Christmas Cottages In Moray

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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• Victoria - Verified booking

  Comfortable for our needs as a base and clean which is very important.

  Lovely view from the front. Some of the bath towels were old and in need of replacement, for example bleach stains/discolouration was not very welcoming. There were no tea towels or dish cloths provided but I brought one of each from home just in case. There was a used green scourer pad and dish brush on arrival which we avoided. We brought a little washing up liquid, laundry liquid, kitchen roll from home which came in handy. We left behind our leftover hand wash and some of the above for the next guests. Someone else had left behind washing up liquid. We also brought some bin/food bags although someone had left some bin bags but we used our own. The conservatory has a few leaks when it’s raining heavy which I’m sure the owner already knows about, given the faint damp tide marks on the walls and the wet arm of the chair close to the exterior door. We did not use the outdoor furniture as they were a health and safety hazard and should have been removed and replaced prior to guests arriving. Legs seem to be missing and someone has placed large stones underneath to hold them up. The cleaners/owner will know about this and a previous guest mentioned. We wondered if the BBQ was safe next to wooden shed/fence. The grill part was balancing on stones. The bedroom downstairs has a badly fitted window causing the strong wind to blow the curtains around quite forcefully especially on the first and second night of our stay. Some of the crockery was tired. We would definitely visit the area again but would choose a different property next time. Nice food served next door. We did not find the pub too noisy at all and everyone we met on our travels was so lovely and friendly. Overall we enjoyed our stay in beautiful surroundings but the property is overpriced given the issues above.

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• Olwen - Verified booking

  Overall the cottage was lovely, spacious and well equipped but unfortunately there were a lot of things that went wrong while we stayed, windows not being wind tight and blowing open in the bad weather.

  .even waking some of us up during the night it was so drafty! The conservatory roof leaked a bit, and a really bad leak at the front door under the large front door mat! Also really lacking basic essentials which for the price of the cottage was really disappointing, no hand soap, no washing up liquid, no dishwasher tablets, no spare binliners not even one. Also bulbs not working in lamps, no sockets working in the living room when we arrived so we had to find the fuse board and sort that out because something had tripped out, and a bedroom window was left wide open when we arrived so the house was absolutely freezing and it took ages to warm up once we’d put the heating on! Sofas need replacing too, so uncomfortable! The good things..lots of space, loads of pots and pans etc in the kitchen which was good for 6 adults, nice shower, good secure garden for the dog, great spot by the harbour and hubby and sons were happy being next door to the pub!

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• John - Verified booking

  Spacious, clean & warm.

  Slippers, dressing gowns & some toiletries were provided. There were some slight issues due to us being the first people in after the winter eg not enough crockery. However, those issues were quickly resolved. There were only 6 dining chairs when the property is for 8. This wasn't an issue for us. Presumably that could have also been resolved if needed. There was no internet access initially. Apparently if you book through Sykes it is free; if you book through caravan park it isn't. There wasn't a TV in each room as advertised. Also there was no smart TV; at least none that was working.There was a DVD player, although none was advertised. The snooker table went down well. Although in the middle of a caravan park, it was quiet. This may not be the case in high season. There was no file with tourist information & instruction manuals, which you would expect from Sykes. Good views from the upstairs sitting room.

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• M B - Verified booking

  The house was lovely and in a great location.

  Owner came and put bins out for collection. Both double beds could do with new mattresses. I am happy always to keep house clean but lack of cleaning equipment. I don't think at cost of house customer should have to buy cleaning stuff. Had to purchase fairy liquid, dishwasher tablets, toilet cleaner etc. Hoover left to clean was a joke. Had not been emptied and fell apart and made cleaning up twice as hard. Put this right and house is a gem and loved staying here. Would we come again definitely. We also had a caravan from same people on Findochty Park. Excellent ask for caravan 11. Put the cleaning stuff in both. Only downside for us we have 3 dogs and can only bring one to house. Neighbours nice. Pub good for friendliness and having a drink. Food expensive and not the beat. Findochty beautiful and could not have had a better location for the house.

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