South West Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• John - Verified booking

  Cats Communications and Quirkyness.

  If you love cats then you are really going to love this place. We were met at our cottage by Sausage, one of the resident cats, who own the properties. Sausage showed us into our cottage closely followed by the human he owns, Matt, who did all the talking for Sausage. Sausage and his feline friend Dominic were never too far away, either patrolling the grounds or asleep on the kitchen floor. We were told that if either was still in at 9:30pm to kick them out as they have to do their rounds with Matt at night. We duly removed Sausage one night at 9:30pm but when we opened the door again at 11pm he invited himself in and went straight up the stairs to where our son was sleeping and spent the entire night asleep on the bed with our son. A few nights later while we had the front door ajar Dominic decided to invite himself in and curl up on the sofa next to my other half while we watched a film. The two cats were lovely. Sausage is quiet and very chilled but Dominic will hiss and bat you then ask for his head to be rubbed. On arrival, as soon as we walked in, my other half did point out to Matt the cobwebs. There were cobwebs in every room but we didn’t let it detract from the overall cleanliness and presentation of the property. Incidentally, the cottage actual owners run a cattery and boarding kennels so anyone wishing to take a pet with them may do so by prior arrangement. The directions to the property given by the owners are a bit long winded and over complicated. If following sat-nav, as you get close to the property, turn off your sat-nav and just follow the signs to GLENDALE boarding kennels (Pic of a dog on the sign too) – simplest way. I went on google earth the night before and found it that way. The day before we arrived, we received a phone call from Matt asking if we had any questions about our cottage or the stay, which was a nice touch. There were fresh flowers in the kitchen diner on arrival and some fresh milk and orange juice which again were nice touches. I am sure our son mentioned finding some biscuits but we didn’t see these! The location is tranquil although you can sometimes hear distant noise from the A38. While sitting in the hot tub on an evening you can see trains across the valley using the Moorswater viaduct, which in itself is worth a visit as there is an earlier, Brunel design with some pillars remaining, alongside the newer, Margary design one. There is a telephone system installed in the cottage which links everywhere on site as an intercom type system. You can call between rooms or even to the phone box or garden bar. The phone system can even be used for switching lights on and off. It really is an amazing set up and if you get the chance, ask Dan for a behind the scenes look at what goes into making it all work. It’s truly mind-blowing stuff. Next to the large hot tub is a garden bar with an honesty fridge full of beer and there is also a gas barbeque and a traditional brickette barbeque for visitors to use along-side outdoor picnic tables. There is a grass area for playing games next to the car park. There is also WiFi in the garden for those that can’t switch off from the outside world. If you get the chance to speak with Dave you can learn a lot of history about the place and how it turned from a farm into holiday lets and boarding/cattery. The kitchen and breakfast bar was big with a cooker, fridge, freezer and dish washer and all the required utensils and usual electrical goods. The downstairs bed was big and comfortable and our son said he liked the upstairs bed. The living room TV was much bigger than it looked in the photos. The property was high tech and quirky throughout with surround sound system & Bluetooth. There was even a little automatic LED lamp in the bowl of both toilets so you didn’t have to turn on the light when getting up in the night, simple but brilliant. There are two large leather sofa's in the living room. The bath room comprised of a nice rain shower with a separate hand help shower head, a hand basin, towel drying rail and a toilet. Some of the great places we visited. Carlyon Beach – a lovely sandy beach with crabbing opportunities for the kids and free parking if you get there before 9:00am. Downderry – lovely little place with a car park, toilets, coffee shop and a stony beach. Looe, Seaton beach, Polperro, St Germans – off the beaten track and well worth a walk down to the harbour. Eliot, and numerous other great places of interest for adults and kids. You will never be bored. Right people, right location, right time to visit. Would we stay here again? It’s a big yes. The cats made it feel very homely.

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• Mark - Verified booking

  We loved our stay at Elvan Cottage.

