Group Accommodation Villas In Scotland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Nicolene - Verified booking

  This is a dog friendly property a few minutes drive from the local shops, Morrisons, Lidl and a terrible Tesco.

  There is even a dog friendly cafe The Royal Cafe…..which we found on the last day. Waters Edge is a redecorated four bedroom (two of which are downstairs……) 70’s house with splendid views over Loch Ryan as far as the Irish Sea. I didn’t venture upstairs but my husband had a tour so I’m aware there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. On arrival, we were delighted by the appearance of the house and it’s proximity to the Loch. There’s a great lobby for coats and outdoor paraphernalia which is certainly a plus for keeping the interior clean and tidy. However, on opening the connecting door the overwhelming smell of cooking/dogs was most unwelcoming; perhaps an open window or two might have made this more bearable? The front bedroom has a very small double bed but, as we wanted the view, this was the room we settled on; our stay would have benefited vastly if the Master bed had been in this room. The kitchen diner is large and extremely well equipped, but there was food in the freezer and an (open) bag of some sort of savoury biscuits in the cupboard and many of the plates/pizza tray were filthy. A broom would have been good, I am disabled to the point where I can’t use a vacuum cleaner, There was an abundance of loo rolls, towels, bedding, which was brilliant but no bleach for the showers or the loos. Also, the electric shower power is desultory at best and you have to wait a long time for the water to heat up, but the absolute negative was the size if the showers - they are tiny. Agreed, there are baths, but I haven’t been able to access one of those in 17 years so it’s a shower or nothing. My tummy is black and blue from the shower door knobs. For that reason alone we could not recommend this property despite it’s excellent nature and dog friendliness. Also, there is no garden which people with dogs need to be advised about; it’s a dark, dangerous step to the park late at night for last walkies. And, please note, there is no milk at the property (other companies ensure a “welcome” pack of one degree or another). There was some fudge, but we left that behind as we wanted to leave everything exactly as we had found it, as instructed time and time again by Sykes Cottages who really do know how to write the rudest email messages I’ve ever read, implying all paying guests are somehow filthy, entitled and disrespectful. Overall we had a great time and the area is very relaxing especially with the five days of lovely weather when we could enjoy the patio table, but as much as we’d love to, I guess we won’t be back because the facilities do not meet my personal needs.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  I have been wondering whether or not to leave this review, but on reflection, have decided this could ruin someone's holiday if they were to book here. Check in was straight forward and the gentleman who keeps the key is nice and helpful. The house, however, wasn't clean. I was informed I was the first person to stay here this year, and I hope the owner makes changes before too many more come to stay. The house is in desperate need of some updating. There is too much furniture in the house and this makes it cluttered, a lot of the furniture is old and dirty. The bed sheets were old and stained also. The carpets deteriorated. The worst issue though, was the mouse droppings all over the house and general cleanliness. Mostly in the kitchen, I didn't feel like I could safely cook a meal without having to clean absolutely everything. I contacted the caretaker, and he was very helpful. He brought the traps and bait I had asked for and I set them. Nothing was caught which told me that perhaps the house just wasn't cleaned properly since the winter. I asked him to arrange for the cleaners to come, which he did, and they came the next day. When I returned to the property, the same mouse droppings were still there, some spots he mentioned specifically to the cleaner were the droppings on the kitchen floor. It hadn't been cleaned very well at all, even though a note was left by them. In the end, I gave up and emptied the hoover and gave the whole house a going over myself. I washed the minimal stuff I needed to, so I could have some cereal for breakfast and a coffee but looking at the worktops and the rest of the kitchen, I decided it was easier not to cook. I ate out every night and had take away. There is a loud noise and banging outside the bedroom window from some structure on the roof of the Co-op next door. This has been previously mentioned apparently and was supposed to have been dealt with but if its windy, it can be very noisy throughout the night. I have photos and videos of the mouse droppings, but I won't add them. I have sent some to the caretaker. I left the house earlier than I was booked to stay until as my plans had changed and to be honest, I didn’t want to stay any longer than I had to. I hope they used that extra time with it vacant to make some improvements to the cleanliness of the house. In hindsight, I should have asked for a refund and looked into hotels in the area, but it was a busy time of year with the Easter holidays and accommodation was difficult to find at the time.

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• Daniel - Verified booking

  We booked Waters Edge for Christmas and had a most enjoyable stay.

