Dog Friendly Cottages in Thirsk

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Robert - Verified booking

  We left a day early, the cottage is dire and not fit to be on Sykes website, we have holidayed through you for years but never been this disappointed.

  I have left the owner two pages of comments plus a reassurance that I am not seeking any kind of refund. Everything seems to have been done on a shoe string. Highlights, or perhaps lowlights included the kitchen window blind falling off the wall, as the bracket screws pulled out and the bathroom shower rail collapsing, being press fit and not fixed to the walls, worst of all the water pressure is so low that if you have the heating on the shower will not run and if you flush the toilet the taps will not run. I have actually photographed the list I left for the owners plus the shower rail and the window blind fixing and am happy to provide these to you. Starting outside and outside the control of the owners is the access, (I have photos of this as well), the alley is uneven, partly cobbled and obstructed with the wheelie bins of residents, it's not well lit either; I recognise that the owners cannot control this but bookers should be aware of the risk of tripping over uneven surfaces or stumbling into an uncovered drain. There is only 1 door key, when loading or unloading a car the door must be locked between each load to/from the boot. The bedroom radiator is inadequate for the size of room, as is the one in the lounge, (the bedroom one needed bleeding as well). There were no wardrobes or cupboards in the bedroom except bedside tables/drawers; there was merely a metal rail for hanging clothes, like market stall rail. There were no tv or cooker/oven or boiler instructions. The boiler had a switch unit which turned but did not turn water or heating on/off, there was no room thermostat anywhere to control overall temperature. With the oven we finally discovered that it would not work unless the timer was set or was turned to the "hand" position although the owners notes suggested this dial need not be touched. Not everybody has the same type of cooker/oven, the same type of boiler or the same tv package, instructions are essential. The lounge was dirty with food crumbes on the settee covers, the floor and dirty glass ring marks on the table. The cooker similarly seemed not have been cleaned, the rack inside the oven was crusted with food residue and the limited cooking pans and untensils that there were did not seem to be properly cleaned. There is no freezer, ok, but there was no freezer compartment in the fridge either. No chopping or cutting board ....there was a shortage of plates and cutlery, overall the impression was that the visitor was expected to eat out, or order in but not to cook for themselves, which we always do. The dining table, in the kitchen, was high level with bar stool type seats, ok for the young and able bodied but not for anyone older or with any kind of mobility problem. There was no bath mat and only 1 tea towel, no hand towel in the kitche/diner but that's not unusual. As I said at the beginning there is a serious problem with water pressure, at least that's what it seems like without a proper investigation, water can go from hot to cold or full on to a dribble depending what other water usage is taking place at the time. The kitchen blind falling off was just because it was a cheap one fixed with inadequate screws. One bannister is coming loose and there is a door missing from half way up the stairs, you can see where the hinges were. In fairness, it should be a lovely location just off the Market Square car park but access is poor and the cottage itself a mass of problems. I can appreciate that without actually staying in it, not all these will be apparent but there were just so many issues and cleanliness should never be an issue. I'm sorry to submit this but I don't want others to be as disappointed as we were, as I say we left a day early. The text on the web really ought to address the access difficulty, the table height, the fact that the bathroom is off the kitchen on the ground floor whilst the bedoom is on the second, although it does have a cramped en-suite toilet.

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• Alys - Verified booking

  When I booked this cottage I did so because I liked the sound of its name and it’s description, and thought it seemed a very fair price for what it provided, and for it’s very central position in the town.

  I then read the five reviews already on the Sykes site afterwards and, encountering only one totally positive one, began to wonder about my choice. I needn’t have worried. We found the cottage to be lovely, perfectly clean, comfortable and exactly as described in the write up. It is small, but the description makes this clear, and it certainly did not feel ‘claustrophobically small’ as described by one person. It was perfectly big enough for us and our dog for the 4 nights we stayed there. I am not sure how the person complaining of no fan or window in the bathroom expected either to be fitted, as it is a very old ‘back to back’ style cottage, with just one door to the outside, which is part of its charm. Short of drilling through to the neighbours behind, such things are impossible in a property like this. We did not find any of this to be a problem, we simply opened the kitchen window and left the bathroom door ajar for a while after using the shower. And yes, the shower is a bit ‘quirky’, they often are in old properties, but usable with a bit of patience. And if you don’t like it, there is the bath instead. With regard to some of the other complaints, I don’t need a large mirror or an ironing board on holiday, and the so called ‘basic facilities’ provided were quite adequate for me. The centre of Thirsk is virtually on the doorstep, a few footsteps away down the little alley, where you can go and get everything if you feel you need it. And my response to the person who complained that not everyone who visits Thirsk has a dog is this. This cottage is advertised as dog friendly, so it is going to get dogs in it. It is one of the reasons why I booked it, because I have a dog that goes wherever I go. There are many more cottages available that do not allow dogs, compared to those that do. If you haven’t got, or don’t take your dog with you, then book one of those, after all, you have a much bigger choice than me. We all, including the dog, thoroughly enjoyed our short stay at Ickle Pickle Cottage, and would happily book it again, and suggest it as an option to others in a similar position to ourselves.

