Lodges & Log Cabins in Port Isaac

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Carol - Verified booking

  My husband and I enjoyed our holidays away with Sykes and when he died three years ago, my daughter and I started going away on holiday together to a Sykes property at least twice or three times a year.

  Cleanliness for us, is so important and we always book a property that has a rating of at least 4.8* Harbour Lodge had a good rating, so we were shocked when we walked into the lodge, opened the fridge freezer to find food still in the freezer compartment, the fridge itself very smelly. Then we opened the dishwasher which was full of crockery and cutlery. We needed to visit the bathroom after our journey and I was horrified when I lifted the toilet seat to see it had been used and not a nice sight at all! I went to flush the toilet, but the handle was falling off and wouldn’t work so I took off the cistern top and managed to screw the handle back on. Even though I flushed, the paper wouldn’t go down and there seemed to be some kind of blockage. We left the cistern to fill and carried on looking around, feeling very disillusioned. We couldn’t locate a hairdryer and there were no usual niceties that we usually find in the cottages, like information guides of the area or games. Just a small selection of books and old DVDs. We read the small information folder for the property and it advised to ring the owners who lived on site at their farm, if we had any concerns. I spoke to the very nice gentleman owner and explained our problems and he said he would come over to see us, which he did. He said that he used to look after the properties himself, but since developing Parkinson’s had handed the letting over to Sykes. He said he had rung Sykes and asked for cleaners to come out to the property and he also brought us a hairdryer. We waited on the bench outside and it wasn’t long before a friendly lady and gentleman arrived to sort the toilet problem and I also pointed out all the dirt and fluff in one of the bedrooms, which clearly hadn’t been cleaned. They lady emptied all the dishwasher and put away the crockery and the gentleman said he had cleared the toilet blockage and got us a new toilet brush and holder. They asked if there was anything else they could do, but we just wanted to unpack the car and put the kettle on for a well needed cuppa. We said our goodbyes and thanked them for coming out but maybe we should have said yes to their offer. My daughter opened the cutlery drawer to find a couple of spoons covered in mould and the more we inspected, the more dirt and dust we found. We actually considered getting back in the car and driving home! We were pleased that the water in the shower was nice and powerful even though the shower attachment was loose. We both had showers that night, but the following morning, the water was cold. I checked the water and heating control unit only to find the hot water, which should have been programmed to be on all day according to the blurb, had been switched off, but the central heating switch was on. I managed to change the settings and all was well with the hot water from then on, using the Boost facility if necessary. I really am not one to complain and have never had to in the past, but this experience spoiled our week’s holiday and my daughter and I don’t think we have the confidence to book with Sykes again. I feel sorry for the owners of the property, as I’m sure they would have maintained it to a much higher standard themselves. They run a lovely little farm with such well cared for goats, ducks, chickens and guinea fowl to name a few and keep the grass nicely trimmed back and the surroundings well kept in general. I hope Sykes will take note of our experience and ensure that ALL properties are cleansed and kept to a high standard.

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• Adam - Verified booking

  I firstly have to say that for the £300 for the three of us that stayed was good value.

  ..secondly if I had turned up in and or around the peak season paying upwards £700++ I would be severely disappointed, In general terms the holding looks very tired and slightly dated/needs a paint and done neatly as in various areas it is plane and visible to see, missed paint and general looks of a rush job. The plastering looks strange and only half skimmed type look/when pulling the cord for the extractor fan in the bathroom it almost pulls the casing and or fan off the ceiling/again the painting lets this area down/when the wind is blowing reasonably hard you cannot sleep as it's too noisy. The kitchen my friends told me [they arrived on the Sunday and me on the Monday] they had to basically clean the kitchen and especially the cooker area and it. there was food bits in and around the area, the fridge is dated and a little rusty/the frying pan fell apart when my friend was using it, there was another so used that...cutlery old and needs replacing a long with general food prep tools [knives were blunt etc for something decent and maybe a good chopping board]. Not really enough choice in glassware etc but it was enough. I would in the future if funds permitted get a slightly bigger TV for the lounge as it is a little bit too small nut adequate... I could not fault the layout of the grounds and very neat and tidy and the view was amazing...there is no facility for being eco friendly and recycling etc with bins...might be a thought for the future. The worst thing for me personally is that it stated it came with wifi...My friends cell phone coverage with their provider was excellent, unfortunately for me I had zero signal. They didn't need the wifi but for me there was almost zero wifi then whole entire time, I initially put it down to the weather but there was times with no wind and no rain and still nothing, may I advise a simple fix would be to put a repeater in the holding itself then it boosts the signal from their farm house [I am presuming that is the originating router for the wifi it's self. i would generally ask for some of the money back but as I said in the beginning for this time of year £100 each for a week is OK value but the general up-keep/cleaning and updating would need to happen if I was to come back in high season. If I'd turned up in summer I would be demanding a refund and leaving as for that amount of money it would definitely not pay a high price for. We saw your cleaners turn up next door to clean after some guests had left...one was in the car on her phone and the man was inside and the amount of time spent in there, I'm sorry but it wouldn't be enough time to do a thorough clean...I work in the ambulance service in London now but 15 years ago I worked in the private yachting and hotel business as a purser and butler, so I do know what a basic cottage should look to new guests coming in and at the same time not expecting what I used to perform but the basic's were not met as per advert sorry. But I want to highlight for this time of year good value and the grounds to the property immaculate but for high season I think a better standard could be achieved for little effort

