Casterbridge

We were very pleased with the accommodation.

High ceilings give it a very large feel. There was 3 bedrooms so no arguments from our 2 sons as they got their own room with a smart tv which they were very happy about as they don’t have one at home. Upwey is a lovely location, watery lane is just that in wet weather but not so bad you can’t drive along it. Quiet location close to amenities. Easy to walk the dog around. We were left essentials like tea, coffee, washing up liquid, hand wash, sponges, toilet roll etc. Dog bowls and poo bags were also provided. We took our own crate but this can be provided I believe if you can’t take one. Would definitely stay again.

Immaculate, perfectly equipped, comfortable, peaceful and ideally located for both the coast and towns and villages of Dorset.

Highly recommended

Lovely accommodation for our family in an ideal location.

Lovely open plan as essential for mom to get around with her walker, lovely location and quiet but convenient as shops, town restaurants a short distance by car.

We thought as 2 bedrooms downstairs with bathroom that this would be a wet room or shower but it's an over bath shower with no handrails, not safe enough for mom or us really to shower but we made do. The decking is small so the 6 seater table and chairs can't really be used to full potential. A few maintenance issues we reported split in bath seal found on entry, dishwasher only washed clean on bottom rack, freezer on overdrive and needs defrosting, washer drier not great. But we would stay there again and we did enjoy our break. Reported issues to Helen but we asked for them to be remedied on our exit. With a few upgrades and changes this could reach 5 stars.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable break.

Everything was well maintained, clean and decent quality. Property was warm and comfortable. In a peaceful location. Perfect for a weekend getaway.

The property was ideally situated for local towns and the coast within the beautiful and friendly village of Upwey which has good dog walking opportunities.

We enjoyed our stay however, the property is essentially part of a little holiday complex and if you want to make friends and share the outside spaces then this is for you. In Casterbridge there is no privacy to be had in the kitchen/lounge/dining room due to a wall of sliding doors facing onto the public area, which screening outside would to some degree solve. Casterbridge is the complete opposite to other 'cottages' we have stayed at, there are no local leaflets, sofa throws or any personal touches with a clinical minimalistic feel and the cleaner waiting outside the cottage at 9:50 creating pressure to be out on the dot!

We have used Sykes cottages before and always 5 star reviews left .

This time was different . The property was very spacious and comfortable . The location beautiful . Now for the not so good . There were stains on the Pillowcases , Bed Throw and sheets . This was in all 3 Bedrooms . There was a pair of socks left in a drawer in one of the Bedrooms . In the Kitchen the 2 baking trays were encrusted with food . We had gone to celebrate a long weekend for my mothers 90th Birthday so we cooked as it was more practical in the evening than go out . The Kitchen itinerary needs to be added to , it’s quite sparse .

This property has a garden which is fenced of, but the grass is in a poor condition with weeds all over.

We would normally have let our dog onto it ,but we did not because of its condition. Otherwise every thing was excellent and we will book this unit for next year . The garden is not important too us , but would have been better as artificial grass maintenance free

Great place to stay , beautiful location , everything you need

Overall, it was a lovely stay and the house was really nice.

My mother-in-law struggled to use the tumble dryer which was sorted by the manager after we spoke to them but some instructions would have been useful or a drying rack to hang small items of clothing. A mat at the back door would be useful as the children played outside and brought in wet foot prints from the rain or dewy mornings. Finally, we all had one bad night when the neighbours in one of the big houses opposite woke us at 4am and were shouting and talking very loudly out in their garden, presumably having come in late from a party. This was rather irritating considering the signs everywhere about us being considerate to the neighbours, but probably can’t be helped and was hopefully a one off.

The cottage was excellent, clean, comfortable, lovely location and the owners very accommodating.

However if I was to pick anything to pass on it would be the condition of the communal garden. Due to this being over grown to knee height, we were unable to allow the dog have use of the area given a previous reviews that their pets were getting covered in ticks. It would have been nice to have been able to of sat on the grass as the weather was lovely. Otherwise I couldn’t fault this accommodation.

Casterbridge was the perfect place for a lovely relaxed break with friends.

Very quiet location with adequate parking. The property was spotlessly clean and very spacious. Would be lovely for a summer break with nice outdoor spaces. We had a super time here and would certainly recommend the property.

Lovely cosy cottage - had everything we needed.

Wish we could have stayed longer. The only minor issue was - we had to turn the bedroom radiators off as we couldn’t figure out why the heating came on at about 2am!!!

