Meadow View Cottage

Lovely cottage, lovely comfortable sofas.

Can not understand the table and chairs in the kitchen, not all of us are able to climb on to high stools, any meals were consumed either standing up or plates balanced on our knees. Well equipped kitchen though missing a simple dishcloth and working scissors. Big bonus of the parking and well placed for visiting the coast and towns of Devon. Bus stop just up the road outside The Saddlers Arms with a brilliant regular service.

My wife and I recently stayed in the above cottage.

Unfortunately, although Meadow View is a lovely cottage, it now seems, in parts, a little tired, with a few problems as described below: The major issue is the parking space. Potential customers should be warned that this is only suitable for a small hatchback or similar. I drive a Nissan X‑Trail and could only park in the space by first reversing into the lane opposite to obtain a better approach angle. Furthermore, as the front door opens outwards, a gap of approximately 1 metre has to be left clear in front of the car. Living room The flooring in front of the door into the kitchen has split and lifted and appears to have been stuck down with tape. The plastic wall corner protector alongside this damaged flooring is loose due to missing screws, which I found on the floor. Kitchen The kitchen has a high‑spec American‑style Haier fridge freezer, but the door seals have split from the doors. The kitchen scissors fell apart because the hinge screw had rusted through. Utility The washing machine is rusty. Garden The steps from the back door up to the patio would benefit from weeding and can be slippery when wet. The barbecue is heavily rusted and unfit for use. The plant pots contain mainly weeds and dead or dying plants. The lack of a guard rail on the terrace edge is a potential health and safety risk, which may have serious consequences for a child or elderly person. Most of the garden furniture is locked in the summer house, but no key is available for it. Individually, most of these issues are minor, but collectively they may indicate a lack of attention to detail and a need for an upgrade.

Within half an hour of arriving at Meadow View we were sitting in the little garden enjoying a G&T.

It's a clever restoration of an old cottage, really comfortable and well equipped with a very effective log effect gas fire for the cooler nights and a sunny garden which we took full advantage of. The nearby walks are delightful and public transport is excellent. Lympstone is a beautiful and friendly village and the tidal estuary an ever-changing delight. If the cottage had been free for another week we'd have jumped at it, we just didn't want to go home. Thank you to the lucky owners for sharing it with us.

With the quality of the house keeping you would not know that this is dog friendly accommodation even though I booked it because it was!

! Really enjoyed my stay - I know the immediate area pretty well so it was lovely to visit some old haunts and find some new ones. Parking was a big plus - had forgotten how small the village lanes are - and so getting the dogs in and out the car was easy and safe. Lovely property (well thought out) and I enjoyed the terraced garden as I was lucky with the weather. Would come back again. Thank you for your hospitality

Cottage absolutely lovely.

Comfortable and well equipped. Only criticism was the water pressure especially in the shower, which was very poor. The front door and the porch door need replacing. Neither closed easily and had to be really slammed shut which worried us as a fire hazard and the fact that the windows could break. A very well thought out use of space . We had hacking coughs so came home on Thursday rather than Saturday, but thoroughly enjoyed our short stay.

The cottage interior was comfortable, we appreciated the welcome pack including dog treats and it was useful having a washing machine and tumble dryer as the weather was fairly wet during our stay.

It was difficult accessing the bathroom from the small bedroom due to the overlapping doors but we do appreciate this is due to the constraints of the size of the property. The outer porch door and inner door were difficult to open/shut and lock due to the swollen doors which had absorbed water and expanded because of the wet weather. We were unable to obtain a response from Sykes, when we phoned the number we were given in our letter, we had wanted to ensure that access to the property hadn't been restricted by the recent floods - and we could not find a way of emailing you directly. Overall we enjoyed our stay.

Being an old property, but well maintained, means my criticism re the wiring is perhaps a little un fair.

The bathroom light switch is unbelievable, behind the bathroom door on the hinge side!. All while you are standing on the steps leading to the bathroom. We felt that the table and stools in the kitchen were misplaced a standard table and chairs would be better.

