“Whilst this is a beautiful cottage, with gorgeous, well maintained small gardens the preparation for our visit, overall cleanliness and much needed updating (bathrooms, plumbing and drawer space for clothes) significantly detracted from the overall comfort.”
I had to put up and make up one of the children's beds and move furniture around to be able to fit the two beds (a day bed hideaway) into the room. A desk collapsed causing worry and concern.
There was a substantial layer dust on many furniture surfaces (though not all) and I needed to dust throughout. So many nicknacks on all the services had a gathering of dust, with little ornament dishes on our dressing table having a deep layer of grime and dirt. One even had a lump of discarded chewing ...
I had to put up and make up one of the children's beds and move furniture around to be able to fit the two beds (a day bed hideaway) into the room. A desk collapsed causing worry and concern.
There was a substantial layer dust on many furniture surfaces (though not all) and I needed to dust throughout. So many nicknacks on all the services had a gathering of dust, with little ornament dishes on our dressing table having a deep layer of grime and dirt. One even had a lump of discarded chewing gum stuck to it! Dead bluebottles in bedrooms and on the landing showed a hoover had not been used in all areas.
A mobile wine rack/ butchers block in the kitchen had a thick layer of kitchen dust and grease on the wheels and lower shelving but the coffee machine on top was clean. We had to clean most saucepans and all the oven roasting dishes before we used them. The crockery and cutlery was generally OK.
The toilet cistern in the family bathroom needed a lot of pumping, the children couldn't flush the toilet themselves. It was only on the last day that we worked out that by twisting the outer knob a flush would happen at the first press, but it had to be turned back, out of line again, to stop the cistern constantly filling.
The waterfall shower in the ensuite didn't work.
A fresh little bouquet of carnations had been put on the kitchen table was a nice touch but is a very minimal welcome by comparison to most rental cottages we have stayed at. (Hosts now leave a welcome pack of a few pieces of local produce, even some wine, bread and milk. It gives a feeling of care and warmth and, of course, points us in the direction of the local bakery, shops or other services.)
We felt like there had been minimal cleaning or maintenance for several months and a musty damp smell pervaded the cottage until we had been in and opened windows for a while.
The location of the cottage is lovely, the room sizes are good. It simply felt like the hosts were lacking in care of the experience the guests would have. It would take very little to bring this cottage back up to the standards now expected by holiday makes and rental companies alike. I would urge other prospective rentees to ask Sykes Cottages if the plumbing has been sorted and cleanliness is now good. If it has - book away, you will enjoy your stay!
