Last Minute Cottages in Hartland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Betty - Verified booking

  The renovation of this property is stunning with many attractive features but it is sadly let down by the absence of expected up-to-date facilities and hygiene which severely and adversely affected our enjoyment.

  This lovely home is downgraded with the many and various annoying niggles that become preeminent in your feelings of enjoyment, safety, comfort and relaxation. Nothing could have been resolved by a phone call to the owners or Sykes. We took the view that our stay should not be interrupted as we were also visiting a terminally ill relative each day. In the kitchen there is one mismatched chipped mug and one large chipped plate. Some old crazed plates and bowls distract from the food placed in them. The induction hob does well with the bumpy, dirty bottoms of most of the provided old frying pans. Weak plastic utensils and blunt knives add to the frustration of cooking for 8 with several inadequate, small pans. We shopped for satisfactory implements and fly spray (see later). The microwave oven had someone else’s leftovers stuck to the plate. The fridge had a huge clump of ice with something stuck in it; it needs defrosting and cleaning. The fan oven never reaches the required temperature: meals had to be cooked using the ordinary oven. Several of the kitchen cabinet handles are pitted and uncomfortable in the hand and are ready for replacement. The door to the utility room toilet area was difficult to open at the beginning of the week as it caught on the floor and injured a guest’s chest as she anticipated it opening. The table mats in the dining area were sticky to touch so these and the table were cleaned. In the lounge unsecured rugs presented a trip hazard for several of the party. After one of the party had to be saved from a dangerous fall against the fireplace we put the rugs in the corner of the room for the rest of the stay. All the beds in the bedrooms were basic but the pillows were thin and unwelcoming. In the en-suite in the main bedroom the lock is still suspect despite notes in the log (August 2019, July 2022). The toilet seat doesn’t fit and is twisted. The extractor fan doesn’t work so towels were always damp and this was the same in the other bedroom on the first floor. The ‘balcony’ has no seating area and there are no seats in the bedroom. The floor area above the garages is uneven. On Tuesday night four of us were woken by the gate from the balcony down to the kitchen area banging. It had to be secured by a chair from outside the kitchen being placed against the gate as the lock was completely ineffective: the latch was misaligned, rusty and cannot be fastened. The outside security light constantly illuminates the bedroom window and needs attention. In the second bedroom on the first floor the hanging rail is so close to the shelf that you endanger fingers when hanging a garment up. The extent of the grounds is clearly advertised but its suitability for walking on is not indicated. Where was the boundary? Could we reach the coast? What features were worth noting? The proximity and access to prominent places of interest is exaggerated, for example, access to nearby towns as mentioned by others in the log. Outside the kitchen there are 3 rickety chairs with a small damaged and dangerous table which we cleaned as all were covered with bird faeces: the remains of the plasterer’s work is still on the wooden planking in front of you. Four chairs and an equally inadequate table rests alongside a pond. We returned each evening for a relaxing drink but we couldn’t all sit down and certainly not in the same place. We searched by the wood store where, it was promised in the folder, other outdoor furniture could be found which we were free to use: another exaggeration as this consisted of one broken chair and an unusable barbecue. When we arrived, part of the wooden porch above us lay on the entrance tiles. We were greeted by an infestation of flies and the cobwebs around the doorway, inside and out, had had little impact on the numbers. We covered all our food and fought to eat faster than the flies. It was no wonder that we ate out far more frequently than planned in adjacent hostelries which, although in the country, had no flies attacking us. We live in a listed stone building in the country with cattle and sheep as neighbours but we have never been subjected to such an onslaught with nothing to combat our unwanted and unwelcome pests. We regularly visit cottages up and down the country and at all times of the year, but we have never ever felt so let down, frustrated, disappointed and exploited as we have with this one. This was not a home from home: it was far less from than that. It was a long way from value for money and our expectations of cleanliness, safety and well-being. During the week we had killed several flies in the master bedroom shower area. Before we left, I investigated the flies’ attraction to the shower drain. I intended to clear away any hairs from our shampooing that may be there: the mess was horrific. The drain was near blocked with grey clingy matter; I felt sick that we had been using this shower all week and had paddled in this gunge. Photographs are available.

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• Mark - Verified booking

  Good Points.

