East Bickleigh

We loved the cottage.

For a family of seven it was perfect - lots of room and every bedroom has an on-suite bathroom. The cottage is extremely well equipped and very comfortable. Full of character and charm. The setting is stunning with gorgeous grounds. The pool, games room and large trampoline, plus the beautiful surrounding countryside meant that, for the long bank holiday weekend, we didn’t stray far from the cottage.

This is the second time we have stayed there.

We all had a great holiday. loads of places to visit. We love the rustic feel with the farm house. Fantastic heated pool and games room for the kids.

Idyllic setting in beautiful countryside and good location for visiting attractions .

The cottage was bigger than expected, particularly pleased with the huge kitchen and living room. Ideal location for children with large heated swimming pool, games room etc. Host was friendly and accomodated our needs. We intend to return. Was disappointed that Sykes were so unhelpful by phone. However the host was extremely helpful prior to visiting.

We had a lovely short stay here, with our grown up children and grandchildren.

We made use of the very well equipped kitchen several times. The swimming pool and games room was used a lot too, grandkids loved having pool ourselves. Also the trampoline just across from the front door was enjoyed. We were able to get in a little earlier than stated and Brian also allowed us to stay later too. Nice welcoming pub near by, we only had a drink, but menu looked lovely. A great weekend had by all. Rachael

Excellent holiday again.

Great location. The only constructive point I’d make is that the sofas are a little tired and not especially comfortable - but that’s a minor thing, possibly just personal preference. It certainly wouldn’t stop us booking again. Thanks!

Very lovely cottage and area.

Primroses a real joy. Facilities good. Very comfortable accommodation. Helpful owner on site. Thank you!

We had a lovely stay at East Bickleigh the cottage was perfect for a family get together.

A little tired in places but it had everything you could think of there for an enjoyable stay. Nice walks around the farm and the farm cat

Highly recommend to families with active children and dogs.

Stunning walks, great warm pool barn and useful games room. Think we shall return regularly as beaches and Dartmoor only minutes away. Owner always helped us if questions or worries. Warmest holiday house we ever booked. Relax in a sturdy, spacious and welcoming farmhouse asap!

The property is dated dirty and very dark the beds were broken and very uncomfortable this was reported but nothing done the garden was very overgrown the pool was dirty with scum on top of water again reported nothing done we left 3 days early as could not sleep in beds another night all door handles broken very neglected property not at all what we expected.

We were disappointed the property wasn’t advertised as being within a complex of other properties.

Unfortunately our neighbours were a large party who partied through to the early hours making lots of noise. The property requires some general maintenance ie, door knobs come off in your hand. Family room shower leaks through to kitchen. Despite these issues our grandchildren enjoyed their time swimming in the pool. The bed linen was crisp and clean and beds very comfortable. Extractor fan in kitchen very greasy. We think the property would benefit from a tidy up in the garden too. Recycling bins and wheelie bins were not secluded in bin store. Overall just lots of little niggly issues we still enjoyed our time together

The property is in prime location of all areas!

Which is so good especially with dogs and not far from beaches/ green areas. I feel the pictures on the site are a little misleading as it looks like you are getting the whole house up the drive, actually it Is split into two separate properties. Maybe this needs to be updated. Plenty of parking enough for 3-4 cars which was perfect. Swimming pool was a little cool but was fine for a quick splash around the sitting areas around the pool could have been a little cleaner. In the property most of the door handles are hanging off which is a worry with children incase of them being accidentally locked in bathrooms. This needs to be looked at, the kitchen door did not close properly also. The whole house was a little dirty there were cobwebs and dog hairs on the stairs (not from our dogs as they do not go up stairs) and the stair gate downstairs was a little worse for wear needs a lock probably with little children. Cot was provided but not able to use as it was quite rickety and not sure how safe it was, maybe a travel cot would be better in there. Kitchen well packed with everything you need! Thank you so much for leaving us cake and milk it was muchly appreciated!!!

Lovely cottage and location, everything you need for your stay is supplied.

The underfloor heating provides a lovely warm atmosphere and we needed to turn it down a bit. Getting Netflix on the telly was a bonus. Some maintenance is needed especially door and cupboard handles which can come off in your hand. Hooks to hang your coats on inside the property would be nice, had to put them over the chairs. We did notice drips from the ceiling in the kitchen when the shower in the family room was used, needs to be looked at. In the twin bedded room difficult to have a shower as only a hand held is supplied and no curtain. Overall, yes a few niggles but we all had a really nice stay and made good use of the pool and games room. Providing a cake and milk was a nice touch and much appreciated.

