Villas In The North East

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Nicky - Verified booking

  In theory the perfect cottage for 3 adult couples.

  This Cottage has the potential to be superb, but isn’t. The rooms are spacious, plenty of sofas in the sitting area, very comfortable beds. The kitchen is huge with lots of empty cupboards and drawers. Large fridge freezer. It is clean. We had a lovely holiday here, but I would not return for the reasons given below. The cottage had a surprisingly low review rating - noticed when I paid the final balance - thus requested Northumberland Coast & Country Cottages twice to ensure rather basic things were fixed before we arrived. This worked partly. A few hundred pounds expenditure is all that is required as this cottage will meet its potential. What was fixed: - 6 dining chairs with no protruding screws, - 1 new roll per loo in the ensuite bathrooms. - All light bulbs worked. - New roasting trays. What was not fixed by area: Inadequate kitchen utensils - bring your own if you plan to cook. - Poor quality knives, not sharp, and no sharpener provided. - Mixing bowls - just one very small one. - No salad bowl or any other bowl. - No serving dishes. - No non stick implements for the non-stick pans. - No Casserole dish - Nothing to make a pudding in. - Insufficient crockery or cutlery - we were always washing up a few things, despite putting the dishwasher on daily. - Bring your own washing up liquid - we bought some and left it for the next renters. You are given the smallest bottle known to man. - Bring everything you require to cook (No oil, no pepper etc provided). - Microwave button about to break - So on its last legs. This had not been mentioned in previous reviews. Inadequate furniture: - No chest of drawers in any room - you will keep your clothes on the floor, or suitcase. There is a small wardrobe in each room. - No shelf in any bathroom. A simple glass one above the basin would be a huge improvement. We used the floor. Windows - Window catch broken in downstairs bathroom area so it won't stay open. - No window locks, very basic security. Bathrooms: - The downstairs shower does not drain properly, so your feet will be in an inch of water. Outside - Dog poo from earlier renters by the washing line. We collected all ours and didn’t add to it. - Gate is not dog proof for small dogs. You need to put pieces of wood and flagstones along the bottom. Could easily be fixed by putting wire netting along it. Luckily our dog, who was very happy here, wasn’t particularly adventurous, if yours is, it will get out. - The upstairs shower doors have been replaced with curtains. The original shower doors have been dumped in the garden by the washing line. Note: 1. The downstairs ensuite, is part of the bedroom, with no wall or door in between. Not what we wanted. 2. The parking is very tight for 2 cars, particularly in they are both large. 3. You are expected to strip the beds and put into a laundry bag. 4. Extractor fans in bathrooms unbelievably noisy - you can turn them off.

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• David - Verified booking

  Bedrooms - there were no chests of drawers or shelves in any of the 3 bedrooms, so we had to stack our clothes on the floor or leave them in suitcases.

  Downstairs double bedroom - we didn't consider that this room was suitable for sharing, as there is no partition wall (i.e. privacy or smell and steam barrier) between the bedroom and the en-suite bathroom / toilet areas; also, the room is not fully accessible for wheelchair users as there is a small step up to the toilet and shower. It was just about OK for my 88 year old mother. Bathrooms - there were no shelves to put our toiletries on, so we had to leave some on the basin edge and the rest on the floor. The mirrors were too high for most of our family. The shower curtain in one of the bedrooms needs replacing with a proper shower door. Kitchen - several bowls (e.g. for salads and for microwaving food) are needed for food preparation. Dining area - the square table has 4 chairs and 4 sets of table mats, even though the cottage sleeps 6 (or 5 - see above - depending on how you feel about sharing a toilet in your bedroom!). You really need a rectangular table that seats 6 people!! Also, the dining chairs have screws protruding through the seat pads and need fixing urgently before someone is hurt. General - several light bulbs don't work. We found a few spares and swapped others from less critical areas, but some still need to be replaced. The lounge area TV is too high to be watched comfortably from a sofa. Although it's potentially a nice cottage in a great location, we would not return or recommend it due to the above issues.

