New Year Cottages in Cornwall

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Heather - Verified booking

  Totally agree with all the comments in the previous poor review regarding general untidiness and a feeling that it was all a bit grubby.

  In addition we had two other issues, one extremely serious. The first (which now pales into insignificance in view of the subsequent one) is that the feature bath cannot be used. The hot water runs out before the bath is even a quarter full. I texted the owner via the cleaner (contact number I had been given) to ask if there was a heater for the water as there wasn’t enough for a bath. The owner simply responded that the water was on 24/7! We could not therefore use the bath during our stay. The main issue however is that the cottage heating system does not work. On arrival at the cottage for a winter break my daughter and I found it to be without working heating. It was freezing cold and everything felt damp. The heaters are night storage so I adjusted the dials (where possible as they were old / broken / jammed) and hoped that they would heat up overnight. The whole cottage was icy cold. There was one portable heater downstairs so we carried it upstairs and put it in one of the bedrooms which we then had to share. It was so cold that we used the duvet from the second bedroom as well and “slept” in our clothes. In the morning despite having all night to heat up the heaters in the bedroom were still barely warm and the one downstairs was stone cold. I contacted the owner via the cleaner and asked him to supply a couple of portable heaters. He didn’t but said he would call the electrician. The electrician didn’t arrive that day so the cottage remained freeing and once again my daughter and I had to sleep in our clothes. I contacted the owner the next day and again asked for a couple of portable heaters (hardly asking for the world) and he just kept promising an electrician. On the third day after more repeated promises of an electrician I contacted Sykes who said they would contact the owner. The email response I then had from them was that the owner “would NOT be providing portable heaters as there was an open fire to heat the cottage and the owner suggested we went and bought logs!” We were already using the fire and had bought bags of coal and logs but alone it was not enough to heat the whole of the downstairs let alone the upstairs. The attitude of the owner was staggering. I cannot stress enough how cold and awful the cottage was. We were so miserable and the owner point blank refused to do anything to heat the cottage. On the fourth day I asked Sykes for a cottage transfer or said we would have to leave. Sykes then contacted the owner again and subsequently although we were out we were told maintenance had attended and turned the heating up “as far as they dared”. Being night storage heaters we knew we would still not have heat that night but hoped they would be hot the next day. So we had yet another night sharing a room with one portable heater and sleeping in our clothes. It was so cold it felt as if we had kept all the windows wide open overnight! The next day the heating was still not working. Unable to face another freezing cold night I went to B & Q and ordered two heaters myself. When they arrived the next day we collected them and local residents on seeing us struggling to carry them into the cottage questioned what we were doing. I was close to tears and they were so lovely, helped us and also went and sorted out their own portable heaters for us to borrow. They too were horrified at how cold the cottage was and at the owner’s refusal to help us. Sykes response was that should we wish to pursue this we will have to pursue the owner direct via the smalls claim court. I am in the process of doing just that!

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• Heather - Verified booking

  Totally agree with all the comments in the previous poor review regarding general untidiness and a feeling that it was all a bit grubby.

  In addition we had two other issues, one extremely serious. The first (which now pales into insignificance in view of the subsequent one) is that the feature bath cannot be used. The hot water runs out before the bath is even a quarter full. I texted the owner via the cleaner (contact number I had been given) to ask if there was a heater for the water as there wasn’t enough for a bath. The owner simply responded that the water was on 24/7! We could not therefore use the bath during our stay. The main issue however is that the cottage heating system does not work. On arrival at the cottage for a winter break my daughter and I found it to be without working heating. It was freezing cold and everything felt damp. The heaters are night storage so I adjusted the dials (where possible as they were old / broken / jammed) and hoped that they would heat up overnight. The whole cottage was icy cold. There was one portable heater downstairs so we carried it upstairs and put it in one of the bedrooms which we then had to share. It was so cold that we used the duvet from the second bedroom as well and “slept” in our clothes. In the morning despite having all night to heat up the heaters in the bedroom were still barely warm and the one downstairs was stone cold. I contacted the owner via the cleaner and asked him to supply a couple of portable heaters. He didn’t but said he would call the electrician. The electrician didn’t arrive that day so the cottage remained freeing and once again my daughter and I had to sleep in our clothes. I contacted the owner the next day and again asked for a couple of portable heaters (hardly asking for the world) and he just kept promising an electrician. On the third day after more repeated promises of an electrician I contacted Sykes who said they would contact the owner. The email response I then had from them was that the owner “would NOT be providing portable heaters as there was an open fire to heat the cottage and the owner suggested we went and bought logs!” We were already using the fire and had bought bags of coal and logs but alone it was not enough to heat the whole of the downstairs let alone the upstairs. The attitude of the owner was staggering. I cannot stress enough how cold and awful the cottage was. We were so miserable and the owner point blank refused to do anything to heat the cottage. On the fourth day I asked Sykes for a cottage transfer or said we would have to leave. Sykes then contacted the owner again and subsequently although we were out we were told maintenance had attended and turned the heating up “as far as they dared”. Being night storage heaters we knew we would still not have heat that night but hoped they would be hot the next day. So we had yet another night sharing a room with one portable heater and sleeping in our clothes. It was so cold it felt as if we had kept all the windows wide open overnight! The next day the heating was still not working. Unable to face another freezing cold night I went to B & Q and ordered two heaters myself. When they arrived the next day we collected them and local residents on seeing us struggling to carry them into the cottage questioned what we were doing. I was close to tears and they were so lovely, helped us and also went and sorted out their own portable heaters for us to borrow. They too were horrified at how cold the cottage was and at the owner’s refusal to help us. Sykes response was that should we wish to pursue this we will have to pursue the owner direct via the smalls claim court. I am in the process of doing just that!

