Dog Friendly Swanage Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Having stayed at Rowena cottage before we knew the cottage and location would be stunning and we were blessed with perfect weather so it was a lovely place to stay with our new grandson and son and daughter in law. We were, however, slightly disappointed with the fact that only two of the guests were provided with the larger bath sheets and the other two had the smaller bath towels (not really large enough to cover your modesty unless you're a size 8!). There was also no face cloths which I'm sure you used to provide and no hand towels for each guest only one in each bathroom. You also used to supply a set of toiletries per guest but now it's just per bathroom which if you had five adults staying at a property with two bathrooms isn't enough for a week! Despite providing liquid soap at the kitchen sink the kitchen didn't have a hand towel at all (fortunately I'd taken one from home) so washing hands in the kitchen during food preparation would have been difficult and there was only one tea towel supplied which wasn't really enough for a week. There weren't enough drinking glasses supplied in the kitchen if all five guests wanted to use the same type of glass - we did comment about this after we stayed there last year following guests who'd booked both cottages for a birthday party and we wondered if glasses had been mixed up between the two cottages? - however as no one was staying in Veronica we couldn't ask? The welcome hamper was up to your usual high standard but it was a shame that there wasn't a welcoming vase of flowers which normally greets you when you stay with Rural Retreats.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Cottage beautifully presented and spotlessly clean in a fabulous location. Well done to the housekeeping person/team! We really enjoyed our stay. Points for improvement would be: 1) Insufficient bottled water provided considering that water from the tap couldn't be used for culinary purposes or drinking. We ran out despite not being full occupancy. 2) Crockery needs updating and expanding - cooking equipment was excellent but the crockery was sparse and a bit scrappy in appearance - although we weren't full occupancy it was barely enough 3) Welcome hamper rather poor - it might be better not to offer one than provide such a sad and not very useful pack. Rural retreats used to offer lovely welcome packs with bread, eggs etc. The teabags, although in an unopened box, were all mouldy and had to be thrown away. 4) It would be helpful to advise customers about the type of bedding used. One of our party was allergic to feathers and the pillows and duvets were all feather. We will enquire in advance for any future hirings so that we know to come prepared with alternative bedding, but listing feather bedding as a feature on properties might be helpful to others? Please accept these points intended as helpful feedback. We loved being at Anvil Point and attention to the above would make it an even better experience.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Fabulous location on the coastal path with uninterrupted 180 degree views of the sea. The cottage is spacious and solid (18-24 inch thick walls) and has been restored / maintained to English Heritage standards. It's warm, the Wi-Fi works for basic emailing and surfing, and everything is clean and modern. The garden is fully enclosed by a 6ft wall and gates so ideal if you have children and/or dogs, though it is shared with, and open to, the adjoining cottage so you need to be considerate. The mains water was clean and clear however we stuck to the recommendation and bought in crates of bottled water from the local Co-op (what was supplied lasted 48 hours). The only slight negative was the incongruous collection of crockery, glasses and cutlery which catered for 4 (just) when the cottage sleeps 5. It meant we were constantly washing up and not able to use the dishwasher to its best. It would be a good investment to spend a few quid on at least 12 of everything. But this is a minor point in the scheme of things. We had hoped Swanage would be a walk for evenings in town, however it's quite hilly and so impractical from that point of view, but it's only a few minutes in the car. Overall a brilliant holiday and thoroughly recommended.

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  Lovely to return to Rowena cottage - a great place to stay with fantastic views and lovely walks around Durleston country park. Weather hot but with a cooling sea breeze. However, we did feel that RR standards weren't as good as in the past - no flowers on arrival, guest towels were small ( or we've grown fatter!), no flannels and only one set of toiletries per bathroom rather than per guest as previously. Also there were only two large glasses and two small tumblers in the kitchen whilst there were at least a dozen wine glasses ( not sure if this was because the previous occupants had hired both cottages for a 60th party and stuff had got mixed up) this wasn't very good for a cottage that sleeps five particularly in the hot weather! Much of the crockery/cutlery needed washing before using too. If you tell guests in your information that you send out that certain things will be included its helpful if they're there on arrival eg flannels, tinfoil/cling film, plentiful supply of bin bags ( only 2 there and you asked us to double bag rubbish!)

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• Confirmed Guest - Verified booking

  I stayed in the lighthouse during my wedding with my family. The lighthouse is absolutely magical and truly a unique place to stay. However, the reason I have given it three stars is because my father uses a wheelchair and it was extremely difficult to find out whether the lighthouse was accessible. I asked a number of times whether we could view the property to check the access and was only offered a handful of week day times to view it. I live in London so this was extremely difficult. I wish people would realise (particularly those in the hospitality industry) that they are supposed to be more helpful towards those with disabilities not obstructive and avoid any questions regarding disability. In the end we risked it and it was fine but it was a bit of a stressful run up to the wedding. The house keepers are also very hard to get hold of. I left numerous messages which were only answered a couple of days before the stay. However of you're not disabled, this place really is exceptional.

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