Dog Friendly Cottages in Dorset

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Stacey - Verified booking

  As previously discussed with Rachael who manages the cottage, when we arrived on the Saturday the house smelt of damp, and we noticed the floor had puddles of water, and didn’t seem to have dried.

  Upon further inspection we noticed this water spanned the whole of the ground floor, and we weren’t certain whether there was a leak or whether there was damp in the cottage. As my elderly Mom has recently had surgery, we had concerns incase she should slip. We wiped the floor as best as we could, however when we wiped the floor with paper towel, the floor was filthy. After having a 5 hour drive in 31 degree heat, we didn’t consider ringing to get the cleaners back in, we wanted to get the house ready as the other half of our party were still on their way, and arrived after setting off several hours before. Upon having a look around the house, we noticed that some of the utensils, chopping boards and serving dishes and plates in the drawers are mouldy, along with a display chopping board on the side. You could clearly see that something wasn’t right with either damp or a leak in the property. The units in the kitchen didn’t close properly, as if the wood has warped due to damp. Additionally there is a chest of drawers in the twin room which is also mouldy. As we know, mould spores are a health hazard and as such needs to be treated in the right fashion. On both the Sunday and Monday mornings, we came down to further puddles in both the kitchen and the dining room, and had all the windows and doors open to try and dry these areas. We resulted in using fan’s that we’d bought with us as the weather was hot, to help dry the floors. The property has two bathrooms, one with a shower and one with a bath. We attempted to use both at the same time; to discover that only one bathroom could be in use at any one time, as using both pulls the water pressure off the other, which when there are 7 of us in the property, getting ready in time made things difficult. We noted that some of the windows we were unable to open, along with there being no key to open the back door of the property, and should we have needed to get out in a hurry or emergency, this could have been catastrophic. Furthermore, on the Sykes website, the property was shown as having off road parking, and that’s not the case, as you have to park on the road, outside the premises. It’s there we also noticed that the windows both inside and out were filthy, and could do with being cleaned, especially as the house is on a busy through road, which also isn’t mentioned on the listing. The downstairs toilet needs some attention, as the toilet seat is loose and needs fixing. One of the few plus points was that the property was lovely, the linens and towels were very clean and the styling did compliment the premises. We appreciate that the house is of a certain age and we fully understand the history of the house and its previous uses, but these issues we’ve raised we felt spoilt the weekend to a degree but it didn’t detract from the reason of our visit, which was to complete the Macmillan Jurassic Coast Mighty Hike in honour of my uncle who passed away earlier in the year. We have provided images and detailed feedback to the owner of the premises along with Rachael who manages the cleaning team, and hopefully they will have time to put these things right for their next guests.

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• John - Verified booking

  Blueberry cottage is very nice, well maintained and modern, warm, good facilities, enjoyable place to stay.

  The location, almost equidistant between Weymouth and Dorchester and in a quiet village is excellent. On the downside, car parking is a problem. There is no designated parking spot for the cottage and the locals are extremely possessive of any spaces going, including in front of the cottage itself. We parked as far as 200 yards away opposite the village pub. A minor problem concerns the loo which is on the ground floor off the kitchen. Navigating steep stairs from the bedroom in the night to visit the loo is not ideal. Almost reminds me of early years, at least this loo is inside! On a wider issue, why do Sykes insist on Friday to Friday lettings? Friday is the worst day of the week for road travel. Arriving on holiday in an unfamiliar place fraught from Friday travel is not the best start to a holiday. We use other holiday cottage agencies who are happy with Saturday to Saturday lettings and I'm afraid whilst Sykes continue with this Friday to Friday situation, we shall prioritise those other agencies for cottage bookings.

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• Lauren - Verified booking

  Such a lovely house.

  We had a few issues with cleanliness, it was very dusty and lots of bits on the floors but we put this down to the age of the property and not poor cleaners. The house was a great size for our group and the extension to the property really adds so much to the space. We loved the kitchen area and the downstairs living room was perfect. We never used the upstairs living room but it was really warm in there and not anywhere else. We didn't mind too much as we brought heated electric blankets. Having most of the bedrooms on the top floor with access to the bathroom on the floor below was inconvenient and because we didn't use the second living room, that would have worked much better as a bedroom. Overall, we had a great stay and the location was perfect as we went to the beach every day! Thanks for hosting!

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• Helen - Verified booking

  The cottages was very pleasant, clean and comfortable.

  The only thing we would say negatively is the outside seating needs to be addressed as the chairs had no cushions and were most uncomfortable without. The only other downside is the parking, we could not park outside of the cottage at all as the cars that were parked there when we arrived on the Friday evening didn't move all week, we therefore parked outside of the pub but when it is high season and busy that may prove very difficult to do. Other than these two little niggles we had a lovely week and enjoyed the cottage very much. The best places to eat are The Smugglers Inn at Osmington Mills and the Seven Stars at Moreton both of these are so much better than the pub in the village both food and atmosphere also The Crown Inn at Stickland does a really good Sunday roast.

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• Lucy - Verified booking

  Lovely property with ample space for 7 especially with the two sitting rooms.

  Kitchen well stocked and so many extra little attentions to detail. Beautiful welcome hamper and milk in the fridge which was a lovely touch when we arrived on a miserable rainy day. House actually too warm for us so turned down the heating! Beds super comfy and lovely clean linen plus thick towels! Not a problem to find. Parked on the road as only really space for one car by the garage behind the property. Not an issue. Easy access and small courtyard totally enclosed so safe for dogs and small child! Stayed at many many rentals with our in laws and this is the first one they have said they would like to return to! Local wishing well tea house an absolute gem and 3 mins walk from the house!

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