Last Minute Cottages in Launceston

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Margaret - Verified booking

  Basically we were very very disapointed with our stay at The Old School House,To be fair to Jaime she did get it ready a bit earlier for us.

  But,considering the current guidelines we all know that everything has to be absolutely super extra clean,sadly the cottage was not ! Firstly the toilet brush and holder in bathroom was absolutely disgusting ! it was caked in faeces and the holder was full of soiled water ! I was going to remove it and put it in a black bin bag in the garage,but to be honest I didn't want to handle it ,why was this not checked on and removed?surely with everything having to be sanitised it should be replaced weekly,plastic one in supermarkets are super cheap-basically disposable.Also,worktops in kichen had only had a basic wipe down and were greasy.Dishwasher had been used and everything we needed was clean,but there were no spare dishwasher tablets as we should have had according to instruction manual,i obviously went and bought some,the dishwasher wash out of salt and rinse aid ,surely that should have been noticed and items replaced as per hygiene rules?There wer dirty sticky childrens finger prints on inside of conservatory windows,shouldn't they have been cleaned?The placemats/coasters in dining room were old and tatty(down to base cardboard) and old food spilled and smeared on them,pretty unhygienic !When we were due to leave we got the hoover out and the filter was absolutely jammed up with dirt and debris and dog hair,why wasn't this emptied by house keeper?Thats all the cleanliness issues,if we hadn't travelled over 330 miles we probably would've gone home to be honest.The worst disapointment was actually the garden advertised as dog proof,it certainly was not ! at the bottom was an overgrown grassy bank with steps to top and straight out and over the other side on to 4 strands of barbed wire,which is obviously standard farm fencing along a livestock field we realise that ,but had the dogs gone straight over I dread to think what would have happened.So, the dogs had to spend whole week on leads outside-so unfair !The grass had been mown,but the gravel around patio area was overgrown with weeds and whole place looked unloved.Do you or the owners not regularly check on the property,Neglecting to look at details all around I think.We were actually down there house hunting and were going to use your £40 off voucher but to be honest I don't know if I would want to choose Sykes again if this is your standard,but we will be going back to Cornwall house hunting again soon,sadly never again at The Old School House ! I would be interested in your comments on our complaints please.

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• Carrie-ann - Verified booking

  The cottage was very spacious, despite there being 6 of us, we didn't feel on top of each other at all.

  I really loved the fusion of old and new. Especially the bathroom. That was my favourite room. The bath and shower both felt luxurious and it was lovely enjoying a soak whilst listening to the bleating of sheep. It is situated in a really lovely location. Our dogs enjoyed the garden and were very calm in the home and garden too. The games room was ideal as we had many wet weather days (unfortunately!) But there is an unpleasant smell when you use the air hockey table. We think there might be a dead rodent in there (and the smell is exacerbated when the air is turned on). We did find 2 dead mice and 1 live mouse in the bin in the garage, which we released into the field at the back of the house. This didn't really bother us but I think their presence might be contributing to the smell in the garage (which could do with a bit of a clean to be honest, as it is being used as a functional room). I loved the thick throws on the bed and the fact that the kitchen was well stocked. The additional fridge freezer in the garage was handy too. The scones and dog treats were a lovely welcome. Thank you. That was a nice touch. As was the information folder and leaflets. A check out time of 10am was a little challenging with a family of 6 and 2 dogs! Especially when Skyes detail the cleaning regime expected upon departure. In fact, we were still hoovering when the cleaners turned up at 10.15 and took over the cleaning from us. I did find the notepad marked BREAKAGES a little brash. It took some of the warmth away from the welcome for me to be honest. But equally, if holiday home owners experience a lot of guests that break things I don't know what the best strategy would be to tackle that. Perhaps a book named Maintenance (and maybe add 'and accidents!') To it. I noticed previous guests had used it to note Maintenance needed doing. I didn't want to be so picky but capitalising BREAKAGES does feel rather finger pointing when you're trying to relax. Overall we had a lovely stay, despite the rain, in a great location with our family and pets. Many thanks for your hospitality. Carrie-Ann

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• Suzy - Verified booking

  Had a lovely stay at Penlaurel.

