New Year Cottages in Scotland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Edward - Verified booking

  Stapleton Toll House is a very comfortable holiday accommodation and the owners have thought of everything to make your stay perfect.

  The house was spotlessly clean and is full of lovely furnishings which make it very homely, the kitchen has every utensil and dish you would ever need. An added bonus is having the open lounge to sit at watching TV, Netflix etc whilst someone else takes a turn cooking. The beds were extremely comfortable, both bathrooms and showers were also very modern and nice to use to. We liked having the other sitting room/lounge to use as this gave our teenager space to do his own thing using the Wi-Fi or watching the other large flat screen TV. The garden is just wonderful it is a lovely outdoor space to use as part of your holiday to relax and unwind either sat on the swing seat or under the dome taking in the surrounding country views. We loved sitting under the dome when the sun was too hot and then later roasting marshmallows over the fire pit watching all the garden lights twinkle. It is also great for any furry friends with plenty of space to run around and do their business, just be aware the whole garden is not 100% secure. The owners definitely take much pride in their holiday home and work very hard to make it perfect for their visitors by going that extra mile with all the small details. The Welcome hamper was also very much appreciated. Elaine was so helpful when i stupidly forgot something important, she sorted it all out and posted the items to my home address the same day...superb owners who really care! if in this area again we would definitely try to book Stapleton Toll again as the house is so central for lots of visits to places such as Dumfries, Carlisle, Gretna or even the lakes! Annan is only 2.5 miles away and has everything you need re small shops, pubs, chip shops, take away, and cafes there is also a Tesco and Aldi for groceries., We can recommend the friendly Bluebell Inn for a nice drink in their beer garden (taxi £5 each way) or Cafe 91 in Lockerbie for some tasty snacks. We also visited Hollywood Bowl in Carlisle for 10 pin bowling which we also enjoyed. Gretna is also worth a visit with its shopping gateway centre and also the Blacksmiths shop at the village just a few hundred yards away.. Ecclefechan has a lovely park to walk your dog s well as a dog friendly hotel if you want some refreshments afterwards. The park in Annan is also lovely, we used it every day to walk our dog. It is lovely and clean and has a path that runs alongside the River which our dog played in every day....he loved to have a swim and cool down in this warm weather! All in all if you book Stapleton Toll House you wont be disappointed in both the area or the accommodation,

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• Alexander - Verified booking

  Quite frankly apalled by the state of the property.

