The Old Kennels

The pictures on Sykes website are old pictures.

The property was not clean . Dead insects on floor .The wooden door frames /doors are rotten. Microwave needs replacing disgusting... Toilet seat broken. Stains on sofa. Stains on tables. Dust in bedroom Draws, Huge crack on bedroom wall.Cobwebs everywhere. Lamp bulb not working . The property is old and tired needs a makeover. Inside and outside... Note on the plus side the views were good and quite and the hot tub was relaxing. .

We had a lovely restful week- thank you Perfect rural peaceful setting.

Beds clean and very comfortable Fans provided which were very necessary Outside paving needed sweeping ++ on arrival. Garden Parasol, base and table were broken and unusable which meant no shade outside . Very grateful for Rosie replacing them within an 1/2 hr of request…Amazing! Mouse droppings in kitchen cupboard under sink

Amazing place especially if you have dogs - will be back

A hard to beat and beautiful rural setting and the accomodation was spacious.

Superking bed a bonus. However, we got the impression that everything provided was to the least spec. possible to attain 4 stars. The fridge was small even for just the two of us and a larger one would easily slot in. The welcome pack could be a bit more generous. The property is really in need of a freshen up. Paintwork, carelessly applied, peeling and stained in places and doors and windows suffering from rot. the outside patio area seemed not to have been swept for some time and mortar between flags was missing and broken in places. A generally tired and even dirty appearance throughout. The hot tub looked nice and clean but outside furniture inadequate for 4 and had not been cleaned. Sunshade abandoned on terrace and would not open.

Beautiful location with fabulous views.

Lovely and peaceful and a short walk to a great pub. A few simple changes would elevate it to a five star for us. A shelf under the mirror in the main bedroom, a shelf and mirror in the second bedroom and a shelf or similar for putting things in the shower so you don’t have to pick them up off the floor. We had a problem with the TV aerial which was sorted out promptly by the owners. The dishwasher tablet door won’t shut, a minor niggle. Also the heated towel rail didn’t work in the bathroom and there was no other form of heating there.

The maintenance let the property down.

The showerhead was loose, toilet seat wobbly, skirting boards dusty, woodwork needs painting. The location is fa-bu-lous! Jacuzzi very comfortable. The surroundings are so quiet and green! The cottage is nicely set up and spacious and has got lovely furniture!

Lovely accommodation, ideal for a dog owner, beautiful views.

Ideally located for surrounding area. Hottub was a bonus and well maintained. Only negative, fridge and microwave could do with upgrading. We really enjoyed our stay.

This property is in a lovely peaceful location with great views and very quiet.

We did have a very good break here as we really needed a getaway but the property needs maintenance and TLC as feels unloved, many elements need replacing, the outside furniture is broken ie table and umbrella, the shower head leaks and needs replacing, locks are difficult on both front and back doors which told owner about.

Fantastic place to stay and would rebook again.

Comfortable, clean and well kept. 3 points: Key was left in the door and not the key safe. We returned it to the safe when we left. Dishwasher couldn't be used as the panel indicated lack of salt and rinse aid neither of which were around. Suggestion that the switches on the wall outside the bathroom are labelled. The shower wasn't working and I deduced it had been turned off and then spotted the switches and had to test which of the switches was for the shower. This info wasn't in the black welcome pack folder. Great place, lovely views and privacy.

We booked this as a last minute getaway for my self, my partner and our dog.

We had read through the mixed reviews and were completely blown away with the entire place. If you’re looking for a remote private stay, that’s peaceful and relaxing then this is the place. It’s a bright and airy cottage that’s still got a rustic feel but modern, with scenic views all around. We felt at home as soon as we walked in. It’s perfect in size for just a couple but sleeps 4 and enough space for 4 people. The master bed was so comfy and spacious to sleep in as well as the size of the room. For a dog friendly stay it’s was so clean and tidy, yes the odd mark here and there but we wouldn’t say it affected our stay at all. I think people that have made comments previously are genuinely looking for something to complain about. We were so lucky with the weather and enjoyed relaxing all day in the hot tub and patio area - the outside seating was brilliant for our morning coffees. There’s also a gate linking to a field which our dog throughly enjoyed running around in, zoomies from start to finish. He was most definitely sad about coming home. There is a well equipped kitchen and dishwasher with supplies there. A washing machine to use - would recommend bringing your own detergents (we didn’t use as it was only 3 nights). Other reviews made comments about WiFi, tv signal and 4G. We had no issues with the tv or WiFi. The TV has Netflix / Disney / now tv / prime as well as normal channels. We had no issues with signal on our phones not that we used them much and our 4G/5G was fast. We noticed the comments about the shower being broken but honestly you wouldn’t notice unless you try to pick it up. The heating in the hall way didn’t work but again this did not affect our stay or the overall temperature in the cottage as the front room and bedroom radiators work fine. There are also fans available in both bedrooms to help keep the place cool in the day. We enjoyed tracking the planes flying over with a lot of military / old aircraft’s flying by, our favourite being the spitfire! The drive down to the ‘old kennel’ is on a farm track so I did cringe a few times with a low front splitter however no damage was done and once you’ve driven it once you know the areas to try avoid by using the grass verge. Overall this is beautiful stay, we felt relaxed all weekend. The hosts leave you to it but leave their contact details should you need them. We had full privacy whilst staying and enjoyed watching the farmer and animals in the fields around. There is a Lidl 5 min drive from the site with other superstores close by. We found it best to use the link on Navi maps (I think it was called that) they send to take you straight to the location over using maps and the postcode for the pub (blue bull/bell). The owners have definitely listened to previous feedback and made changes where possible to really make this a stress free and relaxing stay. We look forward to coming back to stay again.

