Dog Friendly Cottages in Kippford

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Brian - Verified booking

  Just as other reviewers have written, the house is lovely, with outstanding views across the Urr estuary and the Solway Firth.

  It has been restored and refurbished to a very high standard. I would love to know its history. The interior design is inspiring: beautiful furnishing fabrics, carefully restored and reupholstered older furniture, art and museum pieces discreetly fixed down or locked behind glass, modern beds and sofas. All tableware and cookware is by Denby, and there is plenty of it. Unfortunately, there were shortcomings. We arrived to find the dishwaher out of action, with an inadequate note telling us not to use it, an engineer was needed to fix it. We called the NTS representative on Monday. She explained that the engineer was waiting for a spare part to be delivered. She did not know when the dishwasher might be fixed. Washing up by hand for a large household was a disheartening chore, especially after we invited our Scottish family to Sunday lunch and washed up for 21. The dishwasher was eventually fixed on Thursday afternoon. Five days at the sink certainly dampened our holiday spirit. Standards have fallen since reviewers mentioned the house being "spotlessly clean". While the kitchen and bathrooms were very clean, many weeks'-worth of dust covered some surfaces (sideboards, mantlepieces, hearths, TV table, half-landing windowsill). It appeared that a golden retriever had occupied the first-floor en-suite bedroom; its long hair remained on the carpet and sofa and soon transferred onto the one-year-old baby's clothes and hands. Some bin bags and a second kitchen bin for recycling would be useful. Perhaps NTS could also ask Dumgal Council for more orange-lidded wheelie bins for recycling. Both recycling bins were already three-quarters full and, as they are shared between Auchenvhin and Saltflats Cottage and are collected only once a fortnight, two bins are not enough.

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• Donna - Verified booking

  I absolutely loved this house.

  Beautiful location. The decor and the period features were very appealing. The grounds were fabulous for my dog to explore. Very comfortable bed. The kitchen was very well equipped for cooking, ample amounts of crockery and cutlery. The views from the windows are fabulous. However, there are a few things that do need to be addressed. As previously mentioned in reviews, the door knobs are extremely difficult to open, the hot water taps in the bathrooms are dangerously hot. The plug in the private bathroom requires attention as water drains out quickly and its not easy to top up with a scalding tap. The house was very cold and it was not possible to over-ride the control. The guest information said there were extra blankets in the cupboard under the stairs, unfortunately, it was locked. I was slightly niggled that I had to empty a very full dishwasher before I could use it. There were no dishwasher tablets, salt, pepper, cling film or foil - I rarely stay anywhere where these aren't provided - so come prepared! I thought the living room could have been cleaned more thoroughly - my dog was very interested in all of the snacks between the cushions. There was an ice-cream spoon and burst balloons on the floor and evidence of dog hair on the furniture. Also, the Christmas trees were still up, despite me arriving on the 12th night! I'm aware all of these things are very easily rectified. These are the things that could turn a very good stay in to an outstandingly fabulous one! All this said, it certainly wouldn't deter me from booking again - I'm planning another visit. The area is beautiful for walking and tranquility. Fortunately, I had great weather. Just the break I needed.

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• Colin - Verified booking

  We've stayed in many cottages over the years and this is the best.

  large period property, beautifully decorated, in large gardens with it's own rocky beach. fantastic views from the large bay windows. peaceful location. the beds were very comfortable. would definitely stay again. just some things to bear in mind: we arrived in sub zero temperatures and it took a long time to heat the house up. bring throws and maybe a fan heater. the fire was provided with coal and paper but no kindling or firelighters so bring them. some people might struggle with the door handles which require a strong grip. when we left we took our rubbish and recycling to the bins at the far gate but there was no general waste bin, just recycling. owners notified. couldn't find a dishcloth. there were several wet towels in the washing machine when we arrived which we removed and dried. but these don't matter when you're staying in such an amazing property. we all had a lovely holiday.

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• James - Verified booking

  The holiday was fine and the house excellent.

  However we had a problem getting into the house because your instructions were wrong.I called your company many times and failed to a response until around 6pm.Your staff member advised that they had emailed NTS and would have to wait up to 2 hours for a response but if that failed Sykes would try to rehouse me or reimburse me .He said they had no contact they could call to help resolve the problem. Fortunately Linda at NTS arrived and we got access to the house. She did advise that Sykes do have a helpline number to call. so there is something wrong with your procedures This situation was extremely distressing for all of my party so I will be very wary of booking with you again. Linda at NTS will be in touch with you on this issue but I expect a direct feed back from you James Tiffney

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• Janet - Verified booking

  This house is in a wonderful location, with great views and lots of good walking from the doorstep.

  In fact the pictures struggle to do it justice! Very spacious, beautifully furnished and very well equipped, it had everything we needed, except ..... there were only two small toilet rolls for the four toilets, most of the hand soap dispensers were empty, there was no hairdryer, tea towels were not left out for us, and the bath towels were so small they barely covered even a slim person's modesty! Why skimp on little things when the overall impression is one of luxury and comfort? Also, the oil ran out on our last day which meant we were without heating for half a day. The facilities team responded promptly, but this had happened twice recently (I gathered from them), so that problem should have been sorted out by now.

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