Exmouth Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Simone - Verified booking

  We are a family of 4 - 2 adults, a 10 and 8 year old.

  We have just returned form a 7 night stay in August 2024. Please be aware Old Town House is situated on a very busy road. The traffic is continuous even during the night and early mornings. We struggled to sleep through the road noise, even with all the windows shut all night Traffic noise is also loud from the kitchen and living room. I did speak to Sykes cottages before I booked our stay and was told the road was quiet, trust me it's not a quiet road! The garden is not accessible from the cottage, you have to leave through the back door and out into the parking area. It's not suitable for children to be on their in the garden and you can't dry washing outside as the garden is not secure. Also one of the garden seats was badly broken, so only enough seating for 2 people. We found all of the mattresses on the beds to be very uncomfortable. The blind in the master bedroom did not work and fell down every day. The cottage was fairly clean. We had a glass of water left next to one of the beds from previous guests, and there was a used tissue shoved down the side of a mattress on another bed. Also the photo of The Old Town House shows the whole front- this isn't the actual holiday let, its one 1/2 only. We felt very very let down by Sykes Cottages, as I raised these points on the 1st day of our holiday. No one came back to me until the last day of our holiday , thier resolution was a £17 refund from the owner and a £50 refund from them on the condition we packed up and left early. This was not acceptable for us because of our children. The nightly rate was certainly more than £67. Thier attitude to our complaint regarding the road noise and garden was shameful. It is a nice walk into the town, and Dawlish is lovely. The cottage has all the kitchen facilities required and the shower is great. However, the description and photos are not accurate, and we definitely definitely won't ever book with Sykes Cottages again.

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• Alison - Verified booking

  The location of this house is great for town and transport links and we liked leaving the car to walk around or catch a train.

  It is quite a roomy property and has been decorated to a good standard. On arrival the property smelt unpleasant, which was strange as it had been cleaned very well and we saw the cleaners leaving. There was a strong vinegar smell (maybe a cleaning fluid) and the kids said the cushions on the sofa smelt strange (maybe needs a deeper clean? ). We left the door open for a couple of hours to help loose the smell which mainly went after 2 days stay and was the ok. The kitchen looks almost new and had every utensil necessary with plenty of pots etc. We found the little freezer o.k for our needs but is too small for larger items like pizza. Plenty of crockery and cutlery which is good and much better then many homes we have stayed in. Soaps and dishwasher cleaners provided which is also good. A good night's sleep was a bit difficult due to the very noisy road being used as a rat run at all hours and not having a deep nights sleep on the uncomfortable lumpy beds sadly. I think this property could be 5 star if a downstairs toilet could be added in the cupboard area by the front door as would be very useful, and new mattresses on beds for better sleep. We would stay again if beds more comfy. Thank you for accommodating our last minute booking. Also the company who respond to queries were extremely efficient, polite and helpful

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• Maureen - Verified booking

  The property was in a lovely position and suited our needs there were just a few issues that could have been better.

  The second floor bedroom window blind was broken on our arrival. We contacted the caretake, initially by text but no reply so had to phone her. She said the owners were sending a new one but she did not know when and would get back to me. Following day I had a text from her to say could she get into property to measure blind to forward this to owners so they could send new one. However looking at feedback comments at the cottage it appears the blind had been an issue for a while. We were only staying for 3 nights so this issue was not fixed by time we left. The people staying in that room had to use the cushions from the living room sofa as a way to cover the window at night - there is a street light outside the property. The bottom sheet of the first floor bedroom had some black marks on the edge of it. We also commented to the caretaker that the water tasted metallic and was that an issue in that area but got no reply. We did note there was a new kettle in the property and wondered if it was that or the water supply. We ended up buying bottled water and boiling it on the hob. Also only one toilet roll was left at the property and it would have been a nice touch to have a spare one. Having said all of this we did enjoy our stay and the cream tea, milk and bottle of water in the fridge was a very nice touch.

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• Mark - Verified booking

  An excellent choice for an escape to the south Devon coast.

  St Julien does exactly what it says on the listing and the views of the sea from the open plan living space really is quite wow. As a low-level train enthusiast, hearing them rumble away quietly in the distance making their way towards Exeter or further west was a treat! The apartment was clean and welcoming, as was Maggie the owner downstairs who was on hand with a text if necessary but who allowed us to enjoy our time in her space. Situated within a 5 minute walk from a Premier, a short drive from a Sainsburys or a 12-15 minute walk from black swan haven of Dawlish town centre and its train station, St Julien was also located right alongside a bus stop, where the No.2 Stagecoach could take you towards Newton Abbot or up to Exeter for just £2 each one-way. So my wife and I ended us using the buses and trains all week to explore the south coast and left the car in the neat and comfy parking bay outside the entrance. Everything in the apartment worked easily - a good shower, an easy to use Smart TV and a basic but fully operable kitchenette that did the job. Excellent and most certainly recommended for couples or solo travellers looking for a comfy, welcoming, well connected base from which to explore Devon and beyond. A big Welsh 'Diolch' to Maggie for her hospitality and warm welcome.

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• Josie - Verified booking

  The cottage was lovely.

  Lots of character and very clean. It was very well equipped, including items for a baby or toddler (highchair/ travel cot available/ roll out stairgates already set up upstairs and downstairs). The owners have also clearly thought about how they are managing safety with Covid-19. There is a garden (be aware this is not directly attached to the property), and a very small outside patio space between the living room and kitchen which is quite nice to sit at. The house is situated in a small, quiet village ten minutes drive from Dawlish/Dawlish Warren etc, and a good base for days out. Although no front drive parking, we never had any issue getting a space on the road next to the house, and there is a free village car park right next to the place anyway. Wi-Fi could be a bit patchy at one end of the house, but not really a problem for us. Those with mobility issues may wish to consider that there are a couple of steepish steps between the living area and kitchen. We stayed here with our toddler, and it worked really well for us. We would happily return.

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