Last Minute Cottages in Kingsbridge

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Lisa - Verified booking

  No frills cottage in a great location.

  We were concerned about previous reviews and as is clear in the photos, Highdown is an older cottage which still feels more like a residential than a rental property. The owner had worked hard to make the place clean and fresh for our arrival, even down to a new coat of paint in the utility room. Good points - the house was generally comfortable (although the mattress in the master bedroom should be replaced), the kitchen was well equipped (though no pantry provisions except salt and pepper) - it was not at all spacious, as stated in the description but certainly adequate, there is a large fridge freezer in the utility which is useful, the wifi and TV were excellent, the conservatory when sunny was delightful, the fire was cozy and the garden a nice size (although not completely dog-proof - a tenacious terrier would squeeze through the front gate in a second). The driveway was tight, but we managed to get our Landrover 4x4 in with a bit of skilful manoeuvring (on my part). Less positively, we arrived in a wet and windy Easter week and storage heaters hadn't been turned up so the house was very chilly. On colder days I think the heaters struggled to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the day and into the evening. The bathroom needs some storage (shelves, a bathroom cabinet?) as there was nothing to accommodate the smellies of 6 people and the provision of towels were a disappointment. Not sure why they state they are provided when all you get is one thin medium sized towel to last a week and no hand towels. I suggest you take your own. The owner however was responsive and did provide an extra electric radiator and a couple of hand towels on request. All in all we had a nice stay as Bigbury on Sea is a heavenly location for kids of all ages and dogs - The Journeys End pub has superb food. I wouldn't rent this cottage again as I think its rather basic and overpriced, but if you have realistic expectations it is a nice base from which to explore the area.

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• Tracey - Verified booking

  Wow...

  Bigbury-on-Sea is beautiful. Highdown is situated at the top of a very steep hill. Beautiful views to Burgh Island, which is worth a walk over, even just to have a drink at the Pilchard Inn. Little cafe/takeaway down on the beach car park which is pretty basic but lovely food. There is a food store within walking distance on a caravan park along with Fryer Tucks fish and chips (also very nice) but it is along quite a narrow cliff path. WiFi was very hit and miss but kind of expected that to be honest. Make sure you visit Pickwick Inn (pub) which is so lovely. Great food, lovely atmosphere and very dog friendly. Beware of the narrow lanes in the area, cars go pretty fast round them and although there are pull in places it does get a bit scary at times. Highview itself is a lovely bungalow. Pretty dated but we quite liked that. Could have been a bit cleaner but very cosy and warm. Loved sitting in the little dining area looking out to the sea even when it was raining. The garden is lovely too, wraps around the whole bungalow and is very safe for dogs. On two occasions we did have a chap come right through the garden to the shed at the back apparently to collect laundry? If he’d of knocked and said he was about then we would have been happier but to suddenly see a man walking around outside was a bit unnerving. The patio area again is lovely but not for small children. There’s quite a drop down a grass bank at the front of it. All in all we went away as a family of four (2 grown up children) after having an illness for most of the year to have some quality time together and a well earned rest and that’s exactly what we did. Would we go back there again? Yes definitely

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• Nicola - Verified booking

  Merlin was nice, clean, cheery accommodation which met our needs.

  It was better equipped than most holiday lets which felt thoughtful. Some places you can’t visit the loo on arrival without unpacking soap but in Merlin there were supplies of kitchen cleaning materials, dishwasher tablets, laundry capsules, toilet paper etc. There was also good WiFi & excellent tv provision, not just freeview. And a tv in the master bedroom. Which was nice. If you are happy to drive everywhere & do not mind your immediate surroundings I would recommend Merlin. If you don’t mind long walks you can access at least 3 beaches on foot. However, Malborough is not nice at all. The village centre is moderately pretty (nice, historic church), but tiny with no pavement & a constant stream of traffic making it hairy to walk through, especially with dog & kids. The location of Merlin is a massive built up council estate with so many parked cars it can be hard to get off the driveway. There are countryside views. The walk from Merlin to the village is an exercise in dodging dog poo. We love dogs but it felt like going back to a time when no one bothered picking up after their animals. Having said that, we had a wonderful time walking to Hope Cove (scenic countryside & coastal views), Salcombe (cycle path but next to a road so not such a nice walk but amazing destination) & Soar Mill Cove (pretty countryside walk with coastal views), all from Malborough. Only attempt these walks if you are keen, fit walkers & your kids are not too small or moany. You’re talking at least an hour each way for all of them. The South Hams is a stunning area we loved exploring.

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• Anne - Verified booking

  Everything thank you.

  Staff on telephone in Salcombe were friendly and helpful and followed through. The accommodation was beautiful, the location was just perfect. The standard of cleanliness was perfect and I am extremely fussy. The bed linen was white bright and beautiful. Even better the beds were so so comfortable. WiFi great. Parking space slightly tight to access but just a knack you quickly get hang of. Parking under accommodation felt brightly lit and safe. The home was dog friendly. So so near pub/ restaurant, the Crabshell Inn, across road and perfect for Paddleboarding run by a company called Waterborn. Went out twice. Surreal and utterly wonderful time on the water. Thank you to the owners of this lovely home and to Coast and Country for this lovely short break. Will come back. Very minor points to check on freezer starting to over freeze up made difficult to open the door to access the ice and extractor if there is one in en-suite did not seem to work but shower pressure amazing and also main bathroom bath and hand held shower divine. Kitchen was superbly equipped with everything you could possibly need to cook any meal. I was 100% impressed by this property and found Kingsbridge convenient and enchanting. Keysafe a little tricky but I suspect all keysafes are a little difficult and maybe would be good to have two keys. Thank you.

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• Patricia - Verified booking

  We have been fortunate to have stayed in a few Sykes holiday lets, and have never been disappointed.

  However, we would not have booked Highdown last year if we had read the recent reviews written. But here is an update - Highdown is old and tired looking, but we felt the owner had read the same reviews and had made an effort to make changes. The property was clean, thick soft white medium size fluffy towels (no hand towels), tea towels, hand soap, and washing up liquid was provided, and the kitchen was well equipt. We found the master bedroom's mattress to be comfortable, and also there were two radiators to use if you found the property not warm enough. The only complaints we would make are, the little utility room with the large fridge freezer has a funny smell and this problem needs investigating, and there was no shower curtain / screen. Meaning that every time we used the shower, we had to mop the bathroom floor. (We must admit that we did not contact the owner regarding these problems, because we could not get a signal on our mobile). The welcome tea / coffee / sugar / milk and biscuits after along journey was very much appreciated. Thankyou. Bigbury on Sea is a beautiful location.

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