Highdown

I loved Highdown the first time I stayed in 2023 and I still love it.

I’d live there if I could! The enclosed garden is perfect for dogs and the short walk down the hill to the gorgeous beach at Bigbury Bay and the Venus cafe is well worth the climb back up the hill. Definitely much fitter by the end of the week. The bungalow is a bit dated but it’s welcoming and comfortable. Eating at the table in the sun lounge and looking at the sea in the distance or a sunset over the cliffs is magical. It’s really quiet as it’s at the top of a cul de sac. I am a fit 73yo but found the steps and banks up to the front door a bit too steep but that was resolved by walking around to the back door instead. It definitely is not the place for someone with mobility issues. Overall I love Highdown and hope to go back soon.

The property was basic as per photographs.

There was no dvd player. Plenty of hot water. Very quiet and peaceful. Dishwasher, oven and washing machine as worked well. Instructions as to how to get the shower to work would have been useful.

The property was great for us, three adults and a dog.

Comfortable period accommodation with an authentic retro feel. Garden was safe for the dog and the stay was peaceful and quiet. The owner left us a nice welcome card and text messaged us with contact details if we had any problems. We will look to stay again.

I have been looking at this property from when My Husband and I stayed in this area three years ago.

I was put off by the bad reviews but I eventually decided to take a chance and book it for a week and I am so glad that I did. When we arrived we were greeted by this amazing garden that surrounds the property which is very maintained with the many beautiful flowers and shrubs. the garden is very secure and my two Corgis love the freedom of running about in it - something that they don't have the luxury of at home. When entering the property, we immediately fell in love with it....it's vintage/retro and reminded us of when were growing up or visiting our grandparents house; It also has the most amazing calming feel to it as if there has been nothing but happy memories there. The lounge looks better than in the photos and has two big sofas, an amazing fireplace and large TV. The rest of the property looks exactly like on the photos. The sun room is amazing!! we ate our meals in there while we looked at the most amazing view of the sea!! We were also greeted by a robin every day. As for cleanliness I always do my own cleaning which I think is essential especially in todays climate but on the whole the property was clean. So if your idea of a holiday is something that throws you straight back to another time/era then is is for you - we were looking for complete tranquility and relaxation and that's what we got....we were so sad to leave - even one of my dogs didn't want to get in the car to leave. My only regret was not been able to stay an extra week but, we will definitely be back as we have found our dream holiday vacation - this is definitely our island which is totally stunning in every aspect. The owner, Jo sent us a message asking if we were ok so the communication was amazing. Don't be put off by the bad reviews.

Well , it did have a lovely sea view and a nice garden.

General overall standard of the bungalow is not good enough for the price charged. The was a musty smell on first entering. Lots of dust, cobwebs and spiders. Bed linen was stained and on removing the pillow cases as requested on leaving found the pillows awful - old and heavily stained. There was even a dead spider under the sheet on one of the single beds.The kitchen area floor was very sticky we needed to mop it. It was also giving way by the end of the breakfast bar. More utensils needed such as a decent measuring jug. The washing up bowl was past its best. Three of the small glasses were chipped and cracked. The bathroom needed an upgrade and a deep clean.All in all it was not acceptable for a holiday home.

This is the worse property we have ever stayed in.

As soon as we entrered there was a musty smell throughtout. There are cobwebs in many places in all rooms whereever a right angle is formed, they are over the light shades, in the drawers of the bedrooms, above the cooker and so on. The shower curtain has mould on it where it touches the bath. The curtain in the bedroom with the french door has mould on it where it touches the wall as does the wall. There are no finishing touches to the property although Sykes shows them in the photographs. No flowers on the table, no cushions or throw on the bed, no welcome pack mentioned in some feedback. There are food crumbs in the freezer, we had to wash the inside before we could use it. The bathroom is disgusting behind the WC. Furniture has not been moved for months with allsorts of dust and crumbs underneath. Underneath all heaters it's very dusty but the kitchen heater is disgusting underneath. they stand on feet but have never been cleaned underneath. The old kitchen cupboard is filthy, we had to wash items before first use. The dog bed is filthy from being left outside. The property has not seen a paint brush in years. The decor is very tired and filthy, particularly on places like the edges of doors. When it was last painted it was done very amaturishly with paint on light fittings, switches, etc. Apart from the border to the side of the driveway & mowing the lawn, the garden has not been touched for several years. The outside furniture has never been revarnished and joints are now failing and coming apart. We could go on more! We have photos, nearly 70, of all the above points to back them up. How Sykes van offer this nproperty is beyond me!

Don’t book this property.

