Dumfries and Galloway Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  the whole cottage needs a thorough clean and furnishings very old and worn .When we arrived Mr Sinclair was just coming out of the cottage saying the TV wasn't working and he would be back. He did return a few minutes later and sat in the room trying to fix the TV. What a start to our holiday trying to unpack with a stranger sat there. The bathroom door wouldn't open properly, old rusty bin, light over mirror not working, heater in bathroom full of dust, old rusty tin of air fresher, shower screen on bath had black mould along the bottom. The kitchen had dirty cutlery trays and all utensils in them were very old. cupboard handle broken, dead beetle between the melamine plates, spider and web in a cup. No icebox in fridge so Mr Sinclair said to use the freezer where the dogs were kept in a separate outhouse which was disgracefully dirty. We were told not to shut the curtain in the hallway as the rail was broken. This meant when we left the bedroom to use the bathroom, we were on view up the lane. The single beds were very hard with child size quilts. furniture old, random old xmas decorations etc in draws which needed cleaning out. The carpets and flooring all needs changing as it is so old. there were dozens of flies every day due to the cottage facing the horse stables. We bought fly killer and were constantly spraying them. My partner honestly thought I was going to say " take me home" but because he had booked it for my Birthday I tried to make the best of it. We left 2 leg rest from our reclining sunchairs in the cottage shed by mistake, and after a call to them the day after our return, the daughter said she would get Mrs Sinclair to ring me. I have a friend in Ayr and though I could collect them when visiting my friend later in the year but I haven't had a call back and that was a week ago. I would have contacted you before now regarding how upsetting and disappointing our holiday accommodation was but I am just recovering from Covid and haven't been up to writing. On a positive note, we loved the areas of Rockcliffe and Kippford and would like to see other areas of Scotland. Baring in mind our bad experience at Tumbling Banks would the company give us some form of compensation for not only how upset we were but also for such poor accommodation as we would use Discover Scotland again but would suggest you think twice about using this accommodation to future clients in its present state. Kind regards, Susan Harwood

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• Nick - Verified booking

  We had a nice stay here overall but we did leave a day early.

  . The owner left our children Easter eggs and decorated the room with bunting as it was Easter.. Which was really kind. The house is decorated and equipped to a very high standard with everything you need. The area is nice with plenty of pubs but you need to be aware of the opening times for food. Whilst we was there not much was open on the days that we went out. We couldn’t go out much because of the weather being so bad. The Indian takeaway is very very expensive and isn’t nice food, the Chinese takeaway is cheap and isn’t nice food, but that’s our own preference. If you fancy a takeaway make sure you know the opening and closing times as we wanted a pizza around 9pm and the pizza/kebab shop had already closed. The chippy was nice and the pubs also serve nice home cooked meals. The sweet shop is also worth a visit. As someone else stated in their review there is nowhere to sit whilst using a mirror, no plugs near a mirror either. The road outside is very busy which wouldn’t bother some people but this disrupted sleep every night for us. We don’t own a dog and we did see that the holiday home accepted well behaved dogs. Unfortunately we could smell dogs especially in the living area from the cushions and rug. I’m sure this wouldn’t bother everyone but for us as we don’t own a dog the smell just lingered but this will happen when dogs are allowed in the property. Also dog hairs were on the downstairs bed were someone has let their dog sleep in the bed which we personally think shouldn’t be allowed as people who don’t own dogs don’t want to sleep in a bed with dog hairs. The upstairs bathroom was really hot like a sauna and we couldn’t figure out how to turn off the two radiators so we kept the door closed all the time due to the heat being unbearable. The hot tub was lovely, our children enjoyed going in every day and it’s a good size! We did however have maintenance messaging us early morning regarding the hot tub to come and clean it etc… We have stayed at many holiday homes and this work is usually done without disturbing the guests. Then on another occasion they wanted to come round and put up a curtain pole which we think should have been sorted before or after us leaving the property. We decided to pack our things Thursday night and leave a day early as we felt uncomfortable and unsettled.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Penninghamme is a lovely place and Gardeners Cottage is lovely, but a few things made me unhappy. The Welcome Pack, a short dated pint of milk and a packet of short cake custard creams with a greasy mark on underside. There was tea and coffee, but this looked old. In the kitchen, a tray with foil, peeled the foil off to see it was poorly cleaned. A mug had a dirty mark on the inside. The back door was still in a coat primer on the outside. A bulb was failing in the extractor. The bread knife was missing. In the lounge, the dining chairs were uncomfortable and were more suitable in a Conservatory - this is a matter of taste I know. Both recliners had minor issues, one wobbled - looks like a leg was facing the wrong way and the other lent slightly to the right. In the bathroom we loved the mirror with its light and touch screen demisting. The toilet seat did not fit properly and was at a slight angle - it doesn't really match the suite. Anoying issue with the shower, that it would cut out for no reason, forncing the user to turn the water up. Pressure was great, even if the water went everywhere. The beds were soft and comfortable. All the windows bar one were painted over, meaning only one opened. Information for guests was basic, some of the Discover Scotland info was not for SW Scotland. We left our pre printed walks information for future guests. In the grounds there is a sign close to the Gardeners Cottage, that said private, with another mentioning about the ducks. Is it private to guests or not? as the path seems to run up the side of the forest in front of the cottage, somewhere I could have found Red Squirrel or Deer etc.? The speedbumps could have done with some better indication, maybe painted like public speedbumps are. There is the estate office on site, however we did not use this feature as we were out everyday exploring the history of the area. Even with a long list of "issues", I will return as I have plenty more to explore or maybe try to walk the Merrick when the footpath isn't a stream!