Lovely decorated and comfortable cottage especially with the hot tub.

So peaceful and tranquil with beautiful views.Good basics provided and easy to use. Perhaps a hair dryer and a tray could be provided especially latter to prevent too many trips to and from lounge.Would really recommend this cottage for a wonderful holiday.

Beautiful setting in a lovely area.

The property is nice and the amenities are good. It just needs a bit of sprucing up and cleaning properly and a bit more attention to things. The shower is held up with an elastic band and stopped working on our final morning. The radiator in the hall also didn’t work at all. The large bed is sprung and not the most comfortable. The outside is not in the best condition either. Trying not to be too harsh, but this property could be so lovely, but it just falls short due to the upkeep of it.

The location is perfect.

Privacy and amazing countryside views. A really lovely setting. Room sizes good. Comfortable beds. With some improvements I would give it 4 stars. Outside broken shutters and rotting wooden frames which need repairing and a paint job. Broken garden table. Invest in a new microwave as it is very rusty inside so I didn't like using it. Shower head kept sliding down so we had to tie elastic to hold it up. Loaded the dishwasher only to find the tablet drawer wouldn't click shut so had to unload it so unable to use it. Finally, the oven was very dirty inside with burnt on food. I am rarely critical but when I am I like it to be constructive.

The Old Kennels is in an unbeatably quiet and beautiful location.

The accommodation is very comfortable, spacious and well organised. We enjoyed our stay and were happy with every aspect of our holiday.

Cottage was lovely and quiet Lots of spiders and webs especially in the bathroom and light The double bedroom mattress was awful You could hear the springs pinging when you led in it Very uncomfortable We slept in the twin bedroom Please change the mattress Duvet cover on double bed very stained

We loved the location and the accommodation.

It was so well equipped and very comfortable. The hot tub was an added bonus. The owners were on hand if needed . Beds were very comfortable with lovely quality bed linen. Our dog was in heaven with the freedom and we are already looking at dates to book to return visit next year.

I definitely wouldn’t stay again!

Laundry - I didn’t need a “flowery” smell!!! I couldn’t sleep in the bed due to the overwhelming smell! I ended up on the sofa! Gutted .. we were really looking forward to this holiday! Also cleaning needs improving, I counted 15 spiders when we arrived in kitchen alone ? Umm .. perhaps you need to look at cleaning staff!!

A great holiday in fabulous location.

Very comfortable with fantastic views. It could have been cleaner and the hot tub wasnt turned on so couldn't use it the first night. Listing is confusing as it describes Boswell Farm cottages layout whereas The Kennels is compley separate and very isolated in the middle of fields nestled under a large Oak tree. We would definitely stay again.

Gem of a place if you like to get away from It all absolute bliss.

our dog loved the freedom of the surrounding fields.Comfortable, well equipped all you could need. One very minor thing was I think the patio area could benefit from a sweep and dead Bush by door removing as it meant we walked in lots of mess. Overall stunning place would go back 2moro.

We had a very enjoyable week and it was very relaxing in beautiful surroundings however the only problem was the loss of internet which happened frequently for the television and unable to enjoy the radio programmes

The most beautiful stay in a prime location.

Everything you need and more, a lovely set up inside with all the kitchen facilities you need, whilst the lounge and bedroom being very comfortable with amazing views across the fields - which our dog loved exploring. The outside space was lovely, and we even managed to make use of the bbq provided (shame the furniture was soggy but thats the UK weather! Table was broken but there is plenty of other space you can use). The hot tub was just a luxury added extra which we enjoyed! We would definitely recommend to friends and family and hope to visit again. Thankyou for a lovely stay!

The Old Kennels was a lovely, quiet place to relax and unwind.

