Villas In Scotland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Amanda - Verified booking

  Simply amazing!

  Hands down one of the best properties I've had the pleasure staying in. Strap yourself in because this is going to be a lengthy review. Booking Wonderland Cottage was a simple process, clear instructions given once booked to access the property and the directions were spot on. Plenty of on street parking nearby which was ideal. As soon as you arrive and open the gate the real magic begins. The photographs advertising the property really don't do it justice at all. The cottage has been lovingly decorated with such imagination and creativity. The livingroom is cosy, inviting and has the comfiest sofa ever. Was so good having the use of the wood burning stove to create an even cosier environment. The kitchen is fully pact with all the appliances you could ever need on your stay. The pop of colour from the tiled table and back splash really gives the room a punch of boldness. The kitchen was immaculately clean, actually the entire property was cleaned to a high standard. On entering the kitchen we were greeted by a little basket of goodies for us and a lovely box that contained two homemade lavender scones, which were delicious! Upstairs the two bedrooms are the ideal place to relax after a busy day. The beds are really comfy, plenty of storage space for your belongings in both rooms and so many little touches to make both rooms special in their own way. Everywhere we looked there was something new to discover. Opening little boxes or cupboards you were greeted with hidden gems in tying with the Alice in Wonderland theme. We were still finding little things we had missed 3 days on because there was just so many creative touches its hard to find them all! Fresh towels were there for our arrival in both rooms along with spares in the bathroom. The bathroom is simply gorgeous. The deep rolling bath, the gorgeous bowled sink with all its eye-catching patterns and access to toiletries. I think it was a class act to provide sanitary products for guests, its just another thing to add on top of the other considerate things Stella did for us. Moving onto the garden, well where do I start? Wonderland isn't just within the cottage, it's in the foundations of the beautiful garden. It's clear a lot of effort has gone into the garden, from all the little touches like windchimes, statues and even a bike with a basket full of flowers. As you work your way up the garden widens and there is a cute little area with chairs and an area to relax in. Stella kindly gave us a tour through the special door showing us her wooden hut, the secret den and lots of other amazing features of this property. At night time we were so grateful that Stella set up the fire pit for us and even gave us some marshmallows and sticks to enjoy with the kids. Once dark the garden transforms with all the twinkly lights that wind around the trees and over the path, the solar stake lights that flicker fire and the various lit gems that scatter the garden. Every moment of our 3 night stay was always met with kindness and though fullness. We really felt welcomed and appreciated from the beginning to the very end. It genuinely was a fantastic stay and would highly recommend anyone looking for a break away in a wonderful location then Wonderland Cottage is the place to book. The kids loved it and didn't want to leave, to be fair either did me or my friend! As a side note...if you have got this far...take the bad review that you might spot on here with a pinch of salt. Not entirely sure where they stayed but certainly wasn't the same place we went to. Don't let that review put you off booking because you will not be disappointed. Thanks again Stella for having us and look forward to visiting again ❤️

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• Heather - Verified booking

  I was looking forward to my stay at the Cottage as it appeared to have good reviews, the Cottage’s definitely has potential but was let down by a number of factors.

  First the positives, the location of the cottage was ideal for exploring the surrounding area especially the fife coastal towns. Although the village does not have a lot and what they did have never seemed to be open the local town Cupar is easy to get to in car to pick up any essentials. The house was definitely quirky and unusual as described but I was not prepared for how quirky. In my opinion it was decisively too cluttered with too many pieces that didn’t show the property off to its full potential. We arrived looking forward to the scones many seemed to appreciate only to find the table was set for two with two tea sets and two scones even though the property was clearly booked for three. So after a very long drive we had to share the two between us after having popped to the shop to get some milk. The kitchen bin had not been emptied either and there was lots of fruit flies milling around because of it, so I took the trash bag out- none left as spares to replace so had to go buy some. It was here we found the outside bin was already overflowing with nowhere to put the bin from the kitchen. I contacted the owner who said it should have been emptied a number of days before, said someone would come round to sort it but they never. The bin was still overflowing when we left a week later so whoever is in the property this week will have the same difficulties. The kitchen did not have enough matching cutlery, was a miss match of items that unfortunately had to be washed before use as cups and cutlery were all stained. All the kitchen counters were sticky with jam residue on one, which may account for the flies hanging around which we couldn’t seem to get rid of during our stay they were a nuisance. The oven was abysmal for cooking even on 250 oven chips were not cooked under 45 minutes it just didn’t seem to get up to temperature so be prepared for long cooking time. The house was absolutely full of cobwebs and dead flies, if having as much Knick knacks around at least be prepared to dust things regularly. The beds were pretty comfortable but if you are wanting to store anything in the property be aware most cupboards are full off brick and brack, I could only use a small proportion of the wardrobe in my room and one draw. I do not feel the house is kitted out for 4 grown adults as although it has two double beds there was not enough glasswear for drinks especially if you all wanted wine or a drink in a tall glass. The sofa was terrible uncomfortable and slouchy, and fit two adults with only one other chair i don’t know where the 4th adult would sit. It would also be useful to have a welcome guide for those stopping in the property, there were plenty of books around but nothing contained important information like. Information like wifi passwords which had to be taken off back of router on floor, what to do with recycling, where to put towels when you leave just the basic stuff really. I was also looking forward to exploring the garden so many had gone one about before our visit but the grass and garden was overgrown, with lots of weeds so unfortunately did not get to see the wonderland people have raved about. Despite all the negatives we just got on with it and didn’t let it spoil our trip spending most of the day outdoors exploring local area.

