Dog Friendly Villas In South Hams

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Julie Dawn - Verified booking

  We enjoyed a lovely week in Devon at a lovely location and were pleasantly surprised with the chocolate cake and milk which had been left by the owners.

  The kitchen was large and very well equipped with ample space downstairs for 6 people and 3 dogs, however, we were disappointed with the standard of maintenance and cleanliness and not what we expected at a Sykes property. The following 'snags' were discovered during our stay at the property; 1. The finial on top of the newel post at the bottom of the stairs was loose and detached 2. The mixer tap is the kitchen was very loose 3. Some of the cupboard doors in in the kitchen were loose and broken 4. Both of the baths were chipped and in need of re-enamelling 5. The handle on the large fridge was loose 6. In two of the three bathrooms, the water supply stopped intermittently during bathing 7. There was no 'Information Book' at the property to advise guests of nearest Doctor Surgery, Hospital or Vets 8. None of the heated towel rails worked despite their being plugged in 9. The novel idea of building a breakfast bar around the glass-covered well was of great design, however, the light in the well did not work and it was full of cobwebs and spiders 10. The underfloor heating system was efficient but it was devoid of any way to regulate the temperature as the thermostats did not work so all three bedrooms were very hot at night 11. There were no re-cycling or rubbish instructions available so we disposed of this at the area where there were several bins (presumably the rubbish area) which was untidy and unhygienic 12. The 6th wooden floorboard from the front door had partially collapsed at the step edge 13. The electric socket by the window in the twin bedroom was coming away from the wall The door handles on the double and family bedrooms were loose 14. The swimming pool was very well kept, however, the air and water temperature were too cold and not at all comfortable to take a swim 15. General housekeeping was definitely not to the standard expected for a Sykes property. I trust you will accept this review in the spirit it is intended, as this is not a general moaning session but an opportunity for the owners to improve the facilities.

  Read more less >

• Lisa - Verified booking

  No frills cottage in a great location.

  We were concerned about previous reviews and as is clear in the photos, Highdown is an older cottage which still feels more like a residential than a rental property. The owner had worked hard to make the place clean and fresh for our arrival, even down to a new coat of paint in the utility room. Good points - the house was generally comfortable (although the mattress in the master bedroom should be replaced), the kitchen was well equipped (though no pantry provisions except salt and pepper) - it was not at all spacious, as stated in the description but certainly adequate, there is a large fridge freezer in the utility which is useful, the wifi and TV were excellent, the conservatory when sunny was delightful, the fire was cozy and the garden a nice size (although not completely dog-proof - a tenacious terrier would squeeze through the front gate in a second). The driveway was tight, but we managed to get our Landrover 4x4 in with a bit of skilful manoeuvring (on my part). Less positively, we arrived in a wet and windy Easter week and storage heaters hadn't been turned up so the house was very chilly. On colder days I think the heaters struggled to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the day and into the evening. The bathroom needs some storage (shelves, a bathroom cabinet?) as there was nothing to accommodate the smellies of 6 people and the provision of towels were a disappointment. Not sure why they state they are provided when all you get is one thin medium sized towel to last a week and no hand towels. I suggest you take your own. The owner however was responsive and did provide an extra electric radiator and a couple of hand towels on request. All in all we had a nice stay as Bigbury on Sea is a heavenly location for kids of all ages and dogs - The Journeys End pub has superb food. I wouldn't rent this cottage again as I think its rather basic and overpriced, but if you have realistic expectations it is a nice base from which to explore the area.

  Read more less >

• Mark - Verified booking

  This Cottage complex was chosen because we could spend most of our time on site with the pool, games room, play area and trampoline available.

