Holiday Cottages in Derbyshire

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Zoe - Verified booking

  Pros - large comfy bed, washing machine, dishwasher, wonderful large garden, good oven, lovely wood burner (basket of wood provided), nice location with great pubs and takeaways (Chinese, Indian, fish and chips, the Devonshire pub).

  Belper River Gardens a very short walk away with boats available for hire and a nice play park for children. Friendly neighbours and the host text to see if we were ok. Easy to boost the heating if needed. Good shower. The hot tub was very relaxing and we spent most of our time in it. Nice selection of games available. Good blackout blinds in the bedrooms. Cons - the main issues are the parking, the trains and the cleanliness, as others have pointed out. The house is very old and requires some TLC, a lick of paint and some re-plastering, etc. It is on an extremely narrow, long cobbled street, which really makes your car bounce around. There is a parking space next to the house which we were glad of as I wouldn’t have wanted to parallel park on the street! We just about got our Citroen Picasso in the space - you’ll need to go to the top of the road and turn round to get into the space, as it’s extremely tight and reversing into it isn’t an option. If you aren’t a confident driver or have anything larger than a Picasso, you will hate it. The train line is right next to the house and the trains are very frequent and loud. As the house is so old, the windows rattle and house shakes a bit as they come past. They run all night, with long (presumably) freight trains at about 2am and 4am which woke us up all week. The garden room is empty apart from a couple of spare cushions so it’s not usable as per the photos. Shame as something good could be done with the space - table football/small pool table perhaps? The beds, kitchen worktops and bathroom were all fairly clean when we arrived, but the floors/sofas etc had quite a dog hair problem. Although we didn’t take a dog with us, over the course of the week the dog hairs became more and more apparent - they seemed to be multiplying! I was very glad we all had slippers as I wouldn’t have wanted to walk around barefoot anywhere. I even had to fish out large clumps of hair from the hot tub. This place just needs a real deep clean between each booking, but I appreciate it is difficult when dogs are allowed. The handheld hoover provided didn’t pick up much, despite my best efforts. Upon arrival the doggy smell was very strong in the living room - we tried to air it out as best we could over the week and did get used to the smell fairly quickly. A small point- the kitchen needs a pizza cutter, more chopping boards and some oven gloves, and be aware that there isn’t much cupboard space for any food you take. Everything else is there in terms of plates, glasses, mugs, cutlery, washing up liquid, etc. The mural in the kitchen is great and the paintings around the house are beautiful. All in all we had a relaxing break, solely down to the hot tub really. Unfortunately I personally wouldn’t return, but if you have dogs then you might absolutely love it.

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• Gina - Verified booking

  This cottage looks as it did on the website and would have been a dream stay - sadly we had multiple issues which meant we couldn’t enjoy our stay as hoped.

  I did report all the issues and trust that the lovely owner had no idea about them but I cannot give the feedback I’d planned. Had to buy items to use the hot tub area as their exterior lights kept tripping I had a very nasty fall trying to resolve the issues as I was completely in the dark. I feel for the next guests as the owners could not get the work booked due to it being a busy time of year. Our shower also was a huge disappointment it leaked out of the back all over the tiles onto the floor - owners did come and quickly try to fix but this issue returned. Be aware of the slippery decking ( winter time) The cottage was beautiful and Claire has excellent taste it was idealic in that respect. The area is beautiful and the cottage its self is in a great location with everything in walking distance- super friendly locals. The kitchen is modern in design but be aware not great for food storage if you plan to eat in all the time. Front room is so cosy the fact they had decorated for Christmas was a lovely gesture. Sadly when we arrived the Prosecco & Chocolates all previous guests had raved about where not there. Claire did apologise and we did get a bottle of Buck’s Fizz and some wine, however it did feel a bit of a let down especially given we had to report so many issues. I want to leave a review that doesn’t just highlight the low points but ends on a positive. Claire and her Husband really did try to assist with the issues at the cottage sadly we were just unlucky that no one had reported them in time for our stay. Fantastic little home away from home once the hot tub area gets some well needed attention and safety improvements. It was frustrating having to fork out money on top of the week’s rent in order to be able to use the hot tub and enjoy it. We have left the owners our feedback privately. All in all stunting place - great location too many great pubs and places to eat - that we decided not to cook in the cottage as planned but treat ourselves ‘Nourish’ the Devonshire and the Chinese at the bottom of the road to cottage are all excellent. The owners put a lot of effort into the decoration of the place and did provide us with additional wood as a peace offering.

