Chester Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Nigel - Verified booking

  Firstly we have never left a bad review and always been happy with the many cottage holidays we have booked through Sykes previously.

  We had recently been through a very stressful time moving out of our house and arranging temporary accommodation. We booked two weeks here in late February early March for a relaxing break while we looked for our new home.A few hours before arrival the owner contacted us to explain that due to bad weather he had been unable to begin building work on the exterior of the cottage we would be staying in. We were told that a brickayer would be there the following day. This did not concern us unduly as we had planned to be out all day Sunday and we agreed on the proviso that no more building work would take place while we were there as we didn't want any noise to disturb our peace. We were out for 10 hours of the following day also. The next day we were out between 11 & 2pm as we had friends visiting for afternoon tea, to be met by builders and the owners looking surprised to see us. The power had been switched off and when we asked why the builders were there when we had been so emphatic that we didn't want any noise were told "We thought you'd be out all day". There was no apology or reassurance it would cease. The sound of a hammer drill drowned out all conversation with our friends and was most embarrassing.They agreed to cancel our 2nd week but when more materials arrived the next morning, after a sleepless night we contacted Sykes to inform them we couldn't stay under these circumstances. We tried to contact the owner but there was no reply from his house or mobile. We tried again after we had left but the phone was answered and put down. In retrospect it would have been better if he had cancelled our holiday beforehand, as that would have been preferable to the inconvenience and upset this situation caused. We have now been refunded for the 2nd week and recommend checking no work will be carried out if you book here. On a positive note Barbara was very pleasant and the cottage was spotlessly clean and well equipped although upstairs was not suitable for anyone over 5'2" due to the height restriction.

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• Simon - Verified booking

  We arrived at this cottage on Friday to find that it had not been cleaned since the last visitors had left.

  There was dirty bedding and towels in the bathrooms and bins were still full. The outside garden furniture is not acceptable for paying guests, it was green and dirty and we ended up having to clean it ourselves. The garden area in general was dirty with old mats and bins just left outside filled with old dog waste bags. Eventually some nice ladies from the equestrian centre came to give us fresh bedding. We cleaned the kitchen ourself to find that there was a massive puddle of water just sat in the bottom of the fridge and mould in the freezer. Also the tap in the kitchen just falls off and the extraction fan does not work in the kitchen. We went to cook dinner to find that there is no markings on the oven so no one knows how to use the oven, I ended up accidently using the grill and burning all the food with no extractor fan to get rid of the smoke, it is a hazard! Also, there is no lights at all in the garden which is really uneven and the torches provided all didn't work so when going into the garden at night we couldn't see a thing. We had no toilet roll and had to go out to the shop and get it ourselves, no wood or fire lighters or welcome pack as promised when we booked on the website. Overall, completely disappointed with our stay, we paid a lot of money for this stay just to clean it ourself and find it wasn't up to standard at all. It shouldn't be rented out in its current way. It wasn't just us either, a family turned up to the cottage next door that is owned by the same person to find they had the same problems and theirs had not been cleaned either and they ended up actually leaving and going home!

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• Claire - Verified booking

  This property definitely requires updating!

  Taps in bathroom need to be a mixer along with the toilet seat replacing and a new plug in the bath as it wasn't attached to the chain so I had to use a fork to remove the plug. Having said that, my daughter wanted a bath and the water went cold very quickly so had to have a shower instead. We were cold in the property so followed the instructions to boost the water and turn up the heating but the radiators were still not hot. The kitchen absolutely stunk of curry - even the microwave when I opened it.The fridge had a lot of old crumbs and dog hairs in it. Even the bowls I took out of the cupboard needed cleaning. The oven was a disgrace unfortunately, and the oven trays were disgusting - I had to clean one before I used it. The cooker and microwave were very old/used and the dials had been rubbed off so it was a bit of trial and error. The bannister was hanging off the wall which is quite important when you have to use something to get up the stairs - major health and safety issue. Many areas of the property needed repainting as the walls were dirty and marked and paint peeling away. The equestrian centre had a new driveway laid and therefore I had to carry all of our heavy bags much further as there was no room around the back of the houses suitable for a 3.5t horsebox. I wish I had known this before I booked as I would have stayed in accommodation a bit further away as it did not benefit me at all staying across the road from the centre. It was a lot of money and was disappointing to say the least.

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• Maureen - Verified booking

  The first problem was trying to get into the property, one key was bent.

  After going to the office, a 'caretaker ' came and helped me gain access. The property was dirty, full of and dust. It had an overpowering odour of heating oil in the dining room, which was far worse in the kitchen. We discovered, by looking out of the back bedroom, that there seems to be a leaking boiler/pipe from the boiler from the property on the left. The extraction fan over the cooker did not work. Neither did the bathroom extractor fan. The mat outside the back-door desperately needs to be removed. It is dirty and of no use what so ever. If anything you just carry all the dirt inside. There is no mat inside either front or back doors. The bin in the kitchen was dirty and contained a roller and things from the painter, that I was informed had just painted a section of the kitchen wall. Which by the time we left had already started bubbling. The curtains in the bedrooms definitely need to be changed for heavy/ blackout ones. Having said that, after I cleaned up as best as possible ( no cleaning products in the property), the property and area was perfect for what we needed. The garden was a wee bit overgrown but safe and secure for our dogs. There were plenty of towels, storage and the bed was comfortable. Apart from the things that desperately need rectified in this property, we enjoyed our stay. The property just needs TLC. I would love to own this property!!!

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• Mari - Verified booking

  The cottage was clean.

  Big thank you for milk and brownies. Downstairs is very basic - as you’d expect with a dog-friendly let. Upstairs the bathroom is tiled, modern, with both a bath and a good walk-in shower. The bedrooms are fine, plenty of storage, comfy. I would perhaps suggest that the blind in the top bedroom, though very pretty, needs to be replaced with something more lightproof. The lights from the equestrian centre, the headlights horse boxes leaving in the early hours and passing traffic kept me awake. Kitchen wise it was the oven that caused problems. All the numbers are worn off on the dial so a bit hit and miss! Good washing machine. Nice big fridge freezer. Garden small, messy, but hey ho! the dogs didn’t mind. Good parking round back, but couldn’t lock gate as bolt didn’t match up. We didn’t notice any noise from traffic. Would recommend the dog walk near Oulton Park. It’s in the book. Good parking, dog bin, dogs allowed off lead, toilets. A lovely woodland walk, good dry path. Would also recommend Rose Farm Shop. Get everything you need from here. On the same site, dog supplies plus a wonderful cafe for breakfast and lunch (take a doggy bag the portions are generous). Lovely staff. Yes, we would stay here again.

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