We had a lovely week staying at East Bickleigh, there were 6 adults, 1 child and two doggies, its a beautiful cottage in beautiful surroundings and a lovely owner.

The swimming pool is fab, the garden opposite the cottage was great, perfect for the doggies to run around and play and a trampoline perfect for my gymnastics mad 13 year old. Would highly recommend.

We loved our family holiday at East Bickleigh, beautiful house with a great swimming pool and games room.

A few added extras would have made it a 5 star holiday home, a hairdryer, some extra towels for the swimming pool and a few blankets/throws for the sofas. But that said, East Bickleigh is situated in beautiful countryside, close to beaches which makes for a great holiday.

This was our second visit to East Bickleigh.

Great location for exploring South Devon. Friendly owner - easy to chat with and answer questions. Highlight: the indoor pool - great space for all ages. Another plus for us was being able to walk straight from the front door and enjoy he countryside with our dogs. House is a a good size for extended families but lacks accessible private garden space. Yes there is a shared pea shingle space outside the kitchen door and yes there is a small patio outside the family room; but it is not possible to access the grass area to the rear of the property as the path is totally overgrown. Whilst it is lovely to have some greenery at the front of the old farmhouse, currently it is in need of a severe trimming back to provide more light to the lounge/dining area. It does have a lovely rustic charm and all the amenities you need for a family holiday but just needs a bit of tlc on the maintenance side to make it a more comfortable indoor space. Some new website photos wouldn't go amiss as there have been a few cosmetic changes since they were taken. Would we return ? Yes, we would :)

My family had a great time in the rustic farmhouse.

My grandkids loved staying in an old farm house. They had a fantastic time. They loved the heated pool and games room. Plenty of ground to walk our 3 dogs. Could do with a bigger sink in our bedroom but okay for the week. A very large kitchen with everything you need, plenty of room in the lounge for 6 of us and 3 dogs. We loved Totnes and Kingsbridge which is very near to the farm. We had a great day in Dartmouth got the boat back to Totnes. Would stay there again.

We enjoyed a lovely week in Devon at a lovely location and were pleasantly surprised with the chocolate cake and milk which had been left by the owners.

The kitchen was large and very well equipped with ample space downstairs for 6 people and 3 dogs, however, we were disappointed with the standard of maintenance and cleanliness and not what we expected at a Sykes property. The following 'snags' were discovered during our stay at the property; 1. The finial on top of the newel post at the bottom of the stairs was loose and detached 2. The mixer tap is the kitchen was very loose 3. Some of the cupboard doors in in the kitchen were loose and broken 4. Both of the baths were chipped and in need of re-enamelling 5. The handle on the large fridge was loose 6. In two of the three bathrooms, the water supply stopped intermittently during bathing 7. There was no 'Information Book' at the property to advise guests of nearest Doctor Surgery, Hospital or Vets 8. None of the heated towel rails worked despite their being plugged in 9. The novel idea of building a breakfast bar around the glass-covered well was of great design, however, the light in the well did not work and it was full of cobwebs and spiders 10. The underfloor heating system was efficient but it was devoid of any way to regulate the temperature as the thermostats did not work so all three bedrooms were very hot at night 11. There were no re-cycling or rubbish instructions available so we disposed of this at the area where there were several bins (presumably the rubbish area) which was untidy and unhygienic 12. The 6th wooden floorboard from the front door had partially collapsed at the step edge 13. The electric socket by the window in the twin bedroom was coming away from the wall The door handles on the double and family bedrooms were loose 14. The swimming pool was very well kept, however, the air and water temperature were too cold and not at all comfortable to take a swim 15. General housekeeping was definitely not to the standard expected for a Sykes property. I trust you will accept this review in the spirit it is intended, as this is not a general moaning session but an opportunity for the owners to improve the facilities.

Great time Beautiful cottage in a stunning location Thank you

Great place and really enjoyed our stay.

Thank you! :)

Bathrooms tiny and showers, 2 in baths and 1 verydifficult to access and operate.

Family room 1st floor patio excellent but grounfd floor access to it has steep steps difficult for elderly. Ground floor access to sunny area needs furniture and privacy. Swimming pool and games room first class.