  Central heating was not working & we were fobbed off with a single electric fan heater. 2 of the radiators were rusty & holed, with visible rust staining from previous leaks. Bathroom door handle was hanging off & not working properly, which meant we couldn't close the door for fear of being locked in. Cleanliness was very poor & food had been left from previous users. There was a strong smell of damp throughout the property, with mold visible on the underside of the bathroom sink and cistern. Property was generally tired & in need of upgrade or replacement, which came as a shock considering the 'top dollar' fee payed. The property was not as advertised on Sykes website, certainly regarding the operational central heating system, & we took the decision not to stay for the 2nd & 3rd nights mainly over health & safety concerns due to the damp. Have raised a complaint with Sykes, which is currently being dealt with. We have plenty of photos of the state of the property, which obviously won't get across the damp smell, but they paint a picture of a property not fit for purpose. I post this as a warning to anyone thinking of staying at this property. Unless a lot of work is carried out ASAP to address the identified issues, issues which have been previously identified by othet users if you look at previous reviews, then I would recommend not using this property if you value your health. To be fair to Sykes, they are trying to resolve the issue, but the property owner does not appear to want to accept responsibility for the issues identified. This experience ruined a weekend away for me & my wife, who were visiting my 87 year old mother in the area for the weekend. We spent the 2nd day looking for somewhere else to stay, which the property owner insists does not entitle me to request or receive a refund as we never checked out at the designated checkout time. I would suggest some property owners in the area are now charging top dollar due to being on the NC500 route, & relying on single night trade, therefore not having to present their property in a good state. Just my opinion, not fact. Anyway, I will be posting these observations & opinions on as many social media sites related to NC500 & Sykes in the hope that no one else is subjected to what we have been subjected to. Quite shocking in this day & age to be fair & begs the question if Sykes carry out sufficient due diligence on properties they advertise on their website. My 1st experience with booking via Sykes would suggest not.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  the whole cottage needs a thorough clean and furnishings very old and worn .When we arrived Mr Sinclair was just coming out of the cottage saying the TV wasn't working and he would be back. He did return a few minutes later and sat in the room trying to fix the TV. What a start to our holiday trying to unpack with a stranger sat there. The bathroom door wouldn't open properly, old rusty bin, light over mirror not working, heater in bathroom full of dust, old rusty tin of air fresher, shower screen on bath had black mould along the bottom. The kitchen had dirty cutlery trays and all utensils in them were very old. cupboard handle broken, dead beetle between the melamine plates, spider and web in a cup. No icebox in fridge so Mr Sinclair said to use the freezer where the dogs were kept in a separate outhouse which was disgracefully dirty. We were told not to shut the curtain in the hallway as the rail was broken. This meant when we left the bedroom to use the bathroom, we were on view up the lane. The single beds were very hard with child size quilts. furniture old, random old xmas decorations etc in draws which needed cleaning out. The carpets and flooring all needs changing as it is so old. there were dozens of flies every day due to the cottage facing the horse stables. We bought fly killer and were constantly spraying them. My partner honestly thought I was going to say " take me home" but because he had booked it for my Birthday I tried to make the best of it. We left 2 leg rest from our reclining sunchairs in the cottage shed by mistake, and after a call to them the day after our return, the daughter said she would get Mrs Sinclair to ring me. I have a friend in Ayr and though I could collect them when visiting my friend later in the year but I haven't had a call back and that was a week ago. I would have contacted you before now regarding how upsetting and disappointing our holiday accommodation was but I am just recovering from Covid and haven't been up to writing. On a positive note, we loved the areas of Rockcliffe and Kippford and would like to see other areas of Scotland. Baring in mind our bad experience at Tumbling Banks would the company give us some form of compensation for not only how upset we were but also for such poor accommodation as we would use Discover Scotland again but would suggest you think twice about using this accommodation to future clients in its present state. Kind regards, Susan Harwood

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• Susan - Verified booking

  I cannot recommend this cottage enough!

  It really is beautiful. It is the best equipped holiday home we have stayed in and probably the cleanest. The whole house is comfortable and cosy, but spacious. This was given the seal of approval by our son who has autism and struggles to settle in new spaces - he was right at home here, which made for a lovely week. The garden is just WOW!! Loads of space and appealing to the senses (again approved by our son who loved sitting under the willow dome on a windy evening - as did we). Toasting marshmallows on the firepit under the dome, watching the sunset and then being treated to the garden light show is a perfect memory! The location is great and ideal for exploring Dumfries and Galloway. The cottage is situated on a local (tractors) busy junction but as the house is so well insulated the noise is absolutely minimal and the coming and going of tractors and cows provides some entertainment. We had one rainy afternoon (after a morning out) and it was a pleasure to just spend time in the cottage to enjoy the warmth and space. The welcome pack Elaine and Mal left was very generous and very much appreciated - it was lovely to meet the owners, by chance, who are warm, welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable about the area. Stapleton Toll is an easy place to stay in and a very hard place to leave. We will definitely be returning. Thank you so much to Elaine and Mal for sharing your gorgeous home. x

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• Neil - Verified booking

  Our 1st stay in 2013 was in Parten Cottage and later that year we stayed at Seal Cottage and then again in 2014.

  Both cottages were more rustic then and the location is simply second to none ! We have wanted to return for a couple of years but obviously Covid and your renovations meant we couldn’t until this year . We could not praise the new look enough . You have made an outstanding job of Seal Cottage and whilst talking to those staying in Parten for the week and their comments it would seem likewise there . The new look with open plan , the AGA cooker , the furnishings, the new staircase ( a great addition from the old style ladder … a lot easier especially for our older family members who joined us who wouldn’t have been able to previously) to the rearranged bedrooms… everything was fantastic. We have had the most amazing stay … weather was fantastic for us … saw many dolphins and plenty of seals at the aptly named Seal Cottage. We would have no hesitation in recommending Seal to family and friends. We look forward to being able to return to Seal Cottage and Lower Burnmouth again …. It is truly our special place ! Thankyou for help making out holiday a lovely experience , you have made a simply beautiful job of renovating.

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