Dawlish Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Simone - Verified booking

  We are a family of 4 - 2 adults, a 10 and 8 year old.

  We have just returned form a 7 night stay in August 2024. Please be aware Old Town House is situated on a very busy road. The traffic is continuous even during the night and early mornings. We struggled to sleep through the road noise, even with all the windows shut all night Traffic noise is also loud from the kitchen and living room. I did speak to Sykes cottages before I booked our stay and was told the road was quiet, trust me it's not a quiet road! The garden is not accessible from the cottage, you have to leave through the back door and out into the parking area. It's not suitable for children to be on their in the garden and you can't dry washing outside as the garden is not secure. Also one of the garden seats was badly broken, so only enough seating for 2 people. We found all of the mattresses on the beds to be very uncomfortable. The blind in the master bedroom did not work and fell down every day. The cottage was fairly clean. We had a glass of water left next to one of the beds from previous guests, and there was a used tissue shoved down the side of a mattress on another bed. Also the photo of The Old Town House shows the whole front- this isn't the actual holiday let, its one 1/2 only. We felt very very let down by Sykes Cottages, as I raised these points on the 1st day of our holiday. No one came back to me until the last day of our holiday , thier resolution was a £17 refund from the owner and a £50 refund from them on the condition we packed up and left early. This was not acceptable for us because of our children. The nightly rate was certainly more than £67. Thier attitude to our complaint regarding the road noise and garden was shameful. It is a nice walk into the town, and Dawlish is lovely. The cottage has all the kitchen facilities required and the shower is great. However, the description and photos are not accurate, and we definitely definitely won't ever book with Sykes Cottages again.

  Read more less >

• Alison - Verified booking

  The location of this house is great for town and transport links and we liked leaving the car to walk around or catch a train.

  It is quite a roomy property and has been decorated to a good standard. On arrival the property smelt unpleasant, which was strange as it had been cleaned very well and we saw the cleaners leaving. There was a strong vinegar smell (maybe a cleaning fluid) and the kids said the cushions on the sofa smelt strange (maybe needs a deeper clean? ). We left the door open for a couple of hours to help loose the smell which mainly went after 2 days stay and was the ok. The kitchen looks almost new and had every utensil necessary with plenty of pots etc. We found the little freezer o.k for our needs but is too small for larger items like pizza. Plenty of crockery and cutlery which is good and much better then many homes we have stayed in. Soaps and dishwasher cleaners provided which is also good. A good night's sleep was a bit difficult due to the very noisy road being used as a rat run at all hours and not having a deep nights sleep on the uncomfortable lumpy beds sadly. I think this property could be 5 star if a downstairs toilet could be added in the cupboard area by the front door as would be very useful, and new mattresses on beds for better sleep. We would stay again if beds more comfy. Thank you for accommodating our last minute booking. Also the company who respond to queries were extremely efficient, polite and helpful

  Read more less >

• Maureen - Verified booking

  The property was in a lovely position and suited our needs there were just a few issues that could have been better.

  The second floor bedroom window blind was broken on our arrival. We contacted the caretake, initially by text but no reply so had to phone her. She said the owners were sending a new one but she did not know when and would get back to me. Following day I had a text from her to say could she get into property to measure blind to forward this to owners so they could send new one. However looking at feedback comments at the cottage it appears the blind had been an issue for a while. We were only staying for 3 nights so this issue was not fixed by time we left. The people staying in that room had to use the cushions from the living room sofa as a way to cover the window at night - there is a street light outside the property. The bottom sheet of the first floor bedroom had some black marks on the edge of it. We also commented to the caretaker that the water tasted metallic and was that an issue in that area but got no reply. We did note there was a new kettle in the property and wondered if it was that or the water supply. We ended up buying bottled water and boiling it on the hob. Also only one toilet roll was left at the property and it would have been a nice touch to have a spare one. Having said all of this we did enjoy our stay and the cream tea, milk and bottle of water in the fridge was a very nice touch.

  Read more less >

• Terence - Verified booking

  The apartment, was spacious, well furnished, well stocked ,with kitchen equipment, towels, hand wash in each bathroom, and kitchen.

  A nice Sony TV, an assorted collection of DVDs, for all ages, comfortable sofas, and armchairs, made the evenings enjoyable ! The front windows, facing the balcony, are in need of a little planning, to enable them to be fully closed, it was difficult to engage the catches, which eventually will become detached, and are very draughty ! The electrical socket, in the middle bedroom, supplying power to the 'Wi-Fi', is loose on the wall, and the other, in the 'Dining Room', although secure to the wall, is missing a screw, to the 'Front Plate', making it loose, also, when operating the 'Glen' heater, the plug becomes hot ! These issues aside, we had a very happy time at 'Clarendon House', a mixture of, old rustic charm, with modern facilities ! Had the weather been warmer, evenings could have been spent, on the balcony, fully enjoying the setting sun ! But hey, one can't book the weather ! We would consider, booking again !

  Read more less >

• Eleanor - Verified booking

  The property is directly on a busy/noisy (weekend especially) road.

  Great access into Dawlish with plenty of lovely shops & cafes, the beach and the train station (barely used the car). Easy to get to lots of great local places/beaches. Home was immaculately clean and Louise who manages it was fantastic! Furnishings were lovely and house well equipped. Top floor was very warm, requested a fan which was delivered very next morning - fantastic service! Quite dark downstairs and people look in to front window when walking past as you are directly on road/pavement. Courtyard garden is accessed via the communal driveway so not particularly private (no drinking coffee in your pjs!) Lovely little spot in the sunshine, camping chairs provided were really useful. Some nice outdoor furniture would make it great! Probably great for families with younger children, those used to noise and those looking for access to local beaches & public transport.

  Read more less >