I arrived and there were cobwebs, dust, hair and spiders all over the property. The toilet had not been cleaned and there was an awful smell across the property. The bath does not work properly and overall the cleanliness of the property was so bad. You are paying a lot of money so it would be more worth staying at the coastguards or any other property than here. Also Sykes themselves are so bad, no customer service no contact nothing. I tried to complain and they have ignored me for weeks on end then just closed the case.

Lovely location, great garden for the dogs.

Grest shower, comfortable bed. A bit unfortunate it was a cold week for September and we couldn't work out the heating.

We had a great week at Highdown.

Our only observation was for some instruction for how to operate the cooker and also the TV. Plus a few more kitchen utensils would help, like a large collender, especially if 6 people were occupying the cottage. We would definitely come again.

A delightful old fashioned property with good garden area for dogs.

All amenities provided. Be aware a Smart TV to operate. Property at top of steep hill but easy reach of the beach

Homely, fabulous garden and sea views.

Misleading marketing with very poor quality service and terrible property.

Worst holiday experience to date would never use again.

Very relaxing and nice and quiet

My husband and I wanted just a few days to totally chill with our dog Stanley, this for us was a perfect spot, it has a fully enclosed garden for our Stanley to roam around he settled in instantly.

... It reminded me of my nanny's house in some ways, it's in an old style which some people would not like because it's not top of the range in many ways but for us it was a little nugget of gold....we will be booking it again for a chill few days in the future...

An old fashioned seaside bungalow as shown in the photos online.

It could perhaps benefit from some updating but we had everything we needed and the views were stunning. Worth walking up the steep hill for! As the property has been in the same family for years we would have been interested in any old photos and pictures to see the changes to the bungalow and Bigbury. We were 3 adults and the property worked ok for us. Would we go again? Yes.

We had a lovely stay at Highdown.

Very comfortable and clean. Wonderful position with great view. The garden was a god send as we could relax knowing that our border terrier was safe and secure. The open fire was a lovely added extra. I do think it would be abit of a squeeze for more than 4 adults. Need to mention…. Please can you get a different can opener !!!!. And that was the only issue!!!!. We loved it so much I’ve already booked again for next year !!! . Thankyou

Lacked that homely feel.

Dated decor that with a small investment could be great. Stunning views but it is on a very steep hill that is not mentioned. One annoyance was we were surprised to find netflix available so when it rained one day we decided to watch some films thinking this would be ok. However we received a message to us us if we could kindly log out when we had finished so the owners could watch! Please don't offer this service if we are not allowed to watch. Overall we had a great time. Thank you

Terrible accommodations dirty and out dated

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Highdown - the location is great , Bigbury on sea ,Burgh island & Challaborough are only a short walk away.

We took our small dog ( Westie ) the gardens are beautiful & well maintained and almost enclosed ( she could get through the gaps in the gate across the drive ) . The bungalow is very homely , we particularly loved sitting in the front sun porch watching the world ( well sea! ) go by , fantastic views over the Devon coastline . We did feel that the bungalow would be too small for anymore than 2 or 3 Adults or a family with small children . Although we needed for nothing -everything had been considered & was incredibly clean , we do feel that the property needed an overall update & some money spending throughout to make your time spent at Highdown more comfortable . We were happy with the price we paid but we do think £2000+ in the high season is unreasonable for this property. In summary , a lovely little spot & we will definitely look to book again :)

This cottage was just what we wanted.

Great views. Great location. Great garden for our dog: great size and really secure so we could relax whilst she played outside. Loved the open fire too.

Lovely place.

Nice and homely. Great value. Thanks for a lovely stay.

Lovely cottage and very comfortable stay lacking nothing we needed.

In 2021 We paid less than £1000 in high season. We looked to book again but at an increase in price exceeding 200% we don’t think that would be a fair price for this property. Gate is very narrow.

Perfect base for a lovely holiday.

Bigbury- On-Sea is a beautiful area. Cottage had a lovely garden which was completely safe for our dog.

A really comfortable little holiday home.

We found everything we needed and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Wow.

..Bigbury-on-Sea is beautiful. Highdown is situated at the top of a very steep hill. Beautiful views to Burgh Island, which is worth a walk over, even just to have a drink at the Pilchard Inn. Little cafe/takeaway down on the beach car park which is pretty basic but lovely food. There is a food store within walking distance on a caravan park along with Fryer Tucks fish and chips (also very nice) but it is along quite a narrow cliff path. WiFi was very hit and miss but kind of expected that to be honest. Make sure you visit Pickwick Inn (pub) which is so lovely. Great food, lovely atmosphere and very dog friendly. Beware of the narrow lanes in the area, cars go pretty fast round them and although there are pull in places it does get a bit scary at times. Highview itself is a lovely bungalow. Pretty dated but we quite liked that. Could have been a bit cleaner but very cosy and warm. Loved sitting in the little dining area looking out to the sea even when it was raining. The garden is lovely too, wraps around the whole bungalow and is very safe for dogs. On two occasions we did have a chap come right through the garden to the shed at the back apparently to collect laundry? If he’d of knocked and said he was about then we would have been happier but to suddenly see a man walking around outside was a bit unnerving. The patio area again is lovely but not for small children. There’s quite a drop down a grass bank at the front of it. All in all we went away as a family of four (2 grown up children) after having an illness for most of the year to have some quality time together and a well earned rest and that’s exactly what we did. Would we go back there again? Yes definitely

The property was dated and a couple of the table lamp shades were broken, but overall the property was ideal for what we needed.

