Holiday Cottages in Scotland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Lee - Verified booking

  We had a late arrival on the Friday evening meaning that it was dark, unfortunately the property was not lit up nor was the path.

  It would have been easier to access the property if the lights had been left on. When we arrived the house was cold, however we were able to put on the log burner to heat up the house quickly. Unfortunately the dish washer did not work and we alerted the owner the next day. We were without a dishwasher until the Tuesday afternoon therefore the first four and half days we had no dishwasher. This was a pain given that it was our holiday and there weren’t a lot of plates/cups to use meaning we had to wash a lot of dishes for a family of 4. There is also not sufficient workspace available to put the dishes on the worktop to dry. The first night we slept in the beds upstairs to be closer to the kids - beds which were most uncomfortable you can feel the springs. The description of super kingsize is completely inaccurate as it is two wooden framed single beds pushed together with two single duvets . Nice size room but definitely challenging getting in and out of given the low slopes ceiling. The next evening we went to sleep in the second room downstairs which had soiled bedding on - I alerted the owner of this who got back to me the next day by this time I had found additional bedding and changed the sheets myself. The bedding I used still had dirty marks on it - a cleaner did come to change the sheets the day after I reported it which was literally just the duvet cover that was changed. The bed on the ground floor again is not a zip and link - it is two wooden single beds pushed together with a dual layer of memory foam (which doesn’t fit the bed nor stay in position ) and a padded mattress protector . Although more comfortable than the upstairs beds this was not what was described on the website. The duvet is not a super kingsize it doesn’t fit the bed properly. The water pressure was not great in the shower, so much so that when the kitchen tap was being used ( obviously more so when we were washing dishes frequently) the pressure was very poor in the shower. We were also struggling for hot water as we had to use extra for filling the sink. The shower mat on the shower had a lot of pink grime and dirt on the suction part - in my opinion this needed binned. In the kitchen, the under counter lights were a cheap addition to the kitchen and did not work ( obviously out of battery ) The space in the open plan area was a lot smaller than what it looked on the website - the large table was too long and most of us bumped into the sharp corners of it when moving around the kitchen. The living area is also too small I wouldn’t have thought it would be very comfortable for more than 4 people - can’t see how this would be suitable for 6. Just to let you know - your frying pan is also ready for the bin … the handle was hanging off and it’s clearly had too much heat on it causing the coating to come off the inside making it non usable in my opinion. The fridge was also far too small for a family of 4- could definitely do with a Large fridge with an actual freezer … A coffee table in front of the sofa may have been nice to be able to rest a cuppa on. The garden was very untidy with lots of logs scattered around , there was a pile of pallets/fencing in the garden - looked a bit like a building site , hoses lying around the garden. Lodge is closer to the main road that what it looks on the photos - it’s made out to look like it’s nestled in the depths of a forest … it was rather loud when the HGVs were passing! To conclude , I think for £2300 for a week in this property was rather over priced in comparison to what we have stayed in previously in the same area.

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• Kelsie - Verified booking

  The property is lovely and spacious, however it badly needs a but of a deep clean and TLC, there were a lot of cobwebs all over the property and the grout in both bathrooms is very yellow (HG mould spray would get it back to white without re-grouting).

