Dog Friendly Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Lynda - Verified booking

  Unfortunately I have tried several times to send this email to you but it has bounced back.

  We left the property Thursday, a day there would be time to get some of these problems sorted. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter and what goodwill you intend for a ruined holiday due to inadequate inspection of a supposedly “outstanding” property. “Having just called your colleague at Sykes. This is the email that you should have received.” “Our holiday - not outstanding!! Before your next guests arrive, you need to address a few items which I list below that we have found defective and very annoying after looking forward to our holiday for nearly a year. On previous holiday we’ve had for two consecutive weeks, we’ve had the option of a clean midway through and beds changed, plus clean towels, tea towels, etc. no email was received about this. 1. Dishwasher needs cleaning. We don’t intend to spend our long awaited holiday cleaning someone else’s dishwasher. On arrival had to hand wash mugs, etc before using the ones already in the cupboard. When running the dishwasher with our first load of dishes, they came out with bits all over. So we’ve had to wash up by hand for our holiday. Not something we do at home. 2. Tumble Dryer not working. Went to tumble dry some wet clothing and the Tumble Dryer just buzzes loudly and doesn’t tumble. Tried several times. Needs attention or replacing. Ended up having wet clothing hanging everywhere due to bad weather. Not great when we thought we’d have this facility. 3. The Sony TV in the lounge is so ancient, you have to wait for the picture to come through before a fuzzy picture comes on the screen. A sign it’s just about to pack up completely. Thought there would have been one Smart TV here. I recently bought a second hand one for £30. Very disappointed. 4. The house cleanliness is not good mould, etc. 5. The TV in the twin bedded room didn’t seem to work and must be at least 20 years or more old. Bought one of these in 1980s. 6. Taps are wrong way round on some facilities. I believe by law the plumbing should have cold on the right and hot on the left. This was so poor sighted people don’t burn themselves. For the cost of the holiday, we’re expecting far more. The house very antiquated. Yes we could have reported earlier but we didn’t want to have to wait in for trades people to come and fix the problem during our holiday or let them in whilst we were away from the property. You would have had to pay us £10 an hour for wait time. Very disappointed. On arriving we couldn’t get out of the back door as the wrong keys had been left. The key on the conservatory was stuck and wouldn’t turn. Fortunately a trades guy was sent by you who fixed this problem fairly quickly but we had two dogs in the car that needed to get in the garden and stretch their legs. The fan light in top bedroom needed a part which we were told would be fixed. It still needs fixing. We couldn’t open until your tradesman. The back gate was bolted so there was no way of gaining entry there or from the back door (no key) or the conservatory (key stuck). The metal garden furniture is rusty and should be removed. The path to the back garden is very steep and loads of trip hazards. Anyone children, elderly etc. who is a little unsteady, for whatever reason, it is dangerous. Wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with disabilities. The overflow by the kitchen door has been dripping constantly and has proceeded to get worse since we’ve been here. Needs attention. Cold tap on basin in twin bedded room, no water. Access to the front of the property is extremely poor with three steep steps curving round, so one side of the tread is non existent. The photos of the property and garden are misleading. Monday 12 September, the lights in the lounge keep fading and going out, making us feel unsure of the safety of the electrics.” Regards, Lynda Skinner

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• Danielle - Verified booking

  The location is brilliant and the kitchen fantastically equipped.

  The twin beds, especially, were really comfy. But there was quite a few issues with our stay, which would have been more acceptable if the property had been priced lower, but for the money we paid we were disappointed. We did contact the owners a couple of time to help resolve issues, and they responded in a timely fashion, but it didn’t resolve the internet issue: -upstairs toilet incredibly loud with a prelonged flush- meant we didn’t flush it at night so didn’t wake the baby and kids but but the morning with no ventilation and upto 6 uses is stunk! -only 4 toilet rolls provided- we ran out on the last morning. On leaving we mentioned this to a member of staff who quite rudely told us it’s self catered accommodation so there are 4 complimentary rolls. I understand the sentiment, but having stayed at a number of holiday homes, basic amenities like this, at a home of this cost, are a basic expectation. Just put a few extra in a cupboard? - internet doesn’t work. The network “Haddon” that the users said we should use, on response to us contacting them, appears at odd moments fleetingly then disappears. There are 2 other internet options available that appear (MikroTik-6A13CC) which I imagine are the boosters? Have no internet access once you connect. We were unable to use the internet during our stay. - insufficient towels for the whole party. No towels in one of the twin rooms so the children had to share our bath towels. - kitchen table had a table cloth on which got grubby after the first day (we were eating all our meals at the house with 3 children) so we removed it and the table underneath was sticky- we cleaned it several times but couldn’t get it to a acceptable state. It’s a beautiful table but need some TLC to sort the stickiness. -lights all flickered, on the Sunday evening it was so bad in the kitchen we could barely see to cook! Again contacted the owners as concerned it was linked to the rain and there was a fault. They reassured us it wasn’t. If this info had been included, in a welcome pack, for example we would have considered it and interesting quirk! - living room is a little uninviting, some shelves or a few pictures on the wall would really soften it. - piles of dog poo in the grass out the back. Difficult for owners to monitor this during stays but wanted to make you aware. On another note just to make the owners aware during the heavy rainfall on Sunday the walls at the back of the house, upstairs and down became visibly damp and damp to touch.

