The Retreat

North farm is an excellent place to stay, well maintained and surroundings are well kept.

Lovely relaxing place to stay with the bonus of private slots in the swimming pool. The retreat cottage was spotless, comfortable and had everything we needed. The accommodation is dog friendly and in the description it stated an enclosed garden it is not so that was a big downside for us as the weather was beautiful and we sat out in the garden the dog had to be on her lead all the time as the cottage is very near the road. Apart from that we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would definitely recommend

Good location close by road to a good number of interesting places and properties.

Within walking distance of coast and straightforward routes on foot to Low Newton - good pub - and Craster - excellent kippers! Accommodation felt like home after one night - clean and tidy with plenty of space for three. Nice to have swimming pool onsight. Only issue for son & myself was that curtains in both bedrooms needed black out blinds as we were awoken in both befrooms by early morning light. Mentioned to owner who said would have a think. Otherwise a most enjoyable holiday, thank you.

Excellent accommodation providing everything we needed for our holiday.

We loved the peace and quiet of the Retreat, the pool, the beach, beautiful walks as well as its convenient location to Alnwick, Bamburgh and other historic places. Two small quibbles - provide a washing line please. The next door cottage had one, and with dry, windy days, washing would have dried really quickly outside. Also, some of the information in the folder seemed out of date. We were asked to put laundry in bags, but couldn't find any. These were minor points. We had a brilliant time at The Retreat and would recommend it.

A lovely cottage in a peaceful part of the county.

Very clean and tidy with a lovely welcome pack to help settle in. There are great views towards the coast. The staff were very helpful. All in all a great place to stay.

Accommodation better than expected.

Exclusive access to the pool absolutely brilliant. Location excellent with mowed paths to beach or village. All staff we met on site were polite and helpful. Thanks for everything and we would definitely come back and recommend to friends.

Another lovely stay at this warm, cosy cottage.

The cottage is situated in a beautiful area and is well equipped and comfortable. When we arrived we found that the hot water had accidentally been turned off, but the maintenance team arrived and sorted it within minutes of us phoning to report it. The owners are very responsive to suggestions for equipping the cottage. Will definitely return

Everything was perfect.

The cottage had loads of space and a lovely view out of every window. Well situated for day trips out . The swimming pool was an added bonus after a long day walking and exploring. Nice to arrive and find out butter, bread, milk, biscuits and fresh orange was in the fridge . We had a fantastic time and will definitely book again .

The cottage is comfortable and generously sized.

However the abundance of warnings about dogs and threats of extra cleaning costs, while understandable do not make for a particularly relaxing stay. Despite this we had a good holiday and would recommend The Retreat if you are not expecting a super-slick modern property.

The cottage was clean and comfortable and the welcome pack appreciated However l had booked the cottage because of the advertised pool My son completed the required disclaimer and nominated a slot for the next afternoon We arranged our activities around that slot but when son and grandson went to the pool all of the slots had been taken but his was not included There had been no separate booking forms provided when he had filled in his paperwork.

It seems that there should be a much more user friendly (possibly computerised) system provided to ensure duplication does not occur with bookings particularly as visitors are only allocated a very small amount of times to use the pool. Possibly it should be made clear when advertising these properties that use of the pool is limited

Perfect location for a few days or a weeks break.

The cottage was situated between Alnwick and Bamburgh on a beautiful farm. It was ideal for a stay with our dog. Not far from the beach or the village. Lovely walks around the area. The owners had made grassy pathways for easy access to both walks.

Lovely, cosy property.

Perfect for walking the coastal path. Very dog friendly with a dog bed and bowls provided. The swimming pool was a bonus.

Very comfortable, clean cottage in a scenic setting.

- The welcome pack was a lovely touch. We enjoyed using the swimming pool on site. It was snowy and icy as we left, and we had to be pushed to the main road. - Grit bins outside each cottage would be useful.

The cottage is very cosy, warm & well equipped.

Lovely to have access to the pool on site. Perfectly situated for exploring Northumberland. Thank you for the “welcome” package of milk, butter, bread etc- much appreciated

Cottage really lovely could do with a larger coffee table in the living room.

We had slugs in the bathroom a couple of times due to the rain we had I think it wasn’t a problem we just removed them. Could maybe do with a guest book to write in. The swimming pool was amazing we will definitely come again we loved it

Very comfortable, a real home from home.

It is well equipped and the welcome pack is much appreciated. Just one thing I would like to point out and that is the start button on the washing machine is a bit iffy, sometimes it works straight away, other times it takes ages to get it to connect. Think it could do with looking at.

We liked our cottages and the goodies left for us.

Good area for short walks and near coastal villages, etc. It was very comfortable and well stocked in the kitchen Friendly farmhands easy walking around the specially prepared footpaths Only issue I had was a lack of maintenance in the the bathroom - could do with change of silicone to tidy up the shower area

Excellent cottage.

Pity Sykes administration is so poor. See my e-mails re loyalty bonus to which you have not replied. B Copland.

Wonderful holiday in a lovely cottage.

Cosy and fully equipped. Views from the garden were breathtaking. Would highly recommend this location. Looking forward to returning next year.

Great holiday.

Coastal walks and sightseeing. The photos are a true reflection. The property is located by a B road, but we didn’t find traffic noise an issue. Liked sitting in the porch area and enjoying the morning sun, but sheltered from the wind. Used the pool facilities which were well maintained.

Had a lovely stay in The Retreat.

