Dog Friendly Cheshire Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Martin - Verified booking

  We have been delighted with Sykes Cottages before, and were therefore very disappointed with this one.

  It wasn't as good as it sounded in the description. We weren't impressed with the cleaning before our arrival e.g. Plates had been washed then put in the cupboard still wet, the oven knobs and bowls were very greasy and we had to wash them before they could be used. There was not enough washing up liquid, toilet paper or hand soap provided to see 4 economical people through a week, yet alone 6 as advertised. Therefore, we did have to use "a well-stocked convenience store for picking up any last-minute essentials". We had only expected to use the shop for newspapers, milk and food. It wasn't a "well equipped kitchen" for 6 e.g. only 3 egg cups, only 4 dessert spoons, only 1 shelf in oven, no lids for v limited range of pans. There were no cupboards for us to store our food. The space was used storing more wine & other glasses than we can ever imagine being used all at once. Not as comfortable as expected e.g. leaf of dining table sloped, and once the table was laid for a meal it was hard for people to pass to sit down. There weren't a matching set of dining chairs, we had to gather chairs from various rooms. The sofas were very low, there weren't sets of matching crockery etc. It was very difficult to "head out to the large rear garden" as back door was very hard to open, and side gate was very badly damaged before we arrived. Hard to "retire to the sitting room to relax" as there was only 1 small candle like light bulb in a light fitting that should have 5 lights. We wanted to be able to see so that we could read and write. The dining room only had 3/5 bulbs working. I found a spare bulb, but it didn't fit in either room. It looked like an "overhead shower.", but the fitment was broken before we arrived, so it could only be used as a hand held shower head which was awkward, especially as we'd been asked to leave the shower curtain draped over the shower screen. We eventually found the bath plug and ran baths instead. The bedrooms didn't have "plenty of storage for your belongings" as 2/4 cupboards in master bedroom were secured closed, and the other two cupboards already stored things like spare linen & clothes drier. In the back bedroom we couldn't turn the knobs to open either of the white cupboard doors, so all of us had to live out of our cases all week. However, we do agree that The Hawthorns is in "a prime location", "Tucked away in the pretty Cheshire village of Christleton", we did "enjoy leisurely strolls along the Shropshire Union Canal or around Christleton’s Duck Pond". We also appreciated that it was only a "short drive into the bustling city centre of Chester". It would have been nice to have some leaflets, bus timetables and maps available to read. We would also have appreciated information on basic things like which bin was for which rubbish - none of us came from Cheshire so we didn't know the system here. The wonderful location was the main reason for selecting this property as 40 years ago we had our wedding night in Chester. This holiday was to mark our Ruby Wedding Anniversary with our best friends. It was certainly a memorable holiday.

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• Jenny - Verified booking

  Modestly priced and well located for outdoor pursuits.

  Outside seating was comfortable and it had a nice aspect for morning sun. Dog-wise, it seemed very secure, being fenced all the way around. Plenty of secure, off-road parking. Bathroom, shower and bath were good when the hot water was working. And the towels were of a heavy weight and good quality. The beds were comfortable. However, some things need addressing: ACCURACY OF LISTING: I couldn’t see a lake from the garden, the garage was locked so there was no bike storage as described, the view from the patio doors was of a red brick outhouse and the line about alfresco dining with pretty lake views as your backdrop is just plain mis-selling. CLEANLINESS: It looked and felt clean on arrival. However, the bathroom bin, with no bin liner in it, hadn’t been emptied and contained previous occupant’s rubbish, including waste from feminine sanitary products. A smell from the kitchen cupboard under the stairs when investigated revealed a filthy and wet cleaning mop. The freezer drawers contained split bags of ice and split bags of frozen veg and ice lollies from a previous occupant. The tiny vacuum was over-full and filthy. There was no simple dust-pan and brush. Nor hot ash box/bucket for waste from the wood burner. COMFORT: Beds had not been set up as requested (twin rather than double). The house felt very cool at all times. Drying anything wet or damp was a challenge. FACILITIES & MAINTENANCE: Towels had been laundered, rolled nicely and placed on the beds, but we discovered one was still wet and the other three were still damp. Hot water run out several times. Reporting it, we did get a speedy response and the next day it was better. Sadly, the day after, on our leaving day, the showers once again were cooler. The only information in the welcome folder relating to the property was the wi-fi, which did work well. There were no instruction manuals for any of the equipment or white goods. For someone not familiar with the Hive system, attempting to operate the heating/hot water would have been impossible. The contact numbers (including emergency) were for the cleaner/housekeeping company with a request to call during business hours. The air-source heat pump heating system was completely ineffectual, and we had to resort to the electric-oil filled radiators provided. Personally, a little more information about the heating, hot-water and change over expectations would have been useful.

