School Holidays 2017 Cottages In Torquay

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Grant - Verified booking

  What can you say about Holcombe House.

  ....it looked magnificent in the pictures but was even better in reality. It is a truly amazing property - my daughter described it as staying in 'National Trust' property. It is a large house with many rooms, but its is also very warm and homely - we felt immediately comfortable there. The kitchen is where we ate most of our meals and, as is often the case, was the gathering spot. We spent a number of shared evenings in the main living room, which easily accommodating the seven of us (and dog). The annex kitchen was used by the kids for their studies, so near enough but far enough. The two additional TV rooms were ideal to give everyone enough space so we weren't in each others pockets the whole time. The kids also enjoyed some very competitive games of table football in the conservatory. The bedrooms we used were all huge, although the two in the annex were smaller, they weren't small. We also had bathrooms for each pair, so again allowing for plenty of comfort and no waiting. The grounds whilst not massive were plenty for the dog and I even managed an afternoon in the sun to read my book - not to be sniffed at in mid-October. A word of advice - the gateway is a little tight for those with larger cars so best approached from up the hill as on a slight angle, but this isn't an issue and there was plenty of parking space (the Google maps pictures are not up-to-date). I could not recommend this property enough - we were a party of seven + dog and it was perfect for us but could easily accommodate bigger groups. On the (very sad) day of leaving my wife described it as a privilege to stay in such a magnificent property....that about sums it up.

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• Karen - Verified booking

  It’s a beautiful house with stunning views.

  It’s reasonably well equipped and has plenty of comfortable seating indoors for a large family. The beds are all very comfortable and the house was clean and tidy when we arrived. The welcome pack was the best we’ve ever had in decades of renting holiday lets. What lets the place down is basic maintenance. The steep stone stairs to the lower floor are hazardous and we could not use that floor as planned for our elderly parents. The advert is not clear that use of this floor involves a descent down stone stairs with a piece of loose carpet over the top stair. That floor seems not to have been used for a long time as it smelt musty. The shower tray is extremely slippy and needs a non-slip mat. Because our disabled parents could not use this floor, we had to give them the twin en-suite so that they would at least have their own bathroom. They usually sleep together in a King size bed and so we worried all week that they would fall from the single beds. Upstairs, the main bathroom shower hose is broken and needs replacing. The most disappointing element was the gardens. They have not been maintained at all and there is no comfortable seating - a picnic bench and a rusty metal patio set are not suitable for a large family to relax. There was also no means for outdoor cooking. For those reasons, we did not use the gardens at all. The upstairs roof garden was dirty and full of soil from the gutters. Once again, this could not be used.

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• Teresa - Verified booking

  My family and I had the most wonderful stay at Holcombe House.

  There was plenty of room for us to spread out in the large reception rooms. Our first evening we all enjoyed a meal in the beautiful large and airy dining room with a lovely view of the setting sun. The bedrooms were large and airy as well, with comfortable beds. I holidayed in Torquay as a child and am glad I came back and introduced my family to the English Riviera, we were lucky to be blessed with a full week of sunshine everyday. Everyone loved Torquay, we experienced great food at all facilities we visited with friendly service staff. An excellent holiday we will definitely be back to visit again. There were a couple of negative things I would like to mention which did not spoil a great week but I feel need mentioning. The recycling bins were already full up when we arrived on the Friday, we put them out as instructed on the Wednesday. We had to use black bags for our waste. The bin men emptied the black boxes already filled from the previous occupants and then emptied our black sacks into the boxes!! We struggled to keep on top of recycling as there are not enough boxes for a large party of people. Also, the garden was very overgrown when we arrived which did add a slight disappointment to the overall impression of such a grand house. However, this was sorted within a few days, which made a big difference.

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• Bridget - Verified booking

  Having been assured that the house would be deep cleaned before our stay I was horrified by the state of the place.

  It was extremely disappointing. On opening the front door and seeing the place for the first time I really didn’t know if I actually could bear to stay there for a whole week. Putting new geraniums in pots outside was no answer to making the rooms fresh and clean and clearing out all the clutter. The big bedroom on the right was so very dirty that no one would sleep in it. We found cloth and huge dust balls under the bed. It was disgraceful. The pillows and under sheet were not clean in the other two bedrooms. Only one bedroom on the right was of a decent standard. The carpets were so grubby and not suitable for my 9 month granddaughter to crawl on. The kitchen was haphazard and badly equipped. We had to take a door off the kitchen cupboard on the first night as it was loose and dangerous. The whole place was fusty and grubby. It was actually creepy to be there. The patio was unswept. The list goes on. As I had been in touch with Sykes before about the state of the house and been reassured that it would be deep cleaned I was hugely disappointed to find such an unbelievably dirty place. I expected some refund. I also recommend that you take this property off your books as it doesn’t reflect well on your company to have such a substandard property on your books. I shall email photos.

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• Annette - Verified booking

  Although this property was above our projected budget we booked as there was very little else available.

  What a great decision it was!! From the moment you walk in the door you are met with pure luxury. Decoration is beautiful throughout. A very thoughtful welcome package of cream tea and prosecco was awaiting us! Every room was spotlessly clean and there was so much space, my family could have spent the week there without actually seeing each other!! (HaHa) Both kitchens were very well equipped, as were all the WC's. We didn't expect towels and sheets in this current climate but they were provided and like brand new! Beds were so comfy, as were the sofas in all living rooms. No expense has been spared here; outside seating at every level so always something in the sun if you didn't fancy the 10 minute walk to the beach. We really appreciated the children's toys and equipment; there was a great selection of board games and cook books, we were almost wishing for a rainy day to stay in and make use of them!! Amazing. 100% recommended. One point to be aware of is that - like any coastal area - it is quite hilly. This was not our first time using Sykes Cottage and again we have been able to rely on their quality of holiday accommodation.

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