It’s in a great location with easy access to all the local beaches, walks and main roads into Sidmouth and the surrounding areas. The accommodation was well equipped and had everything we needed for our stay.

Property had been neglected with worn decor, the patio was a key selling point and unfortunately covered in weeds and branches from the tree, we spent 10 mins cleaning this up so it would be safe for our dog.

A radiator had been removed from the hallway which meant it was very cold down the front part of the property. The shower only went from hot and cold and wouldn’t stay on a comfortable temperature. Hot chocolate provided in the kitchen was out of date by 3 months. Windows in the bedroom were lightly painted and the sky windows had no blinds meaning it got very light in the room in the morning. The property could be really lovely if more care was put into it, it’s a shame as spent a lot of money for our stay only for it to feel as if the owners didn’t want to make the effort.

Beautiful property in a lovely rural and peaceful location.

Extremely comfortable facilties where you really feel relaxed. Used the hot tub every day which helped us to unwind. Only things I would suggest to improve the property are a bigger fridge and freezer. Would definitely return and use the property again.

Had a fantastic stay at this property.

We had everything we needed. Property was clean and comfortable, everything worked as it should. Great location very peaceful.

We stayed at the Old Kennels in August 2023 as a family group of 4 adults and our dog and couldn’t have had a better holiday.

Accurate listing, very clean, beautiful setting and really well equipped holiday home. Having stayed in a few holiday cottages like this over the years we were really impressed by the range of kitchen equipment available, enough to cook a big roast and multiple barbecues for a group of 4. Tea and coffee also provided, which was not expected and above and beyond. Lots of parking. Fast, friendly responses from owners when needed - really lovely people. The hot tub and garden furniture were brilliant as we happened to be lucky with the weather after a very wet July! Location was beautiful and secluded which was wonderful, lots of space for the dog to safely run around, walking distance from the byes, lovely pubs and sidmouth - perfect for a relaxed and pooch-friendly holiday. Would 100% recommend to anyone and my partner and I are coming back in November with the pooch for another week! Couldn’t have asked for any more. Had a really lovely week of quality time with family.

All was good in the main with the exception of the fridge - this was very small, no freezer, only an icebox, and the shelves in the door were broken.

It meant I could only shop for a couple of days, not ideal for a holiday.

The setting was lovely but spoilt by a few niggles.

The keycode safe was very fiddly and hard to open. The listed fridge/freezer was anything but as was only a very small fridge with an ice box that wouldnt even hold a small tub of icecream. The village shop was closed each day just after lunch due to staff shortages and had hardly any stock so we had to travel to the larger stores further away and then had no space to store items so had to do a limited shop each time. The salad box was only big enough for 2 items! We tried to use the dishwasher on day 3 when we had built up enough crockery to make it worthwhile using but unfortunately it did not work due to no salt and there was none in the cupboard! There was no control on the hot tub to turn the water temperature down as it was too hot for us to use. The area around the building needed a good tidy up, lots of weeds growing and a very dirty door mat to greet you. The TV only worked on a few of the days holiday as it kept saying no signal and as we dont subscribe to NETFLIX it was a little disappointing. The area around the house was lovely and we enjoyed going for long walks each day. All in all we enjoyed our holiday but a shame it was spoilt by a few small niggles.

Beautiful cottage in a great location.

We would definitely book again. Close to Sidmouth which is a really lovely unspoilt town. The owners were very helpful. Perfect getaway.

My wife and I stayed at the Old Kennels Cottage Accommodation for 6 nights at the end of July 2023.