  It's clear to see that this place during construction has been a labour of love. Matt and Dan have struck a perfect balance between modern and rustic charm. Yes it's got all you would expect from a top class stay but also many of the original buildings features, exposed beams some beautiful original doors. I won't spoil it for you but even the smallest room in the cottage has had so much time and thought put in to it, that it's a joy every time you open the door. There are tech treats also with TVs in every bedroom and in the lounge, kitchen diner. Antique telephones adorn the bedrooms and kitchen but not just for decoration purposes they actually work and not only work but you can control the outside lights by dialing a number. What witchcraft is this....? Very clever stuff. During our stay the weather was awful but the cottage was warm dry and welcoming with a combination of underfloor heating and radiators, the shower room was large a the shower powerful. All the boxes for a perfect stay were ticked. We didn't use the facilities outside but there's a hot tub and changing shed, outside honesty bar, and two BBQs gas and charcoal, all shared with the adjoining cottage. The WiFi was a little hit and miss but this was explained by Matt on arrival. This didn't cause any issues but could if you really needed a good connection. The cottage is conveniently located off the A38 just a 10min drive from Liskeard in the beautiful Cornish countryside yes the short drive from the main road is narrow but it's probably less than a mile and very quiet. We found getting to most of the Cornish hotspots quick and easy from Elvan cottage we would stay again in a heartbeat. The photos on Sykes are good but see for yourself and you will be finding new things in the property for days... Thanks Matt, Dan and Sausage the cat❤️ we hope to see you again. Mark, Sandra and family

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• Phillip - Verified booking

  Location is lovely and picturesque and remote (we didn't try and walk into Liskeard from the property).

  Matt, the owner, rang a couple of days in advance to see if we had any questions, which was a nice touch. We had a warm welcome upon arrival by the two brothers and handed the keys and given an introductory tour of the property and the hot tub. Complimentary milk and juice in the fridge on arrival. Elvan Cottage is joined to their other barn conversion so would be well suited for a group of 8 if you're able to book both. Nice big kitchen and breakfast bar with cooker, fridge, freezer and dish washer and all the required utensils. Bed was big and comfortable (there were only 2 of us so we only used one of the bedrooms). The TV in the living room was much bigger than it looked in the pictures on-line. The property was hi-tech throughout with surround sound speakers, bluetooth and LED lights under the toilet seat so that you didn't have to turn the main light/fan on when getting up in the night - an excellent idea! There are 2 large leather sofa's in the living room. Nice rain shower in the shower room, plus toilet and a separate toilet as well. The hot tub was really good. We were left to agree with the occupants of the other property who gets the hot tub when but we didn't need to as we didn't ever want it at the same time during our stay. The outside honesty bar is a great idea and the beers were really well chilled. Wifi also available in the garden area/ outside bar, which was really useful. The outside area also included a couple of hammocks attached to the trees, outside BBQ facilities and large grassy areas to play games etc. There were a couple of cats wandering around which gave it a nice homely feel. Matt was generally around (without being imposing) if you had any issues (we didn't) or wanted any advice about the surrounding areas etc.

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• Tony - Verified booking

  Lovely, comfy, clean cottage, everything you need for a home from home stay.

  We didn't have good weather and was lovely to come back to a warm cosy cottage to dry off (airer provided for wet clothes) and relax. Outside space is great for sitting out and checking out the view of the surrounding countryside (weather permitting) and enclosed for your dog/children to be safe. Kitchen fully equipped for cooking or just warming your take away in the oven or microwave. Sofa has recliners which is such a bonus when been out walking all day. The bed was really comfy great bedding and pillows (the only issue was the frame was a bit 'squeaky' something the owners are probably not aware of but didn't disturb us too much). The cottage is well decorated and has beautiful artwork all around which we learnt was all the owners work. The only thing we felt was missing was somewhere to put your toilet bag in the bathroom – there is plenty of room to put a shelf or small table All in all this is a fabulous cottage as a base to explore and the owners go above and beyond providing more than you would expect when you arrive, from extra loo rolls to the award winner bottle of cider in the fridge, tea, coffee, sugar, a fabulous cream tea and fresh flowers on the table. Lots of books to read, games to play and even your four legged friend is not forgotten as they even have a puzzle for them to do too! Would we recommend this cottage to family/friends? We already have and will be back.

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• Elite - Verified booking

  This cottage was perfect for our family of three, including our six year old.

  It's safe, very comfortable and we loved the art! The owners are a lovely couple, quick to respond and gave us ideas for what to do in the area. It rained a lot during our stay so we didn't get to sit outside much, which was a shame because the views are indeed gorgeous. It was a little bit hard to find the turning off the main road in the night, we checked in late. The trick is to point your GPS to 'The Travellers Rest'. The shower room is downstairs, not on the 1st floor - so we did have to go downstairs in the night, not a problem for us but may be an issue for some. It's a comfortable little cottage - the shower has good, strong pressue - much better than in my house! Lots of electricity plugs, all the lights worked, nice to have bedside tables and lamps. Lots of storage space in both bedrooms. It was our first trip to Bridport, what a lovely town. We went to the markets on Saturday and it was glorious, so many stalls and shops, people, music etc - really great markets. We will come back with more friends next time and hire a couple of cottages.

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