Dog Friendly Cottages in County Durham

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Annette - Verified booking

  We spent a weekend at "The Stang Hideaway" in August, for a relaxing 3-night stay with my partner and our little dog.

  The views were gorgeous, and the location was as peaceful as a library on a snowy day. But there were a few surprises that gave us a good laugh! First off, the wine cooler was ice-cold—unlike the fridge, which was warm enough to double as a sauna . If you’re planning to brew some coffee, don't forget to bring your own coffee pods; the same goes for dishwasher tablets as there was non available and the free washing up liquid was limited to a very small bottle (use sparingly). The "fully equipped" kitchen was a bit like a game of culinary hide-and-seek, with basic items playing hard to get. And if you’re using the breakfast bar or that “sumptuous” sofa, be prepared to get very close to your partner—like, "hope-you-really-love-each-other" close, perfect if your on a romantic break! Now, let’s talk Wi-Fi. Remember the days of dial-up internet? If you’re feeling nostalgic, you’re in luck—this Wi-Fi will take you right back to the 90s with its charmingly slow speeds which can cause the TV to frequently show the circle of death when it tries to catch up, perhaps it was intentional to create a romantic atmosphere. The outside decking is lovely, but it could use a gate to be truly dog-friendly. And don't be surprised if you step outside to find a crowd in the treehouse—it’s open to everyone on the park, so you might end up with an audience for your morning coffee or romantic sunset. All in all, it was clean and the tranquility was delightful, the stay didn’t quite match up to the price given there’s a lot of competition in the area. Here’s hoping for some improvements in the future, but hey, we still enjoyed the peace and quiet and lovely views!

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• Adam - Verified booking

  Beautiful entrance to the castle grounds with great parking at the cottage.

  On arrival the cottage was lovely and warm and very welcoming. 2 good size bedrooms and a big bathroom, nice bedding, with plenty of towels. The living area is all in one which is really convenient, the kitchen is well stocked, meaning you have everything you need to cook with plenty of glasses, crockery and cutlery. In the sitting room area of the living quarter there are 2 sofas that are very comfortable and a good size smart tv. Outside is an enclosed yard which is perfect if you have a dog. The hot tub is lovely, sitting at about 40° and very clean. A couple of improvements could be made, but please don't let this put you off. A curtain across the front door would not only make it warmer but if you have the lights on, walking through the hallway at night you feel a little exposed as there is just nets over the large glass front door. A new bath panel and a little silicone would improve the bathroom which is lovely and the lights in the mirror unit need looking at. The top of the hot tub needs a bar to assist with the removal and closing as it is heavy. It's not for everyone but personally a TV in each of the bedrooms would be a great improvement. The above are little improvements in an otherwise beautiful cottage, with lovely grounds to walk around, that we will 100% be booking again. As a side note, I spoke to multiple members of staff while on site and everyone was extremely helpful and friendly, credit to the staff.

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• Lorraine - Verified booking

  The cottage was fabulous.

  The owner, Elaine , was very friendly and accommodating and left bread, cheese, and milk for us which was lovely as we didn't arrive until after 8.30pm. I cannot fault this cottage, it is Sykes that I have a problem with. We booked 3 holidays in one go from you this year totaling around one thousand five hundred pounds. Each time we got back from our holidays I was emailed to say 'book another holiday and we will give you forty pounds off'. I asked if it could be applied to our booked holidays and got told no, as we had paid the deposits it was not a new holiday. Come on Sykes...... you could not apply the two amounts of forty pounds off each holiday?? This is why I am saying that you failed to meet expectations....you offer anyone money off their next holiday but cannot/will not give it to someone who has booked 3 times with you this year. All the cottages we stayed at were fabulous, the owners were all very friendly and I would highly recommend them.....but Sykes as a company - NO!!

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• Susan - Verified booking

  We arrived by Trikes, to explore the area, as such luggage space was limited.

  To arrive and find a bottle of milk in the fridge and tea/coffee making basics already there was an absolute boon, as there was no urgency to unpack and run back out for supplies; the welcome muffins were a lovely extra. One of the reasons we selected the property was the off-road parking for our two precious vehicles; something we could not find in town. However the walk to the nearest pub, and into town was easy, although an uphill return. The cottage is absolutely delightful, and has everything a couple could need. It’s a very peaceful and beautiful location, and we both slept very well indeed. One thing of note was how lovely the bedding and towels felt and smelled, to the extent I texted the key holder to ask what they used. My husband also made note of the towel brand, and I am sure will be tracking some down in the near future. All in all, a wonderful place to stay, and one we will return to in future to explore this glorious location further.

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• Jemma - Verified booking

  The property is beautiful and very clean!

  !! The bathroom is gorgeous and the bathtub is a key feature. I loved having the bathroom door open to the outside overlooking the wheat field while soaking in the tub. Bed was very comfortable. Only a couple of things that need a little work. The owners would benefit from staying, cooking and cleaning there for a few days as there are some essentials missing such as dishcloths, dish rack to dry dishes, dish washer tablets and we may have needed more than one roll of loo roll. It didn’t hinder our stay too much, but it lost a bit of that luxury feel someone has worked hard to make. The other thing is, the photos are a little deceptive and don’t show you are attached to a caravan park at the back. It’s still secluded and very quite but attached to a caravan park that appears to hold people’s mobile caravans. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend but would encourage the owners to look at little essentials.

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