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• Charlotte - Verified booking

  We stayed at Coupling Cottage for a week in November 2024 and it was a cosy and scenic stay.

  We took our dog who loved the big back garden and local walks. The cottage's living room was lovely with the log burner and very comfortable arm chairs and sofa. Ambient lighting was nice in the evening too. The kitchen has everything you need and we made use of the washing machine too which was helpful. The cooker is a Range master which was a treat, and it cooked very well. The little dining area had a moody vibe and was good to eat and play card and board games in. Bottle of wine upon arrival was great and the hot tub was easy to use and absolutely perfection to relax in!! There's also a utility room which is useful for shoes and coats as there isn't a hallway. The train line is directly next to the cottage and trains frequently zoom past, however it wasn't a disturbance at all really. The cottage has 2 spacious rooms and the top floor is the master and the bed is 100% the most comfortable bed we have ever slept in. We slept so well all week and it was decorated lovely. The best bed ever!! There is a little out house at the bottom of the garden which was a bit too cold to sit in this time of year but was fully decorated with comfy seating and a coffee table. I can imagine it's great in the summer! The cottage looks onto the mill that is a historical feature of Belper and is a grand building to look onto. The town itself has everything you need and we went to The Devonshire pub, which was absolutely gorgeous, highly recommend and dog friendly too! We visited Matlock for a day and this was a nice day out where most shops are also dog friendly. We really enjoyed Coupling Cottage, it was just what we needed and was a cosy time to come. I can imagine it's fantastic in the summer with the huge garden and hot tub too! Thanks so much. Charlotte, James and Poppy the dog.

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• Lewis - Verified booking

  We are just back from a one week stay at The Coupling Cottage in Belper and wanted to add some comments to help future guests.

  We chose to stay here due to its proximity to the Peak District and in that respect the location was first class. Bakewell, Chatsworth, Matlock all within a short drive. A lot has been said about the street and parking, it's true the street is very narrow and requires serious care when accessing, although the parking is sufficient, we have an estate and we able to park right next to property. We were blessed with fantastic weather during our stay and both the garden / hot-tub were heavily utilised. A busy train line runs to the side of the garden but that didn't cause us any concern or bother, we actually quite liked it. Our small dog loved the large garden. The house was well equipped and provided everything we needed for cooking etc. I would tend to agree with other reviews questioning the cleanliness of the accommodation, whilst we appreciate the cottage is old, it is very tired and in need of a freshen up / deep clean. The walls are marked throughout the property, a combination of scuffs and damp and a number of cobwebs hang from the corner of the rooms and window sills. We noticed the property had a musty damp smell throughout. The owner was lovely, very friendly and kept in touch throughout our stay to make sure everything was ok. Overall we enjoyed our stay, although my wife and I both felt the cottage is tired and in need of some TLC and a deep clean. P.s. for those that don't like spiders (my wife) be prepared to face your fears. This is perfectly natural for a property of this age and given time of the year. The house is certainly perfect haven for our 8 legged friends.

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• Alison - Verified booking

  There is much to like about this property.

  We found it to: • be generously stocked with toilet and kitchen rolls, cleaning products, and some of the other items it’s frustrating to realise you have forgotten to pack, • be well located for both local amenities and a range of Peak attractions, and • have a great and safe outdoor space. There were some areas which we felt would benefit from improvement, including: • cleanliness which was generally disappointing with, for example, a dirty fridge, cobwebs in some rooms, and an eye mask from a previous guest under the main bed, • the mattress in the master bedroom which needs turning or replacing due to broken springs, and • a need for a general refresh, including the laundry or replacement of some of the more dog-worn soft furnishings (particularly those to the seating areas), the retouching of paintwork throughout the cottage, and addressing the black mould/damp to the bathroom ceiling. The other need to know before booking is the vehicular access arrangements. The parking space is really useful and adjacent to the property, however, it is accessed via a fairly steep and narrow cobbled lane which can be difficult to navigate safely due to parked cars. The cobbles are part of a heritage site and understandably not well maintained. This has resulted in several large potholes which cannot be circumvented and therefore have the potential to take quite a toll on your car. This property is not a budget option and has the potential to be brilliant, but it needs some care and attention to make it so.

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