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• Avril - Verified booking

  Wonderland cottage is very unique and lovely.

  However I was very apprehensive before arriving. As two days before our holiday I had checked in a couple of their listings to see if there was a hairdryer only to see that they don't allow children. In panic I checked my booking to make sure I had booked for 2 adults and 2 children and our dog . Which I had so this must of changed since I booked it . Which made me nervous why this might have been . When we arrived the host was in the garden , Stella was lovely but explained their private garden was at the back of our holiday home garden which the had to go though to gain access. She also explained that they had a wedding in there next week on our exit day so there would be coming and goings which shouldn't bother us . We got into our home and I could see why the rule on children had been changed . The photos of wonderland cottage on all booking sites we're not how the living room is now . There are a lot more breakables and it is a lot darker now . The garden was beautiful but it was just a shame we could not feel at ease to enjoy it and relax as a family . When we have been in previous holidays all over Scotland we book homes that we can enjoy the garden as it's a privilege to us . There was coming and goings everyday . Even once my husband put the dog out before bed at nearly 1am and Stella and her husband was there . I would have got such a scare . I fully understand they had a lot to do for the up coming event however i think when you are having your only family holiday of the year we should have been notified of what was going on and had the option to cancel with full refund prior so we could seek alternative accommodation, I understand the garden needs maintenance but everyday was a bit too much . To go out and enjoy the day we felt we had to leave the property which cost more money with children. I would have totally understood if this had been explained before our holiday. The cottage should have never been booked out on the run up to such an event . Also it should be more clear on the description on the booking sites of the how much access they have through the garden to their private area . And yes some people are fine with engaging with the hosts but that not for us . We love to escape as a family and feel free to enjoy each other's company and enjoy our property. Our dog only ever barks at the windows so when people were passing to go to the garden she was reactive. We had to close the curtains through the day to stop this from happening . Stella did come with wine and chocolates for the inconvenience. It felt wrong taking the wine knowing how I felt about our stay so I did leave it but it was a lovely gesture. Wonderland is a lovely place and Stella is also lovely but unfortunately it's not the type of stay we were expecting and we usually love our very precious family weeks break . Just wish we could have gotten to fully enjoy the garden as it is lovely. But for us sitting as a family having a BBQ with people passing and looking on is just not for us so did not manage to to that . So we have came home feeling rather cheated on our summer family holiday.

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• Gill - Verified booking

  So, first of all, the cottage is lovely, exactly what what you see in the photographs.

  We used all of the facilities with no problems, heating, cooking, wi-fi all great. Maybe a basic Freeview box for the TV would help if your not OK with a smart TV. The garden could do with a little TLC although just a bit of a tidy really. Communication with the owner again, great, there was a fault with the key safe but all sorted by the time we got there. There were a few issues we thought we need to highlight as it did impact on our stay. Parking, and local facilities. There is no dedicated parking and its pretty much first come first served outside the cottage, otherwise, its street parking. And with the street parking, there are local time restrictions so you need to be on your toes to be aware of them. More than once, we did end up parking 500 yards down the main street just to get an overnight space. The other issue is local facilities in Newburgh itself. This is a small working town not really set up for tourists or visitors. There is 1 takeaway shop, 1 small bar (to be fair, we didn't go in as it looked very small and we were conscious of the local COVID-19 rules), and 1 hotel (not open for accommodation, not doing food, cash only, and the rear beer garden is nothing more than the drayman's delivery yard). There is small local (Co-Op) which does have everything you need for self entertaining. All in all, the cottage is lovely, its just the local facilities that let it down slightly.

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• Delyth - Verified booking

  Lovely, quirky cottage located conveniently in the middle of the village.

  Lovely welcoming touches like milk in the fridge and a box of eat me treats. Garden is slightly overgrown but adds to the character of the cottage. Wonderland themed bedroom was particularly lovely, and the bathroom. Comfortable and spacious. Packed cleaning products following previous bad experience with self-catering cottage elsewhere (also different management company - not sykes) Packed all back into the car unused as the cottage was spotless! No terrestrial tv at the cottage - not a problem if you are happy with smart tv/ fire stick then it’s ok. Could also log in to personal netflix etc accounts. Wifi signal good. Mobile signal with our provider patchy. Parking could be an issue but we had no problem during our stay. Managed to park outside. If there is a problem 5 minute walk - public car park no parking fee at the top of the hill on the way into the village (fife coastal path route) Good location for exploring locally no further than 45 mins or so from any ‘tourist’ destination. Felt like a home from home. 2 pubs within walking distance. Didn’t sample either though. Chinese takeaway very friendly - decent food. Newburgh a ‘normal’ village rather than one geared to tourists. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Would recommend the cottage - lovely place to stay.

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