  My partner is badly allergic to dust and on day 3 started heavily sneezing and struggling to breathe, the property isn't dusty but I think possibly the central heating being on caused it and the radiators maybe need a deep clean. Although self catering, the lack of dish soap to wash dishes was a big disappointment, there was 1 bottle of kitchen spray and 1 bottle of bathroom spray but no cloths, and only 1 replacement kitchen sponge, one big bag supplied at the property etc, for somewhere so rural I think this is a let down as there aren't local shops to pop out and get these things, and it would be a big advantage to the stay to be able to properly clean up. There was also a lot of pots, cups and plates, plenty casserole dishes bit no oven trays to cook anything on which left us having to use the muffin baking trays to cook chips etc The kindling wouldn't burn well at all, not sure why as we got the fire going then the wood just charred and went out, possibly good to have slightly more small bits of wood as the livingroom and fire is lovely. The games room is great and as there was a storm during our stay let us keep busy, plenty games too and good TV options/signal. The water pressure is really really bad, to the point you almost can't run a tap upstairs, the bath water ran filthy and full of bits, and as others have said down stairs shower was far superior. The upstairs toilet barely flushes, would be concerning if there was a party of 6 adults for sure. The livingroom and dining area are both very cosy and well furnished, the main sofa cushions are definitely suffering a bit from usage and possibly would benefit from being swapped with the one against the wall, but plenty seating and a lovely cosy feel. We both enjoyed our stay, we actually didn't find the 3rd upstairs bedroom until our last day! Thought it was a cupboard door! It's a nice property but certainly needs a little bit of time and love to clean up the grout, cobwebs etc but it was still a lovely stay with a lovely bottle and sweets left for us, beautiful setting too by the water, bit of a shame it is private for the lodges however and you can't get near the water but still beautiful. I don't think it would take much to get the property looking a bit better/cleaner and maybe add more cleaning products to help out. Property was lovely and warm and heating easy to use and very effective, good number of lights/lamps for different areas and to get cosy, maybe could supply a warm blanket in the livingroom for couples to cosy up in at night. Overall loved the stay, just a few little things that could improve it.

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• Charlotte - Verified booking

  On arrival we were blown away with the beauty of the cabin, it is ideally located and not too far to anywhere but at the same time lovely and quiet.

  We had a lovely week exploring the area as we hadn't stayed in this part of the Cairngorms before. We had lots to discover and the cabin was well placed to do this. The kitchen was well stocked and had everything we needed except it only had one frying pan (issue for us as one guest was vegetarian). Everything was lovely and clean and the hot tub was fabulous and was checked daily by a chap who worked his magic and kept it nice and clean. Unfortunately there were a few niggles and I can imagine if there were only 4 people staying these wouldn't even be an issue but they were for us (family of 5). The sofa only seated 3 people and although there was also a comfy chair the view of the tv was blocked by the stair railings so absolutely useless for watching tv. After a long day walking and biking we really wanted to sit and enjoy a film together but this was impossible to do in comfort. There was a foot stool and obviously kitchen chairs but that wasn't really the idea. Also, the beds were wooden framed singles pushed together so had a no go zone right down the middle and also made the bedding not fit properly and every morning the fitted sheets had popped off. Lots of other niggly things which I attempted to raise to Sykes but complete lack of interest, apparently everything is visible in the pictures - so make sure you look before you book! I did point out that the particulars say zip and link beds but received no response. I shall not be booking with Sykes again but wish the owners of the cabin lots of luck with it, it is a beautiful place and some simple changes would make it even better for a large group like ours.

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• Esther - Verified booking

  Although house was lovely and we enjoyed the pool table and darts and comfy sofas we sadly won’t be back.

  Had no hot water in kitchen, upstairs bathroom we couldn’t use shower as water pressure meant no hot water etc. 6 people using the en-suite shower downstairs was ridiculous and took ages to get going in morning because of it. Had to boil kettle to wash dishes. The curtain rail in upstairs bedroom fell down middle of night and by holes in wall this looks like not the first time this has happened. A lot of cobwebs in house. Washing machine and freezer in outside shed but washing machine didn’t work. The conservatory door wouldn’t open and again you need to go outside house to enter it. However well equipped house. Peaceful location. Didn’t report faults as seen in loads of various posts previous with same issue and nothing done about it. Please also note that this is a shared driveway and house opposite looks into The Steading. Photos don’t show you have houses all round you. Also the table and chairs in photos are nothing to do with this house.

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• Nicola - Verified booking

  A beautiful home with every home comfort.

  A lovely village with shops if you needed anything urgently. We ate in the wee pub along the road - very nice, really friendly place. Really great for accessing other local villages and lovely walks right from the doorstep. Loved all the seaside touches throughout the property. We were friends travelling separately and meeting up so parking was an issue in the very narrow street outside but we just used the car park down by the shore and walked up after we'd off loaded our bags. We didn't watch any TV but I think if you wanted to you'd have to log in to your own digital channels - we couldn't find anything you could watch. Maybe it was operator error!!?? A couple of dishwasher tablets would have been good, just to make life easier. We had already asked about robes for the hot tub so we took our own - might be worth mentioning they aren't included as it's a very short walk up the path to reach the hot tub area. Would love to go back.

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