The cottage was easy to find, it was clean and well set out, it had everything you needed except only one teaspoon,we had to buy some, other than that we had a great time, the garden was well set out we spent some evenings in the summer house, the cycle tracks were very good the car stayed on the driveway for two weeks, the cottage was so like my grandmother in Topsham it brought back some happy memories, weather was very good and we met some lovely people, we will come back to this great cottage.

Lovely cottage clean & tidy has everything as described on listing .

Lympstone is a lovely village .Cottage in walking distance for the train station and pubs there is also a shop . About 8 min in the car from Exmouth. Had to report a burnt saucepan that had been left and lack of teaspoons but this didn’t affect our stay . Would stay again

Generally nicely laid out and well decorated.

Great location for travelling and exploring!

Fantastic property.

The off street parking was great. And surrounding area to match. It was a great cottage the only thing we found uncomfortable was the master bed. The chairs down stairs where great the girls had the twin room and said it was comfy. Easy reach to the train station great for walking and nice walks around the "block" We had a very peaceful time

Property was ideal for us Village was really friendly.

Fabulous walks. Shopping in Exmouth minutes away. Definitely be back.

We loved everything about meadow view cottage It had everything we needed .

very dog friendly with fully enclosed rear garden.loved the village of lymstone bring central to all our needs , close to the beaches and the train station to be able to venture further afield .would definitely recommend and definitely revisit.

Only quibble was that the outside bin was full when we arrived and, despite us following the instructions, was not collected all week.

This meant that the kitchen bin, when full, could not be emptied. There were no spare bin bags and we ended up buying some. Otherwise, a lovely cottage in a great location.

A lovely stay at Meadow View Cottage.

A superb location, close to amenities, restaurants and shops. Ideal stay for visiting a range of places in East Devon. We had a wonderful stay, loved our week. The cottage was cosy, clean and tidy, felt like home from home!

The property is cosy and generally comfortable.

The backyard is enclosed, so four-legged guests are kept safe. The property owner has clearly given a great deal of thought to the requirements of guests, even providing dishwasher and washing machine detergent! An excellent welcome pack was provided, which was much appreciated. The driveway was a great help, as parking places in Lympstone are limited. The cottage was spotlessly clean. Lympstone village is a great base for exploring the area, with easy access to public transport. Would happily stay again.

All very comfortable, and in a great village.

Parking space was tiny, difficult to access in a larger car. Sofas a little worn out. Great walking immediately outside the door, train line, and good pubs to eat very close by.

Lovely cottage in a lovely village.

We had a lovely stay everything you need , clean & tidy so impressed we have come home & booked for next year. Highly recommend the cottage it’s in a ideal place for Exmouth etc .

Everything was excellent but for two major issues: dog smell in the lounge which meant we couldn't use it and poor state of plants in pots.

While I took care of plants as best as I could, dog smell couldn’t be concealed and has made me thinking there should be a separate category of rented cottages that don’t allow dogs. Otherwise pet-friendly places are only suitable for people with pets! Lympstone is lovely and the cottage is well-preserved and charming.

Well maintained property and clean throughout.

Lovely place to stay

There were cobwebs on the ceiling in several rooms which suggests that it was poorly cleaned and probably not let for a while?

All the plants in pot in the garden were either weeds or dying. Many of the pots were broken. Whilst the patio area has been upgraded the plants are pointless unless they are going to be cared for. It didn't make the garden a pleasant place to spend any time. We also observed that there were no guard rails / hand rails on the edge of the patio and on a couple of times we had to check ourselves to make sure we didn't step off and injure ourselves. The sofas aren't at all comfortable and to call the furniture stylish in the description is really misleading. Overall disappointing quality of accommodation for the money.

I was very nervous bringing two dogs on holiday for the first time but I could not have been happier with the property and we had a fantastic week.

The cottage has everything a family needs, the utility room was an added bonus that was hugely appreciated. The only thing I should mention is that I did get trapped in the little bedroom as the bathroom door was a little ajar. I did manage to get out by standing on the bin and flicking it closed at the top hut this might need consideration especially if a child gets trapped. However, that’s just a small thing, overall we loved the cottage and loved Lympstone. Will be returning!

We were very comfortable and had everything we wanted.

