Large Dog Friendly Cottages in Cheshire

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Martin - Verified booking

  We have been delighted with Sykes Cottages before, and were therefore very disappointed with this one.

  It wasn't as good as it sounded in the description. We weren't impressed with the cleaning before our arrival e.g. Plates had been washed then put in the cupboard still wet, the oven knobs and bowls were very greasy and we had to wash them before they could be used. There was not enough washing up liquid, toilet paper or hand soap provided to see 4 economical people through a week, yet alone 6 as advertised. Therefore, we did have to use "a well-stocked convenience store for picking up any last-minute essentials". We had only expected to use the shop for newspapers, milk and food. It wasn't a "well equipped kitchen" for 6 e.g. only 3 egg cups, only 4 dessert spoons, only 1 shelf in oven, no lids for v limited range of pans. There were no cupboards for us to store our food. The space was used storing more wine & other glasses than we can ever imagine being used all at once. Not as comfortable as expected e.g. leaf of dining table sloped, and once the table was laid for a meal it was hard for people to pass to sit down. There weren't a matching set of dining chairs, we had to gather chairs from various rooms. The sofas were very low, there weren't sets of matching crockery etc. It was very difficult to "head out to the large rear garden" as back door was very hard to open, and side gate was very badly damaged before we arrived. Hard to "retire to the sitting room to relax" as there was only 1 small candle like light bulb in a light fitting that should have 5 lights. We wanted to be able to see so that we could read and write. The dining room only had 3/5 bulbs working. I found a spare bulb, but it didn't fit in either room. It looked like an "overhead shower.", but the fitment was broken before we arrived, so it could only be used as a hand held shower head which was awkward, especially as we'd been asked to leave the shower curtain draped over the shower screen. We eventually found the bath plug and ran baths instead. The bedrooms didn't have "plenty of storage for your belongings" as 2/4 cupboards in master bedroom were secured closed, and the other two cupboards already stored things like spare linen & clothes drier. In the back bedroom we couldn't turn the knobs to open either of the white cupboard doors, so all of us had to live out of our cases all week. However, we do agree that The Hawthorns is in "a prime location", "Tucked away in the pretty Cheshire village of Christleton", we did "enjoy leisurely strolls along the Shropshire Union Canal or around Christleton’s Duck Pond". We also appreciated that it was only a "short drive into the bustling city centre of Chester". It would have been nice to have some leaflets, bus timetables and maps available to read. We would also have appreciated information on basic things like which bin was for which rubbish - none of us came from Cheshire so we didn't know the system here. The wonderful location was the main reason for selecting this property as 40 years ago we had our wedding night in Chester. This holiday was to mark our Ruby Wedding Anniversary with our best friends. It was certainly a memorable holiday.

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• Josephine - Verified booking

  The holiday was disrupted from the start.

  The own phoned me 2 weeks before our holiday and asked if we would be willing to travel on the Sunday instead of the Saturday but we had an all day event to attend so couldn't manage so he said that would be OK. 2 days before our holiday Sykes phoned me and informed me as there was a leak in the bathroom could we travel on the Sunday instead or if not arrangements would be made to put us up in an hotel for the Saturday night which at that time we had no alternative but to agree. Trying to find out which hotel it was was another nightmare as nobody seemed to know and it was actually the day of travelling (and we were coming on a journey of over 400 miles from Scotland ) that we found out which hotel after numerous phone calls! We couldn't get into the Hawthorns until 12.45 on the Sunday which really disrupted our plans for the all day event we were attending. It was all very stressful and Sykes didn't appear to be concerned at all. As for the property itself that was big disappointment after some of the lovely properties we've stayed in. It wasn't very clean at all, kitchen dirty, TV didn't work properly, electric fires in both rooms downstairs had no plugs and just wires hanging out, underneath the seating in the living room was very dirty and dusty and the back garden was a disgrace. 4 cars parked outside the property which didn't add anything at all to neglected feel of the property. Very poor facilities and a really neglected air to the place. And also no sign of any work being done for a leak in the bathroom. I presume you do inspect these properties as there is a considerable amount of work needed on this house which could be lovely. Compensation was offered by the owner but never forthcoming and then to add insult to injury we were phoned about missing items which we knew absolutely nothing about. All very stressful indeed and I feel some sort of recompense should be offered by you or the owner. I'm so disappointed with Sykes and feel very let down after all the years we have been dealing with you. It's been a really stressful time for us both and your thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

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• Laura - Verified booking

  We had a lovely stay at the Hawthorns.

  The hosts was very accommodating with access and general information about the property It was in such a lovely area. Nice quiet Village. Nice local pub within walking distance and a convenience store next door. Also it was only a short drive to the main supermarket which was ideal as there were 6 of us staying. Lovely to have fresh clean towels out for all of us for our stay ready Kitchen had everything we needed for cooking during the week if we didn't go out. Beds we're so comfortable and fresh, wonderful nights sleep Lovely spacious front room with big sofas for us to relax and as there were 6 of us it was great with the additional table and chairs. We didn't use the back room too much but was also lovely to have more sitting areas if we needed it. The TV had netflix on so was good to watch a bit of TV during our stay

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• Elizabeth - Verified booking

  The garden was terrible.

  The grass had not been cut for a long time and there were piles of junk in it. There was no patio and the patio furniture was awful - standing water in the table and two very rickety, shabby chairs. The back door would only open part way. The kitchen was a disappointment, little surface space, partly because the huge fridge/freezer took up so much room. We couldn’t get any free view channels on the television and even BBC broke up a lot. Neither of the fires was working. The front entrance looked shabby and uncared for. However the owner was very helpful when we had no heating and the upstairs was fine (except a very hard bed) The two downstairs rooms were ok though the settees were not very comfortable. Really not worth three stars.

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• Sandra - Verified booking

  Solway is a lovely house in a great location for easy access to everywhere.

  Plenty of parking and grounds to the rear are amazing. The pool is gorgeous. I would question the bedrooms being listed as 'king size'. The rooms are large but the beds are not...more doubles than kings and not the best for comfort. Everywhere was clean, but the food cupboards need to be cleared from what seemed as leftovers from previous guests. Suzanne was great.. replying immediately when contacted, and sending texts to remind us of certain things ...and always polite and friendly. I would recommend Solway as it's probably the best holiday home we have stayed at, and we've stayed at a few!

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