Dog Friendly Apartments in Dumfries And Galloway

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Valerie - Verified booking

  The apartment on first sight is lovely, well furnished and clean but there are some basic maintenance and housekeeping issues that let it down.

  The first problem was no hot water. We called the owner who came over within 20 mins and said it was a known problem. They had a new boiler installed a couple of months ago and there was a fault that they were waiting on an engineer to fix. He showed my husband how to remove the cover and reset the boiler with a screwdriver. This is not just a small boiler but a full-size floor standing the height of my husband, 6’1”. My husband had to reset it six times during the week. There is no way I could have lifted a boiler cover off and even reached the reset button. The lights on the cooker hood didn’t work, nor the under-unit lights in the kitchen and it was quite a dark area to work in. The microwave didn’t work. It turned on and the fan came on but it didn’t heat anything. The extract fan in the bathroom didn’t work. When I went to put washing on the machine was full of stagnant water so I had to drain it first. There is no soap dish or shelf in the shower to keep soap, shower gel, shampoo etc and the grouting needs a good clean. We were left with a ¾ used toilet roll in the shower room. If I’m paying £1000, the least I expect is a new toilet roll, not the left-overs from someone else. The bedding is not the best of quality, especially the cheap pillows and there was no mattress or pillow protectors (an essential for guest’s hygiene). The bed itself was comfortable though. Inside the building, just outside the apartment there is noticeable damp and mildew growth that doesn’t present a good first impression. It would have been good if the owners had provided a welcome book with useful info on places to visit and eat but we were only left instructions to empty the bins and strip the bed. We reported the maintenance issues to the owners who said they were not aware of them (apart from the boiler). It could be a lovely apartment with more care and attention but sadly we wouldn’t rate it highly enough to stay again nor recommend it.

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• John - Verified booking

  The only flaw in the whole process was being unable to contact Sykes Cottages prior to taking up the booking.

  I needed to ascertain some information prior to taking up the booking, and was constantly frustrated with not being able to speak to anyone at Sykes. The only email address was the ‘no-reply’ one used when you forwarded generic information to me. I did find a tell phone number, but each time I called I gave up after 45 minutes of waiting for a reply - I know that ‘my call is important to you’ and also that ‘due to COVID-19 we are working with reduced staff’ can be appeasing comments, but not for 45 minutes each time; I eventually gave up and was unable to access the information I needed. Once I heard from the ‘contact on the ground’ a couple of days before my departure then her costumer service was excellent. I think that Sykes as an organisation does make finding a cottage/booking easier, but not sure that I’d use you again as your customer interface lacks any sense of personal exchange and accessible customer service, and seems to rely solely on a digital interface, that even asks for this feedback via an email with is ‘signed’ at the bottom with ‘Sykes Cottages’ and still no personal identity. You rely far too much on technology, which might satisfy some, but I am sure that many in the market area you are trying to reach who would rather prefer an accessible personal interface that reflects an organisation that really does ‘care’ for their costumers, rather than a telephone/email system that tells the costumers they do. To sum up: excellent accommodation, excellent personal service from the person on the ground, but appalling lack of service by the impersonal organisation that goes by the name of ‘Sykes Cottages’.

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• Alison - Verified booking

  This property was full of wonderful furniture, fixtures and decorations but we arrived during the hot period in August.

  We had decided ahead to bring a fan just in case, and thank goodness we did. All the windows (both downstairs and bedrooms) in the property barely open so there is no air circulating and the heat hit us as soon as we arrived. We used our fan and ended up buying another one to try and stay cool (there is no outside space at this property). Other disappointments included no welcome/information pack AT ALL so no instruction leaflets, information leaflets about the area, recommendations etc. No information either about the bins so had to leave them full. There was nothing to clean with - no broom, dustpan, hoover ....... Our beds were wonderfully comfortable but the pillows and duvets and covers for them all were very poor quality (especially compared to the rest of the fittings and furnishings) and these didn't help in the heat of the night which was unbearable. It was lovely that we were able to bring our little dog with us but sadly she hurt her leg and was unable to walk which meant we couldn't even go out in the evening to get some cool air. We would love to say we'd like to return because overall, the flat was lovely and well equipped as far as expensive furniture and decorations but the window problem spoilt our stay. This flat could be perfect, it's so well located but we expected more - better bedlinen, some information, cleaning utensils and some air! for the money that we paid to stay here (£1087!).

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• Nicola - Verified booking

  On reading one of the reviews I was bit cautious about coming to the Duplex but please don’t be put off!

  The host is so helpful especially when I asked a silly question! As in no outside space for dogs, you literally walk two minutes and you are at a green space or up in the community wood! The dog walks are amazing! My car never moved the whole 5 days we were there! For the traffic we didn’t hear anything... The flat itself is very comfortable and everything you need (would suggest maybe pulling out the sofas every so often as the dog kept putting its toy under and it was rather gritty/dusty hadn’t been moved for a while and same with the cooker hood). The bathrooms are like something out of a hotel! Moffat is great, most of the pubs are dog friendly! Unfortunately during our stay alot of the pubs were closed, but can recommend the Coachman! Amazing macaroni cheese, great gin selection and so dog friendly! We absolutely loved it and would totally recommend it to anyone!

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• Debs Fowler - Verified booking

  Stroan cottage was fantastic. it was immaculate and beautifully presented with super modern bathrooms, a lovely open plan living space and decent sized bedrooms. The wood burner meant that it was a lovely and cosy place to relax in the evening. I had a dog with me and the park just over the road was perfect, given that the cottage does not have its own garden. and the people I met on there with their dogs were really friendly. As a woman staying there on my own, I felt very safe and comfortable. The kitchen had pretty much EVERYTHING you could want on a stay away from home EXCEPT any kind of coffee machine. I had hoped that there would at least be a cafetiere for my morning coffee, but couldn't find one, which I was surprised at given how well kitted out the whole place was otherwise. Would highly recommend for anything from 1 to 4 people. Lovely place to explore from.

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