Very nice cottage, only downsides were garden didn’t state that it was tiered with steep steps The parking was very tight I could just get my estate car on the front I would definitely return

We had a lovely week, the cottage was very well equipped and clean.

It was easy to walk to both Exeter Quay and also Exmouth along the Exe Trail. The only downside was the smell of dog, which was a same as it is a super cottage.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this delightful cottage, that has been completed to a high standard.

We really appreciated all of the added extras left for us to use - a bottle of wine, washing up liquid, dog shampoo, cling film to name just a few. We found a National trust field in Lympstone village which was perfect for walking our dog. We also enjoyed walks along Exmouth beach which was only an 8 minute drive away. There was lots of parking at the seafront. We also had a lovely meal at the Swan inn which is a dog friendly pub in Lympstone. We had a relaxing stay and would love to visit again.

All ok and as expected.

Great walks from the cottage and a good pub in the village , whats not to like, but surprised there is no wifi.

Lovely cottage, well furnished and equipped.

Great position with off street parking, definitely would recommend.

Where do I start?

I will start with the positive - this is a nicely appointed cottage on a busy thoroughfare. It has bright breezy rooms and good facilities. The gas fireplace warms the downstairs well in the evening and the garden and outside conservatory is delightful. However, our particular week was marred from Day One by an ant infestation that was apparent as soon as we arrived. Previous occupants had left food in the cupboards which had not been removed by the cleaners, and the entire Kitchen/Living room was literally crawling with ants. We did out best to stamp-out what we could but the invasion was persistent. In the evening, we could feel them crawling on us as we sat on the couches, and it was impossible to leave any food out at all. Virtually all of our provision that we had brought with us to stock the cottage for the week had to thrown out on Day 2 of our visit (approx 35 GBP's worth), and from then-on we had to keep all food (even the Tea) in the fridge. The ants continued to re-appear each day for our entire stay. After complaining to Sykes through the Help Centre on Day 3, someone did visit the property while we were out - ant traps were left and (strangely, 'Spider Spray ??). This did nothing. Despite our regular re-location of the traps, the ants continued. Each day I updated Sykes, but to no effect. Neither Sykes, not the owners, were attentive to our complaints - nor the infestation itself. As a consequence, we left the property despondent one-day early - we were simply tired of trying to manage this problem on our own...and furious that no attempt was made to even acknowledge our situation. We spent far more money than we had budgeted having to eat-out each day, and felt compelled to return to the property early each afternoon to stamp-out the bugs. Subsequently, both the owner and Sykes have rejected our request for a 'goodwill gesture' of (at the very least) a refund for having to leave a day-early. We are long-time customers of Sykes and have never had such a disappointment - we come from Canada and have enjoyed many excellent properties...however, this property should be removed from the market and future customers should be relocated until a pest-control expert has done a serious intervention. I will be sharing this evaluation on Trip Advisor and Google as well. Our visit to beautiful Lympstone Devon was a shame. N. Orford CANADA

A nicely finished house very clean and nice welcome basket.

Good parking for medium sized vehicle Beds and bedding not great. Small second bedroom, really for children only. Shower tray doesn't seem to let the water drain easily and bathroom floor gets easily flooded.

Well appointed, comfortable cottage in a delightful village.

Initial problems accessing the property as Sykes had sent me two different codes for the key safe in two separate emails. I, of course, had noted down the wrong one

A very enjoyable stay and we liked the cottage and the village.

A couple of small suggestions. The two single beds / mattresses in the second bedroom are not entirely comfortable. The shower is prone to overflowing unless the chrome plug cover is removed and it might help to put a note to this effect in the bathroom. We hope to stay again next year.

A gem of a cottage, very clean, comfortable and had everything we needed.

The Summer House is lovely and a real sun trap, even in November. Lots of lovely pubs in the village. Enjoyed exploring the area and local beaches with our dog.

Clean comfortable convenient.

Parking a bonus. Kitchen bathroom and laundry room well equipped. Very satisfied.

Lympstone is a lovely village from days gone by.

Meadow View Cottage is comfortable, well furnished and clean. Off road parking a bonus in Lympstone. Paved garden a sun trap with several seating options. Location within village and proximity to Exmouth and Topsham ideal. Would book again.

