Large Holiday Cottages by the Sea

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Saskia - Verified booking

  Dookers Hoose is a characterful and charming seaside retreat and was the perfect location for our family holiday.

  The house feels very welcoming and has a creative ambiance with artwork by the owner and family decorating the walls, a mix of vintage and modern furniture, books, games and window ledges decorated with seashore finds. This feels more of a home than just a holiday let, situated in Cullen Sea Town with its soft colourful walls, pantiles and tiny gardens at every turn. We loved being able to hear the sea from the house. We enjoyed cooking in the stylish and well-appointed kitchen and were very pleased to find so much space for storing supplies as well as an efficient washing machine. The layout of the ground floor makes it a very sociable space and on cooler evenings, we enjoyed the electric ‘wood burning’ stove which created a cosy atmosphere. We brought some solar powered fairy lights with us for added twinkle. The internet was consistently reliable and we did not for one moment miss having a TV. The little table in the front room was a perfect spot for drawing, painting and writing. We brought bikes, body boards and wetsuits and were delighted to have access to the garage for storage as well as clothes lines which made drying wet kit easy. In front of the garage and opposite the front of the house across a narrow, quiet side road is the small outdoor garden space with a picnic table. This was a lovely sunny spot to sit with morning coffee and a book watching the world go by. Just across the shore road lies the sea wall with steps down to a lovely stretch of sandy beach which is perfect for safe swimming and provides access to long walks along the shore. The steps on the sea side of the wall are a great place to sit with a drink and enjoy the huge skies and stunning sunsets. On your return from a swim, you can enter the little back yard through a gate and access the conveniently placed bathroom with shower. There are lovely coastal walks (or runs) from the house and we saw dolphins on several occasions from paths scented with bracken and wild thyme. The surrounding countryside is beautiful by bike and car, and there are many interesting places to visit. Supplies can be found in Cullen itself where there is a reasonably stocked Co-op and we noticed a deli opening soon. There is an amazing fresh fish shop in nearby Buckie and you may catch your own sea trout from the pier if the seals don’t get there first! If you prefer not to cook your own, the fish and chips in Cullen are consistently good. Any queries during our stay were answered quickly and the visitor’s book is brimming with information on local eateries and places of interest logged by the owners and visitors over the years. A lovely stay and we were sad to leave.

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• Paul - Verified booking

  I have to say that we were very disappointed with some aspects of cleanliness at the property, the kitchen and bathrooms in particular.

  I had to clean the ensuite shower tiles before we could use it, picture attached. The pink residue is a build-up of bacteria and skin cells, if this is not cleaned then mould will develop, which it had. The kitchen cupboards were all dirty with grease covering the shelves where the pans are stored, I have cleaned these out as well. Some pans are not fit to be used, (pictures attached) and need to be replaced. The oven was filthy and had not been cleaned for some time, I cleaned this as well, before and after picture attached. The oven trays provided were not fit to use so I purchased 2 new ones which I have left at the property. Also, several pans need to be replaced as they are not fit to be used. There are only 2 dinner forks and 3 small forks, the property sleeps 6 people so there is not enough cutlery, I ate my dinner with a spoon on the evenings we had guests. We found one cupboard full of food, which I presumed perhaps belonged to the owner, so moved it around in order to accommodate our own shopping items. To then receive an email the day prior to departure, reminding us to leave the property clean, tidy, in the same condition we found it and to remove all food from cupboards and fridge, just added insult to injury. We did not remove the food we found in the cupboard. This is not the standard of cleanliness one expects in a holiday rental property. I have more photographs should it be necessary. I look forward to hearing from you. Regards Paul Heath Have pic's to back this up

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• Lesley - Verified booking

  The cottage was great although a bit cobwebby!

  I placed a bag on top of the wardrobe to make space and when I took it down it was literally covered in dust and fluff. I realise it is an old cottage and accept cobwebs but a quick dust on top of wardrobes not difficult. The bedding was all very nice and fresh feeling. The downside of the kitchen was the cooker I would say. It was quite annoying that it had to be switched on 30 minutes before you could start to cook anything which is no good if you have young children who want to eat soon after you arrive home. Also, because I have arthritis in my hand, I found the doors almost impossible to open. Something to be aware of I think. Lovely view from the cottage windows, the children enjoyed watching the cows moving from field to field. Finally I would like to say I didn’t need so many emails from C &C giving me instructions on how the cottage was to be left, it was quite irritating, remove all bedding, put towels in black bags, make sure dishwasher is emptied, remove all rubbish etc etc. Personally I would always do that but when you are paying a not inconsiderable amount for a weeks stay you do not expect to be told to do the job of the cleaners for them.

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• Melanie - Verified booking

  The cottage is lovely and in a fantastic location, peaceful but close to Salcombe.

  The bedrooms and bathrooms were well appointed and comfortable. The chairs in the lounge were ok but not really that comfortable for a longer evening. The kitchen was nice overall but the cooking facilities are completely inappropriate for a holiday stay. The range cooker temperature needs to be manually controlled 30-60 minutes ahead of use, and even then the hot hob does not hold a boiling pan effectively. The induction hob unit to the side of the range is not straightforward to work out, and when in use the temperature cannot be finely adjusted. Coupled with the range issue we had to constantly blow on a simmering pan for 20 minutes to avoid it boiling over otherwise it would not hold a simmer either. This made cooking a meal for our family extremely difficult. The kitchen also needs to be equipped with more dish cleaning products, and we found the coffee machine wasn’t clean and we found old jacket potatoes in the range oven!

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• Martine - Verified booking

  Great cottage with lovely features.

  The garden was amazing and safe for young children to run around. The games room was an added bonus. The 15 minute walk into Salcombe is ok and is downhill but a steep walk back so might not be ideal for everyone, driving is possible however the lanes are very narrow and reversing is needed at times. The log burner in the lounge is a lovely touch but the sofas are not very comfortable, due to our stay being a summer month this did not really bother us this time. We did have an issue with lights and had to call an electrician out, we had to wait until the following morning so were without lighting for an evening. Parking is sufficient for 2 cars. Signage for the cottage could be improved so is more easily visible. The shed door is hanging off and we had a near miss when opening it. Wifi is good. I would recommend this cottage for a family stay.

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