We had a lovely stay at the cottage, it was very comfortable and the owners were very welcoming and helpful.

We stayed in 'East Bickleigh' 17 - 24 June, 2022 and were disappointed.

The pool was lovely and we enjoyed it immensely, even though the water was quite cold. Our grandson enjoyed the toddler pool. The house was not up to a good 'comfortable' standard. We were sometimes able to hear conversations from next door. Windows would not close properly. The lounge was very dark and cushions needed renewing - dirty. The kitchen was a lovely size and well equipped. However, we had to wash items before we used them. I have a fear of spiders and they were all over, including behind the bed and wardrobe, which obviously had not been cleaned before our arrival. Beds were comfortable. Linen was clean. The ensuite in the double room was very small and not fit for purpose. When the door of the 'showroom was open, one could not open the shower door and so one could become trapped! Outside the grounds were lovely. To get to the bbq we had to climb stairs and go through a bedroom or climb steps unsuitable for elderly or very young. Food had to be taken up from the kitchen, which was awkward. It would have been much nicer to have the bbq outside the kitchen door, partitioned from the semi beside us. Their table and bbq was outside our kitchen door. The garden furniture was disgusting! Full of webs and white spots of lichen. It was in real need of renewal or refurbishment. As a consequence, we only ate there once and the weather was bbq weather! To make matters worse, there were newly painted chairs ready on the owners patio, but these were not offered to us. I would not stay here again.

We throughly enjoyed our stay at East Buckley, wonderful for the dogs!

Absolutely amazing location and property, the photos do not give a proper perspective of size.

It was like walking into the tardis. The pool was really clean and again bigger in real life than the photo shows, also the outside play was better than the photos published. We were amazed how well the kitchen was equipped.

What a wonderful property.

We had 6 adults, 2 children and 3 large dogs and never felt crowded. The property is beautiful and had everything you need.

The was a wonderfully well equipped cottage.

There was every appliance you could wish for and the kitchen utensils selection was awesome! I did a good bit of baking whilst there and I didnt have to improvise on anything! The cottage was large & comfortable and clean. The owner was always on hand and very helpful. I took my 2 children & grandkids instead of buying Christmas pressies and all age groups had a fab time, they all loved the pool! We had 7 adults & 4 dogs and nobody felt under anyones feet! The house is spacious and welcoming. It was a short drive to many local towns / villages / beaches etc. We will definitely be back. Thank you for a wonderful week.

We had a family Christmas gathering in December.

The house is large and didn’t feel cramped for 6 adults and 2 kiddies, plus 2 large dogs. The kitchen is very well stocked (I left my brand new muffin tin there by mistake so please enjoy

Amazing property with lots of room and parking.

We had a fantastic time there and will certainly be back again. Didn't realise from the advert that the pool wasn't connected to the property but it was only a short walk, no problem.

The accommodation was outstanding, our only issue was that we were under the impression that we would be in a secluded cottage, but we were surrounded by other types of accommodations with not much privacy, and had to share the pool with all these on a rota system, but fantastic location, and the owners did everything to make our stay enjoyable.

This Cottage complex was chosen because we could spend most of our time on site with the pool, games room, play area and trampoline available.

This now leads onto the issues. The games room had a selection of power tools and a jet washer left in this room and had a white PVC-U door that was unlocked giving access to the laundry which had extra power tools, machinery and chemicals for the young inquisitive children to investigate. We were all also looking forward to sitting next to the pool and having a swim and playing games with the kids. Due to Covid a rota was still in place so you could only be in the pool area for a 2 hour time slot each day, a little disappointing but we could make that work. I swam only once due to the unhygienic state the pool, the filters on the side on the pool under the water level were black with hair and other dirt, water cloudy, silt on the bottom of the pool at the 1.3 meter deep end, long hair tangled around you as you swam, and no shower facilities to use before your swim because this had been locked for use by people hiring the shepherds hut only. I regularly swim at my local pool that would be closedown if left in this state. There was a man hole cover that was left open allowing sewage smells escaping and a trip / fall hazard when walking along the road between the pool and trampoline area. The cottage had a few maintenance and cleaning issues, door knobs fall off, lose electric sockets, microwave had. white filth under the rotating plate, cobwebs everywhere, the lounge sliding sash window jammed open at the top (it was summer so not a problem). I also to a cycle but found the local roads to be too dangerous for me to use, narrow roads, sharp bends, high hedges and cars traveling at about 40mph. I also cycle regularly in the New Forest so I’m aware of dangers when on the roads, but could not bring myself to chance using these roads. The roads aren’t anything the cottage owners can change but by letting anyone reading the reviews they will know not to transport your bike with you on a holiday at this cottage.

