Big Cottages & Group Accommodation in Derby

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Gillian - Verified booking

  This delightful, comfortable, cottage is situated in the heart of the small village within walking distance the local Pub and Shipley Park.

  The access road to the property is poorly maintained and full of deep potholes. No welcome message or instructions are left by the owner. The accommodation itself is as exactly as described on the rental website but is need of thorough spring cleaning and maintenance. The heating works very well and there is plenty of hot water. The lounge is very comfortable, and the smart TV was appreciated. It is unfortunate that there are no TVs in the two double bedrooms. There is no interior door mat from the terrace into the lounge. The downstairs bedroom lacks privacy from the neighbours and only has flimsy horizontal venetian blinds against the windows that have been repaired with staples. There are no black-out curtains resulting in being frequently woken during the night when neighbouring external detection lights switch on. The mattress was comfortable, but the bed rattled each time you turn over. A ceiling light bulb was missing. The stained but washed fitted sheet on the downstairs bed was not deep enough for the mattress. The shower room downstairs is outdated, the toilet is difficult to flush and black grime was apparent around the plug hole on the very low, tiny wash basin and at the bottom of the shower, which has a high step to get into. The extractor fan looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned for years. The upstairs bathroom has no shower over the bath and is also outdated. There is nowhere to put your toiletries. The toilet is equally difficult to flush. No bath mats are provided. The kitchen was very functional. The electrical appliances worked well, but the oven was dirty, and most of the temperature/programme indicators have been rubbed away. The extractor over the gas rings was very greasy and the light didn’t work. A light tube over the work surface wasn’t working and those that did were greasy. Some shelves in the small fridge are broken or missing. The small freezer works well. Some of the cooking instruments in the pots on the work surface were dirty. The dish washer worked well. Hot water seeps from the kitchen tap. The cupboard housing the washing machine has no lighting, was cluttered with empty air fresheners, and needed cleaning. There is no clothes basket nor clothes horse apart from the one outside which is not practical if raining. The private terrace equipped with a tiny table, 6 chairs and a parasol and the garden were appreciated. The lawn needs mowing and the terrace and furniture were all in desperate need of cleaning. The gate to the private parking is impossible to open resulting in having to park the car in the road at the front of the cottage. Some of the latches on the windows are coming unscrewed, the door to the broom cupboard doesn’t shut and the mop and bucket need replacing since broken. All in all, this property has the potential of being excellent if only it were better maintained, cleaned more thoroughly, and blackout curtains placed in the downstairs bedroom.

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• Yvonne - Verified booking

  Please find below our findings at 60 Swinney lane, Belper On arrival we could not stop the smoke detector from blipping and spent hours trying to get an answer from emergency phone numbers in the information leaflets.

  Only to find that the people who had the numbers were in Japan! We eventually managed to speak to someone at Sykes who e mailed the owner. Eventually the owners daughter arrived and changed the battery. I must say that the young lady in question was very polite and helpful. The reviews stated that they received a welcome pack on arrival. All we were left were a cupboard with half used items, jams, sauces and other food items. The freezer was situated in a brick built shed the door of which was rotten and was hard to open. Once we did get into the freezer it was covered in debris that had fallen from ceiling. On opening the freezer we found three packets of half eaten ice creams! Towels provided we not much bigger than a t towel and there was no spares in the blanket box, unfortunately this was empty. Inside we found the floors to be dirty as was the table in the dining room. On inspecting the oven we found that it needed a good clean as was the grill pan and two metal trays left in the main oven. The shower cubicle needs re grouting and the shower water does not get very hot. The outside terrace area needed sweeping and tidying, the mat by the back door looked Jurassic and is falling apart. The BBQ had been emptied but the grill was filthy. All in all we were very disappointed with our stay. This is a very lovely cottage that has the potential to be a great holiday location.

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• Jennifer - Verified booking

  The cottage was lovely.

  A peaceful, beautiful setting and close to various places - 20min to Matlock Bath, 30min to Alton Towers. It was exceptionally clean and the owner had provided all the essentials - dishwasher tablets, kitchen roll, washing up liquid etc. She had also, very kindly left a bottle of prosecco and home made cake - a lovely touch. Good blackout curtains in bedrooms, so great for kids. Upstairs double could however do with a floor to ceiling mirror on the wall. Highly recommend the The Cock Inn at Mugginton. 5 min drive, food excellent and lovely restaurant with reasonable prices. Only slight negative is the fact there is only one main bathroom (shower) which is upstairs and as far away as it could be from downstairs bedroom. Ok if staying with close family, but may be an issue if staying as a group of friends. With a re-jig, the cloakroom toilet and under stairs could be made into a small shower room, which would make the cottage more appealing. I would definitely stay again if requiring accommodation in the area.

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• Andrew - Verified booking

  Lovely stay at The Cottage.

  Clean and warm on arrival (keysafe). Very comfy beds and seating. WiFi connection good and reliable. Very spacious property with good size fridge and freezer. Downstairs bedroom and shower room really useful. Downstairs shower had great pressure (12" step). Fully equipped with everything you need for self catering. Private secure parking. OK there are no views from the property but lovely quiet walks direct from property with views and close to Shipley park which is massive with nature reserves. A few things needed to improve , no matches or kindling left for fire, needs a local information pack, heavy wooden gates to private parking drag on the floor and difficult to open and close without physically lifting. Advised by Sykes owners choose not to provide any contact details and any contact is via Sykes, contact details would be helpful . Would book again without hesitation .

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• Teresa - Verified booking

  We loved the peaceful and safe location.

  We have three children and felt safe to go out for walks in the local area. The garden views from the property are beautiful and the local area had fields with animals including sheep and horses that the children loved. Jo and John were extremely helpful and went above and beyond to resolve any request or query raised. The property is child friendly with a child seat provided at the dining table. The bread, chocolate cake, flowers and a few other goodies that were provided upon arrival made for an extra special welcome! The sitting room was extremely cosy with its soft furnishings and long sofas. We are a family of five and I can confidently say that we all loved our stay and would definitely return to Woodlands farm! I would highly recommend this property to stay for a family holiday.

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