Villas In Devon

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Dan - Verified booking

  On the whole the property is a characterful, beautiful and historic cottage, it has ample outside space and the setting is fantastic.

  Unfortunately on arrival, we thought that the property was not cleaned to an acceptable standard. Whilst areas had been cleaned, much of the homes carpets and upholstery were not clean, dusty corners, cobwebs, and just a general feeling of uncleanliness was evident throughout all rooms, the kitchen floor in need of a scrub and polish, in addition to a lingering odour that bestows homes of dusty and slightly dirty nature. At 6pm following a full days travelling, we really did not intend to contact the holiday agent to commence a dispute, so we spent the first hour of our holiday hoovering and cleaning. We are practical and down to earth people, so it wasn't the end of the world to us. However, with a baby who would be crawling on the floors we needed to get it sorted there and then. We called into the Salcombe agents office for the property to inform them as we were passing by. We are not expecting action, we were just informing them of our experience. They suggested that we should have contacted them straight away and sent photos so that they could send cleaners out. This just wouldn't have been workable at 6pm on a Friday evening when we are knackered and need to get the kids down. Sending cleaners for a quick spruce up wouldn't have helped much, it's not necessarily the regular cleaning, but that the property needs a serious deep clean, the vac is a 25 year old Henry, so unless there's some emotional attachment to it, he probably needs replacing. The only mattress that seems fit for purpose is a single in the middle room, the rest, along with the pillows have the ability to reshape your back and neck into arrangements only a qualified chiropractor can sort out. A special mention to the fridge, whose noise became so loud at one point we thought it might be trying to communicate. A minor issue. Many areas were good however, the new cooker and hob were fantastic. The Amazon TV stick worked great for the kids. The single child's room decor was really fun. The house is of an age where you expect the quirks, and much of the decor fits well with that character and helps you disconnect from life back home. A side note, the nearest pub didn't do any food, although was welcoming. The Royal Oak further round was pretty bad, the bar lady served me whilst on her phone, empty glasses littered the place, with areas caked in dust. I love a dive bar now and again but this place took to a new level. We had fantastic weather with some brilliant visits to local villages and towns. We've made some wonderful memories and the cottage played a good part in that. The areas mentioned let it down, so I'm not sure we would return. I think the areas mentioned are fairly easy to address though.

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• Lou - Verified booking

  This is a beautiful propery with spacious rooms.

  It is tastefully decorated and the bed was very comfortable. The kitchen is well equiped and we cooked several meals in the large kitchen. The owners left a lovely bunch of flowers to welcome us to Lower Culvermead. There is plenty of hot water. There is a small enclosed courtyard garden which our pet enjoyed. The cottage is sited in a quiet location very close to Tavistock, which is our favourite side of the moor. So that was brilliant! Our visit was in October and we noted that the central heating and bathroom towel rail is controlled by the owner, so you cannot just put it on if you feel chilly, or showering outside of the programmed settings. The owners advise that you text them if you wish the heating to be put on outside of its usual settings. During our stay the heating was on for 2hrs in the morning and 4hrs in the evening. The range was not in use. We thought that the range would make the property really warm during the winter months. There were no instructions on how to use it and it looked as though it had not been used for a long time. There were a couple of oil filled radiators for use if you felt chilly. We managed fine, as the central heating once on, was very warming. Our preference is to be able to control the heating, especially if you holiday during colder months. Although in the summer this would not be a consideration. We missed not having a brush and dustpan to easily sweep up crumbs etc from the kitchen, rather than having to use the vacuum. We enjoyed our stay and Rupert was very friendly and accommodating.

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• Samantha - Verified booking

  The best self catering accommodation we have ever stayed in.

  So much attention to detail. The weather was awful but the hosts had thought of everything to counteract this including board games and a full remote control drop down screen at the balcony doors to accommodate a projector suspended from the ceiling enabling us to watch Netflix etc (if you have an account). The bedding was top quality and the beds were so very comfortable. Fluffy towels and even dressing gowns to keep you warm when going to and from the Hot Tub. The hosts live in the cottage next door but you would never know. They have black out blinds, as does the property and, at no point did we feel that we were being watched. It's not the easiest of places to find once you get to the village as SAT Nav leads you to what appears to be a dead end but, we were so impressed with Sean, the owner, in the fact that he heard our car and came straight out to us and guided us in the right direction and then took the time to show us around the accommodation which, he has converted all by himself. He has even made the headboards for the beds himself and also the amazing railings for the spiral staircase and the balcony. The upstairs toilet is amazing..Sean has covered the walls with original Wartime Newspapers which are so interesting to read that you are likely to spend more time in there than you should...they make fantastic reading! All we can say is WELL DONE ! ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! WE WILL BE BACK! Oh...and the Sunday Roast at the local is fabulous!

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• Tom - Verified booking

  The property could do with some modernization and polish.

  There were numerous cracks in the plaster, including a large one in the bedroom ceiling. The repair which had been done on previous damage to the bedroom ceiling also looked poorly finished. The paintwork around the property was also poorly finished in places, including paint on door handles and light fixtures. The extractor fan in the bathroom was also pretty well clogged with dirt and dust, and rust was visible around the edges of the mirror too. These may seem like minor issues, but combined it makes the property feel tired and old. The garden could have done with some grass in it too, as opposed to the stone chippings, I understand this is a personal preference, however, with the property welcoming dogs, grass is certainly more welcome to them. While I appreciate nothing can be done about the parking situation, it should be made very clear in the listing about the angle of the slope. With an older car like ours, we struggled to safely park, putting stress on the handbrake and running high on the clutch. We had to put bricks under the wheels, to stop the car slipping down the slope. This could be dangerous if people are trying to unload the car and the vehicle starts to slip. There was not much storage space for our food, so we left it out on the countertop, however, should the property be renovated I'm sure this is something that could be addressed. The house is in a really good location, with a great outlook too.

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• Robert - Verified booking

  Booked late on with the principal criteria being proximity to our son and family.

  The accommodation was adequate for our needs , the bed was very comfortable and the shower was superb. On the downside, the property is quite dark inside because there are no rear windows and the lighting provided (except in the bathroom) is inadequate. There are no views from the property other than across the car park and the small patio, next to your parked car, is not an enticing place for evening drinks, or a meal. There is little that can be done about that, it is what it is as a former stable complex but no effort had been made to make it slightly more attractive. There were brackets for hanging baskets outside but no hanging baskets. As a result of the above, we felt that the price charged was high. Our plot also lost the evening sun earlier than the other units. On arrival, the 'welcome' basket consisted of 2 packs of biscuits, coffee sachets and tea bags. Previous stayers we noted from the guest book received the more normal Prosecco! Nor could we quickly chill the wine we brought, as we arrived to the fridge turned off and the door wide open! By contrast, our son paid less for 2 bedrooms with a nice sitting out area and views across the valley and only a mile away, also on a farm.

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