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• Elizabeth - Verified booking

  What a lovely locacation cliff cottage is in, so peaceful.

  Nice cottage and fairly comfortable with lots of space and we thoroughly enjoyed playing pool in the evenings. Showers good and WiFi fine, cottage clean and plenty of crockery. Few things that would improve it from our point of view... -Dishwasher control was broken so didn't know what setting it was on and couldn't change it. -A previous review mentioned the cooker not being clean, the top was fine but we found sticky, dirty and brown shelves and a dirty tray with sausage fat still inside on arrival. We cleaned the tray but not the shelves, only used it a couple of times. -A hair dryer would have been welcome, not expensive, unless it was missed. -A handrail at the top on the left of the stairs would have helped Dad get upstairs, there's nothing to hold onto for an older person. -A few new mattresses would be good, although ok to sleep on, springs could be felt when sitting on them. -Could do with a new tin opener. -We felt that hot water temperature needs to be increased slightly, lots of warm showers. -Pictures on website showed logs in basket but none supplied, again not expensive but would be a nice touch, we left the rest of ours for next guests. Not withstanding the above, we had a lovely time and with a few tweeks it would have been even better. Thank you.

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• Laura - Verified booking

  Well I have to start with being honest, I booked this stay without reading the feedback (unlike me) - and after reading the negative reviews I was extremely concerned- especially as this was a Christmas break….

  Well I shouldn’t have worried at all! The whole experience was an amazing one, from the fantastic location- right on the doorstep of the town centre, pubs, restaurants and shops galore, to the property itself with all of the little touches the owners have so thoughtfully put in place- the heating on to warm through for our arrival, the toiletries, cleaning products and staple cupboard items, the oven was so clean it looked brand new, the bedding and towels smelt delightful and the cleaning was absolutely 10/10. The extra treats of having a beautiful Christmas tree and crackers left were so thoughtful, and the handover folder with all of the useful information and all of the extras- books, games, full smart TV access, Wi-Fi access, dog accessories, maps etc just added to an already lovely stay. To say that this is a dog friendly property (we have two) is amazing- there was no trace of other dogs or lingering smells it was immaculate- and to top it off everywhere we visited was so dog friendly too. We had the perfect Christmas and it was largely down to all of the thoughtful extra touches put in place, it was an absolute pleasure to stay here and I would have no hesitation in recommending you along with planing a return trip :-)

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• Jim - Verified booking

  A clean cottage, very convenient for the centre of Thirsk and its attractions.

  Not sure though why it deserved its 5tick rating by Sykes :we have stayed in much better standard Sykes 4 tick properties It wasn't a particularly welcoming cottage and had none of the homely touches we have found in other Sykes cottages (initial tea /coffee etc , cleansing materials, books, games,etc) , parking access was awkward with the narrow gap and cobbles, the parking area itself overgrown , it was a dark dingy cottage , the lighting was not well thought out for practicality either upstairs or downstairs, the lounge seating was Ok for 2 adults but not 4 (see other guest comments) , the outside sitting area for 2 was basic and close to the waste bins, the beds weren't particularly comfortable or warm, we had to buy our own hair dryer (normal provided in Sykes cottages) , no laundry basket provided, some sort of divider/curtain for the opening between the kitchen and lounge to reduce the noise when using eg the washing machine would have been appreciated, the kitchen/diner layout was not ideal use of space and the oven /microwave both quite complicated to work out how to use, the washing up bowl wasn't large enough to fit the dinner plates ,the cloakroom downstairs was quite cramped ................

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