Cottage was very comfortable.

Small issue with a lack of instructions for the cottage. Location was ideal for walking around the local area. There are lots to see in this part of Devon. Would like to return again.

Had a lovely few days here, 2nd time we’ve visited the cottage and the improvements made are great, especially the driveway.

Everything was clean and tidy, the cottage is spacious (big enough for us and 2 greyhounds). Would definitely recommend for those with pets wanting to stay in a quiet village with lots of nice walks on the door step.

Cottage was lovely.

As we'd stayed there before we knew what to expect. Although parking for us hadn't been a problem, this time the village was busier (lockdown lifted) so we welcomed the parking for our car in the front garden. Not sure how visitors with two cars would park? Very secure back garden for our very small dog. We couldn't find instructions for recycling. I feel the visitor folder could be updated. In the guest book there's a map of the village which could be printed (useful). We love Lympstone and surrounds may well be back again.

Lovely cottage everything you need for a holiday.

Loved the village everyone was so friendly. Close to the railway and Exmouth . It was a great holiday. Would definitely stay again.

Spotless, so well done, gorgeous location.

Would return!

Lovely village and close the beach, bars and restaurants

Lovely cosy cottage, nice and clean and has everything you need,, nice little touch the bottle of Prosecco, thank you,, the patio area could do with a little TLC,,, otherwise a lovely place,,, the area was quiet, we found a parking space further down the road, but think in high season would be a problem finding somewhere.

The rear garden had not been cleaned up, the patio table dirty, and the summer house door was very difficult to open.

The property is well equipped and and comfortable but way over priced for September availability. Parking as mentioned by others is a problem and should be taken into account when pricing.

Great cottage.

The small back garden is thoroughly secure for very small dogs. Fully tested by ours! Fantastic links to public transport, both trains and buses. Two recommendations the gate to the front garden needs an easy working secure locking mechanism. It's a busy lane with no pavements. The table and chairs in the kitchen could be tricky to use for those not fully able or small children

The accommodation had everything needed for a nice comfortable holiday.

The parking was as expected (from previous comments) quite difficult but we got lucky most of the time and got a space in the side streets. Some of the bulbs had blown in the lounge and the side lamp in the back bedroom kept cutting out when the base was moved so I unplugged it as I was not comfortable it. The 9am departure was a little early and the 5pm arrival was also quite annoying. I'm sure you have your reasons for this but it's not very customer inviting.

Cottage was perfect, no issues whatsoever had a Couple of meals in the village both very good will definitely be booking again.

Did not represent value for money.

Have paid similar price for larger cottages in Devon (lump stone and Beer) with parking. No ‘welcome pack’ - for the money would expect at least a pint of milk given can’t check in till 5. Cottage is on edge of village and good 20 minute walk from shop. Garden was frankly tatty. Again for price paid garden poor and not up to standard of cottage. Wasn’t a pleasure at all to sit out there. Re parking I also have had a public car park permit in other properties given how hit and miss finding a place to park is. Information book very poor. Overall I think we were disappointed and felt fleeced. Wont be returning to this cottage and probably not using you again.

Parking commented that it was on street.

There was no parking available. Road was so narrow no vehicles could be parked near the house. Made the stay very uncomfortable

Well equip and comfortable cottage.

We usually stay right on th estuary but Meadow View gave us a different view of the village. Only an 8min walk down to the first pub and 10mins to the shop. The summer house was lovely.

Parking was a nightmare if people are paying top prices for there holiday they should expect to be able to park there car outside the property not 20 minutes walk away

The cottage was very comfortable , well equipped, and cleaned to Covid Standards the only thing that was a problem is the Parking the Car Park in the village is a good 20 mins and I am a fast walker And it was full the day we arrived off road parking is very limited good thing we had bikes as once we found a space did not want to move the car , perhaps the front Garden could be made into a parking space would be more useful.

Overall we had a lovely time with our two dogs, lots of nice walks to go on and lots of things to see and do.

