New Year Breaks In Cornwall

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Shelly - Verified booking

  The property advertised there was a baby gate, this was not usable as it didn’t close so we asked the property manager if they could tighten the gate bolts to make it close or provide an adjustable spanner so we could do it.

  When discussed with the owners we were advised this couldn’t be closed as the banister post was not strong enough to hold the gate and this has never been a problem in 5 years, however it was a problem now and needed resolving but we were met with some resistance on this - not the most helpful of property owners on this matter, lady was very apologetic and tried to think of a resolution and seemed to appreciate our feedback however husband was a little confrontational and resistant to resolve, even said he didn’t see what the problem was if I was in the property with my child. I was advised as a solution that there were some reusable cable ties in the drawer and these had been used before - so it obviously had been a problem before. However on investigation, these were sandwich bag ties which were no longer than an inch long and the gap was probably 5 inches round, plus these would never have been strong enough to hold even if long enough. My worry would be if the bannister post isn’t strong enough to hold a stair gate - 1 why is it there and 2, is the bannister strong enough to serve purpose if this is the case, a huge safety red flag in my opinion. Safety measures should not be advertised, let alone provided if they are unusable as a safety measure. I was asked to find something at the cottage to tie it closed with or buy something and would be reimbursed. We had to use oven gloves to tie it closed for the duration of our stay - I wouldn’t have booked this cottage should I have known there was no way of keeping my child safely away from the stairs. On first glance the cottage seemed nice and clean, smelling strongly of bleach on arrival. However we later found the floor in the lounge to be sandy, the sofa covered in dog hair and once the smell of bleach faded it smelt quite strongly of damp. Whilst I appreciate it is a dog friendly cottage I would still expect it to be clean. The walls in the master bedroom were covered in faint mould marks which have obviously been wiped and the mattress in the master bedroom is in need of replacement as it dips heavily making it very uncomfortable. Internet was terrible with little signal and the instruction manual could do with instructions of how to use the TV as it took some figuring out. The property also needs more normal drinking glasses as there are only two in the property yet it sleeps 5, there are lots of wine glasses and champagne flutes which are not suitable. Would also recommend plastic plates / bowls and cups for smaller children. However there were adequate cleaning facilities provided when needed, tea, milk, biscuits, washing up Iiquid and dishwasher tablets let which was helpful. Location is great, and car park right next door is really good value at £6 for 24 hrs.

  Read more less >

• Susan - Verified booking

  I have stayed at this property twice before - last time was last Summer, so it follows that I am generally positive about it.

  It remains a very well situated property with good facilities including a lovely and well equipped kitchen and small outdoor patio which is pleasant to sit in. The linens - towels, bedding etc provided are generous and good quality. The layout of the property and way it has been furnished mean it would be best suited to a family - ie a couple with children - as the main bedroom is lovely but the two other bedrooms are very small and not well suited to adult occupants - for eg neither of the smaller bedrooms have any bedside table or reading light and you have to get out of bed to switch off the overhead light. Nor is there any wardrobe or place to hang clothes on the smaller rooms other than sharing the wardrobe in the main bedroom. It was disappointing to see that issues raised last time we stayed remain unresolved a year later. In particular, the property details indicate that a spare set of keys is located in the property. As per last year, they are missing and a single set of keys to front and back door only provided - during our stay last time the contact was unable to resolve this issue during our stay and we were told the previous occupant must have lost/taken the keys. We did not bother to try and raise the same issue again this year. Even for a single family stay, it is inconvenient for members not to be able to leave the property separately without locking the others in or not having a set of keys. The child stair gate is not a removable one and is affixed to the bottom stair in a way which impedes access to the bottom tread and is a real tripping hazard for, in particular, the elderly or children. I have never stayed in a property where the stair gate has not been fitted to be integral with the stair tread in this way. I did feel that this year the property was not as well maintained as previously. In particular, there were several dirty dishes in the cupboard, the oven was pretty grimy and the property decor was looking a bit shabby in places. Leaving time is 9am and check in a late 5pm, which is said to be due to the necessity of Covid deep cleansing procedures and, while the property was adequately clean (apart from oven etc) there certainly hadn't been anything like deep cleaning going on! That said, we enjoyed our stay in Wadebridge and the price was reasonable for location, facilities and season. It would just be a shame if further deterioration was allowed to such a nice rental.

  Read more less >

• Rachel - Verified booking

  We had a lovely visit to Cornwall.

  This was our first holiday as a new family with our 16month old. Wadebridge was a great base to explore and we were blessed with good weather. There were so many fun activities and great places to take our son. We were very grateful that the high chair and travel cot were set up for our arrival making it easy to set up for bedtime after a long 7.5 hour drive. The cottage was lovely and cosy and felt safe with a toddler who Is into everything! The only negative points we experienced were that the cottage was frugal with basics such as only one roll of toilet roll, minimal hand wash, one bin bag, 2 dishwasher tablets. We had to purchase all these basics extra and with the price of the stay for a week I would have expected these to be included. Cleaniness wasn’t pristine. There was a half chewed dog chew on the floor that our son found and picked up (directly into his mouth as an inquisitive toddler) and the toilet bowl was impacted with toilet roll when we arrived. The master bedroom was very well decorated but the bed was very uncomfortable for us which was made worse due to the uneven floor in the bedroom thus the bed leaned to one side. We didn’t sleep well all week. We still enjoyed our stay but I wanted to leave this feedback to improve future stays.

  Read more less >

• David - Verified booking

  We stayed at Pirata in September 2024.

  We had a very mixed stay with the property. Firstly the plus points - The location is excellent and off road parking in Charlestown is at a premium so it was great that this was included. The kitchen was generally well equipped (however missing the microwave that was advertised) and the beds were comfortable. Unfortunately this was outweighed by the negatives. The cottage had not been cleaned prior to our arrival and we were unable to contact the owners. Sykes were eventually able to contact them the next day, but we had to spend a night in used beds. The bathroom was very dated, smelled damp and had an old flickering halogen light which only turned on intermittently. The bedroom had french doors looking out onto decking, which should have been lovely, however the doors were warped and did not close properly, the week we visited was cold and wet and there was therefore a constant draft from the doors making it impossible to warm the lower portion of the property. We were provided with a nominal refund for the lack of housekeeping on the first day, but this did not cover even 1/10th of the cost of the stay. Overall would not recommend, although as noted above location, parking and nearby Charlestown are fantastic.

  Read more less >

• Carole - Verified booking

  We have being staying with Carbis Bay holidays for a significant amount of years, and this is the first time that we feel we have cause to complain.

  Photographs and property description are somewhat misleading, especially the ones showing the tables outside, as they face directly on to a road, with no privacy. The small courtyard at the rear was in a untidy state with most of the flower containers having dead flowers and weeds in them. When we arrived the lawn was totally overgrown and the borders needed weeding and a general tidy up. Other points to note:- Toilet roll holders in un-appropriate positions, one of which my husband had to fix. Toilet seat in main bathroom was loose and rotated when you sat on it. One of the oven shelves had brown stuff dried on it and looked like it would drip if warmed up. I noticed the gravy boat in the bottom drawn had brown splashes up one side. The sofa and cushions had seen better days, and one of the remotes looked like it had been chewed. On a safety note I felt the bannister going to the utility area should have been on the left hand side and not the right. Also steps, leading up to property need a hand rail at the beginning. We hope you find these observations constructive, as we wouldn't want other guests to have the same disappointment as we had.

  Read more less >