Holiday Cottages In Bibury

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Andy - Verified booking

  I would not want to stay here in the winter.

  Rodent sized holes under the door from the dining area to the garden look very inviting for a cold four legged critter or in fact any other critters out there. Furniture in the lounge is very stained and we were pleased we could sit in the garden due to the weather. However, the garden lights are in fact nowhere near the garden seating area so a little useless as it gets darker. The knives and forks look like they were there when the place was built and that is not a compliment as to their vintage look. Rugs, both upstairs and downstairs, are threadbare and fraying at the edges. Some of the windows are broken and the garden was quite overgrown during our stay. The key safe is in fact nowhere near the front door and so when arriving in the dark it was a challenge to find the door keys tucked around the corner nowhere near the door !! In the upstairs bathroom the sink was falling off the vanity shelf so be careful when washing in it or cleaning your teeth for fear of it parting company with the shelf, and the glass tiles are all lifting off the surface too. The bin in the bathroom also doesn’t close and needs to be replaced but was still there so contents are all on display. The pots hanging in the kitchen needed to be cleaned prior to use. In the main bedroom one wall was plastered but not painted. In the downstairs bedroom en-suite there was mold in the bathroom which has clearly not been cleaned sufficiently and the walls are showing signs of damp in the main bedroom upstairs and in the downstairs bedroom. This property is advertised as being dog friendly but there is in fact nowhere convenient for dogs to sleep as there is no door on the kitchen area and so dogs, unless kept in a bedroom with you are, free to roam around the house, which is far from ideal. Also, it seems the place must be totally cleaned tip to toe on departure which is not ideal when kicking out time is 10 am..... plus I would highly recommend taking your own towels as we have been charged for a towel with a bit of mud on it and a towel with some water based makeup on it.... having used them obviously... derrr... you would think you could !! The issue with the towels is the fact that the decision to charge for them was taken before they had been put in to a washing machine. Unless of course the linen and towels are not normally washed between guests ? This was all done without any discussion on the matter, despite us asking for better information and whether the towels had actually ventured anywhere near a washing machine or not, however the funds were simply taken from our account with zero discussion on the matter... It is also ironic that on arrival, the tea towels that were in the kitchen were absolutely filthy and we put them to one side but there was no mention of the tea towels in the “damaged towels” claim and it was a good job we took our own tea towels as directed. We would not stay at this place again and we would not use Sykes cottages again either. Their handling of the matter was to simply brush it under one of the threadbare and frayed carpets...

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• Gemma - Verified booking

  I strongly recommend you do not stay at this porperty or use this company.

  The house had not been cleaned prior to arrival. It was littered with dead insects on the floor, dead flies on the windowsills, numerous cobwebs and more dead bugs floating in a half-full bath. We raised this with the property managers who gave reasons for the above (eg they were unaware the cleaner had not been, the house has a known problem with woodlice) and offered a clean, however we had already had to spend the start of our holiday cleaning it up. The house is as listed, however it is showing heavy use and wear and tear and is not at the standard expected for a listing of this value. This was in addition dirty mud marks from previous guests. On the third night the living room ceiling started to leak. We had to mop up and put vases/jugs down. It meant the living room was out of use for our young child. This was clearly not a new leak given the staining on the ceiling. We reported this to the property managers who explained they were aware of a leak and it should have been fixed. We find it unacceptable that a property with a number of known issues was let out and it hows poor management and a total disregard for the guests. Our complaints were met with reasons for this issue which did not resolve the matter. Additionally, as we did not have an account with Sykes there is no email address or message function to feedback. We have stayed in the cotswolds multiple times with different companies and so can vouch for this property and company being well below the experience expected for this area.

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• Carol - Verified booking

  The cottage is fantastic.

  It is extrememly well-appointed - one of the best we have ever stayed in. From the fresh flowers, welcome food and drink and Jo Malone toiletries to the tasteful furnishings with high quality bed linen, fluffy towels and comfy beds, there is nothing we would change. It smelt lovely as we walked in, and was spotlessly clean. There was snow outside but it was very cosy and welcoming. Sky TV was included which was a treat for us! The cottage was great for our dog, with a safe enclosed garden and a practical utility room. The rolling Cotswolds countryside is beautiful with plenty of walks and pubs on the doorstep. We had our toddler grandson with us - there was a good quality highchair, travel cot and stairgate, with a small selection of thoughtfully chosen children's books and soft toys which he loved. In fact, he wanted to take one of them home....! The dining kitchen is on the ground floor whilst the main living space is upstairs, so the stairgate was essential. This layout may not suit everyone, but it worked well for us. Claire the housekeeper was very responsive and helpful, but unintrusive which is just the way we like it. We had to shorten our stay at short notice and the owners were very understanding, which we appreciated. Thank you for a wonderful stay - I'm sure we will return.

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• Stephen - Verified booking

  We had booked a week, but left after 4 nights as we had 2 days when the Hot water wouldn’t work.

  Coming back wet and cold from a cycle ride to no hot water was the final straw. The property is owner-run so Sykes only take bookings and are not liable, the owner by his own admission said it ‘probably needs a service!’. He takes no responsibility for the shortcomings and refused to pay any compensation. The best he offered was “You can walk across in the rain to another outbuilding and shower there!” Definitely not what we paid for. The building is a ‘prefab’ , glass all along the front , no opening windows in the bedroom, lounge or kitchen. Bit of a goldfish bowl as walkers on the road can look in, stuffy at night as only option was to leave door completely open and then the local dog walks in. The outlying property ‘walks’ have a neglected air about them as well as being a Scrapyard of old vans and tractors, broken machinery and glass. The ‘tennis court ‘ needs a good clear up - extension leads to the ‘Box’ running across it. Also the trainline passes 100 yards away, not mentioned in the information. The outside ‘Bar’ is a derelict shed and the ‘Swimming lake’ is a pond! It has potential to be a lot better but needs more investment and maintenance to bring it up to standard.

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• Jacqueline - Verified booking

  This is a fabulous property, the cottage is in a superb setting and has a lot to offer.

  An open plan and well stocked kitchen for family gathering, books and games, many countryside (dog) walks, a lovely local pub and the owner clearly has a great eye for internal decor. The maintenance team was also very helpful and fast when we realized the outside table parasol was missing, coming round within a couple of hours to sort it out. There are some negatives that previous reviews have mentioned, it is starting to show wear; the rugs for example look quite grubby. There is also only one shower for up to 8 people. However my only really notable complaint, and it really is a big negative, is the quality of the beds. For the price you would expect large luxurious beds and this is not what you get. The beds are old (divans that are now stained and on the floor without valances), no headrests, extremely hard (even with a mattress topper) and desperately uncomfortable. Unfortunately the same kind of bed was in all the rooms. It’s a real disappointment, we would have immediately booked again for another year but the sleep quality was too poor and we all came away with aching backs. It would have been five stars if not for the beds and there only being one shower.

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