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• Amber - Verified booking

  Had a lovely week's stay in the cottage.

  The house is decorated to a high standard, it is larger than it appears in the photos and the winding staircase gives it so much character. Thank you for the shortbread on arrival they went down a treat. The sofa in the living room was so comfortable, it was difficult to get up after. The hot tub is very large, and could easily fit up to six people in it. The town of Moffat, while small has lots to do, it has plenty of cafes and pubs. There is an outlet shop 5 minutes away from the cottage with a lovely cafe, but be warned you can buy some stuff cheaper in other shops in the town. The toffee shop is also worth a visit to try some Irn Bru fudge. Some things to note about the cottage, it is located on a main road, so could be quite noisy with HGV's passing in the night. Parking is located on the street, but we never had an issue parking outside the cottage. A dressing table would be useful in the house as there was nowhere to do my hair and makeup and a hairdryer would also be useful. A guest book would be appreciated as I enjoy reading other people's recommendations of places to visit. In the information booklet it says you can connect your phone to the TV speakers in the room, however, when we attempted this the TV froze. When we contacted the owner asking how to resolve this, we were told not to connect our phone to the TV, so this needs amending in the information book as it is misleading. After leaving the property we were contacted by Sykes to say we would need to pay an extra fee for additional cleaning to the hot tub. This was surprising as we were present as the hot tub was refilled, and there didn't seem to be an issue. After 5 days we received another message from Sykes to say the matter had been closed with no information provided. This caused unnecessary stress and put a negative end to an otherwise enjoyable holiday.

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• Owen - Verified booking

  What a wonderful place to stay!

  A very well equipped, comfortable cottage, with a lovely view of hills and a large pond. Everything you could ever need for a holiday base. The hot tub is a fabulous bonus, we were star gazing in that most evenings. The pool table was fun too, we had not played pool for years. There are many good books to read, sky TV, all you want if the weather is bad and you wanted to cozy up indoors. The lodge is very stylish and warm, but you also have the benefit of a wood burning stove for those chillier evenings. It is a very short drive to the shops in Castle Douglas.Threave castle and gardens is nearby. You take a boat ride to the castle, which is unique. Another great castle to visit is Caerlaverock castle, it has an unusual design. There are lovely woodland walks in Dalbeattie forest to Kippford Bay, which is a nice place to visit. There's a great pub restaurant (The Anchor Hotel) which serves fantastic food. A must do is feeding the wild goats and red deer, we took several kilos of carrots and they were gone within minutes. Hahaa Logan's fish pond is a unique place to visit, and Logan's Botanical Gardens is amazing! The Wood of Cree is another beautiful place to visit, with lots of waterfalls. Walks around Glen Trool, Kirroughtree, Clatteringshaws Loch are wonderful. Of course you can walk up the Merrick, if you are fit enough. A drive down Raiders road is good if you want a nice forest drive. Stinchar falls is another nice walk to a waterfall. There are many waterfalls to discover in the Galloway, if that is your thing. Eskrigg nature reserve is a great place for bird watching and looking out for red squirrel. There's so much to do in the Galloway, a week simply isn't long enough. We will definitely stay at Hardhills Cottage when we next return to the Galloway, I doubt you could wish for a more lovely place to stay. Thank you.

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