurred, if it warrants being in the welcome pack then this should be included in the property description on your site 2) On arrival, the hot tub was at 22 degrees and not in heating mode. We were able to set it to heating (as we have one of our own), but it meant that we could not use it until late on Friday night. When we did use it, the filter came loose when the jets were activated. Although we refitted it, it was clearly not secure as the next evening when we went to use the hot tub again, the water was cloudy with an orange 'scum' around the sides. We did contact the caretaker on Sunday morning, and he came around very promptly to add chemicals to the water, but even on Sunday evening, the water was still not very clear, and we felt itchy while using it. We paid a significant premium to rent a property with a hot tub, but we don't feel that we got the use of it as we should have done, because it wasn't working properly.

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