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• Karen - Verified booking

  Altogether disappointing.

  This is a reflection on the overall presentation, comfort, and value of the property as well as the lack of assistance from the Sykes customer services team, who were less than helpful during our stay. Firstly, the dishwasher top tray is broken and looks like it has been for some time, without being addressed. Everything comes crashing down if you try to pull out the top tray to put dishes in it as the main support on the left hand side has completely come away. The bathroom is quite shabby and is in need of a good lick of durable bathroom paint throughout. There is also no proper shower head that you can actually stand under and get a decent shower, only a hand spray mounted on the wall which is actually meant for cleaning the bath. The quilts on the beds in the twin room are not very comfortable and are just cheap wadding inside a translucent nylon sheath. The duvet covers on these quilts don't have fastenings and so therefore tend to ride up away from the inner quilt. More importantly, there is a lot of mis-representation around the provision of towels. The confirmation I received after booking said that the majority of properties have towels and linens provided, however there were no towels at the property. Sykes also send as a reminder, a list of items you might need during your stay, and towels don't even make an appearance on that list, although a picnic basket does (go figure!). I even spoke to Sykes before departure and verified the need for a tea towel which they recommend, and at no point did they even care to mention that as well as a tea towel, we also needed to bring bath towels! Would have been quite a simple and helpful tip. I called Sykes on arrival about this and despite them confirming quite abruptly that no towels were provided at the property, it seems to be at odds with a notice on the dining table that before your departure, you are meant to deposit your bed linens AND TOWELS in the linen bag provided ready for laundering! How does this even make any sense if no towels are meant to be provided? Sykes had no answer for this and promised to get back to me but never did for the duration of the week. Also, be aware that no toilet rolls are provided and there is nothing to wash individual dishes with by hand in the kitchen sink if not using the broken dishwasher. Quite honestly, I could have booked other properties at a much more reasonable price, all of which provided towels for their guests, as has been my experience with all other properties I have stayed at. Over-priced for what it is sadly.

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• Lorraine - Verified booking

  I can’t fault this property at all.

  WeLOVED it. It was so warm & cosy. Everything had been supplied, ie ironing board, hair dryer, hoover, etc A HUGE bonus was that you can park right outside your property. ( we had looked at other properties but there was either no parking or 1st come gets the space) I suppose if I had to think of one negative for this property, and this isn’t really a negative, it would have been nice to be able to vacate the property by 10 or 11 instead of 9. Thought that was abit early, and if we’d have brought the grandchildren with us it would have been a mega rush. Most properties we’ve stayed in have been 10. Having said that, if that has to be then so be it, it wouldn’t stop me recommending to others. The hosts were lovely people and wish them well.

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• Victoria - Verified booking

  The Lodge was spacious and nicely furnished.

  Just a few recommendations going forward: - more hot water, we all had to have very QUICK showers (literally 3 minutes) as the hot water ran out - A welcome pack with info about local info, local shops to buy essentials, local restaurants, car parks, walks etc, this would have been helpful - some shelving in the bathroom as there was no where to put wash bags - extra plugs in the bedrooms - the property was dog friendly but not dog safe as it wasn't properly secured, the main entrance was open to the main road and therefore it meant that you could only let your dogs out on a lead - A dog poo bin is required, (there was no where apart from the main Biffa bin to put poo bags)

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