  We would like to thank the owners for decorating the house and putting up a Christmas tree for our arrival. The house was very spacious and clean. The views from the lounge and the bedrooms looking over Loch Ryan were wonderful. It was like being on a cruise ship looking out onto the sea. There were a few issues with leaking windows which didn’t impact on our stay as we contacted the owner who responded promptly. The kitchen was large and had plenty of cupboard space and was well equipped. We enjoyed eating our Christmas dinner at the large dining table. Location is good as it is a short walk into town although you have to drive to the nearest beach. Despite it being dog friendly lack of a garden was an issue. If you are going in the winter months bring a torch with you to navigate the uneven concrete steps down to the road. There is a light on the porch but it doesn’t help going down the stairs. A security light on the garage door would help solve this situation. The owners were good enough to let us use their garage as we had two cars with us but it was tricky to navigate into as you have to reverse in at an angle. The parking for the other car was also difficult as it wasn’t easy negotiating the uneven concrete parking space. Some of the furnishings didn’t reflect on the price that we paid for six nights (£1200). Beside cabinets in the main bedroom were more suited for a bathroom and small plastic lamps were not a good look. There were two side tables in the lounge but both had lamps on them. A couple of extra tables or a nest of tables is necessary as there was nowhere to place our drinks or snacks. None of the bathroom windows had blinds but windows were covered with a plastic film which made them look unfinished. The upstairs bathroom in particular needed a blind as the top part of the window had no plastic film on it and you felt as if the neighbours could see in. Some of the issues may seem as minor but again reflecting on the price would need to be addressed. Unfortunately we would not return due to the lack of garden and the parking issue. If we had had a third car, as the house accommodates eight people, I would not like to park my car 100 yards from the house. We would still recommend this holiday house for families if you don’t mind the issues we have highlighted.

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• Talesh - Verified booking

  The House was situated in a beautiful place with lots of outdoor space.

  Rooms were big and ample space. When we got there it was quite dusty and we had to dust everywhere as lots of flies on the window sill , in corners etc. For a place that holds 14 people the fridge/freezer was very small. Not enough pots and pans and we had to call the person in charge every so often as we weren’t sure about things in the house. The place was very cold when we got there and majority of the fire places were there for show. We weren’t told about the fire place that did work and had to go to the local Tesco to buy fire lights and matches to get it started. We had to find the the log cupboard which was situated at the back of the house but the neighbours told us where that was. One of the bathrooms needed a lot of work , lots of rust and just didn’t look nice, had a dirty feel to it. The toilets downstairs were so old and horrible as well. In general the amount of money paid for the week is really not reflected in the house. The internet was awful and never worked . We then found a fireplace in the kitchen actually worked and had a small fan heater under it but we discovered it 5 days after we got there. It’s a beautiful house and very close to lots of local places and I would go back as we know how to work the house and what’s where. But a lot of work needs doing in the house or the price should be dropped. The post stated 7 rooms yet we only had access to 6 , the beds were quite squeaky , so every time you turned it made a noise . All rooms had a sink but half didn’t work. There was no wood burning stove as stated in the post either . Some of the windows didn’t open either as it’s fire hazard as well . We were not told how to get rid of rubbish either but after speaking to the person in charge that was explained. Like I said it’s a beautiful house but needs modernisation. If your like us and happy to go in and dust it down you are fine. Just need a book of instructions on what works and what doesn’t and what’s where .

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• Sarah - Verified booking

  The owner was lovely and phoned before our arrival to ensure we knew here we were going.

  The place itself is incredible! like stated, its one of 4 apartments, and it looks like the one we stayed at was the biggest. Its the full of the front of the building! There is so much land around the building and tonnes to explore (including a river that my sister fell into). The inside was spacious, and well decorated. There is a local shop about a 5 min drive, and the only thing i would recommend is to follow the directions stated (I thought i was clever and put google maps on, and it took me to the back of the house where there is a gate, although its easy to get to the front) during October, it was a bit cold downstairs, until the owner changed the heating, and it wasnt to bad. The upstairs was warm enough. One of the best parts of the house was the log fire, which we had going every evening! The only downside was the Wifi, because its in the countryside, you dont really get reception inside the house (for most of us,it was really nice to have a break from internet, but my dad had work to do while we were away, and struggled) In the living room, you get the most internet. Thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Achentroig house, and i would go back again!

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