“The property is a beautiful home on a small, exclusive site with about thirty other similarly styled, but different dwellings.”
They all are surrounded by lawns without boundaries, which allows for anyone to stroll through your “garden” with their dog, which takes some getting used to. The listing did not include a washing machine which surprised us, and this was confirmed (twice) by a phone call to Sykes. This obviously determines the amount of clothes etc that are needed. On arrival, a washer/drier was found which was welcome news, but rather galling too. The overall ambience of the property is contemporary, stylish and cool, however a few niggles prevented us from giving Waterside the five stars it so easily could have attained. The stairs have a full length window on the first landing, other similar properties had shutters/blinds/curtains for privacy, Waterside had nothing. The main shower in the main bathroom is an electric Triton T80, which is relatively feeble and unbecoming of such a high priced property, whereas the mains fed “power shower” in the en-suite was excellent. There was a shortage of glasses, cooking pans, and general cookware, especially if the property was to cater to its full complement of six guests. Again, the standard of the existing crockery and glasses was rather utilitarian. I’d describe the glasses as those you’d get from the forecourt of a petrol station. Having said all that, the plus points way outweighed the negatives. The property was meticulously prepared and spotlessly clean. The furniture and fittings were beautiful and obviously styled by someone with exquisite taste. The 55 inch smart TV, Bluetooth soundbox, and WiFi were superb although the faux log fire was rather temperamental. The dining table was lovely, although the chairs were rather low, and we needed cushions to reach a comfortable eating height, and I’m over 6 feet tall. The bedrooms were delightful, and the bedding was immaculate and the beds were very comfortable. The Juliet balcony overlooking the bulrush-surrounded pond (which is fenced off for safety) was an added bonus to the master bedroom. The house is literally a three minute walk to the picturesque, sweeping sands of Beadnell bay, which is just superb, and a ma-hoosive plus point. Ideal for families, singletons, couples and dog-lovers alike. We believe we are reasonable guests and have stayed in self catering properties around the UK and Europe for over three decades. In conclusion, Waterside is a wonderful, warm and welcoming home, we loved it and have rebooked for later in the year. Please amend the listing to inform other potential guests that the kitchen has a washing machine, and possibly address our other points, but we’ll be back nevertheless.
