Holiday Cottages in Kent

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Susanne - Verified booking

  We were 4 adults, 2 of them over 80/ 90 (+ 2 dogs) staying for 12 days in May.

  We liked Whitstable, its quirky high street with surprising range of shops, pubs/ restaurants etc, laid back and slightly green/ alternative vibe. Local walks to Prospect Fields or beach and shops convenient. Foxes + cubs on golf course, herring gulls nesting on roof and plenty of bird song- all good. Clifton Road was narrow and rough, parking challenging at times but we always found somewhere within walking distance. At first glance Newden Cottage impressed with decent amount of space and light, 2 cleverly designed bathrooms with good easy- access showers, cupboard with washing machine in the downstairs one, both wash basins too tiny. Nice looking kitchen with double doors to garden, big dining table, 3 decent bedrooms. Loads of clean towels but no spare bedding. Shampoo and hand wash/ shower gel provided but toilet paper lasted only a few days. My elderly parents managed the stairs ok but struggled with the heavy sash windows. Storage space eg for shoes would have been welcome, as would be a larger door mat behind the entrance door. Had we not been lucky with weather keeping floors etc dry + clean would have been tricky. There's a step along the upstairs corridor to bathroom which would benefit from a safety light at night. A few convenient night lights were found elsewhere. A welcome hamper was a nice touch, as was a box of dog things. Small enclosed garden gets some sunshine all day. Decking with peeling paint and outside furniture needed a clean, particularly the cushions which were damp and dirty in a box outside, possibly untouched since last year. Fake turf... Useful washing line. Clean inside on the whole, although dust and dirt here and there, eg in kitchen drawers, windows + -frames, shower drain. The outside table wobbled and a broken- off piece was on floor. The kitchen was beautiful but with limited worktop and drainage space. The owner kindly provided more crockery after I mentioned that we struggled a bit despite running dishwasher every day. The only (non- stick) frying pan was scratched and either very dirty or corroded- owner provided replacement. We avoided other also scratched smaller non- stick pans and used a brand new huge stainless steel pot. Unlike previous reviewers we didn't find kitchen equipment extensive. We did appreciate being able to bring 2 dogs- we asked, obviously. We booked relatively late, needing somewhere suitable for elderly parents and 2 dogs, based on positive reviews and careful study of available info. It's not a cheap area anyway but all in all, in our opinion, it was too expensive for what it is. Sorry.

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• Mel - Verified booking

  Had a lovely stay at Springfield rd.

  It is a really lovely, spacious bungalow. I particularly liked the conservatory. The weather was a bit windy the first couple of days so it was nice to still be able to enjoy the sun in the conservatory. You can see the sunset and sea thru the trees from there and garden. you can move the chairs from the decking area to outside the conservatory if the traffic is a little busy. Overall the bungalow has a stylish, boutique feel, and I would recommend it. The issues i read in previous reviews have mainly been sorted out. I was concerned about the review mentioning the moldy smell in the conservatory, but there was none at all there. All I initially detected, was a slight smell in the hall but that dissipated with airing . Houses by the sea are always prone to getting at least some damp. The kitchen was well, equipped and spacious, as well as being very clean. I was thrilled to be able to use the oven as some holiday homes I’ve stayed at I have been unable to use the cooker because the accommodation fills up with bacon smoke but the oven was clean which was refreshing. You pull the left-hand top button out and turn the temperature up and then tap the middle buttons to get it working. Couldn’t work the hob out but it is a convector one so my sauce pan was no good as you have to use theirs. Got close to working out the coffee machine.. There were at least 25, lovely new hangers in the double wardrobes. I Unfortunately left three of my own as similar… I found the window bed in the twin spare room to be the most comfortable, and I put a quilt on it to lay on as well. I have a back problem but for normal backs the bed should be fine. Neither of us had any problems with the beds. The only problem is with the sun coming through the window. There are white blinds and white net curtains, but it really just need a dark curtain as well which I expect the owner will do. You can’t do everything at once. Am hoping to book again as soon as am able to as fell in love with the bungalow and Botany Bay! Thank you, it was great.