Perfect location to a fantastic beach.

Comfortable, well equipped for a short stay, fantastic location.

House was freezing on arrival which was a shame late at night, and the WiFi didn’t really work.

Everything was perfect, Highdown might be dated as one reviewer hinted at but it had a lovely warm atmosphere that soon as you walked through the door it said “Welcome”.

We were able to relax and feel at home straight away. It has all mod cons, but no phone or mobile signal. I would advise any one with anything a bit bigger than a people carrier to give this one a miss as the entrance is narrow so is the lane outside. Other than that I would give it 5 stars.

Had a lovely holiday.

Everything was as stated would only suggest extra refuge bags & possibly an extra black bin. Otherwise excellent value for money & good views of the sea!

The bungalow is very dated and smells terrible.

The only pluses were the fantastic scenery and weather. Failing those we would have come home. We only had one small, thin bath towel each and there were no deck chairs to sit on in the garden. We were very disappointed but I will check the reviews in future!

We have been fortunate to have stayed in a few Sykes holiday lets, and have never been disappointed.

However, we would not have booked Highdown last year if we had read the recent reviews written. But here is an update - Highdown is old and tired looking, but we felt the owner had read the same reviews and had made an effort to make changes. The property was clean, thick soft white medium size fluffy towels (no hand towels), tea towels, hand soap, and washing up liquid was provided, and the kitchen was well equipt. We found the master bedroom's mattress to be comfortable, and also there were two radiators to use if you found the property not warm enough. The only complaints we would make are, the little utility room with the large fridge freezer has a funny smell and this problem needs investigating, and there was no shower curtain / screen. Meaning that every time we used the shower, we had to mop the bathroom floor. (We must admit that we did not contact the owner regarding these problems, because we could not get a signal on our mobile). The welcome tea / coffee / sugar / milk and biscuits after along journey was very much appreciated. Thankyou. Bigbury on Sea is a beautiful location.

No frills cottage in a great location.

We were concerned about previous reviews and as is clear in the photos, Highdown is an older cottage which still feels more like a residential than a rental property. The owner had worked hard to make the place clean and fresh for our arrival, even down to a new coat of paint in the utility room. Good points - the house was generally comfortable (although the mattress in the master bedroom should be replaced), the kitchen was well equipped (though no pantry provisions except salt and pepper) - it was not at all spacious, as stated in the description but certainly adequate, there is a large fridge freezer in the utility which is useful, the wifi and TV were excellent, the conservatory when sunny was delightful, the fire was cozy and the garden a nice size (although not completely dog-proof - a tenacious terrier would squeeze through the front gate in a second). The driveway was tight, but we managed to get our Landrover 4x4 in with a bit of skilful manoeuvring (on my part). Less positively, we arrived in a wet and windy Easter week and storage heaters hadn't been turned up so the house was very chilly. On colder days I think the heaters struggled to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the day and into the evening. The bathroom needs some storage (shelves, a bathroom cabinet?) as there was nothing to accommodate the smellies of 6 people and the provision of towels were a disappointment. Not sure why they state they are provided when all you get is one thin medium sized towel to last a week and no hand towels. I suggest you take your own. The owner however was responsive and did provide an extra electric radiator and a couple of hand towels on request. All in all we had a nice stay as Bigbury on Sea is a heavenly location for kids of all ages and dogs - The Journeys End pub has superb food. I wouldn't rent this cottage again as I think its rather basic and overpriced, but if you have realistic expectations it is a nice base from which to explore the area.

The cottage is tired, dated and smells musty.

The heating is inadequate, especially in cold weather and there were no logs left for us as listed in the handbook. The towels were old, thin and stained and with one small towel each, we had to buy our own. The mattresses are old, lumpy, saggy and neither of us slept well all week due to back pain. Although we were left milk and biscuits, there was no washing up liquid or cloth, soap, hand towel which would have been helpful and what we usually get in a cottage. We also noted that none of the electrical items had been PAT tested. The top window in the small twin bedroom didn't open and there is a cracked window in the lounge/conservatory. We did however love the area and would go back there but just not in your property.