Guests say
The Watchers, a cottage in Fowey, Cornwall, boasts stunning views and a well-appointed interior with comfortable beds and soft linen. However, guests have noted issues with garden maintenance and access, including overgrown vegetation and challenging parking. The property's location offers easy access to local amenities and the charm of Cornwall's landscape.
Guests have reported the property as unclean upon arrival with unmade beds and rubbish left behind. Cleaners were responsive but delayed, which caused inconvenience.
The property offers fantastic views and proximity to local attractions. However, the steep and narrow approach, along with parking difficulties, detracts from the experience.
The interior is praised for its spaciousness, well-appointed bathrooms, and comfortable beds with soft linen, contributing to a pleasant stay indoors.
While the house is equipped with great facilities and decorated to a high standard, the neglected garden, slippery steps, and lack of maintenance outdoors have been a letdown for guests.
There is a mention of cleaners bringing wine as an apology, but as this is not a standard amenity and no other gifts are referenced, it is not possible to assess the thoughtfulness of the property management consistently.
About this property
Tywardreath 2.6 miles. This stunning, detached property sits in the idyllic riverside village of Golant near Fowey, Cornwall. Affording beautiful views down the river, The Watchers provides a magnificent base for a family looking to spend quality time together. Stepping inside, the ground-floor offers a bright and airy open-plan living space, with an amply appointed kitchen housing all the essentials for home-cooking, whilst the centre dining table is ideal for mealtimes. Move over to the sitting area and you’ll be drawn to the stunning river views, with a corner sofa and two chairs for you to relax on. Sort out your laundry in the utility room, complete with washing machine and tumble dryer, before locating a twin bedroom and adjacent contemporary shower room. Move upstairs and discover further class, with three tasteful bedrooms to choose from; the master occupies a generous super-king-size with freestanding bath and en-suite shower, whilst there is also another super-king-size and twin with beautiful presentation. Completing the interior is a gleaming family bathroom, providing a choice of roll-top bath with hand-held shower, or a separate walk-in shower, so you can best decide how to prepare for your day. At the rear of The Watchers lies a decked area with furniture, so you can enjoy alfresco dining with a view, whilst there is off-road parking at the front for one car, with extra parking available in the village at an additional cost. Just around the corner is a traditional pub, the Fishermans Arms, offering a hearty menu and selection of ales, whilst a little further up the road lies a popular bar, the Bar Silo Cornwall, perfect for a greater variety of beverages. In Golant you will find Encounter Cornwall who run water activities such as Kayak trips as well as stand-up paddleboarding lessons and tours. Take off further afield and explore pretty coves with sandy beaches nearby such as Lantic Bay and Ready Money Cove with the town of St Austell within easy driving distance. Head to the historic port town of Fowey, where you can visit Fowey Museum, explore the Aquarium, take the ferry across the harbour to Polruan or join the scenic South West Coast Path for breath-taking walks. Escape to The Watchers for a holiday you won’t forget.
The charming, storied Cornish village of Tywardreath, also known as "The House on the Strand," is located in the heart of Daphne du Maurier's writing territory and appears in the same-named book. The community in the village is active, centred around the village's top-notch pubs and selection of shops, while St Andrew's, the church, is rumoured to have the best peal of bells in the neighbourhood. In close proximity to the village, there are a number of safe, sandy beaches where you may engage in a number of recreational activities. A main line train station is located in Par, a tiny china clay port with a dog-friendly sandy beach that is 15 minutes by foot or 5 minutes by car from the village. A coastal restaurant, pub, and watersports facility are available at Polkerris Beach, which is accessible by foot or car in 30 minutes. Three miles away is the charming waterside village of Fowey, from which one may do some dramatic cliff walks to Gribbin Head, passing through a lot of du Maurier's well-known scenery. The Mevagissey and Charlestown harbours, the Eden Project, and the Lost Gardens of Heligan are just a few of the local family-friendly activities. Tywardreath is a village that will entice families and anyone eager to discover South Cornwall's rich history and stunning coastline.
Accommodation
Four bedrooms: 1 x super-king-size with freestanding bath, walk-in shower, basin, heated towel rail and WC, 1 x super-king-size, 1 x twin, 1 x ground-floor twin.
Bathroom with roll-top bath, hand-held shower, walk-in shower, basin and WC.
Ground-floor shower room with walk-in shower, basin and WC.
Open-plan living space with kitchen, dining and sitting area.
Utility
Underfloor heating throughout.
Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer.
TV, WiFi.
Fuel and power included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Off-road parking for one car.
Decked area with furniture.
NOTE: Two well behaved dogs welcome.
Sorry, no smoking.
Shop 2.6 miles, pub 0.1 miles.
Please note: This property does not accept stag or hen do bookings.
Reviews (5)
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Liam
The property was well equipped, had well appointed bathrooms and the bed was very comfortable. An easy walk to the local pub which serves excellent food. Not so positive was the very tight and narrow approach leading to the property and difficulty parking (only sufficient for one car). There was an extremely steep and long flight of concrete steps leading up to the house (some with crumbling edges) that would be difficult for anyone with mobility issues or with very young children. The rear garden was also very steep with 2 flights of steps up to the decking area that were easy to navigate.
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Katharine
We got the car, which is a hatchback, up to the Watchers on arrival and then braved it back down to the car park at the bottom the following morning. Costing us an additional £38 over the week, it was better to leave the car in the main car park. The road to the house is ridiculously steep and narrow and depending on the parking of others is impossible. The outside space to the rear (you canât use the front) is overgrown, narrow and in the wet a hazard. We only have a very small dog and there wasnât even enough room for her to run and the garden is not enclosed. There were cigarettes ends, bottle tops and plastic left by the BBQ. It didnât matter as we couldnât use it anyway. The 30ish steps up to the house need urgent repair, these also pose a hazard. Inside the house, the views are delightful, great facilities, lovely welcome pack and decorated to a high standard. Beds comfy with the softest linen. Overall we wouldnât recommend, especially with small children, dogs etc. despite the lovely house and views, weâd not book this again.
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Karen
It was seriously let down by a overgrown, neglected garden, definitely not worthy of 5 stars. The paving slabs were slippery, stinging nettles were growing through the decking. One of the steps on the decking was broken, the bbq area was overgrown. Hand rails by the stairs could not be used due to thorns. Sending someone to do 2hrs in the garden did not solve these problems. Our holiday was booked at this property as we wanted to be able to use a garden but couldn't. If you are booking this property, it is not suitable for anyone with mobility issues or with young children as the 30 stairs you have to go up make it tricky. The view would have been spectacular had the windows been cleaned. Some kitchen essentials like a tin opener and oven gloves were missing. I really hope the garden gets the attention it needs to make it usable for future stays, it would then be worthy of its rating.