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• Lisa - Verified booking

  When we arrived Steven met us at the cabin and ran through everything we needed to know, he let us know we could contact him if we needed anything but also left us to relax and enjoy out break, which was a great balance.

  On arrival there was milk and wine in the fridge and some biscuits, which was a lovely touch. The cabin is beautiful and has everything you could need, the kitchen is well stocked to be able to prepare simple meals. The gas fire is a little tricky to start with but heats the whole cabin and it is very cosy. Sofa and bed were both incredibly comfortable. It is very clear that a lot of love goes in to getting the cabins ready and ours was absolutely spotless. Steven called us before we arrived to see if we wanted the hot tub pre heating so we were able to get in pretty much from arrival :) there is plenty of wood available to be able to use the hot tub every day. We visited with our dog, there is lots to do locally and most places we visited are dog friendly. There are some secured fields/wooded area next to the cabins that you are able to use for dog walking, which has a beautiful beck at the bottom. All three cabins had a dog staying while we were there, because of how the cabins are arranged we didn't see the other dogs or guests unless walking in the field. There is a very handy welcome file in the cabin which has lots of information in. The week we visited was valentines day (we had some cute cupcakes left by our door!) and my 40th Birthday and I honestly could not think of a better place to have celebrated! Thank you for a lovey stay and we will definitely be returning.

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• Caroline - Verified booking

  The old stables is an adequate property for a group of six (we were a 5) however we were disappointed with several aspects of the property.

  The dishwasher did not work, the fridge ice maker did not work and was turned off due to a leak, the ?overflow from the sink leaked, these were all reported and Mike from Sykes came out to investigate but impossible to correct during our stay. Northumbria water also came to dig a hole at the entrance to the property due to a leaking underground pipe and this was also unfortunately disruptive for our holiday, noise, water turned off for a short period with no warning. Lights and toaster also not working adequately, bulbs replaced just to fuse again? Cause. Toaster only one two slice side working. Oven burnt everything? Thermostat issues and inaccurate. Carpet in downstairs bedroom had stains. Pots and pans dirty and old non stick lining all gone and therefore food ingrained, off putting. No black out blinds in bedrooms therefore awake early everyday. Proximity of cottage to the road made it noisy at times. Parking only just adequate for two cars. Only a general waste bin on site, no recycling facility. We did enjoy our break to Northumberland, enjoyed Bamburgh, the beach is second to none. Alnwick gardens and Lindisfarne very tranquil and beautiful. The potted lobster and several other restaurants in the area were wonderful. Seahouses had some nice independent shops. Lovely walks, beautiful scenery but unfortunately we will not be back to The old Stables. Disappointing accommodation.

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• David - Verified booking

  Just spent a wonderful weekend in the fabulous Otters Holt.

  The cabin was immaculate on our arrival and the site owner greeted us warmly, with a ready hot tub, and an introduction to our home for a few days. The cabin itself was delightful, with those extra touches that make all the difference, it’s clear that the owners have both impeccable taste, and fantastic attention to detail. Relaxing in the hot tub after a long day walking in the beautiful local countryside, was just so peaceful. All 3 cabins at the site have been so well thought out, they are secluded, private and set in a stunning location, with everything you need. There’s no oven, but there is a hob and a microwave. We thoroughly recommend a visit to Barnard Castle, very quaint with some lovely cafes. Aside from the Castle itself, we followed the Teesdale path to the Abby, a lovely 3 mile meander alongside the river Tees. We also visit High Force and Low Force waterfalls: We opted for a long walk from Middleton in Teesdale, but you can also dive to Bowlees and take a much shorter route. The cafe in Bowlees had some scrumptious cakes and sausage rolls. All in all we had an amazing time and feel thoroughly refreshed after our visit. We will definitely be back. Thank you to our fabulous hosts for creating such a special place.

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