  Very comfy and plenty of space to relax, cook, or enjoy the lounges in. Also a nice welcome of bubbly & chocs. The garden was large but due to some wet weather I found some flagstones very slippery underfoot. I kept my dog on his stretchy lead as parts of the garden seemed less secure for my dog and animals were entering overnight and toileting. However the garden is so big, my dog still had plenty of space to play in. The hot tub was large and welcome after a day of walking and exploring Cornwall. The hot tub is set back in amongst trees and shrubs, which was nice and private. But as the light fades in autumn we found there was not enough garden light to clearly see the entrance to the hot tub and tripped against steps partially hidden by an overgrown bush on the first night. Defo grab a torch from the property or use the one on your phone if going into the hot tub during the evenings. A garden broom would be useful so visitors can sweep away fern leaves etc away from the hot tub as we tracked some back into the house. On the last morning I found the neighbours gardener in our garden using an electric saw at height chopping down tree branches, with our side gate open. Thankfully my dog was on his lead, or he would’ve run straight out of the gate. The bloke didn’t seem remotely concerned with his behaviour and I had to quite firmly tell him to leave and shut the gate. He hadn’t even knocked at the property to ask if it was ok to come into the garden. I was fuming. I would recommend a lock for the gate to prevent another near miss. Overall we had a fantastic time, in this beautiful property. It is well located for visits to Tintagel, Bude, Padstow, Bodwin moors to name a few. I would recommend.

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• Alex - Verified booking

  The actual house itself is lovely apart from the cellar door underneath the front living room under the rug.

  There were several issues that we were extremely disappointed in that really took the shine off our trip given the amount we paid for the week. The kids were very excited about the hottub but it was surrounded by large bushes preventing any natural light getting through, our kids were too scared to stay in after 10 minutes. The garden had an extremely rusty bench that only had 3 legs that was both dangerous (giving we have young children) as well as being an eye sore. The bbq was tiny and filthy so not fit for use. The garden was full of sharp leaf holly bushes that injured both our kids and dogs on a daily basis. There were several weeds/nettles across the garden which was generally unkept. Another dangerous point is that the angle of the driveway was about 45oC from the road facing downhill, we had several near misses when reversing out into a very busy road linking local towns. I also attempted to walk our dogs on a daily basis prior to going out for the day but the country roads by the house are very narrow with no pavements with cars often driving at 60mph. Unless you’re willing to drive there are no places within a reasonable and safe walking distance. Overall, whilst the house was nice, we do feel we overpaid considerably for our trip on reflection, which is a first for us having used Sykes for years… I had pictures to back up all of our claims including the hot tub and bench but there doesn’t appear to be an upload option.

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• Zehra - Verified booking

  This cottage is simply wonderful!

  It has absolutely everything you need, to make an enjoyable stay. The hot tub is very nice and in an enclosed veranda It looks out to the most beautiful garden, I have ever seen! Inside the cottage, my favourite room is the front room, the decor, very much to my taste and the ambiance is just so relaxing!!! The study area, perfect for reading the odd book or playing a board game (not that we used this room, to be honest.) The dining room, very spacious and perfect to host everyone for a family meal!! The kitchen and utility room, again, very well catered for and very much to my taste! Out of all the places I have stayed, I have never felt so at home and I really mean that. There is a cosy little hideaway, which lets in lots of sun or perfect for listening to the rain too!!! It also has a PS4 for any of those gamers out there....... There are three very large bedrooms, all with I think, king size beds. One bedroom has ensuite and there is a family bathroom for the other two bedrooms, the bath is to die for! Again, all rooms decorated and furnished with such style. The bear theme around the house really does make this cottage and the bear at the top of the stairs is simply beautiful. I love this house and will be back, just not sure when, with all the madness in the world at the moment! Thank you very much for a lovely stay and for the Presecco and chocolates, what a lovely touch!

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