Villas In Port Isaac

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Rebecca - Verified booking

  Swallow cottage unfortunately was very disappointing.

  Other than the area, which is stunning and quiet,and outwardly the building appeared to be absolutely gorgeous. Inside was dirty and not maintained. The instructions on the Sykes website contradicted those left in the property. Firstly, there was no key safe as stated. So we spent a while trying to discover how to get in. After a phone call to the agent we discovered ourselves that there is in fact no key safe. And the property was left open with the keys on the upstairs table. The instructions from Sykes contradicted what was left in the owners book of instructions. 9:30 departure on Sykes, 9 am in the book. No instructions for the laundry, which we did work out ourselves but didn't end up using as the directions were so aggressive and blunt inside that I didn't feel like lining their pocket. Dogs welcome, fully dog friendly on Sykes but in the book keep them on lead and don't leave them alone ( which I did speak to the owner about, as this was one of the stipulations of us actually booking here.) The property inside although beautiful was dirty, and we spent an hour cleaning before we could unpack. I would suggest having a word with the cleaner as this is not a standard that is expected. We also had an extra horror of someone else's dirty underwear in one of the main bedroom drawers which we had to dispose of. It was a warm week when we stayed and half of the windows don't open, the double glass doors which lead to the balcony don't open properly and felt like they we're going to drop off. No exaggeration. And the double doors to the small fenced balcony do not open at all, resulting in no air flow all week. The toilet seat was dropping off, again I spoke to the owner about this and was assured this would be fixed but it was left so I ended up rectifying it myself. You will not get any service here unless you walk about the property outside. This can't be helped but needs to be more transparently advertised. Don't expect to be able to order in here, as we found nowhere to deliver locally. Understandable with the location but also I feel should be advertised. Good points The property location is quiet and a short walk into Port Isaac itself which is beautiful, scenic but also very hilly so keep that in mind if you are physically challenged. The property has a decent kitchen, with a large electric cooker, dishwasher and fridge. The king bed is comfortable, although my teenager found the bed in the single room to be uncomfortable. The property itself is nestled on a farm which is quiet and pretty and you have the extras of chickens and ducks wandering around. It is quiet and overlooks the bay. Nearby there is a dog friendly field by the second car park to your right as you go into Port Isaac that is fenced in, just in case your pooch needs extra security. We didn't end up spending a lot of time indoors due to all of the problems, and didn't get the impression from previous correspondence that anything would be rectified so made do for the week. But going forward we would not rebook unless standards met the price band paid. I am a travel blogger and hate to have to write negative reviews but renters need to know what to expect when they book a property.

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• Ian - Verified booking

  The apartment is lovely, great location and lives up to its 'quirky' description.

  We had a good week's holiday here. However, there were 3 significant problems: 1a. The property description (when you book it) says 'parking available' but then the welcome email the week before tells you that parking is not available but you can park, like everyone else, in the public car park which is 10 mins walk away and costs £10 overnight, adding £70 to your stay. This is very misleading. I would have chosen a different apartment with parking since we were driving out each day to the South West Coast Path. 1b. Also the welcome email says the street is extremely narrow and there isn't a drop off place outside the apartment - which would make unloading and loading very painful, with several sets of 20 min round trip walks to the public car park. But actually there are a couple of pull in spaces along Fore Street, including one right outside the apartment which is used every morning to deliver to the pasty shop and by other tradesmen - this saved us significant effort. 2. The property door was hard to find and the welcome email description was misleading and ambiguous. 'The steps to Pibbies are just after the main building on the left hand side, taking you up to the main door'. In fact, just past the Pasty Shop front is a door, up 3 steps, with number 22 above it and a plaque on the wall saying Stanley House - exactly the address of the apartment. We tried for 20 mins to get into this apartment, phoning your help line when the keycode number (2222) did not work and eventually actually getting in with the number 2221. Once inside, we then found beds unmade, no towels etc and called the housekeeping number in that apartment and Cory Rodwell very helpfully scrambled a team out to sort out the bedding that night & try to unravel the booking problem. Between us & Cory it became clear something was not right so we had another good look round outside, a bit further to the right of Stanley House is a gate marked 'Private Courtyard. The Old Bakehouse Flats Only' and 'Private Property. Please do not sit on the steps' which, if you go through this private gate, back round the spiral stone staircase, you get to a completely unmarked door ( no 'Pibbies' or '22' or anything ) which turns out to be the right apartment. We had already unpacked, and the scrambled team had already made the beds up in the first apartment but nevertheless, at 10pm that night we packed up again and moved to Pibbies. Not the best start to the holiday after a long drive from London .... I have photos of the gates & doors if you are interested. 3. The main double bed mattress is not very comfortable at all, way too soft for that style of bed. Regards, Ian

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• Kerry - Verified booking

  Lovely cottage in a quiet hamlet.

