Christmas Cottages In The Peak District

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Gillian - Verified booking

  Our stay over Christmas at Holly Cottage was mixed.

  The cottage itself is in a beautiful village of Winster with its two friendly pubs and a very handy Community Shop run by helpful and friendly volunteers, such assets for the village. Holly Cottage itself was nicely decorated downstairs for Christmas. Unfortunately our stay was marred by the fact that the cottage was not very clean, there were cobwebs hanging from the ceiling in the bedroom, the bathroom was not very hygienic - the plughole in particular was disgusting. The bedroom that had two beds pushed together had a very thin sheet on the bed and no mattress cover which I found very unhygienic. Also the outer wall in this bedroom was very damp and wet. The cooker door did not shut properly which bearing in mind I was cooking Christmas lunch was a bit annoying. I am told by Sykes that I should have complained at the time even though it was the Christmas break and bank holidays and that the issues would have been remedied! So this is advice for all future users - make sure you report the issues at the time. The owner on hearing of the issues following my initial particularly around the cleanliness of the property emailed me and I quote "was sorry to read that the cleanliness of the cottage was not up to standard. I have not been pleased with the company I have been employing for cleaning/laundry and as a result have a new company starting on Monday". This in my view is an acknowledgement that there were and had been issues with cleanliness at Holly Cottage. Its a shame it spoilt what was our first Christmas away from home for nearly 20 years.

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• Caroline - Verified booking

  A wonderful stay in this chocolate box cottage.

  As we drove up through Winster village, which is steeped in history, we saw Holly Cottage up ahead. This is a truly delightful cottage with tasteful decor, original character features and all of the comforts (and practicalities) of home. Jo provides an excellent welcome pack, full of useful local information. The cottage is well equipped and immaculately clean. The beds were really comfortable and all of the towels and linen were of good quality. Holly Cottage is clearly loved and looked after! We had a lovely meal in the Bowling Green pub, a mere stones throw from the cottage. There's plenty to see and do and we visited Bakewell and Matlock Bath on our whistle-stop tour of Derbyshire. The scenery is stunning, as is the architecture (both of Winster village and further afield). The local village store is really well stocked and run by volunteers, who were friendly and helpful. We strolled down the road for firewood and supplies and had a lovely chat with a local chap about his Land Rover. It's clearly a lovely community in a sleepy, (very) old village. We highly recommend this charming cottage either as a cosy retreat or a base for your holiday. Our only disappointment was that in late February, with the Beast from the East heading inland, we were unable to enjoy the fabulous garden to the rear of the property. That's definitely a summer sport! Thanks again to Jo and family, we had a fabulous time in your beautiful cottage. Caroline and Tim, Haworth, West Yorkshire.

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• Nigel - Verified booking

  We first visited this property 2.

  5 years ago, and apart from a loose toilet seat in the family bathroom, it was in very good condition. The location is brilliant, in easy walking distance of Bakewell. It has high quality fixtures and fittings in the bathrooms and kitchen, and the beds are comfortable. Accommodation is spacious. Unfortunately, it is now suffering from a serious lack of maintenance, resulting in the following problems: The side door was not locked on arrival. None of the females in my party were strong enough to lift it and lock it. The kitchen tap dripped constantly. A sign said it was due to be remedied in June, but, clearly nothing had been done. The electricity tripped many times a day. One of the light switches in the living room had a notice (June) saying do not use, and that it would be fixed the following week. Power was off when we arrived and the freezer was full of water. Downstairs toilet door would not shut and toilet seat was loose. Family bathroom seat still loose. This toilet was also flushing slightly, all the time. Master bedroom window wouldn't shut, and held in place by card. Several pieces of crockery chipped. Many windows dirty with cobwebs as well. Paint on skirtings in en-suite and downstairs toilet flaking (presumably through previous water damage. WE would consider renting again, but only if the faults were rectified.

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• Ms Simon - Verified booking

  This is a wonderful property for a family stay. Very spacious, comfortable and well equipped in the kitchen. My family and I spent a week here and had a wonderful time catching up with family and friends who lived nearby. The location is a short drive into Matlock; the walk into town is just over 30 minutes although I would recommend a taxi back due to the hills! The area is steeped in history and we were spoilt for choice in finding interesting things to do: Heights of Abraham; Chatsworth House; Peak District Mining Museum in Matlock; Cromford Mills; we even ventured to Alton Towers and Dovedale for a hike although the stepping stones were impassable due to flooding. We had also booked to see the Matlock illuminations but unfortunately this was also cancelled due to Storm Babet and the high water levels. We ate out a few times in Matlock - recommend Spice (Indian restaurant), Thai no1 and Buddy’s. The Remarkable Hare was our pub of choice. Back at the house, just 10 minutes down the Lane was a local pub which we also visited. Parking on the drive can be tricky due to the steepness, and I wouldn’t recommend this property if you have mobility issues for this reason, but for anyone else it’s a definite winner!

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• Jane - Verified booking

  We had an excellent week at Holly Cottage.

  The cottage was clean, cosy and comfortable and an excellent base for a winter holiday. Whatever problems existed for the previous booking, have been dealt with and we all enjoyed our stay. It is an old cottage, it’s quirks are more charming than annoying and a summer stay would also include the use of a rather nice garden (a bit chilly in February, so largely unused this trip). Parking outside the cottage is a bit of a lottery, but we managed to unload and load there and then the owners provide a space a two-minute’s walk up the hill, so it’s not a problem. Winster itself is a lovely village to stay in - we were here in a different cottage last year and came back for a second trip. It’s excellent for walks – you can simply walk out the front door and be in the countryside a couple of minutes later. And it also has a very good village store too. Bakewell is about 15 minutes away, for shops and supermarkets, but mostly we spent the week exploring the myriad of footpaths that run out of the village.

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