Holiday Cottages In Portscatho

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Pamela - Verified booking

  The location of Puffin Cottage is perfect and the views are wonderful.

  It was lovely to sit on the window seat in the bedroom to watch the views over the harbour. It is a very steep walk up to the cottage but we were made aware of this and it did not pose too much of a problem. There is no available parking near to the cottage which is a challenge when offloading luggage. Again, we were made aware of this. Puffin Cottage is extremely clean and comfortable but we did experience a few minor issues. When we arrived, there were no keys in the key holder but after a phone call to housekeeper, she arrived with a key within 10 minutes. We had only one key to the outer porch door and nothing for the front door - this did not really pose a problem but, had I stayed at the cottage alone (without my husband), I would have felt vulnerable leaving the front door unlocked. There was a very long list of instructions which we were made aware of after booking. Shoes must be removed indoors, all surfaces are covered with protective fabric - the tables, the sofas, the window seats and the dressing table, which seems a little excessive. The main bedroom has a very large comfortable bed with beautiful white bed linen. However, the bed is a little too large for the room and there is only one bedside table. It is a real squeeze to get past the wardrobe as this is so close to the bed. Both bedrooms would be much more comfortable if the locked cupboards could be opened and used as storage which would clear more space. We stayed in the cottage from 28th December over the New Year period and were a little disappointed that there were no festive decorations and no welcome pack. The bathrooms are extremely clean and the fixtures high quality with powerful showers. The kitchen is very well kitted out but we were disappointed with the chunky heavy wine glasses so we purchased 4 wine glasses for our use and left them for the owner to keep. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Puffin Cottage but we did feel that we were staying in the owners home, with the locked cupboards and the protected surfaces, rather than being welcomed as paying guests.

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• Mary - Verified booking

  I intend to write to you more fully.

  We expected something very special for the price of this property and we did not think we got that. I think that the owners are resting on their laurels in that the position of the property is exceptional, and the fact that there is parking justifies the very high price. Whilst the kitchen is well equipped it is so badly designed as to be almost unworkable with the fridge down a bottleneck and almost impossible to get to. More to the point is the fact that the shower in the twin bedded room is simply not fit for purpose. It is not possible to turn it on and not be in the cubicle. You have to run through the gamut of freezing cold water to get to the desired temperature and the power of the shower is way too strong for the tiny size of the cubicle. In the other en suite bathroom there is no mirror … nor are there any hand rails to help with the large step down into the bathroom. We failed to get any water flow in the family bathroom. We also discovered that the Draconian check in and check out times are a throw back to Covid and other properties have reverted to a more sympathetic pre-Covid times. I know a lot of people in the village of Portscatho many of whom have rental properties and they could not believe the price. The fact that the price was reduced by £1000 because it was not let in the preceding week left us feeling pretty fed up. I understand that this is a question of the owner’s taste but the art work on the walls is simply ghastly and totally inappropriate for a rental property. It looks like the work of a student on crack cocaine; it is unsettling and horrible. All in all we were disappointed in what we thought was going to be a spectacular property.

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• Claire - Verified booking

  We thoroughly enjoyed our week's stay in Puffin Cottage.

  Although it states it is a compact cottage, there is everything you need for an enjoyable stay and there was ample space for 4 adults. The cottage was spotlessly clean and well appointed. It is at the top of a very steep hill, but well worth the climb for the magnificent views over the harbour. I would say that if you are not very fit or fully mobile, this is probably not an ideal location for you. The second bedroom on the ground floor which is a double, does not have much space around the bed, but is perfectly adequate and the comfort of the bed makes up for the lack of space. There is no wardrobe in the second bedroom, but it does have hanging space and 2 large drawers under the bed for storing clothes. We did not have a problem with this and my husband does tend to overpack!!! There is plenty of space and storage in the king sized room upstairs. The kitchen is well equipped and outside the kitchen is a lovely decked patio area with a table and 4 chairs for al fresco dining. There are lovely pubs/hotels in St Mawes where you can eat (we did have to book due to Covid19) but managed to get in. It is a lovely walk along the harbour front with beautiful views and plenty of space to sit on the beach. This is very pebbly in places, but so lovely. A small harbour town, relatively quiet but perfect. We would definitely return to St Mawes and Puffin Cottage. Excellent!!!!!

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• Alison - Verified booking

  The reviews that we had read prior to booking were accurate.

  The bad points were: the incredibly overgrown garden and patio, front and back, a real mess so we couldn't use them at all; the house could have been cleaner particularly the kitchen utensils and it needs more crockery; the stairs (lots of quirky steps in and out of bathrooms) are very steep and should be highlighted in the description; all the furnishings and ornaments/artworks are very old and tatty, looks like a bunch of things that no one wanted. The kitchen island is absolutely huge to the point of making it difficult to move around when preparing food and the various utility rooms are full of junk.The good points were the location, and that's what you pay for - to be in the central village square walking distance from everything; the beds are very comfortable and the showers all work very well. I've used Sykes for years to book cottages and loved them all. This is the first time I felt the need to review one (negatively) - a prime location should not be an excuse to charge such a high rental when the house is not maintained properly.

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• Deborah - Verified booking

  Beautiful cottage and location let down by cleaners.

  Cottage was not ready on arrival because beds had not been made. We found a bag of rubbish outside the back door, vegetable waste stuck to the bottom of the kitchen bin, frozen peas in the ice tray in the freezer and sticky marks on kitchen surfaces. Not what we expected particularly with current standard and earlier checkout and later check in times to allow for more thorough cleaning. The caretaking couple were most helpful in working to get the cottage ready for us and keeping us updated and the welcome tray was lovely, especially the treats for the dog- lovely touch! The place itself was delightful and the location perfect with great access to coastal walks and beaches. Lovely outside space and loads of charm and character. We will probably return. If anything it is over equipped, a good clear out of some of the cupboards and surplus equipment would make it easier to keep clean. No one needs 4 chopping boards on holiday!!!

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