Dumfries and Galloway Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Laura - Verified booking

  We came to stay for my mums 70th birthday as a surprise, as she is from Stranraer.

  I took a lot of time to search and make sure we got what we needed. The moment I booked the property I regretted it from these points.. I received an email from the owners and the first line was ‘if you book through little laight directly it’s cheaper’ I clicked the link and that was correct. It was 50% cheaper!!!! I spent days searching for the correct property for us, I thoroughly searched and not once did little laight come up outside of a booking agent. I emailed the owners and no reply. I emailed again and was answered but told that it’s because I used an agent and they charge fees..but that other people have been able to book directly. If that is the case I would like to know how because even now when looking it only shows through booking agents. 50% is a huge difference especially when it cost the amount it did. I did question the owners again about how people found this and was ignored. Also in the email it went on to tell me basically how to behave. It really annoyed me actually and disappointed me that after spending so much money I was being dictated to. Clean up your dogs mess was mentioned so many times, like we would need to be told to even do this. Strip the beds. Turn the thermostats to 10. Turn the lights off. Leave the cottage as you found it. The list did go on. It probably didn’t help that we got sent these reminders in several more emails from the owners and Sykes which makes it feel even worse! This immediately made me regret my booking. So much so up until a week prior to booking I was looking elsewhere and I’d have taken the financial hit had I have found something less dictatorial. We are grown adults, with children, we don’t need to be told how to behave, it really did put a downer on it. Internet is very important for us and when searching I always filter that wherever we stay had it. I’m not sure how, if this slipped through in my search but there isn’t any internet! I bought a dongle and sim which worked. What I’d suggest is that wifi is installed, nowadays you’d expect or take for granted everywhere has it. The oven is hit and miss as to whether it works how you expect it to even when following the instructions. The hob isn’t something we’re used to so if you’re like us and keep thinking the plate isn’t working because the light goes off and on on the ring you’re using, don’t worry it is still working! A stain of what I can only presume was blood on bedding wasn’t the nicest of surprises and is something you would definitely know was there as it’s the first thing spotted when pulling back the duvet, it was on the bedsheet itself. Tear on one of the dining chair covers wasn’t an issue but wanted it noted so that we didn’t get the blame! The carpets throughout could do with some TLC, as could the sofa and chairs in the lounge. We arrived around 6pm and it was very cold inside, we couldn’t work out how the heating worked, the instructions weren’t that helpful, we did use the electric heater in the lounge in short bursts and shutting the door would help heat up the lounge but we didn’t use the lounge much. Underfloor heating isn’t something we are familiar with. L.L views are nothing short of breath taking. We were extremely lucky with the weather it was beautiful. There was plenty of space outside for the dog to run about and some great wee areas that shielded you from the wind to sit with a hot drink and enjoy the views of Stranraer and Ireland. It only took 10-15 minutes to get into town from Cairnryan, the majority of that time was waiting on the grouse and sheep to stop trying to help guide us down the dirt track by walking right in front of the car! It was hilarious and we all enjoyed it. The cottage was well equipped. We had family over for lunch and there was plenty of cutlery and crockery, we did bring some bits from home as unsure what would be available and we didn’t need to bring anything. The bedrooms were very comfortable and the en-suites had everything needed. Surprisingly the water pressure for the shower was very good and the hot water lasted well. The beds were comfy and the duvets were duck down or goose down which is definitely something you need for the winter months so that was a good surprise. The cottage was decorated well throughout and clean. It was a lovely space and plenty of room for 6 of us plus a dog. You won’t get any deliveries of any sort there so I’d make sure you know your surroundings and what’s available prior to visiting. This wasn’t an issue for us as we know the area. If you’re wanting to literally just get away from the norm of everyday life, put your phones and devices down, sit back with a book and forget reality then it’s absolutely the place for you!

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• Nicolene - Verified booking

  This is a dog friendly property a few minutes drive from the local shops, Morrisons, Lidl and a terrible Tesco.

  There is even a dog friendly cafe The Royal Cafe…..which we found on the last day. Waters Edge is a redecorated four bedroom (two of which are downstairs……) 70’s house with splendid views over Loch Ryan as far as the Irish Sea. I didn’t venture upstairs but my husband had a tour so I’m aware there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. On arrival, we were delighted by the appearance of the house and it’s proximity to the Loch. There’s a great lobby for coats and outdoor paraphernalia which is certainly a plus for keeping the interior clean and tidy. However, on opening the connecting door the overwhelming smell of cooking/dogs was most unwelcoming; perhaps an open window or two might have made this more bearable? The front bedroom has a very small double bed but, as we wanted the view, this was the room we settled on; our stay would have benefited vastly if the Master bed had been in this room. The kitchen diner is large and extremely well equipped, but there was food in the freezer and an (open) bag of some sort of savoury biscuits in the cupboard and many of the plates/pizza tray were filthy. A broom would have been good, I am disabled to the point where I can’t use a vacuum cleaner, There was an abundance of loo rolls, towels, bedding, which was brilliant but no bleach for the showers or the loos. Also, the electric shower power is desultory at best and you have to wait a long time for the water to heat up, but the absolute negative was the size if the showers - they are tiny. Agreed, there are baths, but I haven’t been able to access one of those in 17 years so it’s a shower or nothing. My tummy is black and blue from the shower door knobs. For that reason alone we could not recommend this property despite it’s excellent nature and dog friendliness. Also, there is no garden which people with dogs need to be advised about; it’s a dark, dangerous step to the park late at night for last walkies. And, please note, there is no milk at the property (other companies ensure a “welcome” pack of one degree or another). There was some fudge, but we left that behind as we wanted to leave everything exactly as we had found it, as instructed time and time again by Sykes Cottages who really do know how to write the rudest email messages I’ve ever read, implying all paying guests are somehow filthy, entitled and disrespectful. Overall we had a great time and the area is very relaxing especially with the five days of lovely weather when we could enjoy the patio table, but as much as we’d love to, I guess we won’t be back because the facilities do not meet my personal needs.

