Big Cottages & Group Accommodation in Dumfries and Galloway

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Laura - Verified booking

  We came to stay for my mums 70th birthday as a surprise, as she is from Stranraer.

  I took a lot of time to search and make sure we got what we needed. The moment I booked the property I regretted it from these points.. I received an email from the owners and the first line was ‘if you book through little laight directly it’s cheaper’ I clicked the link and that was correct. It was 50% cheaper!!!! I spent days searching for the correct property for us, I thoroughly searched and not once did little laight come up outside of a booking agent. I emailed the owners and no reply. I emailed again and was answered but told that it’s because I used an agent and they charge fees..but that other people have been able to book directly. If that is the case I would like to know how because even now when looking it only shows through booking agents. 50% is a huge difference especially when it cost the amount it did. I did question the owners again about how people found this and was ignored. Also in the email it went on to tell me basically how to behave. It really annoyed me actually and disappointed me that after spending so much money I was being dictated to. Clean up your dogs mess was mentioned so many times, like we would need to be told to even do this. Strip the beds. Turn the thermostats to 10. Turn the lights off. Leave the cottage as you found it. The list did go on. It probably didn’t help that we got sent these reminders in several more emails from the owners and Sykes which makes it feel even worse! This immediately made me regret my booking. So much so up until a week prior to booking I was looking elsewhere and I’d have taken the financial hit had I have found something less dictatorial. We are grown adults, with children, we don’t need to be told how to behave, it really did put a downer on it. Internet is very important for us and when searching I always filter that wherever we stay had it. I’m not sure how, if this slipped through in my search but there isn’t any internet! I bought a dongle and sim which worked. What I’d suggest is that wifi is installed, nowadays you’d expect or take for granted everywhere has it. The oven is hit and miss as to whether it works how you expect it to even when following the instructions. The hob isn’t something we’re used to so if you’re like us and keep thinking the plate isn’t working because the light goes off and on on the ring you’re using, don’t worry it is still working! A stain of what I can only presume was blood on bedding wasn’t the nicest of surprises and is something you would definitely know was there as it’s the first thing spotted when pulling back the duvet, it was on the bedsheet itself. Tear on one of the dining chair covers wasn’t an issue but wanted it noted so that we didn’t get the blame! The carpets throughout could do with some TLC, as could the sofa and chairs in the lounge. We arrived around 6pm and it was very cold inside, we couldn’t work out how the heating worked, the instructions weren’t that helpful, we did use the electric heater in the lounge in short bursts and shutting the door would help heat up the lounge but we didn’t use the lounge much. Underfloor heating isn’t something we are familiar with. L.L views are nothing short of breath taking. We were extremely lucky with the weather it was beautiful. There was plenty of space outside for the dog to run about and some great wee areas that shielded you from the wind to sit with a hot drink and enjoy the views of Stranraer and Ireland. It only took 10-15 minutes to get into town from Cairnryan, the majority of that time was waiting on the grouse and sheep to stop trying to help guide us down the dirt track by walking right in front of the car! It was hilarious and we all enjoyed it. The cottage was well equipped. We had family over for lunch and there was plenty of cutlery and crockery, we did bring some bits from home as unsure what would be available and we didn’t need to bring anything. The bedrooms were very comfortable and the en-suites had everything needed. Surprisingly the water pressure for the shower was very good and the hot water lasted well. The beds were comfy and the duvets were duck down or goose down which is definitely something you need for the winter months so that was a good surprise. The cottage was decorated well throughout and clean. It was a lovely space and plenty of room for 6 of us plus a dog. You won’t get any deliveries of any sort there so I’d make sure you know your surroundings and what’s available prior to visiting. This wasn’t an issue for us as we know the area. If you’re wanting to literally just get away from the norm of everyday life, put your phones and devices down, sit back with a book and forget reality then it’s absolutely the place for you!

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• Leanne - Verified booking

  We (2ad and 4ch age 7-11) had a wonderful stay at this cottage.

