South Hams District Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Shelley - Verified booking

  The property is over the Fat Face shop in Fore Street and if you are facing the property, the gated entrance is found down a narrow path to the right of the shop.

  The access codes for both the gate and the key pad were sent by email once we booked the property. There is a small car park approx. 30m further up Fore Street, which for a small charge we parked in just to unload the car and get everything to the property. The long stay car park permit was on the dining table waiting for us and we then moved our car to the long stay Creek car park which is located past the Co-op. The property was lovely, clean, and with a very well equipped kitchen. We cooked all our evening meals there, having bought our vegan supplies for the week with us. The fridge has only a small freezer compartment. We ate lunch on the go and we never had a problem finding vegan options in any shop, cafe or restaurant. The owner kindly supplied new tea towels, a few dishwasher tablets and a 100ml bottle of washing up liquid. All bath towels are supplied but not swimming towels. The beds were very comfortable and the two small bathrooms were great for us. There was a small amount of damp in the main bedroom fireplace and ceiling which I am sure the owner will address, as overall, the property has been well cared for and was nicely decorated. The TV is big and made for a great Eurovision evening. The radio is in one of the wall kitchen cabinets. There is a shelf of videos and books which was a nice touch. We did not use the wood burner as the weather was great, but it's a nice feature. The clothes hanging space was limited but there is plenty of drawers which was just right for the two of us. There is some covered building work approximately 20m behind the property. Although it is visible, it did not bother us as there are lovely blinds and shutters to arrange as you wish for privacy throughout the property. Noise was not in any way a problem, indeed the property was surprisingly quiet considering it is on the main street. For us the position was perfect as it was right in the heart of Salcombe, with the ferries shops, pubs and cafes all on a level walk. (No hard slog up to a rental at the top of the hill at the end of a day for us!) We had a fantastic week exploring some of the South Coast Path which was stunning and beautiful. We would recommend popping into the information centre to pick up the maps of some of the circular walks: Gara Rock, Bolt Head, Snapes Point, Bolt Tail, Thurleston. Don't miss a ferry trip to South Sands to explore Overbeck Gardens; the views are superb. Thank you for a fantastic week. We would not hesitate to recommend this property or to book it again. On one more point. I left a small rucksack at the property when we left, but after a quick call to Coast and Country Cottages, this was returned to our home address within days for a reasonable £30.

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• Peter - Verified booking

  The property flatters to deceive… Initial impressions are good, clean and fresh, however it slowly goes downhill.

  The Lounge – the marketing images create a false representation, the lounge is now tired and in need of painting, the furniture is different than that shown with the sofa and 2 chairs tired and dirty, even stained in places. It also has cluttered shelves, a window blind I had to untangle to get to work and a TV smaller than my laptop. Main Bedroom, great view from the window, however and again, the picture used is deceiving, this room is also in need of decorating. The picture does show the super king sized bed, but doesn’t show that it is only fitted with kingsized bedding – 6’’ smaller all-round, so the bedsheets only just hang on the corners of the mattress and come off when you sleep and the quilt doesn’t hang over the side of the bed but only just reaches the edge of the mattress, making for a difficult sleeping experience - thankfully you've still got the view out of the window as you untangle yourself from the bedsheet in the early hours. The Bathroom – fantastic, big bath, great shower heated floor and plenty of room. However, there is one thing to watch, because the floor is sloping towards the shower the bath is chocked up at one end by 2 pieces of wood, one was missing resulting in the bath moving when you climb in – I did find the wedge the following morning under the bath, presumably knocked out by the cleaner. The Kitchen – Poorly conceived and very poorly appointed – 10 Dinner plates and only 4 side plates, no matching mugs, not in a themed way but in a random way. Cupboards full of a random and eclectic mix of pots, pans (8 off), casserole dishes, roasting & baking trays (9 off) and general kitchen utensils - enough for at least 3 cottages. The dinning table has flaking varnish and is sticky to the touch, the Everhot Range Oven is very nice (different than the pictures), but not really that practical in a holiday let, as mastering cooking on a range needs practise and planning – you're not going to come back from the beach and throw something together quickly for tea! But if your planning on bread making, a full roast dinner or baking you'll be fine. Again the marketing pictures show a clean fresh and uncluttered kitchen, it isn't…in fact I would have to question the cleanliness of the kitchen. The property feels much more like somebodys second home, furnished with surplus items from the main house, than a considered holiday let.