Had problems contacting Sykes

We had the best time staying at East Bickleigh.

The only issue we had was that we couldn’t stay longer!! We hope to come back, although it’s now pretty booked up, which doesn’t surprise me!

The level of other holiday lettings on site was not clear, the pool area was in need of greater safe tiling at the edge of the pool, more introduction to the site would have been welcomed.

Lovely house for a group stay.

Great facilites with pool and games room. We cooked every night in the well equipped kitchen. Hosts were approachable, friendly and obliging.

The cottage was brilliant, it was perfect for our family.

Our 2 year old and 4 year old really enjoyed themselves, having a swimming pool, playground and trampoline on site was everything they wanted!

We had a fantastic holiday at East Bickleigh.

It was an absolutely ideal location for us all to de stress after the last 6 months. The farm was even nicer than the photographs suggested. Beautifully cosy and comfortable and the kitchen was really well equipped. The owners were great. There to welcome us , around should we need anything but completely unobtrusive. We would love to return and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

The cottage was beautiful, very well appointed, the swimming pool was a godsend as we didn’t have the best weather for the first 3 days, the owners were attentive , but certainly not in your face.

There were some lovely walks around the perimeters of the farm, so it was good to get out with the dogs without having to take them in the car. We went with my son and his 3 children and the cottage was plenty big enough, beatifically en-suite rooms. The kitchen was huge , and plenty of utensils and dishes to cook with , we didn’t eat our as much as we would have done due to the covid. I would highly recommend this cottage to anyone , the complex had another 2 small cottages, a huge barn and a detached house, so for special family occasions it would be just the spot.

Such a gorgeous spacious cottage.

we went as a family for our daughters 30th birthday. the place is very remote but only a short drive from supermarkets etc. The swimming pool and games room were used as unfortunately for us we had rain 5/7 days and some of the family went home early. would definately recommend

we had a fantastic holiday here.

Having the use of the pool and games room was amazing for the kids. The house was really lovely and very well equipped. It could possibly have been a tiny bit cleaner but it wasn't a problem.

Great place to take families, central location and great facilities.

The property was excellent, it just needed some tweaks on maintenance ie stairgate, and front door lock.

Brian the owner apologised for the swimming pool being cold as he was waiting for a part which was fixed on the Monday, the pool took till the Thursday to come up to temperature. We had a 4 and 2 year old in our party and booked East Bickleigh for the play area, sadly it was very dilapidated and overgrown with weeds and grass, it lacked maintenance and was certainly not as described in the photos! We appreciate that weather plays a large part in maintaining grounds and Brian the owner soon got onto cutting the grass when asked but it tainted what was a good holiday, an observation of the properties was that the grounds needed cutting back. Our 4year old enjoyed the adjoining farm as he is tractor mad. We will certainly visit East Bickleigh again as it was ideally placed it is just unfortunate that some aspects were not up to standard .

Such a wonderful week for all of the family - young and not so young.

The grandkids did nor want to go home. Favourites were the swimming pool and the day out at Woodlands - even the bad weather that day could not dampen the enjoyment. We hired the 2 interconnecting cottages and the arrangement worked perfectly.Thank you

In an ideal place close to coast and Dartmoor.

Ideal for our son and daughter in law and our two grand children.

All perfect except the trampoline netting was broken

We simply loved the comfort and features of the cottage, the kids were over the moon with the pool, games room and trampoline, and having all this on a working farm with little lambs just over the fence was amazing, My youngest grandson made friends with a cow who he is still talking about!

This is the fourth time we have met up as a family at East Bickleigh.

The setting is wonderful and the cottage contains everything one could wish for in a holiday cottage. We were warmly welcomed as usual. We are already planning our visit again next year.

Lovely holiday cottage.

The shared pool was great. The cottage needed a good clean in general especially the oven and surrounding area. The white goods also dirty so wouldn’t be washing my clothes. Owner informed.

The cooker and surround including the hood would benefit from an annual deep clean.

The oven was positively disgusting! The bathrooms needed some mould treated. Everyone enjoyed the pool.

Our third May visit with family and friends.

The lovely indoor pool one of our main reasons for returning.