“I’ll start with the positives about the cottage (Location, Peace, Hot Tub)
The cottage is ideally placed at the north end of the island, which was great for exploring.”
A previous review mentioned Church Bay being not so great and though there isn’t much there, when the tide is out the there is a great little beach, especially if you have a four-legged friend with you.
The cottage itself is close to a main road but set far enough back for you not to really hear much from the traffic (which isn’t exactly heavy anyway). The view from the back of the cottage is great and the peace and quiet was amazing and welcomed too. The big bonus is the large hot tub, which we (me in particular) made great use off. It’s under cover so even sat out there in the rain one afternoon.
Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end I’m afraid because, just as a numerous previous reviews have mentioned and not taken on board, the cottage is dated, tired and in need of some TLC and a deep clean.
The pictures on Sykes are a tad misleading as they were obviously taken some time ago starting when you pull onto the not so large drive (might be a problem if you have multiple cars) as most of it has been cut out now and the garage walled off the main part of the property. The drive was full of weeds, the front door damaged and filthy, the pretty window flower boxes empty! Windows all round were filthy too.
Same with the rear enclosed area, again pictures no longer a reflection of how it looks now. The barbeque tray and grill missing, decking in need of clean to remove slippery algae, walls need repainted etc. Plant pots full of weeds, faded plastic plants and broken – not the pretty area in the photo
Inside I’d say the cottage has most things you need but again so much is a dated mismatch of items, a lot of which need replaced especially the beds and the worst bedding and pillows I’ve experienced in a cottage (I’d advise taking your own pillows to be honest). The mattresses are uncomfortable, duvets pretty useless and as the instructions said we had to strip the beds we used before leaving we were privy to the ruddy great stain on one of them.
The wall mounted fire didn’t work, as mentioned in another review but in all fairness the other heater did (we only used the lounge and kitchen one)
I think that, reading the reviews the cottage was probably lovely some time ago but ongoing neglect had left it feeling drab and tired – A paint throughout out of season, tidy the front and back areas u[ and replace the beds and bedding and it would bring it back up to a decent standard.
All in all, I wouldn’t stay there again but value for money, location, hot tub, peace and relaxation then maybe consider it but just be aware it is not as portrayed as per the photos and does need that care and attention to bring it back up to spec
The Cottage is not a brand-new propertybut its facilities are regularly maintained and updated.
In the last two years, two mattresses have been replaced - people have very personal views on mattress comfort which can't all be satisfied. Last Autumn the bathroom was completely renewed, and last year the hall stairs and landing were repainted and recarpeted.
A new cooker was fitted earlier this year, and last year a new tumble dryer and a new smart TV were put in the property. Earlier this year, super fast internet was connected - we have had some teething issues with this in the summer, but it was working during this guest's visit.
Outside, the area around the hottub was refurbed, and the decking was completely replaced last autumn.
Taking the specific comments in turn:-
Drive
This has always been the same size, and is adequate for one vehicle of any size,. By the side of the cottage there is plenty of further space for parking. The area was weedkilled earlier in the season, but we will ensure that more frequent weeding is undertaken in future.
Front Door
The front door is entirely functional and has suffered only very minor cosmetic damage.
Window boxes
These were planted out earlier in the season but having suffered from the heat and dryness of the summer, have been tidied and emptied.
Outside at the back
As commented above, much work has been carried out at the back, so it is very difficult to understand this guest's negativity.
A new barbecue grill is available by the hot tub close to the barbecue. This guest obviously missed this. As with all comments in this review, none were raised during their stay.
Beds and mattresses
See the comments above on this subject. Bedding, pillows etc are renewed regularly.
As commented above, none of these 'issues' were raised during the guests' stay. Please note that the guests staying in the cottage in the week before rated the Cottage as 100 out of 100.
Frankly, we do not accept the majority of the comments and fell that they do not at all merit the claim for 50% refund.
Property Owner
