Villas In Kirkby Stephen

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Isla - Verified booking

  A fantastic Christmas getaway.

  We spent 4 days here over the festive period and it was perfect. A gorgeous hamper awaited us on our arrival and a cheese selection in the fridge! Loved the decorations too. The kitchen was well equipped and we successfully cooked Christmas dinner. Oven/hob very efficient and easy to use. The cottage was never cold but also never too hot and we made good use of the log burner (pleased we brought a huge bag of our own as we got through them quickly!) detailed welcome guide which was also enjoyable to read. Solid floors throughout the downstairs, which was good as it never stopped raining whilst we were there, so we didn’t have to do balancing acts on the doormat! Also useful if bringing a dog so they can’t get muddy paws all over the carpet! A rug by the seating area would be appreciated though, as any blankets we put down for our dog just slipped everywhere and it would have felt a bit more cosier. Enclosed garden front and back so we could safely let her out too. Good storage facilities in bedrooms and bathrooms, limited cupboard space in kitchen but we managed. Airer provided which was useful for drying all out waterproofs and the muddy boot box was handy, though we didn’t use it as boots needed to dry. Info on recycling would have been appreciated as we brought all ours home (we don’t live far away and being Christmas we had a lot!) Cottage was spotless in all areas you could see, however when I dropped something, I noticed that under all the sofas the floor was filthy! Also found a polo under the bed when I thought I had lost a sock under there and dusty behind bedside cabinets. A little more attention wouldn’t go a miss. Info for travellers: 2 washing tabs & 2 dishwasher tabs provided. Logs for one use of fire provided, with enough fire lighters and kindling for a few fires. Co-op in Kirkby Stephen had some for sale. Tea towels provided Kitchen utensils, cutlery, pots & pans are plenty but bring your own roasting trays if you want to do a Christmas dinner!

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• Derek - Verified booking

  Firstly the pros.

  The cottage was extremely clean and well equipped and the beds were very comfortable. It's location is great for touring the Yorkshire Dales or the Lakes or the North Penninnes Now the cons. The check in time of 4.30 p.m. was far too late in the day. Check in times used to be around the 2 p.m. mark which gave time to do other things when you had off loaded food and clothes etc. A check in time of 4.30 p.m. means you have effectively lost half a day of the holiday. We found the siting of the TV high up on the wall in the living room very uncomfortable.. After a day or two we ended up with a crick in the neck. The TV in the double bedroom didn't work at all. One of your previous customers mentioned in her published feedback that it was nice to have enclosed gardens to the front and the rear of the house that her dog could enjoy. We were therefore surprised to find a note on the back door stating that the rear garden belonged to the neighbouring house and we should therefore refrain from using it. On looking further at the description the owners were in fact only offering use of the front garden. It would be useful if Sykes would make sure that any feedback they allow is accurate and not misleading. Whilst mentioning gardens it has to be said that the front garden which is part of the cottage is only plastic grass with a lot of weeds growing through it. It can only be described as being in a parlous condition and badly needs some tlc.

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• Samantha - Verified booking

  I often get anxious on approach to a holiday home, expecting things to not be quite right (uncomfy bed, poor shower, bad drainage, unclean etc) especially pet friendly cottages but this cottage was just a delight!

  As soon as we walked in, it smelt so clean and was incredibly tidy. Even the sofas had been freshly vacuumed and there wasnt a spot of dog hair anywhere. The bed was huge and comfortable, the shower was powerful and drained well, the kitchen had everything you would need (except a washing machine). The wifi was good which was handy for me as I had to do a work video call whilst there. The location of the cottage is idyllic with a 3min walk to a beautiful river and fields for the dog to run around. We took advantage of the proximity to windermere to visit there and ullswater. Local pub 3mins away (Penine Inn) very welcoming (including the dog!) With great food. There were a couple of minor things to mention in terms of cons. The bathroom and bedroom door don't close easily and they would consistently open again once closed so probably needs a minor repair. We arrived in our x5 to find the allocated parking space was very small. We had to park horizontally across one of the other spaces and let the neighbour know. Overall, we would say that this cottage absolutely lived up to the reviews and description, wr had a wonderful time and would love to go back!

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• John - Verified booking

  The cottage was well equipped with comfy beds (we slept well) and there was a much appreciated, welcome pack of biscuits and milk.

  However it was not as described in the listing at the time of booking. Described as non-smoking with a TV in each bedroom. When we arrived there was an overwhelming stench of cigarettes coming from the living room. It was so bad that we had to buy air fresheners to try and mask the smell during our stay but even they weren't good enough. Also, there was only one TV in one bedroom (The listing has been amended since we complained to Sykes.) We would have chosen a different cottage if this one had been described correctly. Minor problems which the host needs to sort with their cleaners. There was a light coating of dust on all the window sills and there were cobwebs high up in most rooms but especially bad in the bathroom where there were also three spiders. After our first showers we noticed the water wasn't draining away so we pulled the plug to find a foot long tangle of hair and grease which we removed. There was also breadcrumbs in the knife and fork drawer. The main parts of the property were very clean in every other respect. With a little more attention to the details and the removal of cigarette stench this property would be great for any family.

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• Paul - Verified booking

  Positives: Keybox entry.

  We found it a nice location on edge of village. Pub a couple of doors away. Car parking. Complimentary bottle of wine. Fire kindling left (but take your own paper & matches). Electric storage radiators worked well. Switch socket night lights were good. Induction hob & dedicated pan(s) Negatives: Milk & coffee sachets along with the wrapped biscuits were out-of-date (they went out straight away). Dusty cobwebs in many ceiling corners. Bathroom extract fan dusty. Very dusty behind and under the double bed, that took some cleaning up. Shower head replacement was a poor substitute, it wouldn't stay in one position. Wood burner fire hearth not set (couldn't find any matches or sparking flint, locked away or otherwise. No wood burner fire guard. Half-glazed rear back door was a bit of a security nightmare the glazing was only kitemarked as toughened with only an internal thumb turn for the dead lock (should have been laminated glass to provide containment). Front astro-turf garden area could have done with a little more TLC. Have to say we did book very last minute, booked one day went the next, so that may explain some, not all, of the negative items.

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