Cottages That Sleep 8 In Scotland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Nicolene - Verified booking

  This is a dog friendly property a few minutes drive from the local shops, Morrisons, Lidl and a terrible Tesco.

  There is even a dog friendly cafe The Royal Cafe…..which we found on the last day. Waters Edge is a redecorated four bedroom (two of which are downstairs……) 70’s house with splendid views over Loch Ryan as far as the Irish Sea. I didn’t venture upstairs but my husband had a tour so I’m aware there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. On arrival, we were delighted by the appearance of the house and it’s proximity to the Loch. There’s a great lobby for coats and outdoor paraphernalia which is certainly a plus for keeping the interior clean and tidy. However, on opening the connecting door the overwhelming smell of cooking/dogs was most unwelcoming; perhaps an open window or two might have made this more bearable? The front bedroom has a very small double bed but, as we wanted the view, this was the room we settled on; our stay would have benefited vastly if the Master bed had been in this room. The kitchen diner is large and extremely well equipped, but there was food in the freezer and an (open) bag of some sort of savoury biscuits in the cupboard and many of the plates/pizza tray were filthy. A broom would have been good, I am disabled to the point where I can’t use a vacuum cleaner, There was an abundance of loo rolls, towels, bedding, which was brilliant but no bleach for the showers or the loos. Also, the electric shower power is desultory at best and you have to wait a long time for the water to heat up, but the absolute negative was the size if the showers - they are tiny. Agreed, there are baths, but I haven’t been able to access one of those in 17 years so it’s a shower or nothing. My tummy is black and blue from the shower door knobs. For that reason alone we could not recommend this property despite it’s excellent nature and dog friendliness. Also, there is no garden which people with dogs need to be advised about; it’s a dark, dangerous step to the park late at night for last walkies. And, please note, there is no milk at the property (other companies ensure a “welcome” pack of one degree or another). There was some fudge, but we left that behind as we wanted to leave everything exactly as we had found it, as instructed time and time again by Sykes Cottages who really do know how to write the rudest email messages I’ve ever read, implying all paying guests are somehow filthy, entitled and disrespectful. Overall we had a great time and the area is very relaxing especially with the five days of lovely weather when we could enjoy the patio table, but as much as we’d love to, I guess we won’t be back because the facilities do not meet my personal needs.

  Read more less >

• Daniel - Verified booking

  We booked Waters Edge for Christmas and had a most enjoyable stay.

  We would like to thank the owners for decorating the house and putting up a Christmas tree for our arrival. The house was very spacious and clean. The views from the lounge and the bedrooms looking over Loch Ryan were wonderful. It was like being on a cruise ship looking out onto the sea. There were a few issues with leaking windows which didn’t impact on our stay as we contacted the owner who responded promptly. The kitchen was large and had plenty of cupboard space and was well equipped. We enjoyed eating our Christmas dinner at the large dining table. Location is good as it is a short walk into town although you have to drive to the nearest beach. Despite it being dog friendly lack of a garden was an issue. If you are going in the winter months bring a torch with you to navigate the uneven concrete steps down to the road. There is a light on the porch but it doesn’t help going down the stairs. A security light on the garage door would help solve this situation. The owners were good enough to let us use their garage as we had two cars with us but it was tricky to navigate into as you have to reverse in at an angle. The parking for the other car was also difficult as it wasn’t easy negotiating the uneven concrete parking space. Some of the furnishings didn’t reflect on the price that we paid for six nights (£1200). Beside cabinets in the main bedroom were more suited for a bathroom and small plastic lamps were not a good look. There were two side tables in the lounge but both had lamps on them. A couple of extra tables or a nest of tables is necessary as there was nowhere to place our drinks or snacks. None of the bathroom windows had blinds but windows were covered with a plastic film which made them look unfinished. The upstairs bathroom in particular needed a blind as the top part of the window had no plastic film on it and you felt as if the neighbours could see in. Some of the issues may seem as minor but again reflecting on the price would need to be addressed. Unfortunately we would not return due to the lack of garden and the parking issue. If we had had a third car, as the house accommodates eight people, I would not like to park my car 100 yards from the house. We would still recommend this holiday house for families if you don’t mind the issues we have highlighted.

  Read more less >

• Visitor September 2020 - Verified booking

  My husband and I returned yesterday from your beautiful property in Skye having had the most fabulous time there.

  I have been many times before however I was introducing my husband to the delights of the island. As you can imagine I was a little nervous having bleated on about the place for years that I had perhaps oversold it, however Skye & Teangue House did their absolute best and he is now as in love with the island as I am. I just wanted to say thank you for allowing us to rent your amazing property. We were blown away from the moment we stepped in with its jaw dropping views and how well it was appointed. We are keen walkers and the space and facilities you have were just perfect for the paraphernalia required to walk in the all-weathers that Scotland throws at you on a daily basis. We walked Skye top to bottom and side to side and whilst some of the drives were a little longer than others, it gave us the opportunity to see the island. Your lounge view in the evening however was always a perfect way to finish off the day........ and the small glass of something alcoholic was purely for medicinal purposes to ease the muscles!!! We were supposed to be travelling with friends however COVID put paid to that but we now have a perfect excuse to return....... if we ever needed another one to add the other substantial list of reasons to come back. Thank you again, you have a truly magnificent property and you've given us some quite amazing memories.

  Read more less >

• Mrs Dawson - Verified booking

  We had such a wonderful time at Tarken house celebrating my husband’s birthday over the New Year holidays (four adults, four children age 6-9). The property is beautiful and the photos somehow don’t capture just how amazing it is (that’s not a criticism of the photos, more of how lovely it is). We arrived to such a lovely experience - lights on, birthday banners and balloons set out, warm toastie heating on, welcome whiskey, biscuits and Scottish tablet… We appreciated so much about our stay - the views, the spaciousness, how well kitted out it is, how many towels, toilet rolls and kitchen rolls were left for us, the wonderful welcome. We loved that logs were all provided and the beds were soooo comfortable. We met so many warm, welcoming and helpful locals. There were walks from the door step and the pool, darts and pool table to occupy us when we didn’t want to venture out. There was always something to entertain all of us, including some much needed rest and relaxation. I can’t tell you how helpful, flexible and kind the housekeepers were (on several accounts that were entirely our fault). We’ve stayed in lots of houses over the years but their kindness has really shone through for us. We can’t recommend Tarken House enough and would love to come back in the summer months.

  Read more less >

• Nicole - Verified booking

  Beautiful property situated in a fantastic position overlooking the Morar estuary.

  The owners were really accommodating when I contacted them before we set off regarded a couple of questions about parking and our son wanting to spend a couple of nights in his little tent even though there was a perfectly comfortable bed in the house for him! I wish we could have met them to thank them in person, but as luck would have it they were taking a holiday at the same time (ps... Google has informed me that the grass will be green again quickly with some sunshine and rain, although I'm not wishing rain on anyone who holidays after us!) Speaking of rain, we did miss a tumble dryer to get though all that damp clothing for a family of 7 and an additional shower would have been heaven speaking as the mum who always seemed to be at the back of the queue when it came to getting ready to go out for a meal etc. but, there was always plenty of hot water even for the last one in and the lack of both these luxuries didn't put a dampner on our week away. I've been holidaying in and around Arisaig/Morar annually since my parents started bringing us over 50 years ago to stay on Peter's campsite, passing the bug on to my kids and I can honestly say that in recent years, Westhaven gets my 5 star rating compared to any other self-catering accommodation.

  Read more less >