New Year Breaks In Essex

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Elaine - Verified booking

  Beautifully appointed property, tastefully decorated and very comfortable.

  We all found our beds really soft and comfortable - although a sheet had been placed between the duvet and bottom sheet, which on 3 of the beds was very crumpled up and twisted and meant having to re-make the bed. The dining chairs were the most comfortable I've ever known and meant sitting over long luxurious meals was a dream. We felt the kitchen could have been better stocked with essential equipment - there was no whisk, so whipping cream and eggs with just a fork was rather laborious! There was no ice cube making tray/container so we just filled up plastic boxes with water and once frozen, had to smash it up! There were only 6 mugs, no cups so meant having to run bowls of washing up water or putting the dishwasher on every time we had hot drinks was a bit of a waste of water! Ideally I'd recommend at least 12 to 18 mugs to allow for enough hot drinks throughout the day! When we arrived and began hunting for mugs, we found them in the dishwasher along with some other crockery, which hadn't been emptied! On the whole, we had a wonderful weekend and the weather enabled us to enjoy sitting out in the lovely garden - although, it would have been nice to have some seat cushions as the wooden chairs were very hard and a bit worn/mossy and a parasol would have been useful. The only entrance to the property had a very high step, which a couple of us less fit ladies found quite a struggle to climb up - a smaller step outside the door would make it safer and easier. Having ground floor bedroom and shower room and being so spacious inside, makes the property ideal for a wheelchair user, if only the entrance could be re-jigged - just a thought for the future as it is so difficult to find suitable properties for the physically challenged! A lovely holiday cottage and we would go back if the entrance was easier!

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• Susan - Verified booking

  Basic but adequate.

  Downstairs lino needs replacing particularly in the kitchen by fridge - looks dirty.As stated the stairs are very steep - hand rails on both sides but not lined up equally - could be adjusted. Patio slabs uneven. Pond is so overgrown with plants that it is not obviously seen so it could be a danger to small children. Found I had to wash some saucepans as not clean & big sticky mark on base of saucepan cupboard I cleaned. Good location for walk down (couple of mins) to boats,pontoon,restaurants etc. Rubbish collection is an issue. It says in info book it is collected on Weds, to double bag it & put bag out -not the wheelie bin. This we did late Tues night as we were not sure what time the bin men came & woke to rubbish all out the front where foxes had got into it. Cleaned it all up & re-bagged to put in wheelie bin. On driving off Thurs morning saw neighbours up the road had put bags out. Needs clarifying what day it's collected & also if there's time to put it out in the morning rather than the night before.

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• Diane - Verified booking

  We did have a lovely stay at Ivy Cottage as the location is idyllic.

  The house was very close to the sea and we enjoyed some lovely beach walks. The food at The Coast Inn was delicious and a 3 minute walk away, so absolutely perfect for dinner and they do a nice cooked breakfast. The house was clean and the linen and towels very nice. I appreciate it is a character property, however, the place does need some tlc. The "ensuite" was a toilet & sink in a cupboard and didn't have any shower. So all 6 of us had to share the main bathroom downstairs. Wasn't ideal but we managed! The garden is beautiful and private, but unkept. This place has potential and some improvements could be made. West Mersea has plenty to offer and is a great location for a little holiday.

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• Kate - Verified booking

  This cottage is spacious, with a well-equipped kitchen and secluded garden in an amazing location for easily accessing pubs/restaurants and the water's edge.

  Communication with owners was excellent, Sadly though our overall enjoyment was let down by the following:- Overgrown and neglected garden with dirty outside windows with lots of cobwebs. mattresses on beds are poor, spongy, topper mattresses on some which makes for very uncomfortable sleep. Dated ramshackle furniture in bedrooms Sofas not cleaned properly, clumps of hair floating around on cushions and filthy underneath sofa cushions. No instructions for turning on heating Only one wardrobe between 3 bedrooms! tired stained sofas With a little TLC this house could be nice and homely. Sadly though in it's current state we won't be revisiting this property.

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• Alison - Verified booking

  Pros: Fantastic property, I thought a fisheye lens had been used for the photos but no, it's huge!

  The promenade and beach are literally just across the road. Beach is sandy with the tide coming right in to the sea wall to would be great for sandcastles. Sea is shallow a long way out so safer than many. There are both steps and slopes down to the beach. Cons: The door into the entrance porch is really difficult to open despite having received instructions by text just before we arrived. Luckily the man from the upstairs flat came down to help us. After that my partner was able to open the door but it was completely impossible for me. This really needs sorting out or someone could be either locked in or out!

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