New Year Cottages in Wales

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Pippa - Verified booking

  How very disappointing.

  As a regular Sykes customer I have never felt so let down. Tucked away in a parkland setting, what a load of rubbish, this property is at the back of a carpark boxed in by an abandoned building surrounded by high brick walls. I will start with the one positive, the bedroom is stunning with a very comfy bed but it is freezing even in August. Note the toilet and shower room is downstairs (as described) though the kitchen at the back of the property As you arrive at the property you enter through a car park which is open to the public for a business situated on the site and an abandoned Spa facility which is fully boarded up. There is building materials in the yard and work vans. There is a space signposted for Dovecote but this is nether private or secure and the sign reads owners leave vehicles at there own risk. You cannot see your car due to the high walls. You enter a very enclosed grey courtyard which stretches along the front of the property which has old walls and faces the gable of the old spa building and the fire door of that building. This is the view from your sofa. The space at the front of the property is shingle with a few scattered plants in pots and stretches the length of the front of the cottage . There is a dirty looking picnic table which has seen better days. We went outside on Saturday evening the sun was blazing but not in the courtyard which is fully enclosed by high walls and the old spa so it was dark and dismal completely shaded by the walls and buildings. On entering the property there is a large sofa which is described as scrumptious, This has been covered with a large fur like throw to hide the ripped leather which has been repaired and the smelly seats. Four tweedy style cushions were on the sofa which smelt of dog and were covered in coarse white dog hairs. I had to remove the cushions immediately as I started to sneeze as soon as I arrived . Into the hall and there are two walk in cupboards one had hangers for clothes but was also filled with old cardboard boxes with toilet seats and other cardboard. The other held a full length mirror and one chest of draws again for clothes which also held the mop bucket, brush and ironing board and smelt of chemical; there is no storage upstairs. We were not prepared to leave our clothes in either cupboard thus we hung our clothes in the corridor on the coat hooks and lived out of our bags Move into the kitchen which was a very thin galley. described as hosting a superb range of appliances. Well there is a toast, microwave and cooker. No tea pot, no coffee pot or maker,. The cooker trays were filthy as were some of the dishes and glasses in the cupboard. The only place to eat was on the worksurface next to the sink and the bathroom, there is no table to eat meals which could easily be fit into the lounge or link corridor, Lastly the bathroom which is right at the end of the property and is a serviceable shower room however the drain was very blocked which we had to clean The description states rear enclosed courtyard with furniture. step outside to bask in alfresco mealtimes. We open the rear/back door which is labelled FIRE EXIT to look at the rear area and to our delight saw a beautiful grass area with trees and a bistro table. However this is not for the Dovecote and there has been a steel fence erected over the fire door exit to prevent any access. This steel fence blocks any exit if there was a fire as you were unable to exit via that door. It was a good job we checked as we would have headed that way in an emergency If there is a fire in the kitchen and you can not pass the cooker you are not getting out. The cottage had reed diffusers everywhere to mask the small of dog and needed a good scrub. I mopped the floors on arrival as i was not happy with the cleanliness and the water was black In all we were so disappointed this cottage, we so needed a break. We work full time and have parents with Dementia and Alzheimer so do not often get to have weekends alone. We ate out each night as we were not prepared to eat on the kitchen counter and all the food we had taken to make nice romantic meals either went out of date or came home with us. I woke on Sunday morning and started to cry, I was so disappointed and just wanted to go home can honestly say i could not wait to leave and if it was not for the fact that we were taking a break from caring responsibilities we would have come straight home.

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• Helen - Verified booking

  From the minute we arrived at Dolly we were enchanted.