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• Nicholas - Verified booking

  Although the property itself was nice and clean and well-situated (particularly for dog-walkers!

  ), we were upset by the almost total lack of information about how to enjoy our stay in the property. For example, there were no instructions provided about how to use the induction hob, or microwave, or oven. Although the owner herself had written a few lines regarding the microwave and hob in a notebook, these lines were too unclear to help. We were eventually able to get the microwave and oven working, through trial and error, but not the hob. There were no means provided for cleaning up after cooking - no dishcloth or pan scourers provided, though later we discovered a dishcloth hidden at the back of a cupboard. Similarly, no floor cloth or other household cleaning implements were provided; there was a hoover in the property, but this did not work (perhaps due to it being blocked with dust etc). The property description mentions the property being within 0.5 mile of a pub and shop, but no address of the pub/shop was given, nor any sort of map showing where to find them. (A map is essential for a property like this in the middle of a large residential area). Similarly, no information or leaflets were provided about local attractions which might be visited. A bus timetable was available, but it was printed 5 years ago, and we subsequently discovered that one service detailed had now been discontinued entirely. No instructions were provided as to how the refuse collection arrangements worked. Bin bags were provided, together with 3 paper bags for recyclable items, but no instructions given as to how to dispose of the bags and where. (Clearly Margate council's refuse collection arrangements differ from our local council's arrangements at home). All in all, our stay at the property was badly let down by the owner's apparent unwillingness to provide information etc to help people renting her property.

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• Andrew - Verified booking

  An outwardly pleasant but flawed property.

  An outwardly pleasant bungalow on a good corner plot, in a convenient position close to the sea-front (with easy access to coastal walks and the beach and (good food) hotel at Botany Bay), with off-road parking for two cars, a small conservatory, well appointed separate shower room and bathroom, comfortable beds, and a pleasant enclosed and not overlooked garden. However. The property is let down by the feel of being an AirB&B, rather than a holiday rental, with a clutter of random personal effects and food items in drawers and cupboards, a ‘graveyard’ of roller blinds in the corner of the second bedroom, and no “How To” manual; the lounge furniture is tired and uncomfortable, there are broken blinds in most rooms, diaphanous curtains in the main bedroom that leave the room illuminated by the streetlight directly outside, a fully glazed door that provides no privacy to the occupant of the single bedroom (probably was a dining room) and, on stripping the beds prior to our departure, we discovered two horrifically stained and unhygienic pillows, and no mattress protector. In the garden random bits of detritus (including rusty secateurs) and a ‘drunk’ (and a very child unfriendly) rotary washing line in the lawn would have made the garden hazardous for young children, while inside the vacuum cleaner offered for use had a brush-bar so clogged with hair that it was unusable despite it being reported by several previous visitors. Investing just a little time, money and effort could raise the bar significantly for this property.

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• Jayne - Verified booking

  The house was clean and comfortable and in a good quiet location.

  It’s not quite a home from home though as the Netflix didn’t work, the wifi was mostly unusable and we all exceeded our data limits and had to pay extra charges. There’s not enough cups and plates to use the dishwasher as you have to keep washing up and reusing items. There were hardly any pegs to use the washing line and the tumble drier stopped working after a few minutes of drying. We managed to work out how to use the hob and microwave by trial and error as there’s no instructions and we had to root around to try and find the regulation bag required to put out the recycling after the council didn’t collect the bin. At times it felt more like being at home rather than a relaxed break away from all that! There’s also no information about the area, walks, places to visit etc. l grew up in the area so luckily we knew it was well worth the walk along the headland round to Botany Bay, taking less than 20 minutes. There’s also a handy Co-op store 5 minutes walk away which we discovered. Northdown Road also has some useful shops and cafes and a visit to Batchelors Patisserie was a real treat. We all enjoyed the stay and were comfortable in the property but a little bit more thought about what guests will need would improve the experience so you feel a bit more looked after and not like you’re making do in some areas. There’s also no tables outside for a family group to eat meals together or play games but that may be down to the seagulls who regularly appeared to see what we were doing!

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