Dumfries and Galloway Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Edward - Verified booking

  Stapleton Toll House is a very comfortable holiday accommodation and the owners have thought of everything to make your stay perfect.

  The house was spotlessly clean and is full of lovely furnishings which make it very homely, the kitchen has every utensil and dish you would ever need. An added bonus is having the open lounge to sit at watching TV, Netflix etc whilst someone else takes a turn cooking. The beds were extremely comfortable, both bathrooms and showers were also very modern and nice to use to. We liked having the other sitting room/lounge to use as this gave our teenager space to do his own thing using the Wi-Fi or watching the other large flat screen TV. The garden is just wonderful it is a lovely outdoor space to use as part of your holiday to relax and unwind either sat on the swing seat or under the dome taking in the surrounding country views. We loved sitting under the dome when the sun was too hot and then later roasting marshmallows over the fire pit watching all the garden lights twinkle. It is also great for any furry friends with plenty of space to run around and do their business, just be aware the whole garden is not 100% secure. The owners definitely take much pride in their holiday home and work very hard to make it perfect for their visitors by going that extra mile with all the small details. The Welcome hamper was also very much appreciated. Elaine was so helpful when i stupidly forgot something important, she sorted it all out and posted the items to my home address the same day...superb owners who really care! if in this area again we would definitely try to book Stapleton Toll again as the house is so central for lots of visits to places such as Dumfries, Carlisle, Gretna or even the lakes! Annan is only 2.5 miles away and has everything you need re small shops, pubs, chip shops, take away, and cafes there is also a Tesco and Aldi for groceries., We can recommend the friendly Bluebell Inn for a nice drink in their beer garden (taxi £5 each way) or Cafe 91 in Lockerbie for some tasty snacks. We also visited Hollywood Bowl in Carlisle for 10 pin bowling which we also enjoyed. Gretna is also worth a visit with its shopping gateway centre and also the Blacksmiths shop at the village just a few hundred yards away.. Ecclefechan has a lovely park to walk your dog s well as a dog friendly hotel if you want some refreshments afterwards. The park in Annan is also lovely, we used it every day to walk our dog. It is lovely and clean and has a path that runs alongside the River which our dog played in every day....he loved to have a swim and cool down in this warm weather! All in all if you book Stapleton Toll House you wont be disappointed in both the area or the accommodation,

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• Julie - Verified booking

  Unfortunately we didn't receive a very warm welcome.