We payed over £1300 for our stay. One of the main reasons we chose this cottage, was because it had a washing machine. We had traveled from Switzerland via France and had already been on the road for 9 days. Upon our arrival, and to our surprise, there was no washing machine. The booklet in the cottage said it had a washing machine as well as on the Website of Sykes Cottages, who we booked through. After contacting the Site Manager, we were informed that the washing machine was broken. The Site Manager said that they would return the next day to discuss the matter. We never saw that person again for the duration of our stay and no message was left for us to say that they had stopped by and that we should contact them. Had we had not contacted the Site Manager, no one would have told us that there was no washing machine available. There was ZERO communication prior to our arrival that the washing machine was broken and not available at the property. This was a huge inconvenience to us and certainly was not the nicest experience to start our holiday with. We were offered to have our washing done by the site manger at the farm. Which was a nice gesture. But after seeing how dirty (particular the bed sheets and towels) the cottage was when we arrived, we did not accept this offer. Also, this was certainly not a sufficient solution to having no washing machine at the property. We certainly did not pay £1300 for a stranger to do our washing on another property. On our departure day, we asked the owner that we be refunded accordingly as they did not provide us with a washing machine that we could use, at our own convenience, in the cottage. The owner refused to refund us. In addition, upon our arrival, the property was not cleaned properly, not even to a minimal standard of cleanliness. In the Kitchen all the door handles and appliances were sticky and dirty to touch. The drawers where the cutlery and toaster were kept had not been cleaned. There were still ALOT of left over crumbs in the toaster from the previous week. The tea towel provided had a huge stain on it, and the dish sponge was black and smelly. It certainly didn’t give us much confidence that the rest of the utensils and kitchen were cleaned properly?! In the Bathroom the bath mat had stains on it and didn’t look clean. There were a number (more than should be tolerated) of hairs around the toilet, sink, floor and shower area. In the main double bedroom the sheets had a stain in the middle of the bed, and the mattress protector was covered in stains, and looked liked it hadn’t been washed in a long time. It was disgusting! There were cobwebs everywhere and no sign that any had tried to be cleaned. Dog hairs were also evident on the sofa and floor of the lounge area. There were left over pieces of litter in the small bin of the main bedroom. The bin had not been emptied. The Hoover (a Dyson) had not been emptied, it was full and we had to empty it our selves to use it the first night, because there were dead insects everywhere. Therefore, I would highly recommend that you DO NOT BOOK AND STAY HERE. For the price you pay, it does not equate to the the service and quality you expect to receive. You will find much better accommodations and hotels with a much higher level of cleanliness and standard of service in the nearby area. Lastly, there are similar feedback comments on the Sykes website dating from Oct 2022. Therefore, the owner has not dealt with these issues sufficiently and the management of this property has some serious problems.

Really great cottage, we very much enjoyed our stay.

The location and view was a total winner. Really nicely equipped and furnished - very comfortable. We would absolutely recommend The Old Kennels. Andy & Rosie were incredibly helpful and friendly so a huge thanks to them both. The only thing that could be improved would be to add an outside storage locker for the cushions for the patio furniture. That would work better than having to have the cushions piled up in the lounge at night and when it rained.

Beautiful property in a lovely setting, we will be back !

We stayed at The Old Kennels to celebrate our first anniversary and we were not disappointed.

The views are stunning. We relaxed in the evenings, on the patio sofa or in the hot tub, watching the sun go down. Accommodation has everything you need, clean, and homely. If you are looking for a retreat on the fringe of local amenities then we would highly recommend this place. Maggie and Ken

Lovely stay, a few dust webs visible, a soft broom would have been handy to do a quick sweep to remove outside debris.

We had a lovely stay and would definitely book again, thank you.

Idyllic getaway.

Just perfect. Hope to return.

Property needs maintenance… shower needs updating… basic items which have been mentioned before in reviews still not provided ie bottle opener.

. as it has hot tub .. robes and slippers should be provided .. kitchen and hallway very cold. Pricy in comparison to other places we have stayed in which haven’t had these issues. Positives great location and quick response from manager when problem with hot tub. Wouldn’t book again purely because standard of accommodation ☹️

Whilst the property was nice enough, it does really need a good clean - we walked into the property with over 20 large flies buzzing at the main bedroom window (which doesn't open!

), dead bugs, cobwebs and too many spiders hanging from the ceilings that suggests that a proper clean hasn't happened. The shaving plug doesn't work. You have a TV listed in the property but it's only internet-enabled/streaming only (which should be noted). The kitchen also lacked same basic products such as a bottle opener. Also it gets very cold in the kitchen and hallway without any heating available. This was sadly made worse from ill-fitting windows and front door (water actually pooled when weather was particularly bad). The property Also lists a fridge freezer which is inaccurate given only a fridge is available with a small freezer compartment-there is a huge difference especially when staying for a week. Also no welcome provided which felt most odd and when we did make contact the response felt very cold and standoffish. Overall it made for a very disappointing stay.

Loved our stay at the old kennels great retreat would recommend it to anyone who wants a quiet relaxing time with stunning views all around.

Set in a peaceful location with stunning views, this cottage is absolutely beautiful and it's just a 15 minute walk to the local hostelry and village shop.

The owners have thought of everything, which makes this cottage home from home. The lovely town of Sidmouth is around 45 minutes walk away and has lots of shops, restaurants and pubs. We would definitely recommend a stay at The Old Kennels.

A beautiful place to stay - loved the view from the patio.

Definitely felt like we were ‘away from it all’ - very relaxing! Not far from the beach at Sidmouth so easy for days out. Hosts were really helpful.

This property was truly stunning.

Very comfortable . We will definitely return.

There were no reviews when we booked this place & turns out we were the first guests at this beautiful converted barn!

The pictures looked great but the place & views are amazing, the lovely owner popped to say Hi & you couldn’t be in a nicer area, complete tranquil setting & down the road everything you need! The barn is very comfortable, fully kitted out, comfy beds & stunning scenery!!