Dog Friendly Cottages in Stow On The Wold

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Andy - Verified booking

  I would not want to stay here in the winter.

  Rodent sized holes under the door from the dining area to the garden look very inviting for a cold four legged critter or in fact any other critters out there. Furniture in the lounge is very stained and we were pleased we could sit in the garden due to the weather. However, the garden lights are in fact nowhere near the garden seating area so a little useless as it gets darker. The knives and forks look like they were there when the place was built and that is not a compliment as to their vintage look. Rugs, both upstairs and downstairs, are threadbare and fraying at the edges. Some of the windows are broken and the garden was quite overgrown during our stay. The key safe is in fact nowhere near the front door and so when arriving in the dark it was a challenge to find the door keys tucked around the corner nowhere near the door !! In the upstairs bathroom the sink was falling off the vanity shelf so be careful when washing in it or cleaning your teeth for fear of it parting company with the shelf, and the glass tiles are all lifting off the surface too. The bin in the bathroom also doesn’t close and needs to be replaced but was still there so contents are all on display. The pots hanging in the kitchen needed to be cleaned prior to use. In the main bedroom one wall was plastered but not painted. In the downstairs bedroom en-suite there was mold in the bathroom which has clearly not been cleaned sufficiently and the walls are showing signs of damp in the main bedroom upstairs and in the downstairs bedroom. This property is advertised as being dog friendly but there is in fact nowhere convenient for dogs to sleep as there is no door on the kitchen area and so dogs, unless kept in a bedroom with you are, free to roam around the house, which is far from ideal. Also, it seems the place must be totally cleaned tip to toe on departure which is not ideal when kicking out time is 10 am..... plus I would highly recommend taking your own towels as we have been charged for a towel with a bit of mud on it and a towel with some water based makeup on it.... having used them obviously... derrr... you would think you could !! The issue with the towels is the fact that the decision to charge for them was taken before they had been put in to a washing machine. Unless of course the linen and towels are not normally washed between guests ? This was all done without any discussion on the matter, despite us asking for better information and whether the towels had actually ventured anywhere near a washing machine or not, however the funds were simply taken from our account with zero discussion on the matter... It is also ironic that on arrival, the tea towels that were in the kitchen were absolutely filthy and we put them to one side but there was no mention of the tea towels in the “damaged towels” claim and it was a good job we took our own tea towels as directed. We would not stay at this place again and we would not use Sykes cottages again either. Their handling of the matter was to simply brush it under one of the threadbare and frayed carpets...

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• Fiona - Verified booking

  The cottage was lovely in lots of respects , as described on the listing .

  Lovely location great local pub , The Great Western with a great landlord and lovely food . Local shop that's very convenient too . Beds really comfy all well appointed as a home . Overall lovely and would recommend. Only a few niggles and would prefer to have a direct convo than put public, as only niggles and didn't massively affect our stay . Parking- this isn't ideal . We arrived after a long journey in the rain and could not get anywhere near the cottage . We had to park ages away which if you are not fit to be lugging your stuff then this is a deal breaker . This didn't get any better as we stayed there . Could you not at least get a cone for day of arrival ? And the day of leaving. Few maintenance things , the toilet handle is loose and needs fixing as this pinches your hand . The toilet seat is also loose and needs securing . The bathroom is lovely and shower great . The stairs altho mentioned as steep , they are very steep and the hessian carpet a little slippy on them in socks - might need a look at . The heating was insane while we were there , and not being able to adjust was limiting . It was sooooooo hot everywhere . Even when we turned radiators off . The heating seemed to be on all night aswell . We do worry about your bills ! Only last comment was the downstairs did smell of dogs ...not sure if the previous people had dogs in and it was wet days. It wasn't a major thing but just to mention . And to mention again ,these are just niggles as the place is lovely and we had a lovely cosy time and I would definitely recommend , they are more things that may need just attending to for it to be perfect ! Thank you .

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• Gemma - Verified booking

  I strongly recommend you do not stay at this porperty or use this company.

  The house had not been cleaned prior to arrival. It was littered with dead insects on the floor, dead flies on the windowsills, numerous cobwebs and more dead bugs floating in a half-full bath. We raised this with the property managers who gave reasons for the above (eg they were unaware the cleaner had not been, the house has a known problem with woodlice) and offered a clean, however we had already had to spend the start of our holiday cleaning it up. The house is as listed, however it is showing heavy use and wear and tear and is not at the standard expected for a listing of this value. This was in addition dirty mud marks from previous guests. On the third night the living room ceiling started to leak. We had to mop up and put vases/jugs down. It meant the living room was out of use for our young child. This was clearly not a new leak given the staining on the ceiling. We reported this to the property managers who explained they were aware of a leak and it should have been fixed. We find it unacceptable that a property with a number of known issues was let out and it hows poor management and a total disregard for the guests. Our complaints were met with reasons for this issue which did not resolve the matter. Additionally, as we did not have an account with Sykes there is no email address or message function to feedback. We have stayed in the cotswolds multiple times with different companies and so can vouch for this property and company being well below the experience expected for this area.

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• Jacqueline - Verified booking

  This is a fabulous property, the cottage is in a superb setting and has a lot to offer.

  An open plan and well stocked kitchen for family gathering, books and games, many countryside (dog) walks, a lovely local pub and the owner clearly has a great eye for internal decor. The maintenance team was also very helpful and fast when we realized the outside table parasol was missing, coming round within a couple of hours to sort it out. There are some negatives that previous reviews have mentioned, it is starting to show wear; the rugs for example look quite grubby. There is also only one shower for up to 8 people. However my only really notable complaint, and it really is a big negative, is the quality of the beds. For the price you would expect large luxurious beds and this is not what you get. The beds are old (divans that are now stained and on the floor without valances), no headrests, extremely hard (even with a mattress topper) and desperately uncomfortable. Unfortunately the same kind of bed was in all the rooms. It’s a real disappointment, we would have immediately booked again for another year but the sleep quality was too poor and we all came away with aching backs. It would have been five stars if not for the beds and there only being one shower.

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• Ellen - Verified booking

  The moment we walked in the door, we knew we would not want to leave-- all right, maybe it was when we opened the back door to the gardens.

  Anyhow, we were right: a haven of peace and beauty. It was too hot for walking, but being in the cottage itself was a constant pleasure: the combination of aesthetics and comfort cannot be overstated. We loved the respect paid to the history of the place. The little steps up and down from rooms, the lower ceilings, all contributed to the charm for us. But the kitchen was magnificent. The beds very comfortable, and the bathtub a treat - as was the shower in the downstairs bedroom. The shaded outdoor dining table was much used. The views from the back garden (an extensive area, not shown in the Sykes photos) were wonderful. We sat out in the comfortable garden chairs and watched the moon rise every night. We were sorry there was no point to lighting a wood fire, and so appreciated the large candles in globes left for guests to enjoy the atmosphere. I can't help feeling that we would be friends with the owners, if ever we met. I do agree that a microwave would be useful: we're just too accustomed to reheating cups of tea to go without it!

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