Holiday Cottages in the South East with a Swimming Pool

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Christine - Verified booking

  This is a lovely property with lots of room and plenty of equipment for cooking which was useful as we were a family group at Christmas and New Year.

  Decorations were up and there was a decorated Christmas tree. It's in the country on an estate where we could take the dog for walks. The owner was very helpful about us adding on an extra day at either end of the holiday when we could see on the Sykes website that the property was free. Some minor problems: We did ask for the bed in the downstairs bedroom to be made up as two twins (as my husband snores). The bed was listed on the website as super king size but actually it was only king so the twin beds were narrow and not very comfortable. When some of the family left I slept in one of the other rooms where the bed was more comfortable. There was a minor power cut part way through the holiday and the owner helpfully came out twice to try and sort out the timing on the heat pump that provided the heating but it didn't work consistently for the rest of the holiday. However there was a log burning stove in the lounge that we could have used if it had been colder. There was a pump in a cupboard in one of the upstairs bedrooms (the one with the en suite) and even before the power cut it would come on in the middle of the night making a banging noise every couple of seconds and kept my daughter awake. Some of us used the undercover outdoor pool once but maybe to be expected at this time of year despite being heated it wasn't warm enough to be comfortable.

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• Maryjane - Verified booking

  Where to start?

  a. Safety must be the first concern, especially in case of fire in such a wooden building. However, when you lock the main door at night, from the inside, it is virtually impossible to unlock. To do so we had to climb through a window every morning, to unlock the door from the outside. This is a known problem as there is a note on the door frame. REPLACE THE LOCK as a matter of urgency. b. Most of the smoke alarms have been removed. c. The kitchen induction hob's glass top is badly broken, with bits detaching. Yes it still works, but really.. d. The sink in one of the upstairs bathrooms has a big (~2") hole in it and is unusable. e. The tv in the downstairs bedroom has no signal. This was reported on day 2, and nothing done. f. Broken glass by the swimming pool. g. The outside "key safe" is upside down, and does not appear to work in any case. h. Most bedrooms very basic/small with picture hooks but no pictures on the walls. The pictures are very flattering. We paid £1800 for a week and expected more, having done this many times elsewhere. i.e. we are not that hard to please. The above is a pity as the property could be reasonable if furnished to a better standard, and is further let down by poor maintenance. We reported the sink and hobb on arrival the first day and were offered a £50 (!) discount. It has not appeared as yet..

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• Melissa - Verified booking

  Batts Barn is a beautiful barn conversion in a stunning setting.

  The location is within easy reach of many lovely villages, pubs, farm shops and castles. The barn has been finished to a beautiful standard with a very impressive kitchen area. The pool was an additional bonus, although "heated", it isn't the warmest. The housekeeper who lives onsite was very welcoming and friendly and nothing was too much for her. Thank you. A few things that let it down, without focusing on the negatives as it was lovely. But this certainly would improve the listing: There was no welcome pack, nothing at all. For the price of the barn, this was a shame. When I say nothing, not even tea bags, kitchen roll, coffee etc. This was disappointing and being very remote, it wasn't easy to "pop out". Most other accommodations we stay at, at least provide the basics along with a welcome pack and letter. Simple touches make a big difference and would make for a better review. The property could have been cleaned to a better standard, mostly the amount of cobwebs. We also had a huge problem with flies and wasps in the property. We understand you can get cluster flies this time of year but this was ridiculous. We were up until 1am trying to sort the problem. Once again, a lovely property. Just attention to the finer details would certainly benefit.

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• Aminur - Verified booking

  The owners were very helpful and available when we called or texted them.

  The cottage was clean. The location of the cottage is within a shared area with neighbouring cottages and hot tub and a swimming pool. The cottage was very nice for a short stay however few improvements needed. - Provide guides/instructions for the property (we didn’t notice there was a freezer at the back of the kitchen counters until the end of our trip) - The heating was not working. It was very cold the first night as we only had one electric heater. After asking the owners we noticed there was a spare fan heater. - The cottage could do with a coffee table by the sofas for when you want to watch TV and eat. - Pathways to the cottage could do with some lights as it gets very dark in the evening and it is a long walk from the entrance of the property. Having to use mobile flash light can be difficult when you have bags to carry. - We were expecting there to be basics like salt/pepper/sugar/milk but none was provided given the price we paid for the stay. However basic kitchenware provided.

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• Sarah - Verified booking

  Really enjoyed our stay in December.

  We were a party of three adults and found absolutely everything we needed - lovely Christmas tree, plenty of kitchen equipment including oven trays. The cottage is toasty warm with underfloor heating and we didn’t feel the need to use the wood fire, although you’re provided with kindling, wood etc for your first burn. I was “working form the Drey” for a couple of days and the Wi-Fi is absolutely fine. We had a little issue one day with a tripped circuit outside of the cottage, but had very prompt response from the contact and it was fixed within 10 minutes. In fact communication before and during the stay was excellent. The location is lovely and quiet and even in December it was amazing to hear the wildlife and birds. Agree that more effort could possibly be put in to providing recycling - we took ours home. Oh, and the towels are amazingly fluffy and cozy. Would definitely recommend and happily return if in the area.

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