Villas In Whitby

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Mr Jenkins - Verified booking

  On a positive note, the overall look and presentation of the cottage is good. The bedroom upstairs for a child is lovely and the style of the decor is very nice. Before booking I thought the cottage looked good but I was concerned about the ‘parking on the street’ description on the site as my wife suffers from chronic fatigue. I telephoned Original Cottages to check. The staff member assured me the parking was available on the street directly outside the house with a parking permit. Unfortunately there is no parking on the street at all and then you have to move the car as it is all double yellow lines and very narrow. We spent the first evening of the holiday hunting around Whitby for a space to park. We had ended up paying to park in a car park but it only lasted until the following morning when we would have to move and look for another space. The system of where you’re allowed to park and for how long is relatively complex and if you get it wrong you get a parking fine. There seems to be no leniency for this if you get it wrong. The parking remained an issue for the whole holiday and really marred the experience for me. Our neighbours were given a car park permit with their booking so they had a guaranteed place to park. My main issue is that the parking is not accurately described on the booking page and if it was I wouldn’t have booked this cottage. The cottage is basically a back to back but reversed so your only door (front door) opens onto a communal space for 6 or 7 houses. The downstairs is pretty dark and very much overlooked by neighbours but the upstairs does have a lovely view that peeks over the neighbours roofs to see across the bay. Many of the double glazing window units are blown and filled with condensation but this doesn’t detract much. There is an enclosed outdoor space for the cottage with a gate so ok for a dog. The outdoor space doesn’t seem to be cleaned and would benefit from it. It’s great to have 3 toilets but unfortunately the shower room has no window and was a bit smelly due to the lack of ventilation. There was black mould in the shower around the seals and drain area. The drain seemed partially blocked and the shower tray kept filling to overflow unless you turn the shower speed down. The cleanliness looked generally good at first sight but when moving a couple of things to find power outlets I noticed a lot of dust and dirt. The TV was a good standard and other appliances ok except for the cooker (Beko) which was poor and took about 3 times as long as it should do to cook food (and then not evenly). The WiFi speed is very slow, around 12mbps. Netflix buffered a lot due to this. The 4G/5G signal is about 5mbps downstairs but better upstairs or outside. The shelf under the tv has been broken and is hanging off the wall. Chimneys next to us are lower as they are further down the hill and smoke was coming into our house giving me a sore throat. We stayed in July so I’m not sure why people were using fires but of course it’s worse if you want your own windows open. We found our bed uncomfortable with a strange rough bed sheet although the rest of the bedding was fine. I could feel the mattress springs when lying on the bed. The other beds seemed fine. All problems aside we did like the house and the location. The parking was especially bad though and I feel the description on the booking site is quite misleading. I wouldn’t visit again, nor would I recommend it to a friend. The cottage is charming in many ways but not a restful place to holiday. I know my review is somewhat negative but I have tried to be balanced based on our experience.

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• Dave - Verified booking

  When I was considering booking this property I was not aware of what was meant by a "Jack and Jill" twin room.

  So I phoned the Sykes office for clarification. They told me that this comprised two single rooms sharing a common bathroom. As two of our party were single, not known to each other, each in their seventies and each particular about their personal privacy I described the room to them in the manner it had been described to me and they both said that with mutual agreement they would be happy with the arrangement. When we arrived at 11A I found that the property consists of three double rooms and one twin. The "Jack and Jill" twin simply does not exist! So agentleman had to volunteer to sleep on a sofa as the only way we could organise things. This was obviously unsatisfactory as he had paid for a single bed in a separate room. Looking on-line today it appears that this discrepancy has been pointed out twice in the past, the first time a year ago, yet the website description still remains the same. Also worthy of mention is the fact that at the time of our visit the first floor shower would be positively dangerous to small children as the temperature control is virtually unworkable and the and the unit seems to default to scalding hot.

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• Mr Allan Chapman - Verified booking

  The Cottage is located in the heart of Whitby, being an excellent location to explore the Town and undertake walks on the Beach to Sandsend and the Abbey. The Cottage itself is perfect and provides ample space for four adults. It has all the mod cons and amenities you require. The only negatives I have are as follows: Albeit directions are provided, it is still not particularly easy to find. When pulling up outside in a car, other Cottages are marked, but Sirmonds even when walking through the passage. The Property details are not very clear with regards to the winding climb upto the garden. We took my elderly parents, who remain mobile, but if they had of been on there own would have struggled with the climb with their cases or shopping. To the rear of number 4, the drain is blocked and overflows generating a sewage smell. When walking up to Sirmonds you need to walk through this water. It is not a problem being caused by Sirmonds, just an adjoining holiday let, which needs addressing. What I would say, these are minor points and I would recommend this cottage. Allan

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• Denise - Verified booking

  First impressions not favourable when we couldn't open the key safe to gain entry.

  Had to wait outside until a passing photographer who worked for Sykes was able to open the safe. We were informed by yourselves that the cleaner had trouble that morning. The kitchen was not clean : remains of a dog biscuit on the floor, dirty crockery and cutlery in the cupboards, crumbs and food left by the previous tenant in the cupboards. I did not expect to start cleaning floors cupboards and set the dishwasher off to clean all the dirty crockery and cutlery upon arrival. Upstairs in the first bedroom the light inside the wardrobe was just hanging by the wires and the screws left in the wood. During the holiday 2of the older children aged 8and 10 years became upset when they couldn't open the doors to the bedroom and bathroom. Towels had to be placed on the floor to prevent a repeat of these accidents. When reading the previous tenants notes in the feedback book the same incident had occurred. This proves that Sykes do not take any notice of the feedback or have the courtesy to answer the phone message my daughter left after her child was trapped in the bathroom.

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• Diane - Verified booking

  Mill cottage stole our hearts from the moment we walked through the door.

  It was just perfect. The surrounding area was so peaceful and quiet with countryside and sea views from the fields. The cottage was so lovely and had everything we needed and more. It felt very spacious and was very well thought out. We loved the huge armchair in the lounge, the bedroom was beautiful with the biggest most comfiest bed we have ever seen. The bathroom was a delight with plenty of hot water. It was a pleasure to come home to the cottage after our daily adventures. We walked along the beach to Ravenscar and met the very noisy seals! Robin Hoods Bay has a wonderful free museum and we were lucky enough on one of our visits to RHB to speak to a wonderful lady who spent her childhood living in the lower bay and her stories brought the history to life. We visited Staithes and Whitby and were lucky enough to see Minke whales on our boat trip. Every day was an adventure and Mill cottage was the icing on the cake. My daughter and I have both left a little piece of our hearts with you at Mill Cottage and definitely would love to return. xx

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