Last Minute Cottages in Shaftesbury

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Judith - Verified booking

  I'm not sure if the 'us' in 'how likely are you to recommend us' question is Sykes Cottages or Hillside Cottage.

  If it's Hillside then it's a definite 10 if it's Sykes - probably a 7 - I've had no real interaction with Sykes. (This needs to be a more specific question - if Sykes say 'Sykes' if it's the venue say 'your holiday venue') Now to Hillside - What a DELIGHTFUL place to stay HUGE thanks to the owners for sharing their amazing home. The welcome package was a beautiful touch, the beds, sofas, chairs were all super comfy, everything was spotless yet also homely. We spent most of our time in the kitchen/dining/sun room ... but the living room was moved in to late evening and for child TV time. We were there for my mum's 75th birthday weekend (a surprise for her - all she knew was the postcode!) Me, my older brother and younger brother with his wife, two children (3 & 5) and their dog. It was perfect - the wood burning hot tub under the full moon and stars a highlight, the layout fabulous, the kitchen FULLY equipped, the views, the local pubs friendly and good - we rested, relaxed and played - a joy. My sister-in-law was particularly delighted with the number of child/dog safety gates already in place. NOTE: If you're in a bedroom with a Velux window - they DO have a blind the blind is electronic and on a switch by your bedside light!! (it took me two nights to figure this out - just as well I was awake by nieces anyway!)

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• Paula - Verified booking

  Very well equipped house with plenty of room for everyone.

  Good to have a big table to gather round in the kitchen, big fridges and plenty of shower rooms/bathrooms. The hot tub was a big hit with our young adults but we were surprised to find it is wood fired and has no bubbles - understandably eco friendly and a lovely place to wallow under the stars but it may be worth highlighting what type of hot tub it is and how it needs to be fed and nurtured if the water is to remain warm. Please can the owner change the curtains in the downstairs bedroom? They don't fit the window! Also, there were many, many flies and wasps gathering in the conservatory room. Probably not much to be done about that and thanks for leaving a wasp/fly killer spray, which helped a bit. Finally, I think the electric car charging point was new and not mentioned in the Sykes description but would have been a bonus for one of our family members who came in an electric car. Please can that be included in any future listing of this property? All in all though, a lovely house for our family holiday - thank you

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• Michael G - Verified booking

  We were the first couple to actually holiday this season so would have expected everything to be perfect.

  The TV did not work and was stuck on “Dave”. A text to Annabel resulted in a quick response but without any success. A new remote was waiting for us when we returned next day. The kitchen utensils were lacking a few items particularly because the coronavirus resulted in more home cooking. We asked for a meat dish and the next day there were two large aluminium roasters left by Annabel. One of the bedside lights did not work and the handle on the bathroom door was loose. We did not raise these as an issue but left a note along with a new meat dish. We found 3 grasshoppers in the accommodation including one in the wardrobe. Also, we had to deal with a number of spiders. Please be aware that where ever you move in the accommodation there is steps to encounter, which have steep risers. They were a little difficult for us but for the agile they will not be a problem. Despite the above we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the location made it easy to visit the many attractions in Dorset.

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• Greg - Verified booking

  We had a very enjoyable stay at Hillside Cottage.

  It was a family booking with 5 adults (two elderly in their 80's) and children. We really enjoyed the fireplaces, the lovely kitchen and conservatory and the hot tub. The table tennis table was also a huge hot with the children. The location is ideal for Shaftsbury and not too far from attractions like Longleat. The main downsides were that the cottage was not suitable for the elderly with a very steep path down to the cottage from the parking area with plenty of steps also on the inside. There were no shower mats or shower tidy's which meant bending down to pick shower gel and shampoo off the floor when slippery, not a problem for most but again not ideal for the elderly. The listing may also need a look as some of the beds noted as King Size were not. Despite some of these issues we would recommend for a booking of adults and children but not the elderly.

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• Lesley - Verified booking

  The accommodation has not followed strict cleaning guidelines during COVID-19.

  Some of the utensils and equipment were still dirty so we had to wash a lot The furniture was not moved to clean behind the sofa as we found old sweet bags. Photos taken. This concerned us just how clean was the cottage which made us uneasy. None of the internal doors actually shut. The mechanism on the bathroom was loose and if there had been a deep clean surely they would’ve noticed and fixed. Again made us question the cleaning. The bedroom door didn’t click shut either. I did message the owner on the sat am but no action taken. Shame there was no hair dryer in the property. We were told to ensure all dogs toilet was bagged which we did but others staying there may not have decided to follow this rule which was not pleasant. Nicest touch was eggs they left for us. Disappointed to have paid £307 and to have had the above.

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