  From the pictures I wasn’t sure if it was two cottages side by side but it’s all the one cottage, so was a relief. Wonderful location, right on the beach. Great size garden, half of which is stoned incase you need to park the car. Dog hated the stones but luckily there was a path she could use to get to the grass lol. A washing line too which was fantastic. A nice view onto a field with horses too. The house inside was great, a brilliant size. The main bedroom was beautiful and spacious. The other bedrooms were great too. The kitchen, though small, was fine for our needs and had lots of utensils which was great. The house is situated on a path which leads to the beach so there are lots of people passing. This wouldn’t be a problem but our dog barks at people constantly so if I would’ve known, I may have avoided this property (glad I didn’t!) but just incase this is an issue for someone. We got cold at times, especially in the evening and at night. The heating is timed, so could do with a wee heater to use for the bedrooms, especially the main bedroom. Maybe some extra pillows and blankets too for us with no blood. The shower base filled quite quickly so may need looked at. The bath plug was hard to get out too…we used my sons plastic arrow set lol to stick to the plug then pull it out. Enjoyed a few baths. The beach is weird. I’m sure there is history regarding it. There are bouts of sand, dry and wet, severe muddy sand and loads of bricks and rocks. The kids just loved going for walks along the beach. We done it morning noon and night. Take a torch!! Maybe wellies or decent walking boots too. The only one downside was there is no local shop, so it was quite a trek to just get milk etc so stock up on supplies when you go to the supermarket. We would return in a heartbeat. The games in the cottage were great, I got halfway through a jigsaw! Just ideal, and thoroughly recommended.

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• Julie - Verified booking

  Second visit.

  Accommodation was outstanding but weather not so hot... in more ways than one.(Back home everyone was enjoying a heat wave, allegedly!) We had a little rain, high winds, thick sea mist, glorious sunshine and even saw the northern lights from the back of cottage. Nothing stopped us going out and enjoying our holiday. The lambs were as cute as ever! We came back and booked again for next year! I was a bit worried on Friday as the lack of wind stopped the turbine going round, thankfully everything still worked - lol! This meant we had a lovely morning sat outside on the picnic bench. We had a distant lesson in dry stone walling and a visiting pheasant, which I think the previous tenements had been feeding, and saw deer in the woods near Lairds Hill. We were fascinated with the Ferry captain reversing ghe Larne ferry into the dock, on our return to Little Laight, one evening. All in all we had a great time and the dogs enjoyed the garden, the local beaches and a good rest after a busy day out. Little Laight is a great chill out zone for everyone. WiFi would be grea, if only to check the weather forecast as we only get the Irish weather forecast and news, and to check the Glendale aurora status reports.

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• Andy - Verified booking

  Where to start.

  After coming to powfoot for over 30 years this is the worst place we have stayed. The cottage is damp filled, we had to leave 2 days early as we felt it took unsafe to sleep in Each room was outdated, filthy cobwebs dust dirty carpets, wall, under the seats. The bathrooms both had mould, again indicative of damp problems, disgusted by air fresheners No dryer, on rainy days all to be had was radiators, making towels and clothing stink of damp. Spilt food from previous rentals found under cooker when sweeping. Airing cupboard which housed vacuum and mop, filthy, covered with dog hair. We have photos of all we have highlighted taken on our 2nd day Our holiday ruined and our budget. Terrible service from the owner, only contact was a cleaner who clearly doesn't do their job Complaint raised with Sykes on the Sunday 4th August, who said they'd contact the owner and still yet to hear back from them. Review left on trip advisor and intent to seek legal action Disgusting at best. We are NHS frontline staff, time together is rare and precious, we have a disabled child, so this should have been our safe, comfy, quiet space, ruined by the misrepresentation of a not so lovely cottage and sub standard service.

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• David - Verified booking

  Pros...

  Peaceful (mostly), comfortable, loads of room, well equipped, virtually no light pollution at night. Cons... No BBQ (at least we couldn’t find one and it’s in the property details section on Sykes), shower is almost impossible to use, noisy windmill, complicated oven! Little Laight is so close to the perfect holiday cottage, great location, spacious and comfortable, breathtaking views and ideal for star gazers (never seen so many stars at night). It’s very close to the A77 and ferries to Belfast and Larne. However, we had to google the instructions for the incredibly complex oven controls. The angle at which the shower head fits to the wall causes water to splash all over the floor unless the tap is turned down to a miniscule dribble. The constant whoshwhoshwhosh from the windmill on the north side of the property is quite loud meaning we couldn’t open the bedroom windows at night. The positives comfortably outweigh the negatives and with a few adjustments this really would be the perfect holiday cottage. We would still highly recommend Little Laight as it’s a great base for anyone wanting to explore this beautiful part of Scotland.

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