  We booked the cottage in Jan and it was listed as dog friendly so we booked and paid for our small dog to come too. When I called to get key info the day before our arrival the owner said it would be ready for 4 and they would be in the door. (listing said ready for 3, but hey ho). She said she was busy and would come to see us on Mon morning. We arrived just after 4 and had just un packed the car when the owner turned up. On seeing our dog who was just sniffing around getting her bearings, the owner proceeded to tell us dogs not allowed in the bedrooms, hadn't we read their policy, had we brought blankets to cover the furniture at which point I said she doesn't go on the furniture. She then proceeded to tell us how much damage people and their dogs had caused and that was why she was no longer a dog friendly accommodation. All this time she stood with the patio door open, I asked twice if she wouldn't mind closing it so that our dog couldn't get out as the large gate onto the road was open. This was ignored and so I had to take my dog into the kitchen. We didn't receive any instructions on how to operate equipment at the property or how to find the badger cam that we'd read about. No friendly recommendations of nice places to go. The only info shared was negativity about our dog and how we must shower before using the hot tub. Just as well it is no longer dog friendly as the fields surrounding the cottage were beautiful and full of animals, but unfortunately no pavements on the road and no paths explained or found where we could walk the dog. On another subject we found it odd that there was a full sized dishwasher but only 4 cups, 4 plates 4 bowls 4 side plates. Very nice that the crockery was Denby, but again a negative note in the cupboard warning that any chips or cracks would be chargeable. Even worse that the kitchen sink was pot. Simple white crockery in abundance would have been preferable and more conducive to a relaxing break. We felt she had her priorities wrong and would have appreciated settees with more comfortable and supportive cushions. One of the seats in the jacuzzi was brown and the plastic coating was peeling off so we couldn't use it. It would have been helpful if there had been a folder with information about how to take the cover off the jacuzzi, how to turn it on and off, information about the area, the WiFi code, how to control the heating, restaurants to go to, the badger cam etc. Instead we were insulted and made to feel uncomfortable, tarred with a brush meant for others who had previously caused damage.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  the whole cottage needs a thorough clean and furnishings very old and worn .When we arrived Mr Sinclair was just coming out of the cottage saying the TV wasn't working and he would be back. He did return a few minutes later and sat in the room trying to fix the TV. What a start to our holiday trying to unpack with a stranger sat there. The bathroom door wouldn't open properly, old rusty bin, light over mirror not working, heater in bathroom full of dust, old rusty tin of air fresher, shower screen on bath had black mould along the bottom. The kitchen had dirty cutlery trays and all utensils in them were very old. cupboard handle broken, dead beetle between the melamine plates, spider and web in a cup. No icebox in fridge so Mr Sinclair said to use the freezer where the dogs were kept in a separate outhouse which was disgracefully dirty. We were told not to shut the curtain in the hallway as the rail was broken. This meant when we left the bedroom to use the bathroom, we were on view up the lane. The single beds were very hard with child size quilts. furniture old, random old xmas decorations etc in draws which needed cleaning out. The carpets and flooring all needs changing as it is so old. there were dozens of flies every day due to the cottage facing the horse stables. We bought fly killer and were constantly spraying them. My partner honestly thought I was going to say " take me home" but because he had booked it for my Birthday I tried to make the best of it. We left 2 leg rest from our reclining sunchairs in the cottage shed by mistake, and after a call to them the day after our return, the daughter said she would get Mrs Sinclair to ring me. I have a friend in Ayr and though I could collect them when visiting my friend later in the year but I haven't had a call back and that was a week ago. I would have contacted you before now regarding how upsetting and disappointing our holiday accommodation was but I am just recovering from Covid and haven't been up to writing. On a positive note, we loved the areas of Rockcliffe and Kippford and would like to see other areas of Scotland. Baring in mind our bad experience at Tumbling Banks would the company give us some form of compensation for not only how upset we were but also for such poor accommodation as we would use Discover Scotland again but would suggest you think twice about using this accommodation to future clients in its present state. Kind regards, Susan Harwood

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• Susan - Verified booking

  I cannot recommend this cottage enough!

  It really is beautiful. It is the best equipped holiday home we have stayed in and probably the cleanest. The whole house is comfortable and cosy, but spacious. This was given the seal of approval by our son who has autism and struggles to settle in new spaces - he was right at home here, which made for a lovely week. The garden is just WOW!! Loads of space and appealing to the senses (again approved by our son who loved sitting under the willow dome on a windy evening - as did we). Toasting marshmallows on the firepit under the dome, watching the sunset and then being treated to the garden light show is a perfect memory! The location is great and ideal for exploring Dumfries and Galloway. The cottage is situated on a local (tractors) busy junction but as the house is so well insulated the noise is absolutely minimal and the coming and going of tractors and cows provides some entertainment. We had one rainy afternoon (after a morning out) and it was a pleasure to just spend time in the cottage to enjoy the warmth and space. The welcome pack Elaine and Mal left was very generous and very much appreciated - it was lovely to meet the owners, by chance, who are warm, welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable about the area. Stapleton Toll is an easy place to stay in and a very hard place to leave. We will definitely be returning. Thank you so much to Elaine and Mal for sharing your gorgeous home. x

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• Susan - Verified booking

  Wow , what a beautiful bungalow, bright airy and in a wonderful location, with lovely outdoor space .

  Bed was very comfortable and good quality linen. Only downside on arrival no housekeeping has been done , no beds changed and dirty towels left in shower , a quick message and phone call to Richard and hour later 3 lovely ladies arrived to clean , on leaving one of the ladies said she would drop off some vouchers for the inconvenience needless to say they never arrived, poor customer service. Reading a review from May someone said the shower in both bathrooms were leaking , I had hoped this would have been sorted....it hadn't every time the shower was used the floor was like a swimming pool, such a shame as the flooring is gorgeous.Lovely pub in the village and the beach there is fabulous our springer spaniel loved it such a shame weather wasn't on our side . Please remember this lovely property is surrounded by fields with cows and sheep in them when it's sunny and doors are open you need fly spray and lots of it as you are bombarded with them . The hot tub was great to use only problem again was the wet weather and I think a couple of the jets have stopped working.

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