Cottage was fantastic.

Holidayed with two toddlers and two grandparents so a real mix. The location was perfect. The beds were SO comfy. The kitchen was well-equipped. The whole place was spotless. We use self catering cottages a lot as a family and this has to be one of the very best we’ve stayed in. Will definitely be back. Really appreciated the great customer service too. A phone call just before our stay to see if we needed a stair gate etc. and we even received a call during our stay to see if we were ok. All in all, 10/10.

Nice cottage, lots of space, in good position for exploring Dorset coast.

Good bedrooms with large comfortable beds, decent bathrooms and two good sofas in the living room. Only downside was the lack of equipment in the kitchen, I note other visitors also commented on this. Only one shelf in the oven, one roasting tin and no baking trays at all, I had to use the roasting tin for everything. Missmatched pans, some very cheap with metal knobs on lids that get hot. Missmatched china, two plates chipped (not by us). No casserol dish or any plates or dishes to use in the microwave. Only a wooden chopping board, no board for preparing meat/fish. Did have good set of cooks knives. Ideal if you don't plan to do any cooking....Would return, but would bring a bag of kitchen equipment with me! I

The accommodation needs more cutlery and another pan/tray for the oven.

Very nice peaceful location and pleasant accommodation near to beaches and facilities. It’s a shame that due to “COVID cleaning” and therefore late check in and early checkout the holiday is effectively cut down to five days.

Cottage was spacious, clean and comfortable.

Very quiet location but easy access to main routes. Lovely welcome pack. Living area looks a little sparse at first but this is due to covid restrictions meaning cushions etc have been removed, but otherwise we had everything we needed. It does get a little warm, but remembering to open the Velux Windows helps!!

The property wasn't in a very good condition.

It wasn't particuarly clean, clearly some of the window sills hadn't been cleaned for a while as they had a layer of dust and dead insects on them. The property always got exceedingly hot and uncomfortable, air flow was poor and it needs better window coverings. It would definitely benefit from air conditioning. At times it felt like a greenhouse inside. The crockery was basic and again not in particaruly good condition, we actually went out to buy our own cups in the end so we could have a decent cuppa. Some of the pans, again, were not very clean. The cleanliness issue was the biggest one in the age of the pandemic. Ironically some comfort items, such as cushions, had been taken away because of pandemic hygiene protocol, but was completely cancelled by poor cleanliness in the areas described above. The plasterwork in the property was also poor, was cracked and peeling in many places which made it look quite uninviting. The TV were also small with poor sound. The private garden we had, annoyingly, wasn't accessible from the property directly, but had to be accessed through a side gate in the main parking area. This was annoying with letting the dog out. On the plus side, the bathrooms and beds were spacious and comfortable enough, and the property location was good. Upwey is a nice little village. Overall, the cost of the property was far higher than the quality of the experience and I would not recommend booking at its current cost range until some of the issues have have resolved.

Lovely peaceful location, short drive to beach.

Private garden and outdoor decking. Large shared picnic area with beautiful visiting deer. Barn was very comfortable and extremely clean. Everything you need for 6 people Good parking.

The cottage was very clean, comfortable and bright.

It felt like a home from home. Gardens are lovely and there are deer which come by most days. Lots of walking to be done with picture perfect scenery and only a short drive to the beach.

It was the perfect place to stay.

We stayed on a group of new barns. Parking for two cars. Six homes built on at horseshoe - each with a small garden with barbecue and seating and a large area around. The house was well designed for us. Large living area with kitchen, dining table and sofas and tv, with two bedrooms and bathroom on the ground floor and one bedroom and bathroom upstairs. All spacious and well equipped. From the house, there are lots of footpaths and Weymouth is a few minutes away with all its shops. It’s a great location.

We spent a very enjoyable week at Casterbridge- A good base just outside Weymouth to explore the Jurassic coast and the lovely beaches.

Great communication with the owner Helen. Well equipped modern cottage and dog friendly with excellent wifi. Definitely recommend and would return.

The Casterbridge is a beautiful, modern, spacious accommodation in a lovely setting with a lovely communal garden.

We went as a family of 6 adults and had a really good holiday. Because of COVID the check in was 5pm and check out was 9am. However there were aspects of the cottage that definitely needed more attention ie the cooker. Overall fantastic experience. Would definitely recommend and hopefully will return.

Just the break we needed, fantastic place to stay.