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• Dawn - Verified booking

  We stayed for a week in March.

  My husband is 6ft 6inches and could not really stand up in any room, especially with his shoes on. If you are taller than about 5ft 9 in you risk banging your head. The cottage is in need of some tlc - esp as next door is for sale and has been cleaned up and painted. The shop/cafe down the road was very handy and The Bush Inn pub was lovely as advertised. Main issues for us were the bed which was very lumpy and bumpy and didn’t make for a great nights sleep - a new bed or mattress is needed. Also the hot water - my husband likes a bath every morning - there was not enough hot water to fill the bath right up and I would then have to push the button again to try and heat it up for a bath or shower myself - these usually resulted in one of us using it in the morning and one of us in the afternoon or evening and on the day we left we couldn’t get the boiler to come back on so after packing and getting hot and bothered I had to have a very Luke warm strip wash as the shower was freezing! On the plus side there was ample things such as wine, chocolate biscuits and things like dishwasher tablets and laundry pods - also tea and coffee which was appreciated. Another thing we are not a fan of is a 5pm check in - you pretty much lose a days holiday as you have to check out before 10am - that gives them 7 hours to clean a small cottage ? Travelling with children or dogs you want to get there and get in - a 2pm or 3pm at latest would I am sure be appreciated by most people and perhaps an 11am check out? (even though we were out by 9am). Also in the winter and dark I imagine locating the key safe could be an absolute mission - it took us a while to find! The logs left made the first evening a nice a cosy one. The beaches around this area that we saw didn’t seem to be sandy - more pebbly. We drove to Saunton Sands a couple of times as they have a fantastic beach there.

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• Darshini - Verified booking

  Mallards Cottage turned out to be the perfect choice for our family vacation.

  From the moment we arrived, we knew we were in for a memorable stay. First and foremost, the location couldn't have been better. Nestled in a quaint seaside town, the cottage offered a fantastic blend of convenience and charm. It was just a stone's throw away from the beach, which made it incredibly easy to enjoy leisurely strolls along the shoreline, build sandcastles with the kids. Only drawback was that the beach wasn't open to dogs during the non-winter months. What impressed us right away was the cleanliness and tidiness of the cottage. The attention to detail was evident throughout the property. The well-kept interiors and the cozy furnishings created a warm and inviting atmosphere that made us feel right at home. One of the highlights for our family was the convenience factor. Mallards Cottage is not only close to the beach but also within walking distance to a small shopping mart and several charming pubs. This made it effortless for us to stock up on essentials and indulge in some local cuisine without the need for extensive travel. Speaking of indulgence, a heartfelt thank you is in order for the delightful welcome pack of scones, clotted cream, and jam that greeted us upon arrival. It was a thoughtful touch that instantly made us feel welcome and added an extra layer of comfort to our stay. We stayed at Mallards Cottage as a family of two adults, two kids, and two dogs, and it accommodated us perfectly. The fenced patio provided a safe and secure space for our furry friends to play, and the children had a blast exploring the nearby beach and its treasures. Mallards Cottage offered us a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of daily life and allowed us to unwind and connect as a family. We left with cherished memories and a strong desire to return in the future.

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• Sandra - Verified booking

  We arrived after a 6 hour drive parked the car and then looked for the keysafe, which we couldn't find.

  Rang Sykes as we were very tired and needed the loo. Sykes duly contacted you and said you would be in touch shortly. You weren't! We were pretty upset by this time as no-one from your company had bothered to ring us so rang Sykes again who contacted you a second time to get this situation sorted out. A neighbour who had also just arrived, heard what I was saying to Sykes and after a while we realised that the car parking was at the back of our our property - Flotsam - no. 87 and not at the front. All the other houses in our terrace had key safes near the back entrances except for ours and no. 86. This meant that we had to walk down the hill to the end of the row, go accross the side of the last house and then walk back up the path to get to the front of the house where there was not one but TWO keysafes. Finally, after a lot of unwanted hassle, we could get in. We were considerably upset by this experience as it would have been so easy to get in through the back entrance had there been a key safe there to enable this. We are both disabled and in our 80's. Luckily it wasn't raining or one of us would have been soaked by the time we got around to the front door. Not having one of those key safes near the back door is definately not user friendly and there is no mention of having to do the hike around the houses to get to the front. After a long and tiring jpurney this is not acceptable.. There is also no dishwasher in the property even though dishwasher tablets are being left for its use and there is no dryer either. What a fiasco that we could definately have done without!!

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