Lympstone is a lovely little village to stay in. Property was clean and tidy, made a few suggestions in the suggestion book such as having better equipment in the kitchen- it’s self catering and should be better equipped for people to be able to cook I.e. baking equipment etc. The neighboring properties are a little possessive over parking on the road (even if you’re parked legally etc.) I woke up one morning to post-it note on my car telling me to move it up and block a door so another car could fit behind me, I did as I now knew it was fine to block this door, the next morning another resident tells me that by moving it up to where I was told to that she can’t get on/off her drive due to the size of her car...nothing hostile it’s just unpleasant to be made to feel a nuisance whilst you’re on holiday and not actually done anything wrong/illegal.

Cleanliness of the property wasn’t good.

Considering CV19 and I specifically called up to ensure that cleaning would be efficient. The floor was rotten, covered in dog hair, sticky patches all over the kitchen floor. I had to clean the cottage too to bottom before I could allow my children in as I was not satisfied it was cleaned properly. The cottage STANK of dog, no odour sprays used to neutralise the smell. If pets are welcome that’s fine but use the correct products to neutralise the smell. Parking was difficult, if you could park at the side of the property then it’s a good 15 minute walk to a car park. The lovely village is very small with little parking. The garden isn’t suitable for small children, it’s all concrete and very steep steps that slopes.

I thought the cottage was lovely and met all our needs.

The village of Lympstone is very pretty and the cottage is ideally placed for all our holiday needs. However, I was not impressed by how clean it was, particularly during these current times. The lounge had clearly not been hovered or mopped properly as there was a small child’s book under the rug. The dishwasher was filthy and was full of rotten food and stank. It clearly had not been cleaned in between each stay. We did not use it as it was clear that it was not washing properly as some of the utensils were not washed properly. The cupboards had crumbs scattered over them and the cleaners drink had been left in the fridge. As the none recycled rubbish is only collected every three weeks we were greeted with filled bin bags in the garden which stayed there for the whole week, and because the collection was during our week, were required to put it all out in the street for collection. The bin had been rammed full and was extremely heavy to move. This would have been very difficult for someone less abled. I think that the holiday company should arrange for someone to collect this privately in between each stay. It might also be worth hiring a gardener as the weeds are starting to overtake both the front and back garden. Both these areas are very nice, so it would be a shame for them to be ruined. All these issues are easily solved and should be rectified as it really is a lovely cottage and deserves a good review.

Really clean comfortable cottage Enjoyed our stay.

A very nice, well appointed cottage

Lovely cosy cottage, ideal for dog walking, lovely pubs close by.

.. everything we wanted. We could not fault the cottage other than a few more instructions re boiler and cooker controls would have been helpful... also a receptacle in the kitchen for food waste making sorting for rubbish collections easier. We will definitely book again through Sykes and the customer service is excellent.

Hugely disappointed with Sykes on this booking.

The floors were disgusting, so much so I mopped them myself after my 8 month old baby was covered in filth from them. The heating in the second bedroom did not work too so we had half of our party returning home as they could not use the room. When I spoke to sykes they sorted the floors and gave us a radiator for the second room. Unfortunatley it was too late for our family as they had to return to cornwall. The heating in the second bedroom was also known about as the guest book mentions it in October 2019!! Parking is not 5 minutes away it is a good 15 minute walk away - which didnt bother us it would just have been nice to know in advance! The cottage itself is lovely, no expense spared in furnishings. The tv signal came and went, maybe due to the storms. Welcome pack again was lovely. I would most definitely look into the agent looking after this property as the cleanliness was just not acceptable to us. I took pictures of all the cobwebs and filthy mop bucket water to pass on. I hope this is constructive feedback as I said the cottage itself is so so lovely. I am sure the owner has out a lot of thought and effort into making it a home from home.

We had a most enjoyable stay over new year.

The cottage has everything you need and is very quaint and pretty. On arrival there was a welcome package of cupcakes, biscuits, Prosecco and milk in the fridge, much appreciated. The parking was a little tricky but we always got a space in the side street just up from the cottage. Lovely cottage.

Lovely cottage.

Retains its country charm but everything good quality and high spec. Parking a bit tricky and downstairs loo on the small side to say the least (!) but otherwise a wonderful little place. Loved the welcome wine and treats.