  This now leads onto the issues. The games room had a selection of power tools and a jet washer left in this room and had a white PVC-U door that was unlocked giving access to the laundry which had extra power tools, machinery and chemicals for the young inquisitive children to investigate. We were all also looking forward to sitting next to the pool and having a swim and playing games with the kids. Due to Covid a rota was still in place so you could only be in the pool area for a 2 hour time slot each day, a little disappointing but we could make that work. I swam only once due to the unhygienic state the pool, the filters on the side on the pool under the water level were black with hair and other dirt, water cloudy, silt on the bottom of the pool at the 1.3 meter deep end, long hair tangled around you as you swam, and no shower facilities to use before your swim because this had been locked for use by people hiring the shepherds hut only. I regularly swim at my local pool that would be closedown if left in this state. There was a man hole cover that was left open allowing sewage smells escaping and a trip / fall hazard when walking along the road between the pool and trampoline area. The cottage had a few maintenance and cleaning issues, door knobs fall off, lose electric sockets, microwave had. white filth under the rotating plate, cobwebs everywhere, the lounge sliding sash window jammed open at the top (it was summer so not a problem). I also to a cycle but found the local roads to be too dangerous for me to use, narrow roads, sharp bends, high hedges and cars traveling at about 40mph. I also cycle regularly in the New Forest so I’m aware of dangers when on the roads, but could not bring myself to chance using these roads. The roads aren’t anything the cottage owners can change but by letting anyone reading the reviews they will know not to transport your bike with you on a holiday at this cottage.

  Read more less >

• Tracey - Verified booking

  Wow...

  Bigbury-on-Sea is beautiful. Highdown is situated at the top of a very steep hill. Beautiful views to Burgh Island, which is worth a walk over, even just to have a drink at the Pilchard Inn. Little cafe/takeaway down on the beach car park which is pretty basic but lovely food. There is a food store within walking distance on a caravan park along with Fryer Tucks fish and chips (also very nice) but it is along quite a narrow cliff path. WiFi was very hit and miss but kind of expected that to be honest. Make sure you visit Pickwick Inn (pub) which is so lovely. Great food, lovely atmosphere and very dog friendly. Beware of the narrow lanes in the area, cars go pretty fast round them and although there are pull in places it does get a bit scary at times. Highview itself is a lovely bungalow. Pretty dated but we quite liked that. Could have been a bit cleaner but very cosy and warm. Loved sitting in the little dining area looking out to the sea even when it was raining. The garden is lovely too, wraps around the whole bungalow and is very safe for dogs. On two occasions we did have a chap come right through the garden to the shed at the back apparently to collect laundry? If he’d of knocked and said he was about then we would have been happier but to suddenly see a man walking around outside was a bit unnerving. The patio area again is lovely but not for small children. There’s quite a drop down a grass bank at the front of it. All in all we went away as a family of four (2 grown up children) after having an illness for most of the year to have some quality time together and a well earned rest and that’s exactly what we did. Would we go back there again? Yes definitely

  Read more less >

• Ann - Verified booking

  We stayed in 'East Bickleigh' 17 - 24 June, 2022 and were disappointed.

  The pool was lovely and we enjoyed it immensely, even though the water was quite cold. Our grandson enjoyed the toddler pool. The house was not up to a good 'comfortable' standard. We were sometimes able to hear conversations from next door. Windows would not close properly. The lounge was very dark and cushions needed renewing - dirty. The kitchen was a lovely size and well equipped. However, we had to wash items before we used them. I have a fear of spiders and they were all over, including behind the bed and wardrobe, which obviously had not been cleaned before our arrival. Beds were comfortable. Linen was clean. The ensuite in the double room was very small and not fit for purpose. When the door of the 'showroom was open, one could not open the shower door and so one could become trapped! Outside the grounds were lovely. To get to the bbq we had to climb stairs and go through a bedroom or climb steps unsuitable for elderly or very young. Food had to be taken up from the kitchen, which was awkward. It would have been much nicer to have the bbq outside the kitchen door, partitioned from the semi beside us. Their table and bbq was outside our kitchen door. The garden furniture was disgusting! Full of webs and white spots of lichen. It was in real need of renewal or refurbishment. As a consequence, we only ate there once and the weather was bbq weather! To make matters worse, there were newly painted chairs ready on the owners patio, but these were not offered to us. I would not stay here again.

  Read more less >