Last Minute Cottages in Gloucester

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Peter - Verified booking

  Not what we expected from description.

  It’s a lovely location, and the property looks nice, walking in it looked great. However, it lacked a lot when looking closer. It is advertised as no pets, great, as we have a pet fur allergy in the family, and that point made us pick it over another property. On arrival we were pestered by a cat, that was very familiar to the place, trying to get in as we were. It didn’t stop. Every-tine we came and went it tried to get in. As others have stated there are annex doors, locked, in the kitchen area. This was not mentioned in description. The owners reply acknowledged these doors. However we were aware somebody was in there, could hear them, lights on and off, as well as their rubbish in the bins, so clearly being lived in. It was very uncomfortable to know someone was just a door away, we wouldn’t have booked if we had known this. There is also an exterior door in the children’s bedroom, hidden behind the curtains. With our son being autistic with issues of doors being locked, security, he was not happy and didn’t sleep because of all of this. I would consider the property in breach of contract, it’s not what we thought we had booked. We were out for a couples of days so didn’t spend time sitting on the sofa, until Christmas Day. We noticed the removable sofas covers were very dirty. We also noticed after our daughter started with streaming eyes, itching skin and sneezing that there was cat fur on the arms of the chair and sofas. This for her made Christmas awful. The kitchen looked good until you looked closer. The kettle had a fur coat inside, desperately needs descaling. We couldn’t make a hot drink as the fur came out with the water. The toaster was pretty burned out and rusty inside, so not even a slice of toast could be done. The pots and pans in the drawers, what little there was of them, were mouldy. The fridge has issues as it is frosting up. We had planned to cook a good size roast for Christmas dinner, but we couldn’t as kitchen was poorly equipped. Christmas Day ruined. The washer dryer has an error, it wouldn’t allow anytime over 12 minutes drying time, so was useless to us. The property was generally unclean, not hoovered, dusted, questionable if bedding was changed as there were marks on them. Dirt and hair in the bath, dead bugs in the shower, conkers in with the 2 toilet rolls. Very poor. The description states fuel provided, which as the only fuel user is the fire,that should be logs etc, there was only 2 that were damp and small. Empty fire lighter packets. The property was cold as heating didn’t warm it at all. As others have said, there were no instructions for anything. The welcome pack lacked anything required. There was no means to contact owners, which could have helped ease some issues. The issues of cat fur on sofas, needed the change over clean to be much better, incase a guest let it in, as some from reviews suggest. Perhaps state the cat is not to be let in. Too late for us. our Christmas was cut short as we left on Boxing Day after trying to contact Sykes to report issues and try to resolve, but Sykes didn’t answer or respond, even to the emergency contact. We had no choice but to leave as our daughter’s allergy was getting worse. Since leaving Sykes has been useless, infact they are making it worse and pushing us to take legal action to resolve as they have been unreasonable. The property has great potential as it’s a nice location and building, but needs extra work to maintain it as a whole and concentrate on the details of being fully cleaned and providing full information, a welcome pack of maybe milk, bread, biscuits etc etc would have be nice.

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• Karin - Verified booking

  As a disabled person I always select our stays with Sykes, I fine their details of each and every property extremely helpful.

  I have to have properties that are on one level, along with walk in shower facilities, I always take a few items from home to help my stay, but these are minimal. Our stay at Orchard view was fabulous, the cottage is a home from home, from the moment you walk in you know that you are going to be comfortable, as we visited in Feb not the warmest or driest of times to holiday. It was warm and cosy as soon as you walked through each room. Both bedrooms are spacious and both have more than enough storage space, you would have to take an enormous amount of clothing to fill the wardrobes and drawers, Our super king sized bed was sooooo comfortable, and a good height to get in and out of, I cannot stand upright from low furniture. Jacques the home owner was super helpful, and knowledgeable about the area and what things are available to do. Our granddaughter loved the hot tub as did I, I was amazed that I was able to get in and more importantly back out, with help from my partner and granddaughter. Even though the weather was cold the hot tub was a dream, helped with my aches and pains and so relaxing. As you can gather I could go on forever about this cottage. The scenery from each room is glorious, even if you are not interested in horses you cannot help but love the landscape and it is so peaceful.

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• Delyth - Verified booking

  What an amazing break-away we just had at Orchard View.

  The photos on the listing do not do the property justice, its stunning and located in a truely idyllic area. The only sounds you'll hear are the birds, horses and occasional sheep. Jacques the owner is a really friendly, helpful and interesting charecter, and nothing we asked was too much trouble. He even allowed our daughters to visit the stables and meet his horses, which made their day. He was an excellent host. The house is very well appointed, with fresh bread, cookies, eggs, butter,milk, coffee, tea, sugar, oil and condiments all provided, as well as dishwasher tablets etc, there really wasnt anything other than toiletries that we needed to bring. The property was very clean, tidy and well presented and was a really nice and homely place to relax in, we especially liked waking up with the patio doors open, looking out over the fields whilst listening to nature. Outside was a large garden area with dining area, private parking and an awesome hot tub, which was kept at a very pleasant 38c and was freshly cleaned, filled and heated prior to our arrival... The kids loved the hot tub! All in all we are so happy we found this amazing gem of a property and will certainly visit again!

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• Cara - Verified booking

  The views are breath taking.

  The owner is not intrusive and she's lovely. The pool is big and warm when the sun is out. Perfect for walks with the dog and large garden (bear in mind it is open). It is only a few miles from Gloucester so not too out of the way. Supermarkets and Gloucester Quay within 10 minutes. The rooms are spacious. A chest of drawers would be really helpful in the second double. We really did live out of the suitcase. The property description states there is a bath. There isn't. Not a major biggie but we only have a walk-in shower and was looking forward to it. The place does feel like it could do with a really good clean. Downstairs toilet seat is loose. The small fridge in the kitchen doesn't close properly as the seal has worn. I did advise the owner. But other people have mentioned it in the comments as well some time ago. The internet and phone signals are poor. Would I go back? Yes, but not in the high season, I don't feel the property reflects the price. However, if you don't care about the said issues, it is a beautiful area and the owner's friendliness really did make the holiday.

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• Gale - Verified booking

  Absolutely lovely cottage.

  On a working farm, but you would never know. We did not go prepared for swimming, but wish we had done so. The enclosed swimming pool was clean and relatively private. Mattress not to our liking, but still slept well. A cottage with character....including the squeaky floorboards up stairs. Extremely well kitted out. TWO fridges was a welcome bonus. Did not try the open log fire on this visit, however we did need the heating on for a short time in the evening(s). WIFI/internet great. Welcome tray with homemade wine & bickies, plus fresh milk in the kitchen fridge (big thank you). Whilst September did not bring the best of weather, it did not detract from a brilliant stay. A minor disappointment was the inability to benefit from the extensive views from the downstairs windows due to shrubs being overgrown plus the patio area was not prepared for use (although weather was terrible in any case). THANKS MRS REEVE (?) , you have a wonderful retreat and we recommend it to any one who wants a comfy secluded holiday.

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