Dog Friendly Cottages in Salcombe

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Peter - Verified booking

  The property flatters to deceive… Initial impressions are good, clean and fresh, however it slowly goes downhill.

  The Lounge – the marketing images create a false representation, the lounge is now tired and in need of painting, the furniture is different than that shown with the sofa and 2 chairs tired and dirty, even stained in places. It also has cluttered shelves, a window blind I had to untangle to get to work and a TV smaller than my laptop. Main Bedroom, great view from the window, however and again, the picture used is deceiving, this room is also in need of decorating. The picture does show the super king sized bed, but doesn’t show that it is only fitted with kingsized bedding – 6’’ smaller all-round, so the bedsheets only just hang on the corners of the mattress and come off when you sleep and the quilt doesn’t hang over the side of the bed but only just reaches the edge of the mattress, making for a difficult sleeping experience - thankfully you've still got the view out of the window as you untangle yourself from the bedsheet in the early hours. The Bathroom – fantastic, big bath, great shower heated floor and plenty of room. However, there is one thing to watch, because the floor is sloping towards the shower the bath is chocked up at one end by 2 pieces of wood, one was missing resulting in the bath moving when you climb in – I did find the wedge the following morning under the bath, presumably knocked out by the cleaner. The Kitchen – Poorly conceived and very poorly appointed – 10 Dinner plates and only 4 side plates, no matching mugs, not in a themed way but in a random way. Cupboards full of a random and eclectic mix of pots, pans (8 off), casserole dishes, roasting & baking trays (9 off) and general kitchen utensils - enough for at least 3 cottages. The dinning table has flaking varnish and is sticky to the touch, the Everhot Range Oven is very nice (different than the pictures), but not really that practical in a holiday let, as mastering cooking on a range needs practise and planning – you're not going to come back from the beach and throw something together quickly for tea! But if your planning on bread making, a full roast dinner or baking you'll be fine. Again the marketing pictures show a clean fresh and uncluttered kitchen, it isn't…in fact I would have to question the cleanliness of the kitchen. The property feels much more like somebodys second home, furnished with surplus items from the main house, than a considered holiday let.

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• Peter - Verified booking

  The excellent location was familiar to us and views from main bedroom are stunning.

  The property was well furnished and equipped and comfortable. The level of cleanliness was a bit wanting, as we came across dog hair and spiders webs in many places. The building has obviously settled over a longtime, but we found the sloping floors quite disconcerting and the two stair cases steeper than normal with limited depth of tread, making them difficult to negotiate. The hand rails were a must use. The offset rear gardens is strange and off putting in its use.We arrived promptly after the set time, after a two hour journey so we’re in need of the bathroom so we’re agahast to find less than half a roll of toilet roll! This was followed by no bread or milk which we have enjoyed as standard from other holiday rentals, particularly when there no local facilities (shop/store) within three miles. A bit disappointing and if we were a party of four, would have been an appalling. The large double bed was extremely comfortable, but on our departure found that the mattress cover was horribly stained from bodily fluids, which indicated to us that it had not been changed /washed since the very hot weather in August. This was an unacceptable standard and needs to be reviewed in the future. The rugs in the bedroom also smelt of dogs. The property is quirky and has character which we appreciate and enjoyed which makes it a bit bespoke and not everyone’s choice, given their expectations. For us the cottage proved to be very convenient and comfortable evening retreat which requires some basic minor cleaning improvements /checks. This cottage is probably priced fairly average in terms of tariff, so needs to address the cleanliness issues which we have highlighted. We are not picky people, but felt that we had to feedback our recent experience.

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• Kathy - Verified booking

  The cottage is in a beautiful spot.

  View from front bedroom lovely. However the photos of the lounge must have been taken with a wide angle lens after it had just been decorated. It would have been very small if 4 adults were staying. The room and furniture looked grubby and worn. The settee and chairs were uncomfortable and the TV was tiny. Only two of us stayed and the hot water ran cool. The garden was pretty but very overgrown and we got soaked by the wet bushes when letting the dog out. There should be a note on the details to say that the cottage is unsuitable for older people and young children due to the steep and irregular stairs. The beaches were beautiful but the climb back up the hill is not for the faint hearted. One route has 134 steps and a steep path. Pubs in Salcombe had long queues for lunchtime dining, one was closed and another only open certain days due to Covid. Obviously this is understandable but visitors may want to take more food with them. Details state parking usually available outside cottage - it is early morning and evening but if you go out during the day you won't find a space when you get back. In places the access to East Portlemouth is by single track roads with occasional passing places. The roads were very busy and we were there in June. Dread to think what it will be like in school holidays. This is the first time that we wouldn't return to a cottage booked through Sykes and we went home a day early. Cottage needs decorating and more comfortable seating then it would make a good base for younger guests.

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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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• Rowena - Verified booking

  Heating: It was really helpful that there was a wood burner but it would have been more helpful to have had some tools & a generous offer would have been to include some kiln-dried logs for the welcome!

  . The heating control was very 'random' - possibly on a timer but challenging to adjust the switch to have the much-needed heating on outside of the regular times when we were 'at home' because of the inclement weather. En-suite: was disappointingly small - clearly built in to where there was perhaps originally a wardrobe - so it was 'cos'y to say the least!. Kitchen: really well stocked, about 12 items of each plate, dish, mug etc; the work top/breakfast bar has been well worn. The oven seemed not to heat up properly when on regular settings - only when it was on fan - we left a note confirming this. Bath sheets instead of small bath towels would have been appreciated. I doubt we would stay in Salcombe again - like so many resorts unfortunately it is just full of holiday homes and not much else - not many people actually live there it seems so it lacks a village/town feel/community... we visited many places nearby Dartmouth & Kingsbridge therefore - stunning scenery & plenty of National Trust gardens to visit. Sadly the property is, according to www, likely to be demolished some time soon to make way for 2 apartments - shame as it has obviously not long been refurbished, new kitchen, new furnishings, v comfy bed etc. However despite the inclement weather (Storm Alex) at the start of our break, we had a lovely holiday and would propose to use Sykes again.

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