Goose Beck Cottages - Solaris

Reviews (2)

• Ian Davies

  We stayed in Solaris cottage at Goose Beck Vineyard in late June, during the heatwave, and it was a wonderful property, in a great setting. The cottage is surprisingly spacious - often photographs make a small property look bigger, but in this case I would say the pictures don't do it justice! The kitchen appliances were all good quality, and so is the cutlery - very nice to use. It's nice to find a self-catering property where there is still space in the cupboards for your own supplies, especially after a little shuffling and condensing of glasses and mugs into one cupboard. The dishwasher worked well, and wasn't too noisy, it could be run overnight without disturbing any sleep. There was an electric fan that heats and cools, which was obviously needed during the heatwave, but the owners went out and bought more fans to make sure all the cottages had as much cooling as needed to cope with the heatwave. This was very generous, and an example of just how well we were looked after. It seemed nothing was too much trouble, and they wanted us to enjoy our stay. There is a Velux window in the bedroom which was good at letting the heat out when we got back from a day out and good wardrobe space built into the eaves. And sockets! Oh my goodness such a pleasant change to have lots of electrical sockets for charging our devices, and even better, the sockets either side of the bed had two USB ports, one USB A and one USB C, and there was another pair of these sockets downstairs, as well as several standard double sockets. There are two EV chargers in the parking area, which use a card provided by the owner to start the charge, and then pay the owner at the end of the week. We didn't actually use the charger as I found some 150kW chargers nearby at Arnold Clark in York that were surprisingly cheap at the time we were there, but I imagine the low price must have been a temporary offer of some kind. And then there is the experience of staying on a vineyard! It was lovely to see the vines as we drove in and out each day, and unlike a farm, the vines don't make any noise to wake you up early in the morning! In fact the location is very quiet. We timed our visit so we could join the wine tasting experience, which was excellent, and included a walk out into the vineyard to learn about planting and growing vines, followed by the wine tasting. And after the tasting, it was just a short walk back to the cottage, so no need for the driver to miss out for once! There isn't anything available within walking distance, unless you are happy to walk 0.7 miles along the lane to the village of Tockwith where there are two pubs and a Budgens food store, but there are plenty of shops in and around York, with the large Clifton Moor retail park (with a cinema) on the outskirts of York with plenty of free parking, whereas parking in York is very expensive. The nice big TV in the lounge is a smart TV, but casting wasn't available so we couldn't play any of the programmes we had downloaded to our tablet, but the range of apps built-in meant there was lots of entertainment to choose from. We could see from the photo's that there is a fancy Nespresso coffee pod machine, so we bought a pack of Nespresso pods to take with us, but found they did not fit, as the machine is a Nespresso Vertuo, which use larger pods with bar codes. The complimentary coffee pods produced lovely coffee, just a shame the pods are not available in supermarkets, but they can be purchased from John Lewis in York, or ordered online. However, Felicity was happy to provide us with a cafetiere so we could use regular filter coffee. Overall, a fantastic cottage, in a delightful setting, with easy access to York, Harrogate, the Yorkshire Moors and the coast, owned by wonderful people who want every visitor to have a great stay.

• Confirmed Guest

  Immaculate property in a peaceful location, ideal for travel to York or to Leeds. Sits on one of the 10 Yorkshire vineyards and Solaris has a wonderful view of the vines (and any wildlife) from the upper floor. Vehicle entrance to the property is through the electronically-operated gate and so feels secure. Solaris is nearest the car park but I wasn't bothered by vehicle noise. All cottage guests will walk past Solaris entrance but this wasn't a problem for me. There is a small table and chairs just outside the entrance. The bathroom for the cottage is on the upper floor so won't suit some guests needing more accessible facilities. Laundry facilities are available by arrangement. Bed was very comfortable and I appreciated the welcome gifts and Nespresso coffee machine. The village isn't too far and has a good general store and charming old pub serving good food.