  The weather was not good all week however we were there to relax. Dolly had everything required to acheive this. The woodburner made the van warm and cosy and the inital supply of logs was most welcome we had also brought our own. Books and games are supplied too. The kitchen is well equipped and on arrival it was a nice surprise to find a complementary fine selection of local goodies and treats for our bedlington terrier Barney. The bed was so comfortable and the linen sheets and duvet cover were delightful. The bathroom is in a seperate building a few steps outside but dont let that put you off, it was warm, clean, and modern . On days when it is dry there is a private sitting out area and a ring to tether hounds to as this is a farming area. The owners were welcoming and responsive. Dolly is set down a quite county lane with ample parking available. A half mile walk along the main road will find you at a local pub which brews beer and makes excellent pizza. Just a 3 mile stride to the coast gives you another pleasant walk, again with a pub to supply refreshments. On the one dry day we went to New Quay, a short drive away and we were rewarded with the sight of dolphins playing just off the harbour, which was a wonderful experience. We highly recommend this accommodation for comfort, location and the effort the owners put in to make guests feel relaxed and welcome. Helen , Alwyn and Barney Bedlington

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• Mr Dunn - Verified booking

  The Stable is the smallest out of the 2 ajoined farm holiday lets in the villlage of Cheriton to the right of the church. 1 double bed and a pull out sofa bed. No dishwasher but no big deal but has a washing machine instead. Cheriton has 1 pub, The Britannia which was great, on our last night we went out for dinner, excellent food. The village has one shop doubling up as a Post Office. For a fleeting visit to a beach you get clobbered for 5 or 6 quid for parking. If you have a family this is worth it as an all day outing. Rhossilli beach car park: if you are a member of NTrust and have your membership card it is free to park just scan your card on the trariff meter. Be warned that Rhossilli beach is reached by flights of stairs to the beach so is not recommended for the infirm or disabled but the view from the car park is fantastic on a sunny day and so worth a visit but not if you have to pay out hard cash for half an hours fleeting visit..Seems to me that all roads that lead to beaches have a caravan park at the end, you can drive through but do not expect freebee parking - not too overly sure whether that is legal or not but it is what it is. Beware of the narrow roads so anyone in the throng of August traffic with a camper van you`ve just been warned. As for the Holiday let it was perfect.

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• Josh - Verified booking

  Good Afternoon Many thanks for making contact and I appreciate the opportunity to provide some feedback about our stay in between Christmas and New Year at The Dovecote.

  There were some issues during our stay at the cottage. My husband liaised with our contact about these issues whilst we were there. She was clearly frustrated herself as a couple of communications with us demonstrated. In one she said "Oh gawd that's not good is it" and in another we suggested very politely that she might have a word with the company who look after the change over to which she replied inappropriately. This is a text that I sent to our contact just before we left on 31st December.... "Hi, we are leaving very shortly. The cottage is lovely and thank you for the fan heaters in case of dropping temperatures. But clearly there have been number of hiccups unfortunately: bins left (ie. rubbish bags from previous visitors which we were asked to move), wood not put out, no corkscrew or tin opener (which tbh I anticipated someone would drop off) absence of any decorations on the tree other than one bauble (see photo attached) no shampoo, conditioner or body wash (would have expected those to have been included). Thanks for the welcome package of wine and Welsh cakes (but no Welsh cakes!!!). I have used one of the bottles of wine from under the stairs but left quite an expensive one in its place. Kindest regards for the New Year"

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• Sharon - Verified booking

  We love the property and the bed was comfortable but this is where it ended.

  The cleanliness was extremely poor, clearly it is being neglected. on arrival there was no toilet roll, i have never been to a holiday home without the the initial roll being supplied, this wasn't a major problem as I had brought some along. As the the majority of the flooing on the ground floor is stone, it would be helpful if there was a long handled brush or hoover, I personally like to keep a tidy house and found this difficult to do with the items provided. I was really disappointed when the shower over flowed into the kitchen. My husband cleaned the waste trap, which resolved the issue but he shouldn't have to do, it was that bad it looked like a dead rat had been removed. There was black and pink mould on the shower tiles, some of which could easily be removed with a wipe. The bathroom sink was also backing up and no doubt will remain the same for the next holiday makers, my husband went out of his way to make the garden to look presentable, this is not something we should be doing on a well earned holiday , photos of what we found can be provided if needed

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