Christmas Villas In Northumberland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Hugh Michael - Verified booking

  Cheviot Cottage.

  On arriving at the cottage, I was surprised to find that the cottage was in the far-right hand corner of the courtyard down a little side lane, the photos on sykes website did not indicate this. Entering the property was a pleasant surprise with what looked like new carpeting. We unloaded the car and then set about unpacking, there is no where apart from the fridge to store any food, looking round the kitchen area I spotted grease and dirt on the extractor hood with writing in the grime. This clearly has not been cleaned for a long time, also cobwebs hanging from the cupboard to the left. On returning to cottage on Wednesday evening at first glance it looked as though someone had been into the cottage as the grease and grime on the extractor looked as though it had been cleaned unfortunately when I switched on the light this was not the case Front Door. When the door was closed and locked daylight can be seen all the way down the lock side of the door, this also rattled in the light breeze and was very drafty, I have to say this is also a security issue as the gap was such that the locking mechanism as very little purchase on the frame. Another large cobweb hanging from the picture to the right of the door. Bathroom. This would appear to have been recently refurbished and was very clean, on attempting to use the shower as there were no instructions for use on the information leaflet I turned on the water flow and could see that the temperature was set to 40 degrees, the water ran cold for a while whilst the boiler was heating the water, once up to temperature I got into the shower as it should regulate itself, it didn’t, the water ran hotter and hotter until the boiler kicked out and the shower then ran cold, this process kept repeating until I eventually gave up on the shower as I was going to get scalded, so no more showers for the rest of our stay. Scenic view from widow seats, This is spoiled by the failed glazing units in both the seated windows as the have condensation in the units from late afternoon to Late morning. WIFI. Although it was stated on the website that Wi-Fi connection was intermittent due to the location, the information sheet indicated to Wi-Fi names and passwords, neither of these came up when trying to log in, a name did come up and I suspected it was the small white router on the bedside cabinet, success this had a password on the bottom of the unit, I managed to access the Wi-Fi however there was no internet available, this stayed the same for the remainder of our stay certainly not intermittent. Central heating, no instructions for the use of central heating and as this was in the corner down the lane did not get any sunshine worth mentioning so tended to be rather cool in the cottage, heating came on automatically in the mornings as we were getting ready to go out and then for a very short period at around 6:00pm. Outside. The dark courtyard and the lane where our cottage was located, had outside lighting fitted however during our stay this never came on at any time, no switch inside the property operates these lights, so have to assume the owner has control of these and they just aren’t working. Seating area to rear with table and chairs. This was like a bombsite; timber has been sawn up into logs and left lying around strange as there is no log burner on the property. Two wheel barrows left to patio area along with various other garden tools, a pile of masonry, a partly filled excavation and two planters with weeds, looking along the backs of other cottage the seating areas were pleasant with established planters and no building mess. On Thursday morning we decided we would pack the car and leave a day earlier as we were due to leave on Friday morning and both needed to get home and get a shower. I have photos of all these issues and will forward them if you can send me an email address

  Read more less >

• Caroline - Verified booking

  The property was difficult to find from the picture given (which is of the rear of the property).

  It would help if there was a picture of the front of the house. The house is actually an extension of next door so is very difficult to see. The property downstairs was not clean, I have contacted Sykes about this and yet to receive a reply over 2 weeks now. We had to have an electrician out on the Sat morning to mend the lights in the kitchen as they were not working, and on Sunday tea time there was no hot water or heating available as presumably the gas bottles had run out. The beds and bedding were very comfortable and clean and the bathroom was clean. The garden lawn had not been cut and the outdoor table was not clean , there was rubbish under the outdoor table. The car parking permit works well if you are happy for your car to be in the main car park out of sight as definitely no parking by the property. Unfortunately the welcome pack which we were expecting from the pictures which looked to include wine and chocolates was not present when we arrived, and I was told that picture will be removed now if this is not being provided. The property is well placed for the centre and not far from the harbour and beach , the stay was spoilt with various hiccups that we were trying to sort out whilst only being there 3 nights, and still trying to resolve with Sykes.

  Read more less >

• Frances - Verified booking

  I was a little disappointed as ,having stayed in Mossyard on a number of occasions, and this being advertised as 'sister property', I was anticipating a similar experience.

  Unfortunately it was nothing like it. I could cope with the absence of a welcome pack of local produce, but there was a distinct absence of other items which seemed at odds with the standard of accommodation paid for; 1 toilet roll, 1 dishwasher tablet, 1 dish sponge. Really? The bathroom had a wonky toilet seat and, from the smell of damp, the perished seal on the shower screen has caused water to gather somewhere. The kitchen was well appointed, but it seems to have become overwhelmed. How many champagne flutes does one need? Too many glasses and crockery meant there was very little space for food storage. The sliding cupboard used for kitchen equipment was rammed, so getting it to close after you had removed items was a bit of a challenge. The cleanliness of the cottage could have been better too, as there were cobwebs and dusty lamps, and the area behind the toilet definitely needed attention. On the plus side it was a cosy cottage, with lovely bedding and throws in a cracking location. We appreciated the games and books, but on the whole, a bit disappointing and definitely over-priced. Sorry to be unable to be more positive.

  Read more less >

• Andrew Johnstone - Verified booking

  We stayed in Mayfield for a long weekend.

  It was our first time going to Seahouses and Northumberland. It certainly lived up to its reputation for having some of the best beaches and coastline in the UK with some absolutely stunning scenery (and some of the best fish and chips as we don’t get them as good down south!) The house was immaculate and it looked very recently renovated. We found it very comfortable, the master bedroom is a great size and had everything we needed to make the stay comfortable and enjoyable (both for adults and our young daughters aged 3 & 5). The garden is a great space to enjoy the evenings on the decking and a safe space for the kids to play as it is enclosed a secured by a gate. Although there is no on site/off road parking it was handy to unload at the front of the house and then park the car in the main car park in the village which is only a short 1 minute walk through the access at the end of the street and across main st. The parking pass is handy and saves you that little bit extra on parking. I will definitely look to return to Seahouses again next year and would use the property again as the central location is perfect.

  Read more less >

• Susan - Verified booking

  Dunford cottage has a lovely homely feel & is perfectly located for easy access to the village , beach and excellent golf course.

  A few small problems outlined below need addressing . Despite these we would like to return and will be more aware of what we must bring with us to avoid disappointment The centre light in the main bedroom didn't work and was falling off the ceiling ( we advised Sykes cottages but nothing has been done yet) . The latch on the front gate had a screw missing and was falling off making it impossible to latch from the alleyway.(screw had fallen out as wood was split ) The one and only toilet roll we were given had just 3 sheets of toilet paper remaining. There was a welcome box of UHT milk sachets & coffee which we found on the second day in the bin . The bathroom plug holes were full of hair & black gunge and the bathroom tiles had black mould on the grout and need cleaning with mould killer spray . The pillows in bedroom 2 are lumpy and uncomfortable and need replacing The shower screen seal seemed to have been replaced and was fine ; it would be useful if Sykes cottage could update the website to record that problems had been fixed as otherwise these maintenance issues can be quite off putting .

  Read more less >