  Cottage presented really well. Clean. Nice bedding. Nice towels. Heating heats up really fast. Nice strong shower. Cutlery good. Welcome pack - Nice supply of sachet tea, coffee and biscuits. Nicely furnished and finished to an excellent standard throughout. Nice grounds. Minor Complaints. No parasol Outside bin full on arrival Outside table needs cleaning Garden neglected Patio furniture splitting (the plastic wicker) No spare bin bags Weeds Knives in knife block wouldn’t cut butter Only 2 dishwasher tablets The Bad. Place is surrounded by fields and we arrived when farmers were harvesting. This means we had days on end of the holiday ruined by the constant loud machinery noise. **This went on from 7AM till 10PM !** There are no restrictions on the times a farmer can use machinery it seems. We could not open windows or doors when it was hot due to the noise. We also couldn’t use the garden as just too loud! Booking Company - Sykes I wanted to try and get some info about arrival, and also to see if someone (Sykes, host or management company) could possibly find out from the farmers roughly what day the machinery will stop, as we were going to leave early as it was driving us nuts. Sykes have been the worst booking company I have dealt with. I will actively avoid this company in the future. Impossible to contact. Try calling and you get a voice recording saying “Text us or WhatsApp us”. When you do you don’t get a reply for 5 hours. And then each reply has several hours in between, if you are lucky enough to get one. I sent a message on WhatsApp, they sent auto responder saying “received message, will be in touch”. 24 hours later they sent another saying “as it’s been 24 hours we can no longer respond!” Unreal! They offer no flexibility at all. VRBO and others will contact host or management to find answers, Sykes just say “don’t know, tough”.

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• Louisa - Verified booking

  Lovely place, peaceful and good location.

  Good outdoor area for kids to play or run around. Beds very comfy, master bathroom really lovely. Seating very comfy. We appreciate the games and dvds. Good tvs. WiFi was great. There were fans which we really appreciated. Nice picnic table to sit at with parasol on a hot day. Dog blankets were great, the provider poop bags and dog bowls. Fridge freezer a great size for family of 4. Thankful of the dishwasher. Largely very clean and tidy. It's been maintained well. Just a little dusty around master bed at the back and down back legs. Single beds a little too narrow. Would have liked to have had a hoover, especially with two young kids and a dog about. No washing machine so recommend pack more than you might need. Bath mat was slippery so suggest getting a new one. Would also recommend plastic kids plates/dishes and cups... Just in case. Overall we had a really lovely stay. Could have stayed another week. Easy to find and we were close enough with a 20 min ride to most local places and food beaches. Lovely hearing the birds sing and the local chickens! Felt very relaxed in the place. Rarely heard the neighbours as it's far enough apart and liked the privacy of the hedges and shrubbery near by. Really pretty place.

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• Pam - Verified booking

  The Old Chapel was a delightful house with charming features and an unexpected cosiness.

  We loved the generous space within the house and wished that we could have used the grounds outdoors more but the weather was wet for most of our week. There was an unfortunate incident on the Tuesday evening when there was an attempted break-in at the property; this included two attempts to force the front door, also there were indications of two failed attempts at opening our 2 cars. The incident was reported to the police. The housekeeper, Marcel, was clearly very concerned and offered any support that we wanted. This was followed later by a similarly supportive text from the owners. We thank them heartily. You, at Sykes, did nothing. I was amazed not to receive any communication from you following my notification to your Helpdesk. I don't want discounts or vouchers but I DO want you to know that your lack of care was most certainly noted. Therefore, my likelihood to recommend you in this case is, as above, 3 out of 10. The house and its facilities and its owner/housekeepers' support, 10 out of 10. I am glad that you will be sharing this feedback with the owners.

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• Ms Burton - Verified booking

  The property can only be described as 5 star accommodation. The owners, Steve & Helen, have thought of absolutely everything with regard to furnishings & fittings. Everything is first class. The welcome pack which included a large basket of logs, wine, fruit, cake, fudge, cookies, milk, bottles of beer, cordial & flowers was a most welcome surprise. The barn was a most relaxing & cosy environment with the added bonus of a hot tub. Although the weather was very seasonal, stormy at times, it was nice to be cosy & warm in their lovely barn. We dined in the village on three occasions and, in our opinion, the Anchor Inn was our favourite with regard to food & a friendly welcome. A visit to Hartland Quay is worth a visit for the outstanding rock formations and a walk along the coastal path. Good choice of food available in the Wreckers Bar at the hotel there with free parking. All in all, our 7 night stay at the barn exceeded our expectations and we would not hesitate to return in the future.

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