Dog Friendly Villas In Honiton

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Lauren - Verified booking

  We were really disappointed as this 'award winning' cottage had such wonderful reviews and I had chosen it carefully on that basis.

  The reality was that the place was sadly lacking in the cosiness needed for mid January. It was really cold and smelled of damp which was being masked with air fresheners. I am chemically sensitive to these perfumes so that wasn't great for me. I suspect that was because we were the first rental of the year. It is likely to be better when it has been used a few more times, but we have never had this issue before in a cottage and we take a winter holiday in the UK most years. It needs to be made clearer in the details that using the log burner is an essential part of the heating, not an optional extra, for any winter stays. My husband has a lung condition which is worsened by smoke inhalation. He lit the burner for the first night because it was so very cold, and it is a good one, efficient at warming the living room, but his breathing was seriously affected and therefore we had to rely on the electric heaters and heavy jumpers for the rest of the time. There were a lot of minor issues that really need the owner's attention, such as greasy crockery and cutlery that had been put away in the cupboards and drawers - I had to wash everything we wanted to use before we could use it. We reported the more major issues like a broken set of drawers and the shower being faulty during our stay. To be fair the owner was responsive regarding the shower and got her plumber out twice to fix it. Be aware the owner's dogs are allowed 'free range'. The owner has a very sweet and friendly dog but she is also currently looking after a friend's dog which she did warn us was noisier. That one wasn't particularly friendly, it just ran up and barked at us if it saw us. We are dog people, but if you were nervous it would be an issue. The second night loud continuous barking started at 8pm right outside the living room window. I did my best to ignore it for 2 solid hours but when it got to 10pm I couldn't stand it any more and texted the owner. She responded. It turned out they had gone out and their friend had also left their dog at the farm - 3 unsupervised dogs. It was another hour before the owners returned home and the barking finally stopped. I was furious by that point, we were both cold, the place felt unwelcoming, we couldn't relax and I was ready to pack our bags and leave in the morning. As gale warnings were broadcast for the next day my husband talked me into staying. The owner came round and spoke to him. She did apologise for the noise, blaming the visiting dog for it. She did leave us some candles in case of power cuts. If it hadn't been such a dangerous day for travel we would have left at that point and asked for a refund. As it was we tried to make the most of our week off and to go out as much as possible once the weather calmed down a bit. Sadly we have never had such a poor experience of a cottage holiday. I hope the owner will attend to the issues and that other guests will have a much better experience and be able to leave the glowing reports that led us to book in the first place.

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• Cindy - Verified booking

  On the whole we were not disappointed with this property.

  It's a lovely characterful barn conversion and the gardens were absolutely beautiful. The delicious welcome tray of scones, jam and clotted cream left by the owners was very much appreciated after a long journey. There were 6 adults and one 3-year-old in our party, and there was more than enough seating for everyone and plenty of cutlery and crockery, etc in the kitchen. The property overall, was well equipped, however, the ground floor bedroom had no dressing table and, even more mystifying, no mirror! In my opinion somewhat of a necessity - and something I expect from a 4-star rated property. I don't think I've ever come across this before - and I've stayed in a lot of holiday cottages! The huge wall which could have easily accommodated it was covered in a massive shelving unit filled with books and two redundant chairs across the other half of the room. Also, the main light switch to this room is outside in the corridor - so remember to switch it off before you get into bed! The property seemed to be quite clean - however, quite early on in our stay something was spilled on the main downstairs floor and as we mopped it up with kitchen towel, we were shocked at the amount of dirt that come up on the towels. I appreciate we are in the countryside and dirt will get walked in, but the floor seemed like it hadn't been mopped/cleaned properly in a while. That said, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay (the general consensus with our party was that the beds were a little too firm - but that's personal preference). We had fun using the pizza oven (but were unable to find a pizza cutter – maybe we just didn't look hard enough). We also lit the fire pit and toasted marshmallows while watching the bats fly around in the evening and had great fun playing hide and seek with our three-year-old grandson in the beautiful quirky garden. There are lovely walks nearby and Sunday Lunch at the Otter Inn was delicious, as was lunch at the Heron Farm Shop, just along the road. The property was well situated for visiting Lyme Regis, Charmouth and surrounding area and was a relaxing place to come back to after a day exploring. One last thing - mind your head if you're tall (which all the men in our party were) there are some very low door frames, and we had several banged heads!!

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• Shannon - Verified booking

  Wow, where do I start?

  We were a family of 8, the eldest 72 and the youngest 3 years. There is plenty of room inside and outside that you're not under each others toes. The Barn had everything we needed, the only thing missing, if you're taking toddlers, the bath is big, but there is no slip mat in the bath, so possibly take one with you, but that is the only thing I can think of that wasn't available, however, this had absolutely no impact on our break. We sat on a few evenings watching the bats emerge from the roof space above bedroom 4. They are amazing little creatures. We used the fire pit to toast marshmallows on a evening. We also used both the bbq and pizza oven. I like to run in the morning's and living in a very flat area, this made it slightly more difficult, being hilly, but well worth it with stunning views. The Otter Inn is very close by which we used and also Heron Farm. They have a lovely play area and the food in their cafe is so delicious. We all felt so relaxed and slept so well. The only downside is we didn't book long enough, we all wanted to stay on for another week.

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• Steffani - Verified booking

  We all thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Southcott Farm Cottage!

  We were very welcomed by Amber and Nellie when we first arrived. Amber showed us around and left us to it. All the little touches made our stay special; home made scones, doggy treats, blankets for the sofas(our dogs like to snuggle by us while watching TV and Amber and Kevin understood that!) Amber and Kevin were always happy to help; we needed a spare crate, a stair gate and a mop and bucket to clean the mucky paw prints(just a text to Amber and it was brought over to us). We all enjoyed the walks on the land, especially the pond. Nathan and Katie took the rowing boat out and the dogs loved to swim around trying to catch them! The enclosed field was a win too, it was so lovely to get up in the morning, take a couple of steps and let the dogs run around first thing. This cottage has literally everything you could ask for..and more! We will be booking and visiting again in the very near future. Thanks again to Amber, Kevin and Nellie! - Steff, Carl, Nathan, Katie and the puppies; Xena, Luna and Athena(hopefully we will be joined by Cooper next time too)

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• Steven - Verified booking

  Family of four - two adults and two young children.

  We had a wonderful break at Southport Farm Cottage, which, whilst rural, is perfectly located for good access to all that Devon and Dorset has to offer. Our host Amber, was very welcoming, with excellent communication throughout the stay and was on hand to support were needed. A minor issue following a power trip was quickly addressed with minimal fuss. Amber goes the extra mile to make sure you are comfortable, providing an ample welcome pack including breakfast items and freshly baked scones, jam and cream; and access to ample firewood for the log burner. Doggy treats, dog towels and extra towels for the hot tub were also provided, making our stay even more comfortable. A personal highlight was the lack of light pollution allowing for late night hot tub soaks under fantastic starry skies. Thanks Amber (and Nellie the dog) for making us most welcome. We would, without hesitation, visit again and recommend to friends and family. Thanks S & L.

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