“A little difficult to find, would be better with name / direction sign outside of the tall walls.”
Once inside it wasn’t a good start when my husband cut his shin on the corner of the bed frame which has a sharp corner (all 3 beds are the same) It was also disappointing to find that the ‘log burning stove’ (which we were looking forward to cosying up to as the wind was howling outside) was an electric fire - not quite what we imagined. Such a shame in a property which is available over cold autumn / winter months. We were warm enough as we put the heating on, but not quite the same! I read through the property handbook when looking for the WiFi code, and to be honest was surprised at the tone, particularly regarding the tea and coffee which had been left in the tins in the kitchen - and the insinuation that guests would take home whatever they could from the property (which would result in ‘being taken off their Christmas Card list’ ) We have never been asked to replace tea and coffee which has been provided - in fact in the previous Sykes property we stayed in we were greeted with a delightful ‘Welcome Basket’ in the kitchen which included high quality tea, coffee, hot chocolate and a pack of home made local biscuits. As it happens we had brought our own, so it did not affect us and we didn’t use any of the ones provided, but I didn’t like the insinuation. It did not make us feel welcomed to the cottage - more tolerated. That continued as I read further, we have never (and we rent quite a few properties) been told to strip the bed before we left. Also, we were asked to check in later than we usually expect (not good when it’s going dark) and leave early in order to accommodate the cleaners’ schedule! (By the way the vacuum should not have been left by them full of someone else’s dog hair right outside the bathroom door) if the cleaners can’t get around their properties that really isn’t our problem - they should employ more people, rather than push your guests out of the door. If the rental on this cottage had been ‘bargain basement’ the attitude could maybe have been expected, but it wasn’t. We have paid less for properties within a few steps of the beach. Whilst on that subject the description of the position of this cottage is not quite correct - it’s not a short walk, the sea is quite a lot further away than we expected. As a whole we were left a little disappointed with our stay. We didn’t feel that we were being welcomed to stay by the owners - and that the whole visit lacked generosity - from the cheap toilet rolls (two for 3 nights, and no spares in the cupboard?) to the tone of the handbook. Maybe they have been caught out by guests who stole the lightbulbs, I don’t know, but there is no need to tar us all with the same brush! At the price paid some nice little extras such as the aforementioned welcome gift would make all the difference! You would think the owners would be happy to have paying guests in November in the UK! Not being made to feel valued by them does not encourage a return visit to the property - we will look elsewhere for our next stay in the area.
Thank you for your feedback and we're sorry that you were disappointed with your stay. We value all our guests many of whom return year after year and strive to ensure everyone enjoys their stay in our cottage . We have noted your comments and will address them where we can and also make the following comments in response :-
- we have since updated the directions provided with each booking to assist finding the cottage in the dark.
- we make no mention the ( electric ) stove in the property description or the photographs so presumably you only became aware of it on your arrival. It is intended purely as a focal point and an additional heater so hopefully your disappointment was short lived.
-the comments regarding Christmas cards/ guests 'taking the last tea bag' was an attempt at humour which clearly missed its mark. Apologies for that , we were certainly not suggesting guests needed to replace anything
- having double checked with our agent the arrival and departure times of 4pm & 10am are fairly standard across the vast majority of holiday properties to enable cleaners to prepare the property and us to attend to any maintenance issues that can arise . We do also offer early check in/late departure where possible .
- whilst the property description doesn't state how close or far the beach is, photographs of the sea and castle etc taken from the lounge window give a fairly clear indication of the cottage's proximity to the coast.
We hope you enjoy your next stay in Northumberland
Property Owner