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• Kathleen - Verified booking

  I wouldn’t know where to begin with the story of our holiday stay.

  The home was everything it states but if there is a problem the Menai Holiday agency is hopeless. There was a very distressing incident during the holiday. Without going into it fully as this matter will be taken further, but the caretaker called, we were in the back garden, my grandchildren were in the front living room. Apparently they knocked but thought no one was in so they let themselves into the house, where they then banged on the living room door where my grandchildren were. They were petrified and frightened that this stranger was stood there and asking where there parents were, the children starting shouting as the caretaker had blocked the doorway so they were unable to run out, in all the commotion and shouting my son stepped out of the shower ( half undressed ) to open the bathroom door to find the caretaker had then walked down the length of the hallway to the kitchen. She said the owner had asked her to call to check the model of the fridge and staining damage on the worktop. By this time the children are crying with shock and needless to say I had come in from the garden and was in complete shock at the commotion and trauma to the children. I contacted Menai letting agency straight away and ( this was a Monday morning ) I explained what had happened and they said they would contact the owner. 24 hours later there was no contact from them. I had to ring them several times, left on hold for ages, or cut off , I did have a ring back at one point to which they would just reassure me it wouldn’t happen again. They didn’t seem to understand the fact that a complete stranger let themselves in ( thinking we were out, which is even worse ) o our privately rented holiday home. It ruined the holiday for the children, my son took my grandson home on the Tuesday evening as he was to upset he kept talking about it. He just couldn’t understand how someone had let themselves in ( thinking we were out ) Our cars were in the drive and the grandchildren were in the living room. I have sent several emails, with the full distressing story but they have all been ignored. I think it’s disgraceful what happened but it seems the agency and owner think it was ok. I have been inundated for feedback since arriving home. Well if this is the only way to get them to realise the distressing effects on my grandchildren then I have no hesitation in putting this story out there so it won’t happen to others. Appalling Service.

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• Antoine - Verified booking

  From the moment we drove up to 19 Clatterford Shute, we were in love.

  Nestled in the outskirts of Carisbrooke, this medieval, thatched cottage is a gem. The charm of the rustic beams and original features had us marveling at every turn, offering a perfect blend of history and comfort. The entrance hall, with its half-vaulted ceilings and exposed beams, instantly made us feel at home. The living/dining room was cozy and inviting, providing the perfect setting for our family evenings. For quieter moments, the snug room with a well-stocked library was a delightful haven. The kitchen, equipped with a marvelous AGA range, was a delight for our home-cooked meals. We relished our meals, whether in the dining room, the garden patio, or the inviting living space. The bedrooms were tastefully appointed, each offering its unique charm. The master suite, with its vaulted ceiling, king-size bed, and en-suite shower room, was our personal retreat. The extensive garden, with its idyllic pond, was a joy to explore. The two storage sheds were indeed handy for storing our bikes. The convenience of the utility room with laundry facilities was also a thoughtful touch. The location was perfect for our family. We loved our walks to the iconic Carisbrooke Castle, the charming village, and the lovely Castle Street Ford. Newport, Cowes, and the coastal towns of Ryde, Shanklin, and Sandown were easily accessible and offered plenty of activities. Overall, Cloud Castle was the perfect base for our Isle of Wight break. We left with beautiful memories and look forward to returning to this delightful cottage. Highly recommended!"

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• Lorna - Verified booking

  V lovely couple who run the farm.

  They are obviously working very hard on their farm. However, they weren't very happy with me contacting them as regularly as I needed to for help with the problems we had. The farm smell was overwhelming as we're very close to the cow sheds. We needed help immediately because if the wind blows the wrong way the smell of the sess pit comes into the bathrooms. 1 table cloth made eating at the table difficult for 4 days as it couldn't be wiped down. The actual table is incredibly sticky, needs sanding and re varnishing. I asked for some spare table cloths and got 1 extra, so I ended up washing them and eventually went and bought my own. One of the farm dogs paid visits to our back door and barked at our dog, driving her crazy inside the cottage. Another night, she also barked at us outside, off lead. This meant I called the owners again and was reminded they get up early to milk and we'd awaken them. A different farm dog poo'd right outside our front door. One of the chairs at the dining table collapsed with me on it. I fell onto the floor and called asking for new chairs. I was simply asked if I could wait until morning. No one asked if I was OK. 2 chairs were dropped outside in the morning. I don't think that's ok. I don't think you work closely with the owners to resolve issues do you? Most of these issues are already published... some of these issues can just be resolved. It is a shame because they seem super nice, have a beautiful spot to share with guests and have a gorgeous working farm.

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