Peaceful and perfect family holiday.

have been back here a few times as it is perfect for us as a family

This is a lovely property, and the surrounding area is fantastic - will definitely be on our return to list.

A little light on cooking dishes but that didn't spoil it for us as thankfully we took some of our own.

Beautiful cottages in a quaint village.

The cottage was of very high standard. Very spacious, clean and situated very close to the sea side town of Weymouth. Would certainly recommend this property and I was very pleased to have stayed here and I will definitely be making a booking for next year. I am a regular visitor to Dorset and this accommodation is by far the best I have stayed in.

The only downside was checkout at 10.

00 which I found a bit early for 6 people to get ready and eat breakfast. Would have liked a little longer but the stay was superb and loved the quietness and the lovely area.

Everything I needed was available I wasn’t expecting the welcome pack everything from washing liquid to tin foil The area was quiet ideal for visiting the local area.

My family had two of the cottages next to each other, the children enjoyed popping next door!

Lovely setting- Upwey is a charmingly quiet village, with pleasant walks and the cottage is ideally situated to explore the coast.

A peaceful courtyard and garden to the rear were ideal for our little ones to play safely. Inside the cottage is airy, bright and modern and four adults, 3 children and a dog had plenty of space to chill.

Lovely holiday, cottage spacious and had everything we could need, private garden which was brilliant for our dog, close to Weymouth but quiet location with some lovely walks, highly recommended.

Lovely stay in a wonderful village.

Our family rented three of the five properties in this development one for long weekend the other two for week each for wedding.

Families arrived from Alaska, Pennsylvania and Glasgow this was a real jewel find it was truly perfect in every way, fabulous size of properties for gathering facilities perfect and what a great location for seeing the surrounding area we will definitely return.

We had a very good week in Casterbridge but we would only recommend it if you were prepared to accept the dog hair covered rug and the dog smells both in the bedrooms and downstairs.

this was a shame as the cottage was in a lovely area and well situated for coast and country. We would also like to see a clothes airer and more cooking equipment for people who do not eat out all the time. We were surprised that there were no cleaning materials provided as we like to leave a cottage as we found it, and keep the kitchen and bathrooms clean during the week. We were also surprised at the lack of a pint of milk on arrival as we have found in all other cottages we have been in over the last 40 years.

Pretty nice cottage in a nice quiet area.

In sum, we really liked it here. All furniture are similar to an Ikea furniture store, which is not a disadvantage. But you notice at some corners and edges, that the house already has a few tenants behind. The only things we really did not like: After a long journey on the first day we unfortunately had to find out that Helen had given us a wrong code for the locker to the key. Helen was unfortunately not available by phone and it took a while until we finally got the correct code. In the bedroom on ground floor and in the bedding it smelled quite intense for a dog (someone who knows the smell of a wet dog fur, knows what I'm talking about). In the window corners in bedroom were still dead bees and flies and the laundry of the predecessor was still in the washing machine. The stove was really dirty so we did not dare to use it. The cleaning staff would have had to notice immediately when cleaning. But all in all, we would definitely come back.

We’ve had a wonderful stay, great accommodation and had everything we needed.

Perfect location, nice and quiet and great for easy access to Dorchester and Weymouth. The dogs loved their holiday, great to have such nice dog friendly accommodation.

Lovely, clean, open plan holiday let.

Modern with a great enclosed garden and another garden for kids to run around. Saw a deer across the fence while there! Beautiful place! Highly recommend!

Fantastic accommodation & excellent location!

The place is simple stunning and very spacious. All the immenities you could require and beautiful views and walks to be had with the dog. This is the second time myself and my family have stayed here and it hasn’t disappointed. Would highly recommend to anyone, especially dog owners as the standards are extremely high for accommodation that allows dogs. Sykes is our number one site to search for dog friendly holidays!

Parking spaces for the five properties could be marked out more clearly - on a couple of occasions cars were parked across more than one space making it difficult for the last people to arrive home to park.

Really pretty location with good walks for our dog.

Pristine house which was well equipped made for a lovely stay.

Lovely holiday home, clean with good facilities.

The accommodation is lovely and the photographs exact.

The welcome was great and good to have someone who cast an eye - the owner spotted we might need a stairgate, which we'd forgotten!- and the area itself is lovely.

This cottage was amazing, a truly love group of cottages with a everything you would ever need.

A home from home, it was very clean and comfortable. The owners were very helpful and lovely to deal with. We have had a great week.