South East Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Judith - Verified booking

  Very disappointed.

  The owners not friendly told me key in the door on arrival by phone and that is where I left it as they did not make any attempt to say hello or goodbye. Their 10+ dogs are a nuisance and kept coming around our cars as we were driving away and left dog faeces all over the lawn in front of holiday cottage/owners cottage. No sea views as advertised. Adverts should state that cottage only suitable for certain height as the beams inside only for 5 feet 2 inches people - my daughter is 5'11'' and kept banging her head badly. The kitchen washing machine is in a disgusting state with rust on the outside and the dispenser tray filthy and obviously never cleaned as it was black with old washing powder or washing liquid. Tap in downstairs bathroom is moving and leaking. Only 2 wastebins in cottage - one large downstairs in kitchen and 1 tiny one in en-suite bathroom. Not possible to empty bins as large disposal area blocked off from using. Only 2 wardrobes for 4 bedrooms. No interior doors close properly and have large gaps at the top and bottom when pushed too. Every morning the stable hands played loud music which could be heard inside the cottage as the stables and owners cottage back directly onto holiday cottage. The hire of this cottage is not cheap and I think the agents are overselling and not taking account of the obvious limitations. It is obvious the owners are only interested in taking the money for the cottage and more interested in their horses and stables.

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• Lin - Verified booking

  The property overall was good and convenient.

  Sadly there were items “missing” from the contents. Hand towels were not provided. Only one Bath towel per person for two weeks. No cafetière for fresh coffee. No dishwasher tablets starter pack or salt for the table to name a few. No black plastic bags as advertised on arrival. The shower wasn’t so clean looking and the bath room had no towels. The furniture was very tired and saggy and I would certainly not recommend this property for anyone with mobility problems. The stairs are rather steep and very little safety in the way of handrails. Not for granny with arthritis! You must keep the gates shut each time you enter and leave the property. The gates are heavy. They have dogs and they must be kept away from the lawn. I have been to Sykes properties where the owner takes pride in offering a cake she made and other items. A bottle of bubbly was a nice gesture at Hill Farm but some of us are not alcohol drinkers. Overall I would recommend but remember this is a 400 year old farmhouse and that’s the quirkiness of staying in an old cottage. You can have a lovely time here but don’t come with great expectations it’s convenient and cosy and that’s okay with us We only saw the owner once or twice and we left without saying goodbye because there was no one one around at that time. Anyway thank you to the owners for their hospitality.

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• Darren - Verified booking

  We have just returned from a 2 week stay at Hill Farm Cottage.

  We booked a UK holiday this year as we've had enough of air travel for a while. Reading the most recent review we arrived a little nervously. However, within minutes all trepidation had disappeared. We were met by the owner having mistakenly driven into their driveway and were helped by him to the correct entrance to the cottage.We spoke with them almost daily during the course of the stay and were grateful of their advice on best beaches, best walks and a dog friendly taxi firm. Fresh flowers, a bottle of fizz and some orange juice were very welcoming touches. The cottage itself is totally charming but it is a 400 year old property and comes with the quirks and original features of that age which we and our guests loved. Despite that, the wife speed and strength was excellent. The only visitor to our garden was our dog and had no issues as its completely separate from the neighbour and riding school provided you close the garden gate. We never experienced more noise than you would expect from booking a cottage within a working riding school. The staff at the school were all respectful and friendly. We had a terrific time. Both our guests and us intend to be returning, soon!

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• Ian - Verified booking

  Hill Farm Cottage is a delightful thatched character property between Freshwater and Yarmouth.

  It is ideally placed for visiting the main attractions of the IoW including the Needles Old Battery, Carisbrooke Castle and Osborne House. The cottage is very well equipped with ample crockery, cutlery and glasses, and a comprehensive range of cooking utensils and pots and pans - not all the cottages we visit manage this! A large and secure garden makes it ideal for dog owners and the low door lintels in the house a challenge for tall people! It is very comfortably furnished with a wood burning stove which we, fortunately, did not need. Fresh flowers were on display in the reception rooms when we arrived and the bottle off Fizz in the fridge started the holiday off splendidly - thank you Jayne and William! We really enjoyed our stay - the weather was very kind to us, the pubs we visited fantastic and the walking excellent. A beautiful place to stay in the Isle of Wight.

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• David - Verified booking

  Cannot understand that when a washing machine, iron, clothes line and pegs are provided an ironing board is not.

  An information file ( which has been available in every other property I have used ) is necessary. No information on washing machine, dishwasher, recycling, bin days, Wi-Fi code, what to do with bedding and towels, emergencies etc. was available. Both my contacts with Sykes would have been unnecessary had the information been available. I find it difficult to understand that Sykes have not advised the owner of this requirement prior to marketing and I see it as a Sykes problem, not necessarily the owner. On the day we were leaving the next clients turned up at 9.15 in the morning wanting to “put some stuff in the house”. I refused as we had possession until 10.00 and stated the cleaners had not been in and they should not arrive before 15.00. They drove away after waiting a short while but I am not aware if they came back before their allocated time.

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