Big Cottages & Group Accommodation in the Scottish Borders

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Peter - Verified booking

  It appeared that Iona Cottage had only been open for a short time this year as there were only a few entries in the visitors book however we were delighted with the cottage, the fixtures and fittings and location.

  The layout of the rooms is very good and definitely suits families and our two granddaughters loved the twin room in the eves with the on suite facilities. As we are experienced in booking this type of accommodation we woul like to offer the following constructive comments that we are sure would enhance the experience even further. First the frontage of the cottage is very attractive apart from the wooden board and gravel immediately in fron of the steps to the front door. This we believe is a potential trip hazard especially for anyone who has mobility issues. The mattress protector and fitted sheet for the double bed is too small as the kept coming away from the mattress which made sleeping a little uncomfortable and the mattress itself could be of a better quality as you could feel the springs when laying down. The washing machine is a great fixture, especially for anyone staying for more than a few days however there isn't a clothes line in the back garden so this is something that we would recommend is corrected quickly. The Red Book in the dining room needs to have more and clear information about how to operate the White Goods and the central heating making it easier for clients to operate these safely. As the property is rural, which is great, it would help if the owners could provide, in the Red book, information regarding local facilities, such as shops, and things to see and do in the area. Finally we would congratulate the owners on the overall experience and we would recommend the cottage to family and friends. Mr & Mrs Smith, Glenrothes, Fife Finally although it's nice to have a county style rear garden that is dog friendly and saceure the garden does need urgent maintenance to make the space more usable for the stay.

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• Rachel - Verified booking

  We had a great week at St Agnes.

  The house is huge, surrounded by beautiful views. Our dog loved the enclosed garden, with plenty of pheasants to keep her bounding around. The kitchen is well equipped, and seemed very clean to us. There is a Nespresso machine in the kitchen - I didn't know this until we arrived. The piano was a great hit with all of us (even if it is, understandably, a bit out of tune!). Thanks to You Tube, we were all maestros by the end of the week! There are plenty of walks from the door, or a short drive away. There is lots of information in the folder. Following a negative review about the heating, I contacted Sykes Cottages for some reassurance. Twice I was told that someone would call me back, I still haven't received a call. I ended up speaking to the owner who couldn't have been more reassuring and helpful. St Agnes is a warm house, the heating warms it up quickly when returning from a day of walking. When the heating is on, there is a smell of oil but, hopefully, the owner will be getting the engineer out soon to fix the issue. It is also worth pointing out that the owner doesn't provide coal/wood for the fire - I was told by Sykes Cottages that all fuel was provided, and their website would also lead you to believe this is the case. All in all we enjoyed our stay.

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• George - Verified booking

  The property is far bigger than we expected and could accommodate 8 adults with ease we used the open plan area table and chairs and the outdoor seating for meals didn't use the seperate dining room at all.

  It was clean and everything you could want was provided, far more than previously experienced in other holiday let's. The hot tub was a great bonus although we were confused over the controls and couldn't get the lights to come on. It's a quiet area with dark skies for stargazing and beautiful daytime views. The birds can be a bit noisy in a morning if you're a light sleeper with windows open but that's the sound of the countryside. We had a great full weeks stay and enjoyed the area. Its worth mentioning as we were hesitant initially regarding the baths with hand held showers. These have been upgraded to shower over bath so there are 3 showers in the property all working fine. The extra toilet room near the front door was a real convenience too. The one problem we had during our stay( boiler breakdown) was quickly sorted by the owner getting a plumber round within hours despite her being out of the country at the time. We'll done Nicola. All in all a fantastic holiday let with comfy beds and everything on hand for a relaxing country holiday. For no nonsense eating out we recommend The Waggon pub in Kelso we had Sunday lunch there and a pub meal later in the week both were fantastic and reasonably priced with great service too.

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• Marion - Verified booking

  We have spent an amazing family holiday in the beautiful Sevenacres bungalow in Ednam near Kelso.

  What a find this was and it was great to read about the history of the property! The property is immaculate with so much space inside, the two living areas was a bonus with a variety of different seating options. It was so relaxing and we could all retire to different corners of the house if we needed some quiet time. It has a large kitchen area with everything you need in the cupboards. The beds are comfy and lots of separate toilets and shower areas. The amazing hot tub is situated in a sheltered spot with beautiful views and a massive seated garden area. We even saw some deer in the fields opposite the house. Great WiFi throughout the property which was a plus for our teenage son! Kelso is only approx. 2 miles away so we took a walk into town as well as separate walks to the surrounding villages. We were so lucky with the weather but if you are stuck indoors there is so much space and you can find games in the cupboards that you can play as a family. This is a really special property and we would thoroughly recommend this to anyone looking for a break away with friends and/or family. It had everything we needed and more. Well done to the owners!

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• Rachel - Verified booking

  This is a really pretty cottage in a quiet pretty village however to be a retreat you need to be 3 things, dry, comfortable and rested.

  This cottage is being let down by basic problems. The 3 single beds have 1 mattress that is adequate, I spent the first night on the sofa to try and get some sleep. The pink bedroom is very damp, all clothes hanging in the cupboards quickly smelt of damp and the bedding on the grey bed also smells of damp. The garden is very neglected, I weeded the steps to create a safe path for my husband, and there is a pond which would be dangerous if we had small children. This is such a shame because the rest of the cottage is lovely, the kitchen is well equipped. The sitting room is cozy with French windows that looked onto the garden. The locks on the French windows and the front door are very tricky and at times impossible to lock or unlock. Because of the rural nature of the cottage the Wi-Fi is very limited so I advise doing your research before you get to the cottage for places to go. We did find the most of the local pubs had better Wi-Fi if we needed to load books to kindle or look something up. If the above issues were sorted out we would have no hesitation in returning to such a lovely place. So much more to explore.

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