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• Daniel - Verified booking

  We booked Waters Edge for Christmas and had a most enjoyable stay.

  We would like to thank the owners for decorating the house and putting up a Christmas tree for our arrival. The house was very spacious and clean. The views from the lounge and the bedrooms looking over Loch Ryan were wonderful. It was like being on a cruise ship looking out onto the sea. There were a few issues with leaking windows which didn’t impact on our stay as we contacted the owner who responded promptly. The kitchen was large and had plenty of cupboard space and was well equipped. We enjoyed eating our Christmas dinner at the large dining table. Location is good as it is a short walk into town although you have to drive to the nearest beach. Despite it being dog friendly lack of a garden was an issue. If you are going in the winter months bring a torch with you to navigate the uneven concrete steps down to the road. There is a light on the porch but it doesn’t help going down the stairs. A security light on the garage door would help solve this situation. The owners were good enough to let us use their garage as we had two cars with us but it was tricky to navigate into as you have to reverse in at an angle. The parking for the other car was also difficult as it wasn’t easy negotiating the uneven concrete parking space. Some of the furnishings didn’t reflect on the price that we paid for six nights (£1200). Beside cabinets in the main bedroom were more suited for a bathroom and small plastic lamps were not a good look. There were two side tables in the lounge but both had lamps on them. A couple of extra tables or a nest of tables is necessary as there was nowhere to place our drinks or snacks. None of the bathroom windows had blinds but windows were covered with a plastic film which made them look unfinished. The upstairs bathroom in particular needed a blind as the top part of the window had no plastic film on it and you felt as if the neighbours could see in. Some of the issues may seem as minor but again reflecting on the price would need to be addressed. Unfortunately we would not return due to the lack of garden and the parking issue. If we had had a third car, as the house accommodates eight people, I would not like to park my car 100 yards from the house. We would still recommend this holiday house for families if you don’t mind the issues we have highlighted.

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• Julie - Verified booking

  Second visit.

  Accommodation was outstanding but weather not so hot... in more ways than one.(Back home everyone was enjoying a heat wave, allegedly!) We had a little rain, high winds, thick sea mist, glorious sunshine and even saw the northern lights from the back of cottage. Nothing stopped us going out and enjoying our holiday. The lambs were as cute as ever! We came back and booked again for next year! I was a bit worried on Friday as the lack of wind stopped the turbine going round, thankfully everything still worked - lol! This meant we had a lovely morning sat outside on the picnic bench. We had a distant lesson in dry stone walling and a visiting pheasant, which I think the previous tenements had been feeding, and saw deer in the woods near Lairds Hill. We were fascinated with the Ferry captain reversing ghe Larne ferry into the dock, on our return to Little Laight, one evening. All in all we had a great time and the dogs enjoyed the garden, the local beaches and a good rest after a busy day out. Little Laight is a great chill out zone for everyone. WiFi would be grea, if only to check the weather forecast as we only get the Irish weather forecast and news, and to check the Glendale aurora status reports.

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• David - Verified booking

  Pros...

  Peaceful (mostly), comfortable, loads of room, well equipped, virtually no light pollution at night. Cons... No BBQ (at least we couldn’t find one and it’s in the property details section on Sykes), shower is almost impossible to use, noisy windmill, complicated oven! Little Laight is so close to the perfect holiday cottage, great location, spacious and comfortable, breathtaking views and ideal for star gazers (never seen so many stars at night). It’s very close to the A77 and ferries to Belfast and Larne. However, we had to google the instructions for the incredibly complex oven controls. The angle at which the shower head fits to the wall causes water to splash all over the floor unless the tap is turned down to a miniscule dribble. The constant whoshwhoshwhosh from the windmill on the north side of the property is quite loud meaning we couldn’t open the bedroom windows at night. The positives comfortably outweigh the negatives and with a few adjustments this really would be the perfect holiday cottage. We would still highly recommend Little Laight as it’s a great base for anyone wanting to explore this beautiful part of Scotland.

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