Villas In West Midlands

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Claire - Verified booking

  A fabulous location with just a short 15 minute walk into Ironbridge.

  The cottage has been renovated to a high standard throughout and provides the perfect base for exploring Shropshire. We did find that the description of the property was not entirely accurate. It says that there is a wood burning stove, which there is, but it is not connected. It has no flue and is still mounted to the pallet it was delivered on. It would not be safe to light this until it has been correctly installed and feel it should be taken off the description until this has happened as it was one of the reasons we booked the cottage. It should also be mentioned that the patio is at the front of the cottage and not a private one at the back in the description and not just the bullet points. Parking is a bonus but feel that for people with any sort of mobility issues it should be noted that it is down a hill and a cross a road from the cottage. The stairs are narrow and steep so it can be difficult to get a suitcase up and down the stairs even at the age of 44. Just thinking of health and safety for future visitors that may have not been considered. We also feel that if you offer shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in dispensers these should be filled up. Two were empty when we arrived and whilst the shower is beautiful there is nowhere to put any of your own products except on the floor. The bedroom is very nicely decorated but both my partner and I struggled with the height of the bed and bed frame. It was too high for us and meant that it was hard to get in and out of and difficult to sit or perch on the edge as you would do at home. I think the cottage would benefit from a ‘Welcome’ folder. There were some leaflets for the local area and a framed ‘Welcome’ sign but nothing that tells you where to empty the kitchen bin to, nothing that says that after a shower please keep the extractor fan on and the door closed because the heat and steam will set off the fire alarm, (which happened several times before we realised what was causing it), the nearest place for a mobile phone signal in case of emergencies, local dr’s and dentists and the fact that there is no ‘live’ TV signal at the property. Lots of things which may not affect your stay if only visiting for a long weekend but we stayed for a week and so were noticing things that others may not. All things mentioned are observations as we aren’t sure how long the property has been a holiday home for.

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• Jan - Verified booking

  "This beautifully restored cottage sits within large grounds opposite the owner’s restored Old Mill, nestled in the quaint village of Goodrich", so says Sykes' blurb.

  Unfortunately this property is nearly 2 miles from Goodrich and the owners' landscaping is unfinished bigtime (a couple of skips and mounds of building materials everywhere you look). So it's actually "nestled" between the incredibly noisy A40, the busy B4229 and an industrial estate, specialising in vehicle repairs. Do look at it on Google Earth, not Sykes' map, before booking. "Perfect for a relaxing break" it is not, which is a huge shame, because internally it is excellent, but externally it gets worse. Sykes' commentary continues, "From the cottage there is access to a path which takes you to the waters edge and under the tunnel to a weir which is used to supply the water for the Old Mill and Bake House". As with the Goodrich nestlement, Sykes are once again misrepresenting the true situation. The "tunnel" is the A40 overpass. At least the owner has the decency to put this in her very helpful manual, but Sykes have distorted it, doubtless not wishing to deter visitors with the admission that this property is a stone's throw from a relentlessly noisy dual carriageway. Although we had booked a week, we only spent one night here, during which time we slept a mere couple of hours, all because of the horrifyingly disruptive dual carriageway traffic. In the morning we found ourselves somewhere quieter in Herefordshire, which may come as a further surprise to Sykes, as at time of writing this property is filed by Sykes under "Cotswolds-Gloucester-Goodrich", which is inaccurate on all three counts (the Bake House's nearest village is Whitchurch, not Goodrich, which isn't in Gloucestershire and definitely isn't in the Cotswolds). This is not our first cottage with Sykes, but it's certainly our last. We expect a refund, but, as with so much of Sykes' customer service, this is like pulling teeth.

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• Bethan - Verified booking

  We had such a lovely stay in the Bake House.

  Everything was absolutely spotless on arrival and the owners property surrounding is kept beautifully. The whole house is finished to a high standard, with everything you need for a comfortable holiday. The kitchen is well equipped, and left with some essentials like fresh milk and eggs. The bathroom has a powerful dual shower which is amazing, especially after a sweaty day's canoeing on the Wye! The bedroom has a huge, very comfortable bed, with ample space to store your belongings. The dressing table is a lovely added bonus. Luckily we had amazing weather to enjoy the sun trap which is the outside decking. Whilst being sheltered from the wind, you get sun throughout the day, and blankets are provided to keep you warm when stargazing in the evening. With it's proximity to the A40 there is some road noise, as warned on the listing, but this quietens down at night (the building itself is well soundproofed so never an issue indoors) and you can always drown it out by listening to the birds in the trees that surround the property. The location of this property is fabulous to jump straight on the A40 to visit nearby Symonds Yat and Ross on Wye, or to drive a little further afield. We would thoroughly recommend this property as a base for adventures around the Wye Valley, or just as a place to get away and relax. Thank you again!

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• Shirley - Verified booking

  We have stayed in a number of cottages over the years, but I have to say that our stay here was without doubt THE perfect break that we have always been looking for!

  The most wonderful hosts you could ever wish to meet, made us feel completely at ease and extremely welcome. As for the cottage itself, we have never found our all perfect cottage, until we came across this beautiful and idyllic place. Perfectly set within a wooded area, looking out onto hilly forests and mature trees. But our delight was in the particular wildflower area directly outside our lodge. With the serenity and the beauty of the wildlife that it attracted was truly a most beautiful source of much needed relaxation to us both. We spent the majority of our evenings sitting outside in front of the chimnea having drinks and listening to the wildlife until the early hours. We have never experienced or enjoyed a holiday so peaceful and relaxing as this, and we didn’t realise how much we needed to until we got here! We cannot recommend this lodge highly enough, especially for people wanting to recharge and get away from it all! We most definitely will return and look forward to it!

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• Neil - Verified booking

  The cottage is lovely and quaint.

  It was clean and tidy and in a great location. However, one of the main reasons for us booking it was the listed Wood Burner which turned out not to be working when we arrived (the listing had been edited to say this was not ready until 2024 after we had booked). The water heating was also too temperamental, having to try and get the tap in the perfect position to get any hot water at all; this to me is a basic that should be sorted. Finally, the wifi is shared between several cottages which makes it largely unusable with a poor connection and constant buffering. This is also unacceptable given the price paid for the stay. All issues were mentioned to the owners, but it didn’t seem they were too keen on resolving them to be honest, maybe given the time of year that we visited.

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