North East Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Daniel - Verified booking

  The location is excellent, but there are some genuine problems, and also problems with the way that Sykes dealt with the problems.

  I travel extensively and stay in holiday rental properties, so I’m realistic about what to expect. We payed nearly £700, including the booking fee. There are lots of good points and things to recommend it; the bed was very comfortable, the kitchen was quite well equipped, the Wifi and TV worked and getting the keys was straightforward. There’s a good variety of books, the master bedroom is nice and airy, there’s an outside toilet, a nice fireplace and the sofa is comfortable. The shower is powerful and there’s more than enough hot water. It’s a comfortable place to stay and I’d almost recommend it. But….The parking is not trivial as, being on Hall Close, it can be a bit of a walk if one has to park at the far end of it. And…. - the property does not have smoke detectors. Or rather, one had been there but had been removed and the very old one that is there doesn’t work. I flagged this to Sykes who asked for pictures; their messaging app doesn’t accept pictures, leading to a week of messages which went nowhere. Sykes didn’t seem to be at all bothered by this and repeatedly asked if we had told the owners (we did, when we noticed it) - the property is in real need of refreshing; the house smelt strongly of damp when we arrived and there was peeling paint in the kitchen, and damp patches in the living room. We had to buy air fresheners to cover the smell - check-in and check-out times are unclear. The property listing states that check-out is 10am, or 11am depending on the which bit of the listing you’re reading. The confirmation message from the manager stated 12pm. I checked the day before we left, and was told it was 10am, resulting in having to change plans to meet family for breakfast. Sykes have refused to acknowledge these discrepancies. You might want clarification before you book if this is important to you. It was important to us. - alas, the street. Most of the neighbours are lovely, friendly and welcoming. They really are. But a house 30 yards down the street is boarded up with an court order on the metal front door, and another neighbour had a domestic argument with shouting in the street and banging on the door until 3am. Your experience may vary. It didn’t ever feel unsafe though, just some houses felt run-down and a bit uncared for. Many were lovely though - the plaster behind socket behind the bed is cracked; it seems it’s only a matter of time before it cracks completely and the socket becomes very unsafe - ah, the lack of bins. It isn’t even listed in the council website has having rubbish collected (although the neighbours are…). The instructions for waste bins are to bag up your rubbish (presumably with your own bin bags you’ve bought or brought) and leave them in the back alley. In Summer. Potentially for 2 weeks. With rats, cats and local foxes. We were on a “recycling” week, and there was no instructions about what to do then. It’s a small thing, but I don’t much like having rubbish pulling up in the kitchen because there’s no way to store it outside With a little love and TLC, it could be stunning place and a real gem. It really could. As it is, it feels rather like going to stay at an elderly aunt’s, complete with faded pictures on the walls and towels from the early 1990s, dregs of previous holidaymakers’ washing up liquids in multiple bottles, a lack of hand soap and barely enough toilet paper to last more than a weekend.

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• Ruth - Verified booking

  Myself, husband and dog have just returned from a 4 day xmas break from this property in Marske and we are so incredibly disappointed and quite disgusted at the standard the property has been let.

  We use Sykes a fair bit and feel as though we have to write to you due to the very poor state this property is in. The property in general is filthy, run down and in need of a revamp of some drastic kind or even be taken off your website. Do you have a policy standard of lettable properties? Do you visit for checking for what the property advertises? As we use Skyes often do you not have a reputation to keep? We went away looking forward to this break, and we're horrified that this property could actually be let? Outside Scuffs, chip.marks.and generally dirt on the front step, this actually carries right through the property with damp areas, plaster coming off walls and ceiling and big holes. Kitchen bin had no lid, unhygienic. The back yard is a disgrace. Green slippy slimy paving that has never seen a jet wash. 2 drains outside filled with rubbish and lots of cigarettes ends. Inside Filthy stained carpets, smelly old wardrobes that we didnt use. Filthy stained kitchen chairs from 1970 which we didn't sit on. Mould in shower. Limited old utensils and dishes. Doors that don't shut properly. Sofa, filthy stained and rpped and full of rubbish under the cushions.e.g. tissues copper coins etc. All drawers full of junk. All pictures are so old they have damp yellow stains. This is not a quick lick of paint and a bit of DIY and a clean but a serious inspection. You and the owner are making a profit which is not acceptable. I have already raised a complaint. We look forward to your response. Ruth & Johnny

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• Alison - Verified booking

  We had a wonderful stay in Northumberland, 23 Valley View was warm and clean, with a very comfortable bed and wonderful shower.

  My husband enjoyed the golf course every day and the dog enjoyed the walks through the woods. All towns and beaches were within easy access and we spent a lot of time exploring. We did have a few issues, we were unable to watch live television (rugby world cup) however hard we tried, we managed to sign into netflix eventually, Iplayer was very bad . The welcome pack consisted of a couple of tea bags and some sachets of milk and sugar... no one expects a special welcome but when you were stuck in a huge jam on the A1 for two hours (we had a long journey anyway) and arrive late its nice to be able to relax with a few cups of tea before having to rush to the shops. A small amount of washing up liquid, cleaning cloth and small amount of liquid hand soap would have been nice as a starter. The information pack could do with some updating, it would be helpful if the Wi-Fi code was in it, we had to hunt around for it and maybe the instructions for appliances, we weren't sure how to use the dishwasher but found instructions in the end. Also some information on recycling that was available at the site. 23 Valley View was a great place for a holiday, the site was quiet and everyone was very friendly, will certainly be considering another stay.

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• Gillian - Verified booking

  This cottage could be a truly lovely space, however it is in dire need of investment!

  The photographs on the website do not accurately depict the condition of the fabric of the building or its fixtures and fittings. The kitchen wall had plaster missing, the furniture was worn and threadbare, the carpets upstairs stained, the beds very old and the mattresses in need of replacement, the bathroom floor is also requiring attention. Sadly, some of the kitchen equipment and dishes were unusable, there were personal items of different kinds in the cupboards both upstairs and down, including clothing which we found uncomfortable. We arrived to weeds at the front door and to a blocked drain in the back yard, the smell of which had permeated the inside of the house, which was very unpleasant. Upon contacting the owners representative the drain was very quickly attended to. I sent photographs to Sykes via WhatsApp after previously contacting them via Messenger but they failed to speak to me, so I eventually stopped trying after several attempts between 24 June and 1 July. Sykes promise to call me never materialised. I am very disappointed by the level of service Sykes provided. Their lack of communication left me feeling unsupported.

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• Joan - Verified booking

  We had a lovely stay at the caravan with our Border Collie who loved all the walks around the site and the area.

  We used it as a base to visit Alnwick which was a 15 minute drive away also went to Seahouses and Bamburgh about 40 mins drive and Amble was worth a visit too. The nearest town Felton was about 3 miles away which had a little shop to stock up on some essentials but you really needed to go into Alnwick for a bigger shop. As for the caravan itself it had everything you needed although the mobile broadband was a bit unreliable it wasn’t too bad and didn’t affect our enjoyment overall. The only issue we had was the ensuite tap was cold it didn’t heat up but the shower was fine and it wasn’t really a problem. So we would suggest that although the information pack was very informative it should include how to report any problems. But we loved the caravan and the site itself the welcome pack was very much appreciated and we would definitely recommend it.

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