New Year Breaks In Whitby

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Christopher - Verified booking

  IMPORTANT RE LIFT AND SHOWER ACCESS: To the owner and Sykes: GIVE PEOPLE THE LIFT INFORMATION IN ADVANCE!

  See other reviews below. I got an email from Sykes pre-arrival with all necessary information re keys and entry etc EXCEPT about the lift. It promised a text from the owner on the day of arrival. I didn’t get one. Sykes had sent another email to me with the lift info, which I did not receive because I do not use email on my phone, and only saw when I got home. You get a key to a door on the left of the building where there is no lift. There is another door for other apartments to the right side of the building, which the outer door-key ALSO fits, which is not obvious at all. The lift is there! So I struggled (I’m partially disabled) up three flights of stairs with baggage, thinking that there was no lift. Thankfully my friend realised a 3rd floor door led across the outside of the building and we realised the lift was there and then tried the key in the other ground-floor door. See the reviews below: Mar 2023, Jun 2023, July 2021, and Jan 2022 (when they never found the lift). This is ludicrous. There is no sensible reason for omitting the lift access information from that sent in advance. And clearly Sykes and the owner do not read the reviews or have not acted on the feedback. Sykes: THIS IS VITALLY IMPORTANT FOR DISABLED PEOPLE, and annoying for everyone. There is so little accessible accommodation in Whitby and many disabled people will opt to stay at this apartment. RE THE SHOWER: The photo of a walk-in shower makes it look fairly accessible, but the shower tray and screen are too long for the size of the room. There is only an 18-inch gap between the end of the fixed screen and the wall. My shoulders are wider than that and I therefore had to walk in sideways facing the wall and then step backwards over the shower tray. This would prevent people with greater disability from safely accessing the shower – and there is no grab rail. (Mentioned in Oct 2021). To Sykes and the owner – grab rails are not expensive additions, and when this shower needs replacing, a shorter screen would be sensible. And I previously booked a Whitby property with an accessibility statement with all measurements, which may help. There are people I know who would not have been able to use that shower. These simple things will get you more repeat bookings, but a little thought and extra information is crucial to avoiding anxiety and at worst an inaccessible apartment for disabled people. Contrary to a previous review the flat itself was very clean, but I always check the beds and the mattress protectors needed a shake (!) and did not look as though they had been washed. These should be washed between every visit. A minor niggle was that the toilet roll holder had a bit of old cheap spring at one end so it was unusable. I don’t understand how these cheap and broken things are not fixed. I am sad to write the above because the apartment is lovely, was very well-equipped, and apart from the above points, a Godsend for disabled or elderly or ill people. It is an almost flat 10-minute walk to the town and swing bridge and has parking right next to the building. The views over the river and to the harbour are fabulous, and to sit and watch gulls, cormorants, ducks and shags right outside, and steam trains, and the lights of the town at night was wonderful. So please, Sykes, and Kerrie, get the above sorted. It may help future bookings (and more importantly avoid even more repetitions of the problem) if you respond to this review to say that the above issues have been sorted. Not everyone reads or scrolls down these reviews.

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• Angela - Verified booking

  The location of the property is fantastic, and the promise of off road parking was a big incentive.

  The apartments are finished to a very high specification and Helen provided lots of pre visit information and recommendations. The Evening Star is much smaller than other apartments that are priced the same so we expected them to be the same, however in reality the living space is very small and dark, we are tall and barely fitted in the double beds, especially in room two when there is no room at the end of the bed for long legs. The apartment is on the ground level as you walk into the building but in reality it is in the roof of the Shed, thus the windows are all below shoulder level, so you have to bend well down to look out and there is thick frames and heavy black Iron grating, giving the impression of a prison cell, so although we could technically see the abbey and the river, it was only if we knelt on the floor. Also the 2nd bedroom is so small that you can’t walk round the bed, so the person sleeping next to the window (approx 6 feet from the 6.30am train on the track right next to it) has to climb over their partner for any night time bathroom visit. There needs to be some sort of procedure, perhaps a locking pole at the end of each parking spot, with a key for each flat as it was clear that some people used more than their one space allocation, we were not the only couple who had to park on the road, despite paying for this premium Property on a promise of off road parking. We would definitely stay at the Engine shed again, but definitely not in the Evening star if it stays the same price as the bigger apartments.

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• Jane - Verified booking

  The location was great and the cottage very quirky but not suitable for dogs at all.

  There is no garden and no grassed area so wherever the dog needs to relieve its self outside the cottage can only be next to someone else's property or down the steps to the cobbled shopping areas. The lounge is on the second floor and the steps are too steep and difficult for dogs. Most owners have the dogs with them in the lounge, they dont leave them on their own on another floor. The furnishings were very old, tired and uncomfortable. The easily accessible drawers to put clothes in the bedroom were full of towels and bedding for the cottage and the other small drawers difficult to get to.The shower was pretty much useless, over the bath with no shower rail. The parking permit is pretty useless as its for a parking area much further away from the central car park in town, which in itself is quite some distance across town to carry luggage, with a dog and our grandchild. No complementary condiments to give the lovely welcome most cottage do. No black bag for the bin, no spare toilet roll. The cottage feels like the owners cant be bothered putting in that special effort to make a nice welcome for guests but still are charging a high price.We will never stay there again and wont recommend to our friends.

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• Kath - Verified booking

  Fantastic to be finally out of lockdown & allowed to go to the seaside!

  !! However parking was a nightmare - unloading the car on a tiny street with loads of pedestrians & other vehicles trying to get past. Having to park miles away, so on a trip out to the beach having to carry all our stuff miles. It made it stressful & exhausting. I think it needs to be really clearly spelt out that parking in Whitby is difficult to find & the house location means I you’ll have to park a long way away, if your v lucky you might get a spot in the limited pay & display £9 a day. Remember everything you bring has to be carried ... we brought way too much stuff! The house was quirky & v characterful which was lovely, but top stair landing was precarious & also The banister rail was loose, so had to be really on the ball! It’s not really a family holiday house, but the location is fantastic and the house a real experience, loved the old bath! You’ll need healthy knees as there are a LOT of very steep uneven steps,! I’d say it’s great for a short break just to explore Whitby as you’re right in the old town. But come on the train & with a small overnight bag!

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• Anthony - Verified booking

  Overall we really enjoyed our break.

  The cottage is in perfect location - on the doorstep of the town centre, yet in a very quite lane. The only downside of the location is that you have to factor in the £9 / day on parking. The cottage is very characterful and nicely decorated. Cleanliness on the whole was good apart from a number of kitchen items that needed washing up before being used. But a few negative comments too. Well, nowadays having Wifi is expected particularly by our teenage son who found it a real shock to the system! I almost enjoyed him having an enforced break from the internet, apart from the fact that we, as parents, have to deal with the fallout! The size of the TV was a surprise - its about the size of a computer monitor. No excuse for that really. Getting enough hot water for a bath is obviously an art that we could not master. Some areas of the cottage were a little tired looking and could do with a bit of attention. So would we book again? Maybe, but we'd probably look for a property with those expected facilities first.

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