Beach Villas In Dorset

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Dawn - Verified booking

  This review pertains to a reservation made in November 2024.

  The Penthouse in West Bay has always been my wife and my preferred choice for a peaceful week-long getaway in November, consistently delivering first-rate, 5-star luxury—exactly what one should expect for the price paid. Unfortunately, upon our arrival on Friday, November 22nd, we found the building covered in scaffolding. While this was less than ideal and we wished we had been informed when making the booking, we thought we could manage. What we found unacceptable was a group of loud workmen showing up right outside the balcony and terrace of the Penthouse at 8:30 in the morning, working on the wall render just inches from the windows. It quickly became clear that a private and tranquil week away was out of the question. As Lyme Bay Holidays could not provide an alternative property of similar caliber, we made the decision to leave for home immediately. Additionally, we typically purchase frozen foods for our stay and use the Penthouse freezer. Regrettably, either the previous occupant or an operative from Lyme Bay had turned off the freezer at the mains, and we only discovered this hours later when we found all the food had thawed and was spoiled. In conclusion, after numerous telephone calls to Lyme Bay Holidays (now operated by Sykes Cottages), we were able to secure a partial refund. However, since we had to cut our trip well short, it was clear we did not enjoy the week we had hoped for. To date, we have yet to receive any apology from either Lyme Bay Holidays or the property owners, which is particularly disappointing considering we are loyal customers and given the significant amount we spent

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• Cally - Verified booking

  The location is great, right in the centre of the town, and the beds and bedding were very comfortable.

  The central heating was effective and the shower good. The cottage is clearly someone's personal holiday home that is let out, rather than solely a holiday property, and this means that there are a lot of personal items there (which gives it character), but it also means that it is not designed, equipped and managed in the way a dedicated holiday place might be. The sofa and armchairs are well used (and a bit broken!) and the kitchen and equipment are a bit haphazard. For example, there are 4 x stove top coffee percolators, 3 x cafetieres and 2 x large teapots but no jugs and 1 really small oven dish with no lid. There are 5 x steamer baskets, a fish scaler and a fish kettle, but no simple kitchen scales and only one small saucepan with a lid! The woodburning stove door doesn't shut properly so you can't keep a fire in without roaring it (and getting through a lot of fuel), which isn't helped by the fact that the grate had been cleaned out totally, so there was no ash base on which to burn wood - coal needs a clean base so it gets air underneath, but wood needs to burn on a bed of ash. We got through 3 bags of wood trying to get a decent base. Overall, it's a nice cottage and the quirks and omissions would be 'part of the charm' if it was your own place, or that of a friend or family, but we have had much better cottages at this price point.

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• Andrew - Verified booking

  View was tremendous and this year we had the added bonus of the end of the jubilee fireworks which we watched from the balcony.

  But, the apartment was really let down by the decor which was dull and dowdy. The bed was too low and too small and, considering the room size, could cope with a king size bed. The fitted wardrobes were of low quality, looked like painted hardwood. There was a slight musty smell even though we had the balcony doors open a lot of the time. And, the first thing we saw when arriving at the apartment was a tatty notice asking us to remove our shoes as the carpet had just been cleaned! We did not see any mention of this requirement when booking the apartment. Maybe a darker carpet would be better or more rugs. Also, this questionnaire should have been sent to the person that did the initial booking! On the plus side the kitchen was well equipped and a welcome pack is always nice but it would have been better to have contained some bread. Unfortunately also left in the apartment was 2 large laundry bags in the middle of the kitchen floor. Not in our way and couldn’t be bothered to find number to get in touch. On the other hand. a welcome text from the owner or company could have provided an opportunity to reply to this oversight.

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• Nigel - Verified booking

  Overall our stay was fabulous.

  We did have terrible trouble with the key safe outside No. 25. It just wouldn't open. We happened to speak to a neighbour on the groundfloor, who said he'd had the same problem. Eventually it did open, even though we hadn't done anything different. Also, the far end blind in the living room was stuck and wouldn't close. The cables in many of the blinds were twisted and sometimes difficult to open/close, although they all did eventually. I wonder if the installer could do a maintenance visit from time to time. We found the long sofa somewhat uncomfortable as it seemed to slope. We dealt with this by putting several cushions on top. Maybe it needs serious plumping up or refilling. Please don't let these comments take away from the fact that the apartment is fabulous and it is great that the owners act upon receiving feedback. We would really like to come back, but believe a five night stay may not be possible next year, according to the website - minimum booking is a week. Is this the case?

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• Julia - Verified booking

  Naunton cottage needs a really thorough clean, every corner/ under furniture/ moving a dining chair from under the table revealed dirt and dust.

  It hasn’t had a thorough clean in a long time. The front entrance smells strongly of urine despite me cleaning it several times. The paint in the bathroom continually rains a fine dust of white paint over everything- you have to see it to believe it - but I’m sure you are already aware. It was constantly covering towels, and clothing we were drying on the towel warmer and toiletries. Inhaling fine paint is hazardous to health and not something I was happy about exposing my two children to. Finally only two chairs for outside despite being a family of four. I tried to complain during our stay, only to be pointed to Sykes after our stay ended. I have asked for a partial refund I feel so strongly about the condition of the property. We will be holidaying again in the area but at this point it’s unlikely to be with Lyme Bay / Sykes as no one as yet, has acknowledged the situation.

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