Large Cottages in County Durham with Hot Tubs

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Joanna - Verified booking

  A very mixed review for our stay last weekend.

  The house itself is lovely and was comfortable and clean. A few damp patches in the second double room that needed tending too but we appreciated the age of the building. Unfortunately we all came back from the weekend unwell, my son has such a bad rash I've had to take him to the doctor's who confirmed Pseudomonas Folliculitis and that it came from the poorly sanitised hot tub he said the bacteria comes from poor sanitation and upkeep of the water. We complained to the owners whilst we were there about the smell coming from the tub and that the water was extremely dirty after only one use. The owner suggested that it was my makeup that had caused the filter to clog up and that he hadn't seen anything like it before as the filter was completely blocked and refilled the tub but it was too late. My son had already started to get spots, there is no way we could have made the water that unsanitary in one use that it caused such an infection. I also had no makeup on while using the tub. My son is so unwell as a result that he's had to be treated with two different types of antibiotics and steroid cream as it's really painful and inflamed and he's had a raging temperature all week - the rest of us are seeing how we get on but all have spots where our swimwear was all apart from my mother who didn't go in. This is definitely a health and safety matter and very concerning. He could potentially have scars all over his torso now as the infection is so bad! We complained to Sykes days ago and have had no response so leaving our review here so that others are aware of the dangers of unclean hot tubs.

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• Joanne - Verified booking

  From initially booking through Skykes until the day of our departure, the hosts Debbie & Nigel were fantastic with their communication.

  I messaged Debbie the day before our 4 night arrival over the new year break and was given clear directions and instructions. Upon arrival there was ample parking. The property was well described and as lovely as expected. There was complimentary tea/coffee/milk, along with some rather tasty mince pies and mulled wine. The heating was on for our arrival which was a nice touch when it’s freezing outside. The place was spotless and very well presented. It didn’t take us long to get the log burner roaring and we felt right at home. Hot tub was an added bonus. We even caught Nigel carrying out his top up duties early one morning and ensuring the hot tub was lovely and clean throughout our stay. The weather wasn’t too kind to us for the whole stay but when we got chance to go out and about we had a lovely walk along the river with the dogs. We visited the local shop which had absolutely everything anyone could need without having to venture further afield. We also visited the Frosterley pub several times which was such a welcoming local. Everyone was so friendly. Kids and dogs were welcomed too. We all (4 adults, 2 children, 2 dogs) had an amazing time at The Barn. Highly recommended if you are planning a trip to Weardale.

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• Patricia - Verified booking

  Had a lovely stay.

  Fabulous location with stunning countryside views and a great hot tub. Negative points include, steep access to walking routes, not suitable for those with limited mobility or babies/ toddlers with pushchair or pram. We weren't happy that there wasn't a wasbasin in the downstairs loo, or a working light. Back double bedroom had a little black mould in the shower and an area on the wall near to the ceiling. Both ensuite showers were good, but the shower in the family bathroom was poor, with very limited pressure, only a dribble. Well equipped kitchen. Would have appreciated a slow cooker as It's nice to prepare a meal to come back to after a day out walking. The welcome cheese and biscuits and fizz was very much appreciated. We had a nice stay celebrating a special anniversary,however not sure we'd rebook this particular property for the points mentioned but would definitely visit the area again

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• Christine - Verified booking

  Great Stay!

  great little village too with nice pubs and 30mins walk into Spennymoor or even bus to Durham for the day. Feels very remote though and private. House was very nice loved the under floor heating. Only marked down a little because there were only stick kindling no logs for the fire so didn't last long and no way of cleaning the ash left previously. Hot tub great but would have been nice to have some robes/flip flops. I brought mine as know its a good idea with hot tub. Hot tub was clean and Owner Mark came to check on chemical levels etc. He was very friendly. A guest book would be good for any recommendations etc, and maybe some board games? Check out could do with being an hour later... everything had to be cleaned and put back, which is fair enough, however I didn't put dish washer on correctly over night so pots etc left in working dishwasher.

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• Janine - Verified booking

  Lovely big house and garden.

  We were a family of adults and kids celebrating a 70th bday party. Owner kindly gave us permission to have other family guests (mainly kids and elderly) over for an afternoon to celebrate a bday bbq and hire a bouncy castle. Extremely concerned that the owner had multiple cameras on the outside of the property. Three of these were pointing at the outdoor area and hot tub. This was not disclosed in the booking. We had children getting in and out of the hot tub and feel this is very inappropriate to have cctv on them. The owner visited daily to clean the hot tub and made several comments how dirty it was (don’t know what he expected when this was placed on the grass). He made lots of negative comments regarding previous guests. In reality we think he was checking up on us which felt very invasive.

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