Pickering Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Ebony C - Verified booking

  Cottage was in a great location, shame it was less than clean. Arrived at 8pm and immediately had to start cleaning the kitchen and living room so we could be comfortable. The rug in the sitting room hadn’t been hoovered and was covered in long dog hair and a large dead insect. We didn’t know the carpet had a pattern until we hoovered it ourselves. The windows were dirty on the inside and the sofas arms were badly soiled and in need of a clean. The drink matts which were made of felt were thick with hair and dust. In the kitchen we found dried rice on the floor and the countertops, my mini dachshund has a rice allergy so this can be dangerous for her. Of course she ate some before we could hoover it up and so we were up all night as she had an upset stomach. There was food debris in the kitchen drawers and even on the cutlery which was clearly visible, marmalade we believe. The drinking glasses were sticky to touch and dirty. One of the cupboards had a small matted pile of dust in it. The upstairs bathroom was also in need of a deep clean and maintenance with mould in the shower. The bathroom window was also dirty and complete with spider and cobwebs. Emailed Host & Stay that night, they replied quickly and were very apologetic. They were sending a cleaning team the next day to correct the housekeeping. The cleaning team never arrived. Phoned Host and Stay to be told that the cleaning team was never booked and that we could fill in a complaints form. Filled in and offered £45 refund for the cleaning fee, I replied saying this was not good enough, have not heard anything since. Wished to leave a review on Host &Stay only to find they vet the reviews themselves so you do not have an accurate representation of guest experiences. For the price point we expected better, especially compared to other cottages in Pickering. Could be a beautiful place to stay if it was cared for. First and last time booking with Host and Stay. Lesson learnt.

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• Jeremy - Verified booking

  The "roadside parking" was a real issue.

  We were only given some clarity on this by email on 29th September, 3 days before we were due to leave for our holiday. This email spoke of off road parking at the bottom of the steps to the row of cottages. When we arrived we found the off road parking was occupied by a deep fenced-off excavation, seemingly work in progress by the water company, and a large heap of hard core, presumably left by the water company to back fill the excavation when work is completed. All of which made it extremely difficult to park with any sense of security. This situation soured our holiday and I believe Sykes/owner should have informed us of the full facts about the condition of the off road parking, allowing us time to change the date of our visit or Sykes/owner to make alternative arrangements for parking, in what is a very tight location under normal circumstance. Also I don't understand why there is no thought given to mentioning, that due to the steps that have to be used to exit and access the cottage on each occasion, that these steps might be difficult the older person or anyone with a walking difficulty. It sounds as if we have nothing good to say about Ghyll Cottage, which is not correct. The cottage was comfortable and with great views, but this experience leads us to think twice about ever using Sykes in future.

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• Rosemary - Verified booking

  Damson Cottage very well refurbished and equipped to a high standard. No issue with description or condition when we arrived. BUT there were some issues. No hand towel, no kitchen roll, no scouring/sponge pads for washing up in kitchen. No written instructions for the heating/thermostat, which proved difficult to operate. Not possible to fulfil the request to turn the thermostat down and RETAIN that lower temperature on the thermostat when leaving the property empty during the day. Although Services tried to help the outcome was stalemate. The instructions for using the fancy new oven were in French NOT in English. Had to go by guess work. The microwave proved another challenge when trying to simply cook a jacket potato. For two ladies in their seventies it was an impossible task. Too high tech. Both bedside lights in top bedroom were not working. The top bedroom was also quite cold on the three November mornings that we stayed. In the summer this would probably be ok. Over to you!

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• Joanne - Verified booking

  The house itself was nicely done out, but very dusty and dirty bathrooms. We asked for twin beds, which was described in the description and I asked for this to be confirmed on two occasions. The beds weren’t set up when we arrived and we were promised they’d be done the next day. They still weren’t. We were then promised that evening they’d be done, they still weren’t. I had to go out and buy bedding for my daughter so she had a bed to sleep in. Not acceptable when it was promised on arrival. It’s the main reason we booked the accommodation as we needed twin rooms. The neighbours dog was constantly barking also. Something to consider for people booking. Wouldn’t recommend host & stay and wouldn’t recommend a stay at Damson Cottage!

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• Karen - Verified booking

  Damson Cottage was absolutely beautiful. It's been tastefully modernised but also kept some of the original features. The way it's been decorated is gorgeous and everything has been done to a very high standard. The kitchen, bathrooms and furniture are all lovely and it feels really homely. There was everything you need for a comfortable stay. I loved the slogans on the toilet rolls! The cottage is only a few minutes walk into the really pretty village of Thornton-le-Dale with it's lovely independent shops, pubs (except the New Inn) and especially the bakery. Lovely scenic walks around the village. I really enjoyed our stay and would love to return and would definitely recommend. Nothing, we didn't want to go home!

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