Burford Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Greg - Verified booking

  We really enjoyed our stay at Wall Cottage and would like to visit again this year when we’re back in the area.

  But I’d like to share some feedback and observations about the property that I think would really make a positive difference. Some are a couple maintenance and upkeep items, others are recommendations for improvements. - the extractor fan in the downstairs cloakroom doesn’t work. We couldn’t see an isolator switch anywhere to turn it on so assume it’s broken. - the kitchen was very nicely equipped but it would hugely benefit from a knife block on the worktop. Simply laying sharp knives in the cutlery drawer with a load of other stuff lends to cut fingers. - there were perhaps 10 mixed clothes hangers for both bedrooms. Even a good quantity of cheap wire hangers would be helpful. - generally the paint, grout and trim throughout the place needs a lot of TLC. Maybe this is an annual thing you have planned for early in 2025 but it detracts from otherwise a really nice cottage. - could the oil tank in the back garden be fenced in? That, and some basic landscaping with low-maintenance shrubs would go a long way in improving the view and usability of the patio area. - the main piece of feedback for improvement from us is the beds…. The beds are nice comfortable but they’re just too small for a couple. The bedrooms are large and could easily accommodate wider beds and would allow a comfortable, peaceful nights sleep for both. This really is a huge element to how enjoyable a week away in the cottage is. Please consider it and we’ll be back in a heartbeat! We enjoyed our stay and appreciated the amenities, loca

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• Gemma - Verified booking

  I strongly recommend you do not stay at this porperty or use this company.

  The house had not been cleaned prior to arrival. It was littered with dead insects on the floor, dead flies on the windowsills, numerous cobwebs and more dead bugs floating in a half-full bath. We raised this with the property managers who gave reasons for the above (eg they were unaware the cleaner had not been, the house has a known problem with woodlice) and offered a clean, however we had already had to spend the start of our holiday cleaning it up. The house is as listed, however it is showing heavy use and wear and tear and is not at the standard expected for a listing of this value. This was in addition dirty mud marks from previous guests. On the third night the living room ceiling started to leak. We had to mop up and put vases/jugs down. It meant the living room was out of use for our young child. This was clearly not a new leak given the staining on the ceiling. We reported this to the property managers who explained they were aware of a leak and it should have been fixed. We find it unacceptable that a property with a number of known issues was let out and it hows poor management and a total disregard for the guests. Our complaints were met with reasons for this issue which did not resolve the matter. Additionally, as we did not have an account with Sykes there is no email address or message function to feedback. We have stayed in the cotswolds multiple times with different companies and so can vouch for this property and company being well below the experience expected for this area.

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• Michelle - Verified booking

  We have stayed at several Sykes Cottages before and this is the only one we've not felt able to provide a 5* review for.

  The cottage is well located, a few minutes off the high street, in Burford and looks just like the photos on the site, however, there was an overwhelming smell of kerosene fumes (or some sort of fuel) which was noxious and nauseating throughout the downstairs living area. The smell would particularly build up during the night and throughout the day when we were out, so we would have to leave the back door and front windows open whenever we used the kitchen, dining and living area. This wasn't too problematic when the weather was hot but we had a few cold rainy days and it was unpleasant to sit in the cold, but even more unpleasant to tolerate the fumes/vapour build up when we closed the doors and windows. The managing agent responded quickly by immediately sending out plumbers twice during our 5 day stay but neither time could they identify or resolve the issue. We didn't have a baby or small children with us but if we had I wouldn't have felt comfortable, or felt it safe to stay in this property, and can only hope that the owner/managing agent can sort out this issue before the property is let to subsequent visitors. On a more minor note the kitchen didn't appear that well kitted out for people who like to cook so would benefit from serving spoons, sturdy cutting boards, wooden spoons, garlic crusher, etc.

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• Jacqueline - Verified booking

  This is a fabulous property, the cottage is in a superb setting and has a lot to offer.

  An open plan and well stocked kitchen for family gathering, books and games, many countryside (dog) walks, a lovely local pub and the owner clearly has a great eye for internal decor. The maintenance team was also very helpful and fast when we realized the outside table parasol was missing, coming round within a couple of hours to sort it out. There are some negatives that previous reviews have mentioned, it is starting to show wear; the rugs for example look quite grubby. There is also only one shower for up to 8 people. However my only really notable complaint, and it really is a big negative, is the quality of the beds. For the price you would expect large luxurious beds and this is not what you get. The beds are old (divans that are now stained and on the floor without valances), no headrests, extremely hard (even with a mattress topper) and desperately uncomfortable. Unfortunately the same kind of bed was in all the rooms. It’s a real disappointment, we would have immediately booked again for another year but the sleep quality was too poor and we all came away with aching backs. It would have been five stars if not for the beds and there only being one shower.

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• Ian - Verified booking

  Yes some comments: An 18.

  00 check in does not work for us. With a small dog and 3 month old baby not being allowed into the property until 18.00 makes the travel day very arduous. With a 10.00 departure, it effectively means we only have 6 days at the property. Given that the only realistic way to travel to Swinbrooke is on the A40, to leave later on Friday would have meant hours stuck in traffic jams. An 18.00 check in was understandable when Covid was rife but now it just looks like an excuse. Smaller issues: The TV in the lounge is very difficult to operate. 'Stuart's' note says it should be tuned to AV7, after a very long time trying to make that work, it transpires ot should be AV5! There were no dishwasher tanblte sso we had to buy some. The vet lisited in your notes closed down some while a go. There is no phone signal in the house or anywhere nearby so impossible to contact anyone. A landline would be invaluable especially for emergencies. As you will see I am regular customer of Manor Cottages so I hope you will take my comments into account.

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