Dog Friendly Cottages In East Lothian

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Fraser - Verified booking

  Well equipped rural cottage within a well run farm setting that has everything you’ll need to be at home away from home.

  The nearest building is a field away if you don’t count the cute old outbuildings in the garden. Booking and dealing with the owners was a cinch and the welcome of some milk and biscuits with fresh flowers on arrival was a nice touch. Kitchen is well equipped and although I brought tea and coffee there was already some there along with a range of condiments. Central heating plus log burners meant it never had to get cold and the large garden is a nice spot to sit when the sun’s out. A comprehensive welcome book sits in the kitchen for details of nearby attractions and services. WiFi covers the main living areas of kitchen and lounge with 5MBits down and 1.5 up (for those that care because the main thing about this house is the retreat away from the noise and distractions of home). I had work to do during the day and my video calls were uninterrupted. No mobile signal due to the location but calls and messages over wifi worked a treat. There’s a landline for emergencies. Some great walks to nearby Stenton and Garvald. The cottage is in a spot from where you can walk for a few miles in different directions and loop back round without returning the way you came. Bedding and towels were provided and the place was very clean. Loads of books and board games etc if you need them along with a TV if the weather turns bad. It’s an old cottage and not a city centre new build apartment … expect the old. It’s been two cottages turned into one and extended to create a large social space in the kitchen … you can see the quirk of where the old second front door must have been. Large dishwasher and a good working washing machine made the stay easier and there are clothes horses plus a washing line you can tie up if you want to. Haddington and Dunbar are short drives away for anything you’ve forgotten or need; and are well worth a visit anyway. I’d buy it if I could!

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• Jane - Verified booking

  The property was dirty.

  I cleaned the wash hand basin which at first glance i thought was just worn but had thick grey mould around the plug and the plug hole was full of it and required lots of unspeakable debris and hair pulling out of it. The sofa bed is broken anddid not open and looked very thin and probably not sleepable on as per previous reviews. The cooker had a spillage which set the main alarm off. We stood outside for a.xonsiderable time while someone cam to cancel it. They did not investigate the cause. we did not eat the first night and had takeaway the second The housekeeper arrived on Monday to clean it. We subsequently threw away most of our food and left on Wednesday after realising that the grime was also on the bottom of a baking tray we had removed from the oven and which caused it to smoke when we tried to use it again on the Wednesday. This caused us to have to open all of the doors as therw are no opening windowa in the kitchen living area and no cooker extractor fan. The emergency phone number was not answered. The oven in my opinion being narrow, having only one shelf and no separate grill is not fit for six people. The cottage is not for six people. Had the sofa bed been functional it was impossible to sleep in that room due to two very bright emergency exit lights. The gardens are accessible by the public 24/7 and children walked in on one occasion. This is not in the listing nor the events where there is no privacy to be had. Overall it is tired and dated with the kitchen area and electric cooker sited on carpet. There is no draining rack for dishes and the tiny ice box was full of ice. The double bed sheets had old stains on them which was unpleasant although all bedding was clean.The beeping smoke alrm which i reported was taken away as they did not have a battery. I intend to seek financial compensation. We went home on Wednesday which should speak for itself.

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• Julie - Verified booking

  We loved the cottage feel and it had so much character.

  It was a great cottage to come home to after a day exploring. The area was outstanding and we will definitely return in the future. The location couldn't have been better for a walking holiday along the North Berwick coastline. The milk and packet of biscuits were a nice touch, but we could've done with some washing up liquid/dishcloth and hand soap for our first evening. Some firelighters for the fire would've helped as well. Access after 5pm meant, after 200 miles travelling, we weren't in the mood go to the nearest shop over 5 miles away. Wifi was very good. There was so much positive about the cottage we are reluctant to say anything negative but would like to make a couple of points so the owners can address them if the feel they would like to. The bathroom could do with some attention - the toilet makes a very loud 'singing' noise when flushed, which kept waking people up in the night. The shower screen is broken to such an extent that the floor floods each time you have a shower. The garden is a fantastic size and was very secure for the dogs. Unfortunately it is very overgrown - to such an extent that the sun is blocked by trees and shrubs late afternoon. The views from the house could be wonderful if a little garden maintenance was carried out. The garden furniture could do with updating - the existing furniture is rusty/mouldy/broken. It is such a shame because the setting is so peaceful and would've added to a wonderful holiday if we could've sat out when we returned in the afternoon/evening. Overall the cottage is very well equipped but some pint glasses would've been handy.

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• Melanie - Verified booking

  Stayed here at old smiddy cottage for a week during Easter.

  Such a beautiful cottage in the middle of nowhere which was perfect and the views stunning.Our only neighbours were the cows. Would love to know about the history of the cottage so maybe a little piece in the welcome book. Arrived to some shortbread biscuits which were delicious, some milk and daffodils which were lovely . The cottage is very comfortable and well equipped with all you need including dishwasher and washing machine . Wi-Fi was excellent in the cottage. Beds comfy but we found the pillows too soft for us but still slept well. Our 6 yr old son slept all night and said his room was lovely he didn’t want to get out of bed in the mornings. The garden is lovely and secluded, we didn’t really get a chance to sit out as was a bit chilly still but I bet in the summer it’s amazing. The cottage is about 25 mins to north Berwick which was lovely and Edinburgh was 40 mins. We did lots of day trips including Stirling castle, Edinburgh and the zoo, museum of flight, Preston mill and Dunbar. We had an amazing week and was lovely coming back to the peaceful cottage after busy days. We hardly saw any cars pass the cottage. We would definetly recommend and would come back here. Our son cried because we had to leave and said he didn’t want to go because he had the best time. Thank you, we will be back. Mel, Dave and Finley x

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• Rachel - Verified booking

  We had a great week at St Agnes.

  The house is huge, surrounded by beautiful views. Our dog loved the enclosed garden, with plenty of pheasants to keep her bounding around. The kitchen is well equipped, and seemed very clean to us. There is a Nespresso machine in the kitchen - I didn't know this until we arrived. The piano was a great hit with all of us (even if it is, understandably, a bit out of tune!). Thanks to You Tube, we were all maestros by the end of the week! There are plenty of walks from the door, or a short drive away. There is lots of information in the folder. Following a negative review about the heating, I contacted Sykes Cottages for some reassurance. Twice I was told that someone would call me back, I still haven't received a call. I ended up speaking to the owner who couldn't have been more reassuring and helpful. St Agnes is a warm house, the heating warms it up quickly when returning from a day of walking. When the heating is on, there is a smell of oil but, hopefully, the owner will be getting the engineer out soon to fix the issue. It is also worth pointing out that the owner doesn't provide coal/wood for the fire - I was told by Sykes Cottages that all fuel was provided, and their website would also lead you to believe this is the case. All in all we enjoyed our stay.

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