Dumfries and Galloway Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Elaine - Verified booking

  My family used to have caravans in Southerness for 20+ years in the Lighthouse Leisure site so spent my childhood there every weekend and holidays, lots of happy memories, but when my dad became terminal gave van up so hadn't been back for 20 years.

  I was shocked at how close the vans are in all the sites now, far too close. After being housebound for 3 years after breaking my back and covid lockdown living alone I really needed to get back out into the world but my confidence took a humdinger of a battering so I thought go back to Southerness but I wanted a peace and quiet too so not in a caravan in a busy noisy site so thought a private cottage and came across Sykes where I chose Wigwam because I knew the family had good taste because they've got 2 of the same pictures I have lol The Sykes internet booking experience I admit I had trouble with trying to pay for it because the part that sends you to your bank site to acknowledge you're paying they send you a code to type in then continue on to finalise but instead kept taking me back to start of booking process and after 6 times I gave up but unfortunately staff aren't allowed to take over the phone payments so had to wait until I was on another device for it to go through. The Wigwam itself is an amazing place with beautiful decor throughout every bit reminding you that you are on holiday by the sea. The views overlooking the beach from the 'a little sand between your toes takes away your woes' bedroom (sure as heck does btw) and the single bedroom and the whole of the living room windows look out onto the beach and the 2nd double bedroom even although overlooking the back of the site complex it was still quiet. Wigwam has all mod cons kitchen, dining area and living area, bedrooms and bathroom which admittedly I was a bit worried about with my mobility issues walk with crutches, have a wetroom and seat at home, but I still managed in and out of bath holding on to sink and towel rails. Overall an exceptional home, holiday which brought back plenty of happy memories and aye a wee bit teary bits too from start on the bus going turning into the Southerness road knowing all the times we went down 'the tickly hill' (kind of big dipper tickly tummy feeling like you get on the big dipper when dad put foot down on that bit for 20 years lol) but first time dad not there. I'll definitely be back.

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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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• G Williamson - Verified booking

  Really loved our stay in Gardeners Cottage on the Penninghame Estate and would definitely recommended this place for a lovely chill out holiday. The estate is just off a road next to the River Cree. Lovely and quiet this cottage has a lovely homely feel and is tucked away at one end of the estate so nobody drives past your cottage to get to other parts of the estate. The whole place was lovely and clean and decor and furnishings were to a good standard, the kitchen was also very well appointed with many items seeming to be pretty new. The place was lovely and warm and welcoming on arrival with the heating on at a background level and there was always lashings of very hot water for baths showers etc with all utilities included in the price. There are 2 single bed rooms and a double bed room and while we only slept in the double bed this was lovely and comfortable and was a good length for anyone over 6 foot tall ! 2 pillows per person were provided, one a bit firmer than the other so you had a choice to suit you if you are fussy on your pillows ! There is an office on site if you have any problems and very friendly, helpful staff to sort stuff straight away. Negatives from the stay,well, dont expect fine dining in the local area for your evening meal if you don’t intend cooking, the nearest town, Newton Stewart manages a few pubs that serve very basic food, cheap prices but basic fare, but together with a couple of takeaways thats it for food. The security on the cottage was really my only concern from our stay with the locks on the doors and window being very minimal and basic and when we arrived 2 of the downstairs windows could be opened from the outside with no way of locking them on the inside ! When I reported this to the office the following day basic locks were fitted to these windows within a couple of hours.

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• Anthony - Verified booking

  Amazing cottage.

  It’s the perfect blend of traditional, with modernity hidden away but giving you lovely comfort. The underfloor heating makes you feel “plugged in” directly to a heater by your feet. The traditional style is all very tasteful. Wifi is excellent, beds supportive and the kitchen works, but it was a challenge to find the cutlery (but do read the manual - it’s in a drawer under the dining table). Great to have a dedicated EV charger, we left £40 honesty money to cover electricity costs charging our car. It was a bit of a fiddle to use, with an rfid card needed to start the charge. Apparently there’s an app that can be used to pay for electricity but I tried it and I was insta-bamboozled by what I had to do. Location is mesmerising! No donkey was seen, but lots of Roe deer. The road outside is so quiet that with don’t think anyone drove past our house all evening. This is the perfect rural getaway. Keep your speed down though as one deer did jump right in front of our car. The house does have washing machine and freezer, and they are located in the barn. In that barn you can see what makes this house lovely and cosy - a wood pellet boiler, massive thermal store and a solar inverter. I’m a solar geek myself, so I’m always interested to see how other people have done it.

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• Sam - Verified booking

  The house is a charming mixture of old and modern.

  With full underfloor heating throughout it is cosy. The choice of using the large, easy to light, solid fuel stove in the main room gives an extra heat source if needed. The bathroom has a strong shower and a modern material bath that allows for a good soak if you've just had a hard day walking. The kitchen has good cooking utensils and pots and pans of a very good standard. The Smeg oven was spotless and hit a temp of 240 for our pizza one night with ease. The kitchen layout is old fashioned and could take a little getting used to but this has really been dictated by the cottage and is more than made up for with the standard of the equipment. If you need a big comfy sofa and armchairs and a big TV and strong WiFi this is not the place for you. If you do want good mattresses on the beds, a large drying room, huge garden with large pond, place to play games outside and feel as if you are in a different world then Faldarroch is a place I could recommend.

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