South East Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Emma - Verified booking

  He property is very difficult to find, as the Sat nav will not take to to the house which is a fair way down a very rough pot hole track.

  The owner gave us directions but did not give any prominent landmarks like a nearby school and Abbey to know you were heading the right way. We were informed the farm track was marked by a no though road sign but the sign is set back 10 meters from the road and not visible from the road you are travelling on. We were told by the owner that the name plate of the farm had fallen off and not been replaced. On arrival there was a nice welcome from the owner with a bottle of wine and lovely home made brownies, all very nice after spending an about an hour driving in rough back lanes trying to find the address. The second bedroom of the property is very small although it is advertised as a double. Also regarding this room there is no hanging space for clothes only a small drawer unit. Walking around the bed is very tight, really this room is only suitable for two small children. (The twin beds zip together to form a double.) In the main bathroom the shower over the bath does not have a wall fixing or shower curtain or screen, not sure why this is. However the main bedroom is lovely and roomy with a lovely en-suite but this again lacks shelving to store anything, toiletries etc. The whole sight around the cottage is very untidy, weeds and brambles every where. As a holiday home business, on first appearance the whole plot looks uncared for and the garden area run down. We made allowances as it was termed as a farm but it is not a working farm, just three horses, which are stabled right opposite the front door of the cottage. We felt the whole area could be made to look better and more appealing especially to sit on the outside areas. These two areas were not clean on arrival and very basic, so we did not use them. The floors on arrival, throughout the kitchen and lounge area were very sticky so we cleaned them again, as we did not want to make a fuss on our first night. The kitchen and lounge area is nice and adequate for four people, but it would be nice to have four chairs at the dining table and not two and a bench, but that’s just a preference thing really. This was not a cheap property to hire but we took into account the summer time of year and the surrounding south east area. On reflection we did feel with the things we have listed above, that it was not really worth what we paid as the cottage did not meet the requirements for two couples, as listed in the cottage description. We are sure at Sykes cottages you would like to be informed of our findings so you can discuss any changes with the owner that need to be made to the cottage information for any future clients.

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• Debra - Verified booking

  The Rabbit's Warren is an absolute winner and incredible value for money.

  We were looking for a place to stay near the coast while repairs were done on our boat. We also had project deadlines, so we needed a spacious place with good internet where we could park off for a week. Rabbit's Warren was absolutely perfect for our needs and it was such a lovely environment that we enjoyed every minute we spent there. The place is even better than the photos. A large featured skylight in the lounge gives it lots of light and airiness and the unit has everything you could ask for, including a beautiful, spacious kitchen, dishwasher and a combination washer/dryer, and for me, a luxurious tub, to spend a very comfortable and cozy week there. We also enjoyed use of the full service, but unpretentious, health club and punished ourselves with a couple of grueling spinning classes. My husband also surprised me on my birthday with the most fabulous massage by Elaine, whom I highly recommend for anyone who needs a little TLC. And, although we didn't use them, there's also a full service hair salon and a sports medicine therapist on the premises, so it's a nice way of booking services you might need without leaving the grounds. The area feels like it's out in the countryside, but a decent sized full service shopping center, including a large Waitrose is less than five minutes drive away. Kathryn was a wonderful host and we can't thank her enough for allowing us to stay at her beautiful place!

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• Aminur - Verified booking

  The owners were very helpful and available when we called or texted them.

  The cottage was clean. The location of the cottage is within a shared area with neighbouring cottages and hot tub and a swimming pool. The cottage was very nice for a short stay however few improvements needed. - Provide guides/instructions for the property (we didn’t notice there was a freezer at the back of the kitchen counters until the end of our trip) - The heating was not working. It was very cold the first night as we only had one electric heater. After asking the owners we noticed there was a spare fan heater. - The cottage could do with a coffee table by the sofas for when you want to watch TV and eat. - Pathways to the cottage could do with some lights as it gets very dark in the evening and it is a long walk from the entrance of the property. Having to use mobile flash light can be difficult when you have bags to carry. - We were expecting there to be basics like salt/pepper/sugar/milk but none was provided given the price we paid for the stay. However basic kitchenware provided.

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• David - Verified booking

  Absolutely delightful stay, in a cosy and well- appointed cottage (with sharp kitchen knives!

  ). Brewery and butcher in the village are really rather good; if one had a mind to, one could spend the entire week without leaving the village on a reading retreat. On the 'main' Hook Norton to Banbury road, where an occasional car or bus may trundle past, but not in the least bit intrusive. 45 minutes from the Oxford Park & Ride for the bookshops and the Ashmolean and far nicer than staying within the Blenheim area honeypot. Worth making the trip to Kelmscot (William Morris, near Lechlade) and Snowshill (vast and eclectic collection of objects) near Broadway). Glass recycling note; local authority websites are contradictory, but we eventually tracked down the glass bank - prominently situated behind an unmarked high wooden fence, within the entrance to the sports field, up an unsignposted cul-de-sac off The Bourne....

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• Julie - Verified booking

  We had a lovely week staying at Willow Cottage.

  The grounds are very relaxing and we made good use of the hot tub and swimming pool (though that was a tad cold despite it being June when we stayed). We have a couple of things that we feel would enhance the stay at the cottage even more: Instructions for Appliances, Points of Interest leaflets (or visitor guide), Small coffee table, Pizza cutter, Can opener, Steamer pan, Sun loungers for around the pool. All in all, Willow Cottage is a lovely place to take a relaxing break and there are surrounding attractions to visit - Hall Place & Gardens, Knole (NT), Darent River Walk and Dartford Central Park. Also, great location for hopping onto a train into central London.

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