Villas In Porlock

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Heather - Verified booking

  We've just had a fabulous stay at The Old Thatch over Christmas with our two dogs.

  The cottage is perfect, and larger than it appears in the photos. Has a well equipped kitchen and powerful shower. The fridge is a little small if you were planning to do a lot of cooking during your stay, but it was fine for our needs. We also loved the glass surrounded roof terrace where you could sit and enjoy the sound of the stream running past the back of the cottage. And to watch the nesting crows in the evening. Quite magical. We parked right outside the door for our stay, but there was other space opposite at the Rec entrance. Incidentally, if you have dogs, take them through the Rec, behind the tennis courts to the right and you will find an enclosed dog walking area with benches and poo bins so you can safely let your dogs off lead without issue. This was invaluable for us as we have one deaf dog and a new puppy with very little recall. The cottage's location is truly excellent, within a few metres of the High Street's shops, cafes and pubs and local hotel. All do food and are dog friendly. The local butchers are really good, with locally sourced produce. And if you love antiques and pets, the Pets and Ossibilities shop is a must! We noted a previous review from October mentioned the cottage wasn't ideal for dogs owners in wet weather due to the cream carpets throughout. That was actually a really helpful comment as we then came equipped. We took a plastic dust sheet with us*, which we spread from the inside steps across the first part of the carpet. And then used a couple of dog travel panels to fence that area in, effectively making a small paw drying / muddy boots space right inside the front door. Worked a treat for the entire break. Also having travel barrier helped as the door opens straight onto the lane (albeit a very quiet one) but for peace of mind, we found it really helped. *There is a very good home and hardware shop in the village where you can purchase a dust sheet if you didn't bring one. Great dogs walks in the immediate area down to The Saltmarshes and Porlock Weir, with more dog friendly businesses including the sister pub to The Top Ship in the village; The Bottom Ship, which also does food. Only slight issue was the wifi signal wasn't the best so was quite slow at times. However, that wasn't an issue for us as we were on a break from the real world! But if you were working online you may find it frustrating. But overall, we loved every minute of our stay at The Old Thatch, and the people of Porlock are incredibly friendly and helpful, so we would highly recommend at stay there.

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• L - Verified booking

  My overwhelming memory of staying here is how disappointed we were to find we had literally been left the bare minimum possible and had to go out almost as quickly as we'd turned up.

  Not want you want on a cold winters evening, in a place you know nothing about. It was new years break, so of course, it would have been lovely to have a bottle of fizz in the fridge or at least something to mark the big occasion, there was nothing. Ok, not something we've historically encountered, but that was a 'nice to have'. What isn't a nice to have is the basics. We were literally left the bare bones to get us through our immediate arrival - a sachet of milk each....? A tea bag... less than a coffee sachet each....? I couldn't believe it. A couple of pints is only £1 and could've seen us through til morning. A loaf of bread, a block of butter. We weren't left ANYTHING to wipe down surfaces or clean up after ourselves. No sponge, kitchen roll, dishcloth or anything in this regard. 2 rolls of toilet tissue between 6 people, 2 dishwasher tablets, no bin bags other than the one which was in situ. It all felt really basic and minimal and if I'm honest...tight. It wasn't a cheap stay, but it was made to feel cheap by the lack of welcome we felt we had as a family. 6 of us staying from Wednesday until Saturday. It wouldn't have cost much at all, but would've made such a positive impact. The only other feedback I can offer is that if you are unable to make the super king into 2 beds on a short notice booking this needs to be conveyed to guests before they book. This was imperative for us, so when we arrived to find the bed still as a superking it was a problem. I wouldnt have boked the property if I had known this. Not hearing back from Adrian was also disappointing, I had assumed that all was fine, given that he didnt get in touch with me as he said he would. Such a shame

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• Delyth - Verified booking

  It exceeded our wildest expectations in every respect from the moment we stepped in !

  Owners had spared no expense refurbishing it to the highest standards ! Exquisite furnishings, new sparkling kitchen appliances, cutlery, crockery, saucepans, frying pans, ultra modern induction hob, oven, toilet downstairs with wash hand basin, a very comfortable double bedroom upstairs with clean linen, towels etc., nice and cosy everywhere! From the bedroom upstairs, a most luxurious, spacious bathroom with a fantastic shower, separate wash hand basin, fitted electric toothbrush charger, if that is not enough, open another to door to a veranda protected by a secure railings to relax listening to sound of a clean, fast running stream! Very generous supply of toilet paper, paper towels, etc etc. Even clean towels for the two house trained pet dogs ! Step outside, a recreation ground with footpaths to walk the dogs. Owners Mr Alan and wife, Carolin McKay were easily contactable and helpful to answer any queries. Local people are very cultured, friendly and helpful and so are the motorists, never did anyone toot at me when I was hesitant wondering which way to turn to guide ourselves unlike the South East of England or where we live in Llandysul, Carmarthenshire ! I bet the Police have a relaxed time not having to worry about crime or accidents! I shared it with our Police Officer who would be envious! Local village centre is walking distance with a magnificent church, beautifully lit up with Christmas lights! Fancy a Chinese takeaway/restaurant ? Just 5 miles in Minehead at Golden House which we enjoyed thoroughly! We would stay at the Old Thatch again and again !

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• Alan - Verified booking

  The property was spotless and clearly had been recently updated with a new kitchen and decorating.

  Lovely linen and comfortable bed. Great position close to village and recreation field great for walking dog. Even able to park our small car outside. Only areas for improvement . TV reception pretty dire as hardly any signal, could only get a couple of channels and WiFi poor ( I know some rural areas have this issue) . Visitor information book scant . Would like to see more info and a bit friendlier for guest ( cooker instructions unhelpful as had to work it out myself. Just seemed unwelcoming and impersonal) Would have been nice to have had a few extra bits in kitchen eg bin bags, foil and a few more utensils ( all found in other Sykes cottages). Overall a lovely cottage just needs a more few welcoming touches. One final point a little mind your head sign on outside door area ( my husband who’s only 5’8” banged and cut his head several times)

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• Mark - Verified booking

  First the cons: One hand towel for 6 adults is ridiculous with a bathroom, separate toilet and kitchen sink.

  Only one tea towel. Only one washing cloth. No cleaning products for the kitchen or bathroom. The heating timer setting was unsuitable for the cool/wet autumn. Origami toilet paper (keep folding until you get something usable). We did report a loose toilet seat in the bathroom but had no feedback. Now the pros: Very comfortable beds. We had a problem with the king bed not being split into singles and this was dealt with within an hour. Very well furnished. All the kitchen equipment was more than adequate so that while the dish washer was on there was still enough cutlery and plates/cups etc to have a full meal. Really enjoyed the covered conservatory area. Well positioned in Porlock for enjoyable walks around the village and great for the North Devon coast. If the cons could be addressed this would be a 5 star for us all.

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