Compared to the other properties the wee cottage is not modern or 'chic' but we knew that before we went as the photos are accurate. The cottage was clean, fully equipped and warm and the bread/milk/butter/OJ was a nice touch. We had a dog and there is a garden BUT its not enclosed so had to let her out on her lead to do her business which was ok in May but maybe in the winter a bit grim. It would be easy to enclose the garden. Slight criticism would be the curtains in the two bedrooms are thin so daylight from 5am, some may not bother but quite bright if you want a cheeky lie in on holiday. We made use of the pool which was clean and great you get the slot to yourself. A fabulous holiday in a great part of the country and great the owners cut the grass to make the walk to the beach and into the village easy.

Fabulous cottage.

Clean, comfortable, and pleasant, plus excellent heating. Along with the use of the swimming pool, it made the holiday most enjoyable. (Could do with a gym putting in on site!) Had a most relaxing and enjoyable holiday, and have already booked The Retreat again for September.

The property was well stocked with equipment, towels for swimming clean and warm.

My only problem was the exit to the main road. The mirror did not always reflect oncoming traffic. The journey to the pool was on a path that says staff only so that needs to be updated.

Lovely relaxing break Cottage had everything we needed and was clean, comfortable and very handy for the beach Never got round to using the pool but it looked lovely

Perfect place the garden is a suntrap with sea and country views walk to the beach on the field path 30 mins steady, beach perfect for dogs .

Joiners Arms has lovely food and ales 2 pubs in Embelton similar plus village shop we totally recomend The Retreat we had a freshloaf, milk,and bottled freshorange juice Nortumberland Butter 100+99% satisfied

The Retreat was comfortable and well equipped.

It had everything we needed for a family holiday. It was not chic or luxury but we knew that when we booked. Building work is continuing on the site and this directly affects the ambience and aesthetics of the place. It will be much nicer when that has finished. The pool was great, warm, and long enough to do lengths if you wish.

The situation & facilities were excellent.

The Retreat WOULD have been fine BUT we were misled about the building work , particularly as we weren’t given any warning of the disruption and dangers , so this did impinge on our enjoyment. And we felt our complaint was initially dismissed before being satisfactorily resolved. Bath towels too thin & small, particularly when Northumberland weather can be cold & windy! So, a review of two halves!

Couple of things marred the experience, {something I have not experienced before with Sykes}.

Firstly I was advised that adjacent building work would be completed by end of February, Wrong ! it was still in full flow all week with various vans plus a JCB back and forth and mud spattered all over my car. Secondly the Retreat is not covered by wifi "NFWIFI" but as I eventually discovered 3 days later it was "NFPOOL"! supposedly the link for studios and apartments only. Ms Nicola Snaith was not in her office to seek assistance on the three times I called between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. but then her office seemed to be a store for odd pieces of building materials. Finally I now note that you are operating a 30% discount due to the ongoing building work , something I would have preferred to receive .Net result is that I'm not a happy customer and as a regular customer I would expect some form of financial recompense. David Branchett 01/05/2023

Property cold on arrival but quickly rectified by the housekeeper.

Excellent facilities and welcome pack. Beds comfortable and nice and clean. Shower and bathroom very good. Lounge nice and roomy. Garden good for the dog, enclosed with lovely views. Kitchen had everything we needed.

Lovely and peaceful.

Stunning views. Easy walks to the beach and Embleton.

We really enjoyed our stay at The Retreat.

Quiet, scenic location, beautiful grounds which all the holiday cottages shared. The Pool was a brilliant asset to the properties, good size and depth, and great to have to ourselves for 5 x 1 hour slots for the week. Fairly close to the beach, although took longer to walk than suggested, unless we took the wrong route. We were advised about building work going on, but we found no problems at all from this. Local restaurants all seemed to be booked up, so advise booking early once you arrive. All in all, we had a fabulous stay here and would strongly recommend. We did also have the bonus of great weather.

We loved the peace of this cottage last year, but unfortunately this year, that was destroyed by noise from the building site in the field directly in front of us.

Having paid considerably more for our stay this year, we would have appreciated being warned about the building operations. Sadly we shall not be returning to this beautiful spot, as we feel the new units when completed, will overshadow the cottage. The cottage itself however, is lovely, clean and comfortable, thank you.

Hello I want you to record that this was the most disappointing experience we have had booking with Sykes Cottages thus far.

The accuracy of the listing was way off the mark as the cottage was located in the middle of a building site (photos attached). As the cottage was recommended by The Times newspaper I will be contacting them as well - I would welcome any comments you may have. Many thanks

There was everything we needed in the cottage, and it was in a great location.

You could walk to the beach and villages through the farms fields which was great.

A cork screw would be handy.

Access road from the cottage was a bit dangerous when trying to exit onto the main road. Could have been better if there was a mirror opposite. Apart from these points everything was great.

Your directions are to the main site.

The retreat has a separate entrance from the road. This is confusing especially in the dark

Fantastic location in a beautiful part of Northumberland.

Access straight onto fields with amazing views and a footpath to coastal path. Also an off road path to village. Cottage very comfortable and practical. Had everything we needed. Porch very handy for boots etc Bit muddy at the moment due to building works - slight hassle to get to other cottages and pool. But the building works were not intrusive at all. They were quiet. Forgot to mention that the toaster didn't work.

Fantastic accommodation and facilities that can be used whatever the weather.

Really enjoyed the views from the property, would 100% recommend.

You have listed the property as having WiFi which is not the case.

This made my holiday stressful as I had planned to work on the Tuesday and Wednesday.

Would highly recommend this cottage.

It is comfortable, well equipped clean and warm, and in an ideal location, with a twenty minute walk through the fields to a stunning beach. An added bonus to this accommodation is the excellent swimming pool, which is managed in such a way that you have exclusive allocated time slots. We loved our stay here and hope to return next year.