Big Cottages In Somerset

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Daniel - Verified booking

  The location of this property is fantastic, there is a 'private' route to the beach but this wasn't the easiest of routes so we just walk a couple of minutes down the road and used the access from The Seagull car park.

  Brean Leisure Park and Splash Park are an easy walk in the other direction and there are a number of places to eat, we only used the car to go shopping and for a few longer visits. Everything inside the property was not great, which was a real shame. It was dirty, covered in dust and other 'things'. The list below has been provided to Sykes with photographs but looking at other reviews on here and other Trip based Advisor websites we are not the first to raise them. No blind in the bathroom - the fixings are rusting away on the wall, but no blind (not great when a painters head appears a foot away from the window!) Black mold on the shower curtain (still) A shower pole that falls on you if you pull the shower curtain to hard A large gap between the end of the bath and the wall - be careful with what you place on the end of the bath A very 'sticky' kitchen - we made a clean bit on the top of the fire blanket holder, Rusty kitchen equipment - cheese grater, toaster, microwave Very, very, very hot water - please BE CAREFUL The top of both wardrobes thick with dust - you don't want to store anything up there Dental floss stick, finger nail and used tissue found in the additional bedding under the bed settee (nice!) The lounge fan blades thick with black dust - we didn't dare turn it on Not the most secure of front doors Considering you are currently being asked to check in later at the moment, so additional cleaning can be completed I imagine, I have no idea what this additional time is being used for. Oh and one last thing - don't look at the double mattress until you are leaving......its probably for the best. The only thing that was sorted was when the blocked drainage caused the sink to overflow with water from the washing machine that then leaked into the apartment downstairs. Yes, we did raise all of these issues with Sykes but for the second week of our fortnight break nothing was sorted. What really made it was when people attended to fix the plumbing issue (including the owner) but that was all that was done. The floss, finger nail and tissue remained in situ! I really, really hope that these things are addressed as it could be a great holiday let.

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• Cheryl - Verified booking

  There are a few positives about this property; the location is very good for Dunster and local beaches.

  It is a lovely building and the upstairs is spacious, garden is lovely. However, I am a surprised that Sykes use this property as a rental as there are many negatives and we were definitely overcharged for the week we spent there. There is mould in both the shower room and bathroom (I took photos which I will send to Sykes, why aren't you checking properties you rent out?) We were two families with four children, this is unacceptable. There was a damp patch on the landing wall, a patch of plaster missing in the kitchen. This is general maintenance that should be completed by the property owners and Sykes should be checking the properties are acceptable for people to stay in. There was not enough bedding for six people so we had to ask for more, there were not enough glasses, bowls, plates for six people. There was only one tea towel, no oven gloves, which is dangerous. There is a washing machine but no clothes airer to hang clothes and only five pegs for the washing line. The cupboard over the sink in the shower room is situated so you hit your head. The sofa and chairs in the lounge were really uncomfortable and dirty and the whole house smelt of dog when we arrived. It also needed updating generally, it was tired and unloved. The house was clean on the surface but there were cobwebs in every room. It needs a thorough update and clean. Some of these issues have been mentioned in previous reviews and in the guest book in the house. Yet the owners have ignored feedback and just taken more money from guests. Unacceptable. We have stayed in many lovely properties throughout the UK and this is the worst we have experienced and I'm disappointed that Sykes are marketing it.

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• Jenny - Verified booking

  Before you go to the Old Police House in Dunster, make sure that all the problems have been addressed - and how they do that I don't know.

  It's the challenge we have issued to the owners and Sykes. In 2022 the property had very good reviews but 2023 it seemed to all go wrong. In essence many of the previous reports of 2023, particularly August and September still rang true in December when we went. We were confronted by a grease caked oven (roll on Christmas dinner) and unacceptable areas of mould. Thankfully we made contact with the owner and they got hold of the cleaners to come in and degrease the oven and clean some of the mould off the walls and replace light bulbs (although we dusted the chandeliers!) Some minor items had improved, plenty of cutlery, glasses, new roasting tin and even a colander.) . Some of the walls need redecorating, chipped dado rails need painting and the lounge furniture needs either cleaning, recovering or replacing. The carpet seemed new and clean. The kitchen and main bathroom are modern (save for the grease and mould!!). The heating is good and the main bedroom was comfortable for us. The linen is contract linen and was clean and comfortable (although the cleaners should have removed some of the previous occupants laundry). While the property description includes a wood fire in a downstairs bedroom 'with the first basket of logs provided free' the owner commented 'we haven't done that in years!' . So the description may not be relied upon!! The owner and Sykes have made noises about getting their act together. The property has all the promise of being rather special. However, how you get an assurance that everything has been sorted is not clear. If they offer us a free weekend with every expectation that we can give it a clean bill of health - you'll be hearing from us!

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• Vaughan - Verified booking

  The position was of the flat was great with parking right outside but getting in and out of the flat was a real nightmare.

  The key to the main door was very difficult to unlock. Sometimes it would take over 10 minutes to get in. Then the security keypad on the flat door had to be tackled. It was almost impossible to see the keypad due to it being so dark on the landing, even wearing my reading glasses and even on the rare occasions the light was on. If I hadn't had my son with me I wouldn't have been able to get in at all. There is also a key to open a security gate to get to the beach and that was equally difficult to operate. It meant we were locked on the beach side one evening until someone passing was able to open it from the other side. There were plenty of towels and the flat was warm but could have been cleaner. In particular the utensils, plates, cutlery and cooker were in a disgusting state. We had to wash everything before using anything. The oven was so greasy that I didn't even bother with that. The DVD player was also on the blink and made a horrendous noise, too noisy to play and the sound bar wasn't even connected so we couldn't even increase the volume to compensate. The bathroom door squeaked loudly disturbing anyone trying to sleep. The chairs in the dining room also make a deafening noise on flooring. They could do with some rubber feet on bottom. I felt sorry for the people in the flat beneath us. Despite all this we had a good time but I wouldn't book this property again.

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• Chris - Verified booking

  The apartment was filthy.

  My wife just wanted to go home as soon as we arrived but instead we found a supermarket and bought cleaning materials. The worst was the bathroom. There was black mildew all over the walls and the shower curtain just needed throwing away. How expensive is a new shower curtain! I spent the first two night cleaning it to persuade her to stay. The kitchen was in a similar state so we just didn’t use it and ate out instead. It’s a shame though, it has great potential but just needs decorating top to bottom. My main frustration is that During a pandemic i at least expected it to be clean, in fact that’s what Sykes is pushing on the website! Just words, nobody can be doing any checks. That bathroom has spent a long time getting that black. I hope anyone using the place after us appreciates the work we put in to that bathroom. Luckily we took a couple of throws with us so we put these on the sofa so we had something to sit on. I have been staying in cottages for many years and this was definitely the worst ever. We left early…. Just in case anyone thinks I’m one of those internet moaners, this is the first review I have Ever given.

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