Villas 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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• Abhijit - Verified booking

  We had a wonderful stay at Lowley Brook Farm.

  Peter and Liz are great hosts. The cabin was spotless and had all the amenities that one would need for a comfortable stay. Peter had baked fresh bread for us and also provided us with their hen's fresh eggs, local fresh milk and Bacon from the local farm shop Tre Pol and Pen. Butter, cooking oil, sugar, coffee and tea as well as assorted fruits were also kept for our consumption. Therefore we did not need to buy anything on arrival. Peter and Liz greeted us on arrival and offered suggestions about local things. We managed to feed the alpacas with Peter which was a unique experience for us. Their dogs Bryn and Magg are very gentle and were very keen to involve us in throwing their ball. What can one say about most majestic Douglas and his harem which he guards diligently . You wake up to his crowing and he is very keen to come to your doorstep to make his presence felt. My wife bribed him with breadcrumbs, he quickly became her devoted fan. Peter uses water from their brook (lowley brook) for everything. The water is filtered to 4 microns and tastes very good indeed. During our stay it rained quite a lot which made the brook water minimally cloudy, but Peter kindly provided us with big bottles of drinking water, much appreciated. In spite of inclement weather we had a good time at Lowley Brook Farm. We would recommend this place for any couple wanting peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Thank you peter and Liz

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• Jason - Verified booking

  The house is clearly tired and in need of a lot of work.

  Mould and cowebs in the conservatory. The conservatory also leaks in heavy rain we found out. Bedroom with single bed needs the bed sorting as it's broken. Throws on beds are not cleaned and upon arrival we removed one and the duvet was literally covered in long black hairs which must be stuck to the cover itself. Kitchen, filthy. Grease everywhere, crockery and cutlery drawers full of crumbs and generally dirty. The garage was a mess, and stunk as bin bags are left in there. The BBQ grill was filthy and smelled of burgers. Uncleaned. There was a bin full of cigarette butts, so somebody had obviously decided to use it as an ashtray. If t his property was overhauled and deep cleaned we wouldn't hesitate in staying again and would happily pay more. We did stay here about 5 years ago and never came back for the same reasons. Onwers need to start investing properly in upkeep. Which means they need to box off a certain amount of days every 3 months or so to deal with upkeep and deap cleaning. The management company asked us to check in at 4pm also, not 3pm! "cleaners need more time" apparently. Ha! The irony. We only stayed here as it was relatively cheap, but never again unfortunately.

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• Paul - Verified booking

  This was a good base to visit 4 different groups of relatives and friends, stretching from Newquay, Okehampton to Northam and visit Eden.

  It provided spacious accommodation for two of us and small dog and was value for money. Left some helpful comments in guest book, watered the wall mounted planters outside. The comments from another reviewer about dogs and clearing up mess are a fair reflection of reality. You are not to allow dog to poop in the garden which is all gravel, which is stated in the guest book on arrival with explanation. Of course, one would not expect the cleaning team to pick up poop, but even bagged poop is not allowed in the waste contractors bins, which had not been cleared for two or more weeks currently. The same reviewer also stated reality of access over Sycamore Farm's own drive to the cottage. The sign for Wagon House is small and attached to telegraph pole which is not owned by Sycamore Farm, as a sign can not be put onto or into the land that forms the track to Sycamore Farm. The parking pictures are taken with a wide angle lens, and we had to reverse out or in, if you are a party of two to six with dog and luggage, with car to reflect needs you will need to reverse. The parking bay is OK - if you are - Big Ears and Noddy visiting in Noddy car, or a Mini, Smart car.

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