Dog Friendly Newton Stewart Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Penninghamme is a lovely place and Gardeners Cottage is lovely, but a few things made me unhappy. The Welcome Pack, a short dated pint of milk and a packet of short cake custard creams with a greasy mark on underside. There was tea and coffee, but this looked old. In the kitchen, a tray with foil, peeled the foil off to see it was poorly cleaned. A mug had a dirty mark on the inside. The back door was still in a coat primer on the outside. A bulb was failing in the extractor. The bread knife was missing. In the lounge, the dining chairs were uncomfortable and were more suitable in a Conservatory - this is a matter of taste I know. Both recliners had minor issues, one wobbled - looks like a leg was facing the wrong way and the other lent slightly to the right. In the bathroom we loved the mirror with its light and touch screen demisting. The toilet seat did not fit properly and was at a slight angle - it doesn't really match the suite. Anoying issue with the shower, that it would cut out for no reason, forncing the user to turn the water up. Pressure was great, even if the water went everywhere. The beds were soft and comfortable. All the windows bar one were painted over, meaning only one opened. Information for guests was basic, some of the Discover Scotland info was not for SW Scotland. We left our pre printed walks information for future guests. In the grounds there is a sign close to the Gardeners Cottage, that said private, with another mentioning about the ducks. Is it private to guests or not? as the path seems to run up the side of the forest in front of the cottage, somewhere I could have found Red Squirrel or Deer etc.? The speedbumps could have done with some better indication, maybe painted like public speedbumps are. There is the estate office on site, however we did not use this feature as we were out everyday exploring the history of the area. Even with a long list of "issues", I will return as I have plenty more to explore or maybe try to walk the Merrick when the footpath isn't a stream!

  Read more less >

• G Williamson - Verified booking

  Really loved our stay in Gardeners Cottage on the Penninghame Estate and would definitely recommended this place for a lovely chill out holiday. The estate is just off a road next to the River Cree. Lovely and quiet this cottage has a lovely homely feel and is tucked away at one end of the estate so nobody drives past your cottage to get to other parts of the estate. The whole place was lovely and clean and decor and furnishings were to a good standard, the kitchen was also very well appointed with many items seeming to be pretty new. The place was lovely and warm and welcoming on arrival with the heating on at a background level and there was always lashings of very hot water for baths showers etc with all utilities included in the price. There are 2 single bed rooms and a double bed room and while we only slept in the double bed this was lovely and comfortable and was a good length for anyone over 6 foot tall ! 2 pillows per person were provided, one a bit firmer than the other so you had a choice to suit you if you are fussy on your pillows ! There is an office on site if you have any problems and very friendly, helpful staff to sort stuff straight away. Negatives from the stay,well, dont expect fine dining in the local area for your evening meal if you don’t intend cooking, the nearest town, Newton Stewart manages a few pubs that serve very basic food, cheap prices but basic fare, but together with a couple of takeaways thats it for food. The security on the cottage was really my only concern from our stay with the locks on the doors and window being very minimal and basic and when we arrived 2 of the downstairs windows could be opened from the outside with no way of locking them on the inside ! When I reported this to the office the following day basic locks were fitted to these windows within a couple of hours.

  Read more less >

• Mark - Verified booking

  Site of lodge peaceful and quiet, surrounding area glorious.

  Lodge itself overall poorly maintained, tired looking, unhygienic, poor cleanliness. Decking area full of cobwebs, green mould and algae, bird poo, dead plants in pots, seating rusty, discoloured, stained. Entrance step broken temp mend with gaffa tape, as is shower enclosure with hazard tape, mould and dirt ingrained in shower enclosure. Smoke alarms held on by blue tac as one fell off during our stay. Kitchen utensils pots and pans, glasses and cutlery filthy and requiring cleaning before use. Previous occupants food, slippers, toothbrushes and toiletries left in cupboards. Wifi not working as was television, sound only no picture ( known problem). Battery powered bedroom side light not working. Overall very disappointed as have used Sykes before, spent most of our time away from lodge and left early, Did not complain to Sykes or owner at the time as in my view to many problems and issues requiring solved and many of them already aware of by owner according to welcome book and cleaning schedule etc in folder. All above documented in various pictures I am able and willing to share on request with owner and Sykes, although I strongly recommend both require to visit lodge as my pictures and summary above are a true reflection of what we experienced and nothing like what you describe on your website. This customers journey was not a happy one. Mark and Fiona

  Read more less >

• Hilary - Verified booking

  The location is lovely.

  Unfortunately our hearts sank when we saw the caravan next door's motorhome parked a foot away from the side lounge window of the lodge. There was a really nice view from the decking of the fields to the left, but obliterated by the motorhome. The decking of the lodge was covered in dog hair and bird droppings, and a broken pot by the French doors also covered in bird droppings. The lodge has obviously been lovely at one time, but has an air of neglect about it, frayed curtains, dirty blinds and window ledges, fluff and dust behind the bathroom door, the oven and toaster were filthy, the kitchen cupboards dirty, especially the one under the sink. Utensil rack on the wall ingrained with grease. Dog hairs stuck to the valance on the double bed. No bedside lamp. Personal items, presumably the owner's, in cupboards and drawers, even shoes and socks in one of the bedroom drawers. Despite the property being advertised as having central heating the handbook stated that there is a fire in the lounge and a portable heater, and not to touch the controls of the boiler. All in all a total disappointment, made worse by the lack of attention to cleanliness.

  Read more less >

• Deb - Verified booking

  We loved the cottage and its remote situation.

  The directions were clear and after a long journey travelling over two days from Southern England this was much appreciated! The whole place was clean and tidy - I hope we left it as we found it. We also appreciated the little welcome pack of basics - the scones especially! We loved the village and the walk to the harbour - we had a meal at the pub one evening with our family who live nearby and sat outside watching the sun go down - lovely! The walk to the headland is beautiful and allowed our dog a bit of "off lead" time. They had seen dolphins out in the bay the previous week so we were very disappointed not to make a sighting and teased them that they had "bigged up" the place too much!! In fact we had a wonderful holiday - the local villages were nice, we visited two botanical gardens on the peninsula. And the weather was perfect too. It was just sad that we had to cut our stay short because of commitments at home. We intend to return to visit my cousin again and would stay in the cottage another time if its available. Thank you

  Read more less >