Large Cottages in Derbyshire for Group Holidays

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Danielle - Verified booking

  The location is brilliant and the kitchen fantastically equipped.

  The twin beds, especially, were really comfy. But there was quite a few issues with our stay, which would have been more acceptable if the property had been priced lower, but for the money we paid we were disappointed. We did contact the owners a couple of time to help resolve issues, and they responded in a timely fashion, but it didn’t resolve the internet issue: -upstairs toilet incredibly loud with a prelonged flush- meant we didn’t flush it at night so didn’t wake the baby and kids but but the morning with no ventilation and upto 6 uses is stunk! -only 4 toilet rolls provided- we ran out on the last morning. On leaving we mentioned this to a member of staff who quite rudely told us it’s self catered accommodation so there are 4 complimentary rolls. I understand the sentiment, but having stayed at a number of holiday homes, basic amenities like this, at a home of this cost, are a basic expectation. Just put a few extra in a cupboard? - internet doesn’t work. The network “Haddon” that the users said we should use, on response to us contacting them, appears at odd moments fleetingly then disappears. There are 2 other internet options available that appear (MikroTik-6A13CC) which I imagine are the boosters? Have no internet access once you connect. We were unable to use the internet during our stay. - insufficient towels for the whole party. No towels in one of the twin rooms so the children had to share our bath towels. - kitchen table had a table cloth on which got grubby after the first day (we were eating all our meals at the house with 3 children) so we removed it and the table underneath was sticky- we cleaned it several times but couldn’t get it to a acceptable state. It’s a beautiful table but need some TLC to sort the stickiness. -lights all flickered, on the Sunday evening it was so bad in the kitchen we could barely see to cook! Again contacted the owners as concerned it was linked to the rain and there was a fault. They reassured us it wasn’t. If this info had been included, in a welcome pack, for example we would have considered it and interesting quirk! - living room is a little uninviting, some shelves or a few pictures on the wall would really soften it. - piles of dog poo in the grass out the back. Difficult for owners to monitor this during stays but wanted to make you aware. On another note just to make the owners aware during the heavy rainfall on Sunday the walls at the back of the house, upstairs and down became visibly damp and damp to touch.

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• Robert - Verified booking

  We booked as 2 couples in their 70's, wanting 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and single beds for 1 couple.

  Broadhay met criteria. Got to destination after 9 hour journey from Devon having suffered much delay from motorway accidents and heavy traffic, so very tired. Kept owners updated of ETA via text messages during journey. On arrival, owner did not say "Welcome to Peak District - hope you enjoy your holiday", but rather seemed put out that we were so late (met us even though had in earlier phone conversation said she would unlock house and leave key in door). We were also harangued with Sykes Rental Contract and "Broadhay Rules" - first things in the house book (which contained contact details for doctors, dentists, hospitals, but no info on pubs, restaurants, shops or walks). Also, told we must empty bins and leave house in same state as found. Owner said she had made up 2 bedrooms as we had requested, ie 1 double and 1 twin, but we shouldn't use the 3rd bedroom as it had been prepared for the party following us. We said people have different needs - maybe a partner snores or is a light sleeper, etc. She would not listen and even said she would have removed the bedding entirely than let us use the 3rd bedroom if we had a need. 2nd couple arrived Monday and spent a bad first night as husband coughing and wheezing when lying down. Next night wife used 3rd bedroom, but removed all the bedding except the bottom sheet and re-used pillow and duvet from her twin bed. We need to know for future if owners can make such demands (not use a bedroom). We paid for a 3 bedroomed property. This woman very much needs to improve the way she talks to her paying guests. Our holiday was spoilt before it began.

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• Lorna - Verified booking

  V lovely couple who run the farm.

  They are obviously working very hard on their farm. However, they weren't very happy with me contacting them as regularly as I needed to for help with the problems we had. The farm smell was overwhelming as we're very close to the cow sheds. We needed help immediately because if the wind blows the wrong way the smell of the sess pit comes into the bathrooms. 1 table cloth made eating at the table difficult for 4 days as it couldn't be wiped down. The actual table is incredibly sticky, needs sanding and re varnishing. I asked for some spare table cloths and got 1 extra, so I ended up washing them and eventually went and bought my own. One of the farm dogs paid visits to our back door and barked at our dog, driving her crazy inside the cottage. Another night, she also barked at us outside, off lead. This meant I called the owners again and was reminded they get up early to milk and we'd awaken them. A different farm dog poo'd right outside our front door. One of the chairs at the dining table collapsed with me on it. I fell onto the floor and called asking for new chairs. I was simply asked if I could wait until morning. No one asked if I was OK. 2 chairs were dropped outside in the morning. I don't think that's ok. I don't think you work closely with the owners to resolve issues do you? Most of these issues are already published... some of these issues can just be resolved. It is a shame because they seem super nice, have a beautiful spot to share with guests and have a gorgeous working farm.

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• Julie - Verified booking

  We’ve just got back from a lovely weeks’ stay at Matlock Views.

  We were 5 adults and a 3 year old staying for most of the trip.The whole house was clean and well-equipped and we enjoyed the views and the hot tub immensely. Mum, Dad and little boy took the middle floor and Granny and Grandad and Auntie had the attic rooms. We enjoyed going to Matlock Farm Park, Bakewell, Chatsworth, Hardwick Hall, Belper, Cromford Mill and Peak Adventure at Rowsley. Our only real gripe was the quality of the bedding in our room on the top floor. The pillows were wafer thin and the duvet “cover” was about a foot too short for the duvet and had big holes in it! I slept in the en suite double on the last night and it was much more comfortable. We were a bit confused as to which was our “front door” when we arrived and indeed a hen party barged into our accommodation on the Saturday thinking they were staying in ours! The hot tub was checked on the Tuesday and given how heavy the lid was we’d put the two patio tables behind it to help take the weight. The guy checking the chemicals unhelpfully put them both back which was weird given we had another three days to go…Going forward you may also want to look at the radiator in the single bedroom where our grandson slept as it didn’t come on once the whole week, nor did the extractor fan in the main bathroom.

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• Kirstin - Verified booking

  Lovely house, well appointed, clean, comfortable and tastefully decorated.

  We had an excellent holiday meeting up with another family with 4 young children between us. We took our own travel cot and high chair as these were not supplied. The children enjoyed lots of space to play and a big bath. The location is excellent for Matlock centre and only 10 mins walk to the train station (a bit longer walking back up the steep hill!) and closer for a very good park, several cafes and bars and the lovely micropub 'the news room' up the hill. We also enjoyed the hot tub! Only a few minor points which could be improved: we would have liked a cafetiere (although ample supply of instant coffee provided along with tea, a big box of biscuits, some oil, sauces and other bits and bobs of food which were very thoughtfully provided.) Not an issue in October, but pale vertical blinds in the bedrooms would be insufficient in the summer- on a previous holiday elsewhere with similar our children were awake from 4.30am! Some blackout blinds or curtains would be a valuable addition to this house. The parking area is badly pot-holed which may not be in the owner's control, but a simple warning to be aware to park very slowly and carefully would be helpful. These were all minor issues for us however and we would happily stay here again (in the winter months).

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