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• Josephine - Verified booking

  The holiday was disrupted from the start.

  The own phoned me 2 weeks before our holiday and asked if we would be willing to travel on the Sunday instead of the Saturday but we had an all day event to attend so couldn't manage so he said that would be OK. 2 days before our holiday Sykes phoned me and informed me as there was a leak in the bathroom could we travel on the Sunday instead or if not arrangements would be made to put us up in an hotel for the Saturday night which at that time we had no alternative but to agree. Trying to find out which hotel it was was another nightmare as nobody seemed to know and it was actually the day of travelling (and we were coming on a journey of over 400 miles from Scotland ) that we found out which hotel after numerous phone calls! We couldn't get into the Hawthorns until 12.45 on the Sunday which really disrupted our plans for the all day event we were attending. It was all very stressful and Sykes didn't appear to be concerned at all. As for the property itself that was big disappointment after some of the lovely properties we've stayed in. It wasn't very clean at all, kitchen dirty, TV didn't work properly, electric fires in both rooms downstairs had no plugs and just wires hanging out, underneath the seating in the living room was very dirty and dusty and the back garden was a disgrace. 4 cars parked outside the property which didn't add anything at all to neglected feel of the property. Very poor facilities and a really neglected air to the place. And also no sign of any work being done for a leak in the bathroom. I presume you do inspect these properties as there is a considerable amount of work needed on this house which could be lovely. Compensation was offered by the owner but never forthcoming and then to add insult to injury we were phoned about missing items which we knew absolutely nothing about. All very stressful indeed and I feel some sort of recompense should be offered by you or the owner. I'm so disappointed with Sykes and feel very let down after all the years we have been dealing with you. It's been a really stressful time for us both and your thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

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• Kevin - Verified booking

  We had a lovely week at Golf Links, it was great to be able to cross over the road and walk in the forest, especially after snow, as we did not need to drive and the forest looked so pretty.

  Also lunch and breakfast at the Visitor Centre were excellent. The cottage itself is great with a lovely new kitchen and bathroom, an excellent shower, big luxurious bath and comfy bed. WiFi coverage is excellent. Our biggest disappointment was how cold the cottage was to start with, the central heating does not seem capable in cold winter weather. However from Tuesday it warmed up and was very cosy thereafter. I don't know whether this was because the weather had warmed a little, or whether the cottage had been empty and unheated before our arrival and takes 4 days to warm up? Certainly we were very grateful for the provision of stand alone electric radiators, even though these were filthy. A shame as the cleanliness of the cottage was generally good, except for these and the sofa, which needed a good hoover on arrival, as mentioned by a previous visitor. We were also surprised that the log burner was not laid ready for use (or even cleaned out from its last use) as in other cottages we have stayed in. Finally, we have definitely been spoiled by the generosity of welcome baskets in cottages lately, so were rather surprised to receive nothing here, even though other visitors had left thanks for goodies. We will try not to take this personally!

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• Linsey - Verified booking

  Great cottage and location, it looked like it had just been renovated and everything was new, the plates still had paper between them .

  .. beds and pillows so Comfy and lovely bedding that smelt amazing, great towels and well equipped. So new the dishwasher wasn't plugged in and the water supply was not turned on, luckily we were able to sort this. As its new we found the door locks very stiff, and the back door lock easier to operate then the front. It's a warm house with a lovely big bathroom , 20 mins from chester zoo, and 10 mins from Blakemere shopping village which is worth a visit! Just over the road from delamere forest / the train station and go ape. We left a few recommendations, like coasters to be left to protect tables, and good instructions for what to do with towels and bedding on departure day etc We would also recommend better clothes hanging space if there for a week, space is limited a hanging rail or rail in the cupboard would be great. Also in every cottage we have stayed in, we always have loo roll left, so was surprised on arrival that there was none in the Downstairs loo and not a full one upstairs, Overall lovely stay and would definitely return , just a few tweaks for us would make it even better. Also be aware, as not advertised , large housing building development over the road, can be noisy at time too.

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