Big Cottages & Group Accommodation in Bigbury on Sea

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Carole - Verified booking

  Right from the booking early in the year up to and including whilst we were away the Sykes' agents were very helpful, friendly and efficient at dealing with both the reservation and any subsequent queries.

  The holiday was a very special family get together as a celebration of good news following my recent health issues and it could not have been any better. The travel directions were excellent (although the last bit of the route along the typical narrow, high hedged Devon roads is not for the faint hearted!) Seaspray felt welcoming and smelt very clean as soon as we opened the door. Unlike previous holidays with other companies the photographs are accurate and not deceptive. It was wonderfully equipped with ample, spacious accommodation for 8 of us of 3 generations. We only used a car once during the whole week, unfortunately we chose to have a takeaway on the one evening that one of the recommended restaurants didn't deliver to Bigbury-on-Sea! The location is amazing, we all enjoyed the beach even on cloudy days - we were there on the hottest day of the year and although it was busy there was still plenty of space. We had some great multigeneration games of beach volley ball and the waves were perfect for grandchildren learning to bodyboard - but challenging enough for the "bigger" children. The Venus Beach cafe was wonderful - pasties strongly recommended and an excellent variety of both food and drink. The walk back up to the house is a little steep but great for walking off calories after pasties and ice creams..... The tractor trip and climb up Burgh Island fitted the bill perfectly providing great entries in the Year 3 holiday homework "busy book". We would also recommend treating yourself to afternoon tea at the Island hotel if you have a special occasion to celebrate whilst on holiday. We would all have liked to stay longer and would definitely recommend Seaspray and Sykes Cottages. We will certainly chose Sykes in the future.

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• Thomas - Verified booking

  We had a fantastic holiday at Seaspray and so much so we have booked again for next year.

  The house is in a great location with the best views of the sea and coast from any property we have stayed in. The property is very comfy and loads of indoor and outdoor space. Our party consisted of 6 (wife and I, two kids and grandparents) and we had ample space. Our eldest (4) loved his room as it had a lovely animal theme and very happily slept in there without a problem. The house was stocked with everything you need as a family on holiday: washing machine and dishwasher tablets, hand wash, loads of toys, kids puzzles and books. I wish they hold told us this in advance as this would have saved precious boot space and is a great selling point for families. There is also a storage box outside with things for the beach (buckets, spades etc.), which again it would have been great to have been made aware of and made it clear it was for guests. Only a few very niggles; 1)the blinds in the conservatory have seen better days and need replacing asap. You will want to close them in the afternoon to keep the house cool, but when do you will find sections are broken or don’t work well. 2) we have an electric car and as it is a little remote there are no charging stations within 30 mins drive. It would be a great benefit to get a electric car charger added to the property. There are some on other rentals on the road, so it would be great to see next year.

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• Thomas - Verified booking

  I’m not sure if you have changed cleaners since our last visit but the cleanliness has dropped significantly.

  The outside terrace is very dirty, it’s not been swept in months and desperately needs painting. The glass balustrade was so dirty you could barely see through it. I understand it’s a costal terrace and will get dirty quickly but all the other terraces along the row were much cleaner. Toilet seats are rickety and stained underneath. The new oven / cooker is great but the general condition of the kitchen is poor. Drawers don’t close properly / a cupboard door is hanging off. If anything there’s a little too many items, when you open the pan cupboard everything literally falls out and you can barely find anything. Bathrooms were not clean on arrival, we had to wipe over all services which were dusty. Towels provided are of poor quality, bath towels were too small so we had to use the beach towels instead. Not ideal. It’s such a shame really as our previous stay was wonderful, but these small details really have impacted our break away. We all feel the apartment just needs a little TLC, a lick of paint and some love to bring it back to its former glory. On a positive note the welcome pack was very much appreciated and the beds were really comfy with nice clean bedding.

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• Coralie - Verified booking

  Bigbury-on-Sea is a wonderful holiday destination.

  The beach is one massive stretch of sand that seems to go on for miles at low tide. The views from Burgh Island are fantastic. We enjoyed being able to do various walks straight from the cottage door which meant we didn’t need to drive anywhere for several days. However you do need to drive to pick up groceries apart from a small shop in the next bay of Challaborough which is accessible on foot down a steep unmade track. Sea spray cottage itself has everything you need in the way of facilities and equipment, it is on one level apart from a step down into the conservatory and one up to the master bedroom, there are several steps in the garden. The area in general has steep hills and is difficult if you have mobility issues. No need to watch tv as the view from the conservatory provides entertainment every minute of the day and whatever the weather, bring binoculars. We had near perfect sunny, warm weather for the two weeks we were there but if it rained every day you would need to drive out of the village along narrow country lanes to find indoor things to do. We went on this holiday as an older family group and it’s one of the best holidays we’ve had.

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• Hilary - Verified booking

  Cottage instructions inaccurate.

  There was no starter kit or logs for burner. Instead cupboard listed was labelled owners & filled with misc items!, Washing was left hanging in utility room, obscuring cupboard initially. Late evening during a thunderstorm with no other form of heating, being told the shop supplying logs 5 miles away, not helpful. Ash tray wasn’t emptied . Several large windows with views, filled with water from failed double glazing, spoiling the view. The patio door wouldn’t open in the bedroom that also needs a new mattress/bed. Had to sleep in children’s bed in little bedroom. Door keys need some attention, don’t always lock or unlock first time. My daughter had the same design & had no trouble once replaced. It was very difficult to manoeuvre my husbands xj jag through the narrow gate entrance, could do with opening the fixed side! There were conflicting instructions for rubbish collections with 2 different dates & no clear instructions what went in which bin, bearing in mind other parts of the country have different systems as do we in the High Peak! If all these issues were addressed it would be a really fab place to stay.

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