  Had a great week there exploring an area of Cornwall never visited before having always stayed in the Newquay area. Pro’s: Lovely & very modern well set out cottage with comfy beds. Has everything you need whilst there. However a few extra cleaning cloths would help as one dish sponge supplied so one for cleaning bathroom would help. I’m always wary in dog friendly accommodation even though I brought my own dogs but there was no dog smell which was great. Outside shower was a god send for showering dogs after beach. Cons: Having read previous reviews re, cleanliness I was a little worried. On arrival I was very disappointed that despite previous bad reviews that lessons hadn’t been learnt as it was very dirty & looked like it had been a long time since had a deep clean. It had received a surface clean only. The high windows above the patio doors were full of cobwebs complete with a spider. The skirting was dirty & behind the bed and bedside units even more so. Down the side of the sofa were the Wi-Fi unit was kept was disgusting, full of dust bunny’s and dead bugs. The upstairs loo extractor rained down clouds of dust & the occasional dust bunny rolled out from under the sofa. The velum windows were full of cobwebs inside and dirty outside. There was dirty cushion covers on sofas & a stained rug. Thick layer of dust on extractor hood and lamps. The remote controls were a petri dish for bacteria. You go on holiday to get away from housework & only expect to have to clean up after yourself. There was very limited Wi-Fi & only managed to get Netflix on once for 20 minutes but to be honest this did not bother us as it was nice to have the break from it all & we only used as a base for sleeping. I was a bit apprehensive about the garden not being enclosed with my 2 dogs but due to set up of the patio doors it was easy to keep an eye on them, plus due to location there was no passing traffic. We stayed there during a very hot week & the heat inside was unbearable, blinds at the doors and on the high windows would really help, we closed the curtains whilst out to cool the lounge down but the light & heat from the high windows above the patio doors was unbearable. A ceiling fan would be a great addition also. Would I stay here again? Yes but only if I could be guaranteed a cleaner cottage. You need to find a better cleaning company as that was the only downside which was a shame. I did try to contact the owner re, the cleanliness whilst there but as the phone signal is very poor I could not get a connection. Yes I could have tried whilst out & about where signal was better but I didn’t & that’s on me.

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• Kerry - Verified booking

  Lovely cottage in a quiet hamlet.

  Had a great week there exploring an area of Cornwall never visited before having always stayed in the Newquay area. Pro’s: Lovely & very modern well set out cottage with comfy beds. Has everything you need whilst there. However a few extra cleaning cloths would help as one dish sponge supplied so one for cleaning bathroom would help. I’m always wary in dog friendly accommodation even though I brought my own dogs but there was no dog smell which was great. Outside shower was a god send for showering dogs after beach. Cons: Having read previous reviews re, cleanliness I was a little worried. On arrival I was very disappointed that despite previous bad reviews that lessons hadn’t been learnt as it was very dirty & looked like it had been a long time since had a deep clean. It had received a surface clean only. The high windows above the patio doors were full of cobwebs complete with a spider. The skirting was dirty & behind the bed and bedside units even more so. Down the side of the sofa were the Wi-Fi unit was kept was disgusting, full of dust bunny’s and dead bugs. The upstairs loo extractor rained down clouds of dust & the occasional dust bunny rolled out from under the sofa. The velum windows were full of cobwebs inside and dirty outside. There was dirty cushion covers on sofas & a stained rug. Thick layer of dust on extractor hood and lamps. The remote controls were a petri dish for bacteria. You go on holiday to get away from housework & only expect to have to clean up after yourself. There was very limited Wi-Fi & only managed to get Netflix on once for 20 minutes but to be honest this did not bother us as it was nice to have the break from it all & we only used as a base for sleeping. I was a bit apprehensive about the garden not being enclosed with my 2 dogs but due to set up of the patio doors it was easy to keep an eye on them, plus due to location there was no passing traffic. We stayed there during a very hot week & the heat inside was unbearable, blinds at the doors and on the high windows would really help, we closed the curtains whilst out to cool the lounge down but the light & heat from the high windows above the patio doors was unbearable. A ceiling fan would be a great addition also. Would I stay here again? Yes but only if I could be guaranteed a cleaner cottage. You need to find a better cleaning company as that was the only downside which was a shame. I did try to contact the owner re, the cleanliness whilst there but as the phone signal is very poor I could not get a connection. Yes I could have tried whilst out & about where signal was better but I didn’t & that’s on me.

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• Mrs. Karin Wright - Verified booking

  Firstly, thank you for another wonderful holiday.

  We can't wait to return to Homelands in September for 2 weeks. The cottage is superb with everything we could possibly need. It's even better than last year now that bedlinen and towels are provided. The cleanliness is 10/10 and the position on Dolphin Street is fantastic. Love the little patio and with the fence you get all the privacy you need. We love the walk from Polzeath to Rock via Daymer Bay. Being National Trust members we make use of the Lundy Bay carpark and walk from there. The Rock Inn is a great place for lunch especially if you're lucky enough to get a table on the balcony looking out to Padstow. Boscastle is another favourite. A lovely little village with some great walks. Last September (when we first stayed in Homelands) we did the walk from Port Isaac to Port Quin via the coastal path. Phew. Great views and so many steps. Loved it though but we were pleased to be able to walk back overland. There are too many places to mention them all individually but how can I not mention Port Isaac. The jewel in the crown. I could easily live there. Such a pretty village with all the individual houses and steep windy lanes. Absolutely fell in love with it when we first arrived last year and feel the same now. Finally I work in Customer Service and just wanted to say a big 'thank you' to the team. Whenever I've emailed, phoned or called into the office everyone had been really friendly and helpful. I know how important this is from both sides. Thanks again and see you in September.

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