“I feel this feedback is going to be harsh, but this is my honest opinion.”
The cottage is beautiful but tiny. It does state its for 1-2 people so not a criticism, but its much smaller than i thought it would be.
The listing stated it had a secure back yard, but when we arrived the fence was knocked down. When i messaged the landlord, they said they were aware of it and it was from the wind.
They said they could come the enxt day to fix it but that they live an hour and a half away, which i felt bad about so i got someone from the village to fix it for me instead. I ...
The cottage is beautiful but tiny. It does state its for 1-2 people so not a criticism, but its much smaller than i thought it would be.
The listing stated it had a secure back yard, but when we arrived the fence was knocked down. When i messaged the landlord, they said they were aware of it and it was from the wind.
They said they could come the enxt day to fix it but that they live an hour and a half away, which i felt bad about so i got someone from the village to fix it for me instead. I think the listing should of stated the fence was broke as it was known before we got there and we only booked it due to the secure yard for our dog.
We had a lot of issues with the doors in the property. Every single key lock in that property (front door has 1 key lock and back door is a barn door so one key lock on top and one key lock on bottom) is so incredibly stiff that at times it took us over 5 minutes to lock it/unlock it. I am a 30yo healthy female and my partner is a strong and healthy 28yo male. There was times i tried for ages to lock or unlock and couldn't, so askedmy partner and he couldn't, literally there was times we went to walk the dog on the evening or night round the village and one of us would go and one stay to avoid having to lock and unlock the door.
One day we went to go out and i was on the bottom step as my partner was at the front door. It took that long that i sat down and my partner stated that if there was a fire in the property we would be in trouble, which to be honest was true at times.
The back door was very stiff even when unlocked, and sometimes made us think it was locked when it wasnt, the top corner on the left got very very stuck, so we had to push that corner when opening the door to unstick it.
The shower was on a water timer that we couldn't find and it went cold incredibly quickly and in the mornings the water was already cold after doing breakfast dishes so we did actually have a couple of cold showers.
The drawers unit in the bedroom dont open and close properly without really working them into place so we jsut put stuff on the top rather than in the actual drawers themselves.
The kitchen has no cupboards/storage for food and the only cupboards there is, are full to the brim with cups and mugs which felt a waste of space considering it only fits 1-2 people staying there and there is so little worktop space and absolutely no food storage which then takes up what little counter space there is.
I feel like its a beautiful gorgeous cottage and is close to perfect if you dont need much space, but it needs new drawers in the bedroom, new locks on the doors, the back door needs to be fitted better to stop catching so much, and the kitchen needs decluttering and organising so that there is more useful space. A light outside the front door would be useful too as its hard enough to open the lock without doing it in the pitch black and the shower timer wherever it is, should be on for 30 mins morning, 30 mins midday and 30 mins evening so the water is always warm without using much gas.
It would not take long at all to perfect this cottage, and then it would be a 10 out of 10 for me but as it stands i felt it was way too expensive for the size of it especially with the annoyances that we had and tbh i would not return and would not suggest anyone go on their own or if they arent stronger than a 28yo healthy man because they genuinely would struggle to get in and out with those locks.
I feel bad for the feedback but i am only trying to be constructive. It is gorgeous, and if the doors/locks were fixed and water timer was on more conveniently through the day, and there was even one cupboard for food, it would of been small but perfect and i would of given it a 9 out of 10
Hello, thank you for your honest constructive feedback.
I am sorry the cottage didn‘t meet your expectations & you feel you didn‘t get value for money. Sykes set the pricing so I am guided by them. As your stay was in peak time, a higher rate than other periods is normally charged.
The fence was loose at the base of the slats, the recent storm meant that a few of them had been displaced. This occurred very soon before your arrival & as it was during the festive season, it was hard to find tradesmen. I do apologise for forgetting to advise you about this.When it was pointed out, I offered to, and would have, tried to repair it. Stating our distance from the cottage was to indicate we wouldn’t be there immediately, rather than an excuse not to come nor intentionally to make you feel bad. You said you had made a makeshift repair for which I was grateful, therefore I thought we weren’t needed.
This temporary measure is now fixed.
The wet cold weather had possibly caused the doors & locks to stick. The front door lock has been replaced, the back door is not sticking now.
The water timer is in the sitting room cupboard, I will clarify the location in future. I am sorry you had issues with the water temp, if you had mentioned this, we could have rectified it while you were there. The timer has been checked and water will come on 3 times a day.
The upstairs drawer unit is a lovely old wooden chest which fits with the character of the cottage . A joiner has made the drawers easier to move now.
Due to the size of the cottage, (which is hard to convey in the listing and photos) there is no further space to fit another kitchen worktop but there’s a dining table which can also be used. Extra mugs are provided for guests coming round; there is now a free cupboard for food and more of the worktop cleared.
We use the bright security light from the opposite house for seeing the door lock, or phone torches.
Apologies and thanks for pointing
these out.
Property Owner