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• Paul - Verified booking

  Stayed in this property 2 years ago & it was great & reason why we booked again but I should have read the more recent reviews!

  Not sure what has happened in 2 years since but I have lodged a complaint with Sykes regarding general cleanliness of the property, it was simply unclean & dirty in places with cobwebs & spiders everywhere & in terms of cleanliness is the worst self catering accomodation I have stayed in for 30 years (I have never complained previously & have booked with Coast & Country in the past with no problems), full list of issues sent to Sykes with photos. There is no vacuum cleaner in the property & it shows. Front door handle was broken as it couldn't be opened from inside, this was fixed by Sykes on 3rd day of holiday, 2 days after reported. If I had not paid upfront I would have left the property once I realised how unclean & dirty it was, I contacted Coast & Country / Sykes the first morning we were there & they promised to send a cleaner in to sort, this didn't happen so 2 days later I called them again, they sent in the 3rd party cleaning company who advised there was no issue & the property was satisfactory, all they seemed to do was remove some cobwebs when I expected a full deep clean of the property! I refused to accept this and requested a member of staff from the Coast & Country Dartmouth office visit which they did on the morning of our last day, they agreed the property was not clean & unacceptable advising they would discuss & show their photos taken to 3rd party cleaners who they had a meeting with later that day. I would recommend C&C / Sykes find new cleaners as their current cleaners standards do not match mine, the minimum I expect of any accomodation on arrival is that it is clean & surfaces / toilets recently disinfected. I have requested compensation from C&C / Sykes for a holiday that was spoilt by this ongoing situation but have yet to hear from them.

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• Peter - Verified booking

  The excellent location was familiar to us and views from main bedroom are stunning.

  The property was well furnished and equipped and comfortable. The level of cleanliness was a bit wanting, as we came across dog hair and spiders webs in many places. The building has obviously settled over a longtime, but we found the sloping floors quite disconcerting and the two stair cases steeper than normal with limited depth of tread, making them difficult to negotiate. The hand rails were a must use. The offset rear gardens is strange and off putting in its use.We arrived promptly after the set time, after a two hour journey so we’re in need of the bathroom so we’re agahast to find less than half a roll of toilet roll! This was followed by no bread or milk which we have enjoyed as standard from other holiday rentals, particularly when there no local facilities (shop/store) within three miles. A bit disappointing and if we were a party of four, would have been an appalling. The large double bed was extremely comfortable, but on our departure found that the mattress cover was horribly stained from bodily fluids, which indicated to us that it had not been changed /washed since the very hot weather in August. This was an unacceptable standard and needs to be reviewed in the future. The rugs in the bedroom also smelt of dogs. The property is quirky and has character which we appreciate and enjoyed which makes it a bit bespoke and not everyone’s choice, given their expectations. For us the cottage proved to be very convenient and comfortable evening retreat which requires some basic minor cleaning improvements /checks. This cottage is probably priced fairly average in terms of tariff, so needs to address the cleanliness issues which we have highlighted. We are not picky people, but felt that we had to feedback our recent experience.

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• Kathy - Verified booking

  The cottage is in a beautiful spot.

  View from front bedroom lovely. However the photos of the lounge must have been taken with a wide angle lens after it had just been decorated. It would have been very small if 4 adults were staying. The room and furniture looked grubby and worn. The settee and chairs were uncomfortable and the TV was tiny. Only two of us stayed and the hot water ran cool. The garden was pretty but very overgrown and we got soaked by the wet bushes when letting the dog out. There should be a note on the details to say that the cottage is unsuitable for older people and young children due to the steep and irregular stairs. The beaches were beautiful but the climb back up the hill is not for the faint hearted. One route has 134 steps and a steep path. Pubs in Salcombe had long queues for lunchtime dining, one was closed and another only open certain days due to Covid. Obviously this is understandable but visitors may want to take more food with them. Details state parking usually available outside cottage - it is early morning and evening but if you go out during the day you won't find a space when you get back. In places the access to East Portlemouth is by single track roads with occasional passing places. The roads were very busy and we were there in June. Dread to think what it will be like in school holidays. This is the first time that we wouldn't return to a cottage booked through Sykes and we went home a day early. Cottage needs decorating and more comfortable seating then it would make a good base for younger guests.

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