Dog Friendly Cottages York

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Katharine - Verified booking

  Overall we enjoyed our stay at Bracken Cottage.

  Everything was spotlessly clean, high spec and we found the cottage to be well equipped which made our stay very comfortable. We arrived to find a hamper of treats, milk and orange juice in the fridge and fluffy robes and slippers for each of us - off to a great start! The cottage is situated in a very quiet spot of countryside and we were undisturbed. There are three TVs, one in the living room, and one in each bedroom which made life easier as the kids could watch what they wanted. Unfortunately, I hadn’t realised until arriving at the cottage and reading the manual, that dogs are not allowed to be left unattended in the cottage. When I had booked Bracken Cottage it was listed as dog friendly and there was no mention of this rule. Thinking it wouldn’t be a problem (because our dog is well behaved, house trained and rarely barks unless someone’s at the door) we left the dog in the cottage so we could take the kids to York’s Chocolate Story (highly recommend, do pre-book) and York Minster (incredible) and go to The Shambles for some Harry Potter shopping! Whilst out, the owner reported me to Sykes and I received an emailing stating I needed to return to the dog and that I could be asked to leave if I did this again! Shocked by the threatening email, I contacted Sykes who advised me they always recommend owners implement this rule and they couldn’t help me any further, so I contacted the owner directly who advised me the dog had been barking and she was sitting on the sofa where she is not allowed to sit. Eventually the owner agreed to let it go and wished us a nice day, so we didn’t have to miss out on what we’d already booked, but this restricted the majority of our holiday from then on as we couldn’t leave the dog for any length of time if we didn’t want to risk being evicted! By the way, Sykes confirmed later, in another strongly worded email, that this rule is in the small print within the terms and conditions that you accept as you complete the booking. I didn’t read those and I’m pretty sure no one ever does, so beware. The hot tub is eco friendly and runs from a wood burner. This takes quite a long time to get going - 4 hours or so when it’s cold. We got better at using it as the week went on but it was a faff and very time consuming and you need to keep going outside every 10-15 minutes to check it and throw some wood/kindling on it. Once it’s his 38 degrees it’s lovely, but there are no bubbles. We would definitely have preferred an electric hot tub and to have paid more for it, so now we know. We went to the RAF museum (dog friendly) about 18 min drive from the cottage and enjoyed that, we also spent a day at Whitby which was fantastic and the kids and dog loved it. The Abbey is dog friendly as are the beaches, off peak.

  Read more less >

• Danielle - Verified booking

  Sykes Staff have been nothing but friendly and accommodating, they were not to fault for our unsatisfactory stay.

  The property however had dust webs left in corners (despite cleaners) and offered no QR code/Covid guidelines, no antibacterial hand wash or sanitiser (good job we took our own). We were greeted by a wasps nest by the front door obviously using the property’s roof. The door with its large double glass windows offered no privacy from passers by using the shared drive and communal laundry room given the fact the shower and toilet were right behind it which resulted in us having to hang a towel over the door. The pictures of the garden were misleading. It clearly shows a grass area which had been cordoned off and belonged to another property which only left the stoned area you see in the pictures which would have been fantastic if it weren’t for the fact they are not friendly to the paws of our fury friends which meant our pet friendly get away wasn’t in fact so pet friendly at all and his off lead play time went out the window. The directions to the property are not clear, even using ‘what four words’ we had difficulty. In the end we were forced to contact Sykes which then had to contact the owners who added another couple of steps to the directions. Frankly if it weren’t for the fact we had to rely on a family member for travel and our signal was so spotty we never would have stayed.

  Read more less >

• John - Verified booking

  A quiet and relaxing holiday in a well equipped property.

  We did one or two local walks but excess to the castle ruins in the village is not allowed for obvious reasons. You will know when you see them, however you can circumnavigate them. There are two pubs in Sheriff Hutton but the Castle Inn a few 100 yards away is now closed for the foreseeable future. The Highwayman does a really good Sunday Lunch but we didn't try the pub in the week, cooked a few meals in the cottage. A one woman taxi service exists in the village, see the local magazine. At the end of the road near the Highwayman is a really good cafe, it is called Quarmby's, we highly recommended it for a tasty treat and coffee. Openings, Wednesday. thought to Sunday. The cottage was comfortable and we slept well in a large bed, there is plenty of wardrobe and draw space. No problems with the facilities as there is a folder provided with all the information needed. The internet and mobile signals are good. No major problems, the owner is only a text or call away and is very helpful. I would like take this opportunity to thank her for the food, milk and beverages she provided on our arrival.

  Read more less >

• David - Verified booking

  The cottage was a delight.

  The welcome pack was a really nice touch and the homemade jam was gorgeous. The cottage was very clean throughout and the cleaner deserves to be personally thanked. The cottage was spotless. We loved the shower and the rear garden sitting out area. The bed was very comfortable and we had very restful nights. We loved the wooden shutters and the wood burner. We used it once on one chilly evening, but didn't need any wood. Burning the coal that was made up for us, was enough to take the chill away for an hour or so before bedtime. We understood that the cottage had access rights through the neighbours garden (like we do at our own home), but we didn't need to use that rear access. The weather was really good for our holiday break and our dog's feet were cleaned up and dried with towels (provided) at the front of the house. People in the village were very friendly, especially the young man in the stone house to the left beyond Ascot.

  Read more less >

• Carol - Verified booking

  Having stayed in some very nice holiday rentals over the years Bracken Cottage was definitely our favourite.

  The standard of the facilities in the bedrooms and bathrooms added a little touch of luxury with huge comfortable beds and roomy walk in rain showers. The kitchen was well equipped and although we mostly ate out it seemed to have everything needed to fully self cater. The en suite bedrooms are at opposite ends of the cottage, making it an ideal choice for two couples. Most importantly the property is spotlessly clean, not a speck of dust anywhere. The area outside the cottage is private with parking for two cars. Pocklington is a short drive away with plenty of choice for eating out and we particularly liked the Station Inn. There is so much to do in York and we made good use of the Park and Ride. We did find the settees in the cottage a little uncomfortable and would benefit from replacement with something a bit larger. We can highly recommed this cottage and we would love to stay there's again.

  Read more less >