Villas In Rye

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Leonie - Verified booking

  We had a great week at Camber Sands and our family of four were perfectly comfortable in Hakuna Matata.

  We all slept extremely well and appreciated the games, books and really great selection of DVD's. The house is located in a lovely development and it felt very safe - our daughters enjoyed reading on the bench in the small communal garden just in front of the house and it was safe for them to cycle. The beach is just a few minutes away and we particularly enjoyed going there to see the sunset in the evening. We had great weather and swam in the sea on three days. The beach is huge so even when busy we were able to stay safe - a windbreak is good to have for shade and privacy. Also a shout out to E:Bikes, a local business who provide great service. We hired bikes on two separate days - cycling to Lydd and Rye along the lovely countryside cycle paths. Do bring a picnic if going to Lydd as nothing at all was open, but it's a charming place and worth a visit. Downsides were that the kitchen could have been slightly better equipped ie a wooden spatula, chopping board, a measuring jug and couple more oven proof dishes. Also the housekeeping wasn't the best - there was an empty coke bottle and sweets under the bed, however as we wanted to spray all surfaces with anti-bac ourselves this wasn't the issue it might have been. The decor is a little tatty in places and the cottage could do with a coat of paint and some minor plumbing repairs to really realise the potential of the great location. On another note we travelled from London via public transport from Victoria and the journey was safe and efficient. We used a large taxi outside Rye station but there is also a bus (only once an hour so check timings). The local food shops weren't great so we were glad we had an Ocado delivery. If you do come by car or take a trip to Rye we recommend Jempsons supermarket near Rye station which is really good.

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• Carole - Verified booking

  I am going to write a totally honest review based on our stay here from 28/9 to 3rd Oct.

  First the positives: Camber Sands is a nice area if now a little dated. The beach is gorgeous with plenty of area for dog walking and the fact that we were out of season meant it was pretty quiet, which was nice. We would thoroughly recommend The Owl pub just a five minute walk away which although a little pricey is very nice. The food is lovely, the ambience of the pub very nice and the staff lovely. Rye itself is very pretty and quaint and would also recommend the Simply Italian restaurant. All in all a lovely area. Now to the property itself; it isn't a "cottage", it is a 2 bedroomed house (like a starter home) on a residential development. It is in a terrace of 6 or 7 with most of the houses being holiday homes. When we first arrived we thought it seemed quite nice, perfectly adequate for a 5 day stay with pretty much everything we needed. From that point on unfortunately that changed. There are many maintenance issues with this property; missing lightbulbs with no replacements, taps that don't work properly in the bathroom, the garden is weedy and not suitable for small children and dogs with nettles being an issue. A hoover that doesn't work, a dirty oven. We had a nightmare situation with a burglar alarm that went off in the middle of the night, no alarm codes to be found, woke all the neighbours, a stressful situation that was not resolved before we left. It turns out the owner lives overseas and there is no maintenance contract on the property. Sykes suggested we pack up and go home. My recommendation to Sykes is to remove this property from their website until issues are resolved. My advice would be don't book this property, you will be disappointed.

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• Lena - Verified booking

  Had a lovely stay at The Orchard.

  Space is great and rooms very comfortable. Although the accommodation is spotless it's decor is very tired and could do with some TLC. There is a lot of minor stuff not working and the plumbing definitely needs addressing as there are lots of loose taps and furred up shower heads. A few new washers wouldn't go amiss. The tumble dryer might need looking at as it makes a horrible noise. The outside of the accommodation let's it down as the gutter needs fixing and clearing and the garden needs some tidying and all in need of general maintenance. We had some issues with getting hot water but it's was due to the eccentric plumbing and a couple of calls to the host got it resolved. But it wasn't very convenient to have to do this. A few spares such as bulbs being available would have been helpful. Perhaps a welcome/house guide summarising the house quirks would be helpful? TV in lounge was amazing! Main bathroom shower likewise. Host was very polite and helpful. Kitchen very well equipped but could use some weighing scales perhaps? H&S wise the poolside is lethal if wet, some rubber matting wouldn't go amiss to make it much safer. We had several near misses and one accident on the steps from the house into the pool despite being very careful. Especially worrying when we had elderly and very young children in our party. I would say not doing so is failing in duty of care. A sign warning of the slippery surfaces is not sufficient in my opinion. Thank you Orchard we enjoyed our stay immensely despite a few things hiccups. Wold have give a higher rating if not for poor maintenance of plumbing and safety issues of poolside.

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• Jocelyn - Verified booking

  We were a party of 8 adults, 3 children under 6 and a dog and booked The Orchard for a family birthday celebration.

  It was a really wonderful week and this lovely family home suited all of our needs perfectly. The house was very spacious, with a large table able to seat all of us in the dining room and another, smaller table in the kitchen, which still seated 8 comfortably. The kitchen was large and very well equipped, having everything we needed, so it never felt crowded. The cottage was also clean and there was lovely linen on the beds. The bedrooms were comfortable and although the bedroom furniture in particular, was dated, it rather suited the age of the house. The en suite shower rooms were small but the main en suite bathroom was good and the family bathroom was spacious, with a large shower and roll top bath. Everyone in the group loved the beautiful swimming pool but as the 3 children were non swimmers, we made sure they had buoyancy aids for safety, as I believe the pool depth varies from 3 ft to 6 ft 6”. Although the property is situated on a fairly busy road, it’s surrounded by fields and is perfectly located to explore the Kent and Sussex countryside, National Trust properties, beaches etc. One small point we would like to mention to improve things for the future, would be to illuminate ‘The Orchard’ sign outside the property, as two of our party arrived in the dark and went up and down the road several times, trying to locate the house. It was fine once we all knew the exact position of the property. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed our week here, I would recommend The Orchard and would love to stay here again!

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• Angela - Verified booking

  First of all let me say that we had a really great time, 3 generations of 6 adults, 5 children and 3 dogs, the secure garden for the dogs, the paddock for ball games and the pool all made for a very relaxed fun time for everyone.

  We loved the quirky layout and although the decor is generally very lacking with paper peeling from walls etc. in some rooms and very shabby furniture it meant that we could be relaxed about having children and dogs with us. First impressions were not too good, the building is in need of some serious repair/maintenance. The front entrance was rickety and dirty, I swept and washed the porch before the rest of the family arrived. However inside everything was clean and very well equipped apart from no scissors in the kitchen and two unusable tin openers, which provided a challenge. The sofa-bed mattress needs replacing immediately, but luckily we had sleeping bags with us so used them on top to cushion it. Otherwise all the bedrooms were very comfortable. The shower tray in the main bathroom is dangerously slippery, causing two near misses and needs some non-slip strips. The heated pool was fantastic for all the family providing hours of fun, however the steps down into the pool area are worn and slippery even when not wet so need some attention, perhaps again some non-slip strips or surface needed. All in all, I would recommend the Orchard but with the proviso to accept it for what it is and enjoy the company you are with.

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