School Holidays 2017 Cottages In Portscatho

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Pamela - Verified booking

  The location of Puffin Cottage is perfect and the views are wonderful.

  It was lovely to sit on the window seat in the bedroom to watch the views over the harbour. It is a very steep walk up to the cottage but we were made aware of this and it did not pose too much of a problem. There is no available parking near to the cottage which is a challenge when offloading luggage. Again, we were made aware of this. Puffin Cottage is extremely clean and comfortable but we did experience a few minor issues. When we arrived, there were no keys in the key holder but after a phone call to housekeeper, she arrived with a key within 10 minutes. We had only one key to the outer porch door and nothing for the front door - this did not really pose a problem but, had I stayed at the cottage alone (without my husband), I would have felt vulnerable leaving the front door unlocked. There was a very long list of instructions which we were made aware of after booking. Shoes must be removed indoors, all surfaces are covered with protective fabric - the tables, the sofas, the window seats and the dressing table, which seems a little excessive. The main bedroom has a very large comfortable bed with beautiful white bed linen. However, the bed is a little too large for the room and there is only one bedside table. It is a real squeeze to get past the wardrobe as this is so close to the bed. Both bedrooms would be much more comfortable if the locked cupboards could be opened and used as storage which would clear more space. We stayed in the cottage from 28th December over the New Year period and were a little disappointed that there were no festive decorations and no welcome pack. The bathrooms are extremely clean and the fixtures high quality with powerful showers. The kitchen is very well kitted out but we were disappointed with the chunky heavy wine glasses so we purchased 4 wine glasses for our use and left them for the owner to keep. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Puffin Cottage but we did feel that we were staying in the owners home, with the locked cupboards and the protected surfaces, rather than being welcomed as paying guests.

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• Jacky - Verified booking

  The house had a moth infestation when we arrived.

  A pest controller had to come and treat the carpets in the end bedroom, whilst the cleaners returned to do a deep clean of all other carpetted areas. This took 5 days to resolve. Then the dishwasher broke down, which took another 6 days to resolve. There was also an intermittent problem with the shower, plus some broken windows (I gather the landing one has been like that for years) and the mattresses in the kids room are so old and lumpy that you can feel the individual springs. Throughout the holiday I was in constant contact with the agents to try and get things fixed. Communication back from them was very poor. For each problem I was told that the relevant person (ie pest controller, cleaner, dishwasher repairer) would come on a certain day, but they never did - plans were changed and I wasn’t informed. I had to keep phoning to get updates. In all, I spoke to the agents almost every day of our 2 week holiday. It was very stressful and not at all relaxing. It makes me sad to see the house in this state. We used to come on holiday here many years ago, when our kids were small. It was never luxurious, but it was much better cared for than this. To be fair to the owners, they have now refunded us part of our fee, as compensation for the problems. I hope that going forward they can resolve the issues for future holidaymakers. However we won’t be back.

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• Claire - Verified booking

  We thoroughly enjoyed our week's stay in Puffin Cottage.

  Although it states it is a compact cottage, there is everything you need for an enjoyable stay and there was ample space for 4 adults. The cottage was spotlessly clean and well appointed. It is at the top of a very steep hill, but well worth the climb for the magnificent views over the harbour. I would say that if you are not very fit or fully mobile, this is probably not an ideal location for you. The second bedroom on the ground floor which is a double, does not have much space around the bed, but is perfectly adequate and the comfort of the bed makes up for the lack of space. There is no wardrobe in the second bedroom, but it does have hanging space and 2 large drawers under the bed for storing clothes. We did not have a problem with this and my husband does tend to overpack!!! There is plenty of space and storage in the king sized room upstairs. The kitchen is well equipped and outside the kitchen is a lovely decked patio area with a table and 4 chairs for al fresco dining. There are lovely pubs/hotels in St Mawes where you can eat (we did have to book due to Covid19) but managed to get in. It is a lovely walk along the harbour front with beautiful views and plenty of space to sit on the beach. This is very pebbly in places, but so lovely. A small harbour town, relatively quiet but perfect. We would definitely return to St Mawes and Puffin Cottage. Excellent!!!!!

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• Sally - Verified booking

  Cottage is close to all amenities in St Mawes - just a short walk away.

  Comfortable beds and living/dining area upstairs offers wonderful views of the harbour and sea - always something going on. Unfortunately the bathing facilities let this cottage down; the main bathroom with hand held shower and en suite shower room to main bedroom did not offer anything like enough power in order to have a decent shower / rinse off soap / wash hair etc. The en suite shower had to be kept on Eco in order to offer consistent warm water (water not hot which at this time of year was inadequate). On High the water was intermittently scalding hot or cold. The main bathroom would benefit from a shower screen or shower curtain in order to be able to shower properly - again, no power to the shower. We have stayed in Pier cottage previously and hoped improvements to the bathrooms had been made, unfortunately not. Shame as other improvements are great and the cottage has everything needed for a great week away in a fabulous place - St Mawes. Above being said, we enjoyed our week but are unlikely to book again unless the bathing facilities are improved. Presumably this us why the cottage is 3 stars?

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• Sally - Verified booking

  Cottage is close to all amenities in St Mawes - just a short walk away.

  Comfortable beds and living/dining area upstairs offers wonderful views of the harbour and sea - always something going on. Unfortunately the bathing facilities let this cottage down; the main bathroom with hand held shower and en suite shower room to main bedroom did not offer anything like enough power in order to have a decent shower / rinse off soap / wash hair etc. The en suite shower had to be kept on Eco in order to offer consistent warm water (water not hot which at this time of year was inadequate). On High the water was intermittently scalding hot or cold. The main bathroom would benefit from a shower screen or shower curtain in order to be able to shower properly - again, no power to the shower. We have stayed in Pier cottage previously and hoped improvements to the bathrooms had been made, unfortunately not. Shame as other improvements are great and the cottage has everything needed for a great week away in a fabulous place - St Mawes. Above being said, we enjoyed our week but are unlikely to book again unless the bathing facilities are improved. Presumably this us why the cottage is 3 stars?

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