Big Cottages & Group Accommodation in Sussex

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Maritza - Verified booking

  It grieves me to write this, but the cottage was filthy.

  I don’t mind old or worn. A new chair can sit just as comfortably as an old chair, but when it comes to hygiene, only one way will do. The house needs a decent spring clean and the contents needs to be reviewed. Many of the dining room chairs were very rickety and could break at any moment. Other specific issues: - Main bathroom’s bath had soap scum ring all around the bath with 3 short black curly hair in it. - The two yellow cups in the main bathroom was covered in toothpaste as well as the sink. - The taps in both bathroom sinks had toothpaste splatter. - In the kitchen behind the breadtin next to the Aga, was a piece of food, looked like a small tomato that was shrivelling up. - Whomever unpacked the dishwasher last must have had greasy/oily hands, as the “clean” plates in the cupboard had greasy fingerprints all over them. - The en-suite bathroom window’s curtain is covered in black mold. - The table covering in the dining room had a streak of what looked like egg yolk running down the side of it. - Many of the dishes in the top right hand drawer next to the electric cooktop, has cracks in them (the red one, one of the blue spotty ones and many other small ones.) We did not use these, in case they broke. - We could not get any of the radiators upstairs to turn on, no matter how high we turned the heat. - Neither of the towel bars in the bathrooms ever switched on. - We were not cold upstairs as thankfully the floorboards had so many gaps the heat from down stairs made its way up. - The fridge is dirty with bits of food remains sprinkled throughout. - The master bedroom’s bed lost one of its slats when my husband sat down to tie his shoes. - The bed in one of the kids’ rooms (pink room with only one bed) also dropped a slat. We got there early and the housekeeper was very kind to allow us in as she was finishing the kitchen floor. She made us a cup of tea and it certainly was much appreciated. We would love to stay at this cottage again. Great location! It is spacious and the woods out back a real treat for the kids, but alas it needs some major cleaning and a good overall in its contents. Not sure if all Sykes’ cottages are in this state. Rented twice from Classic Cottages before and their cottages were spotless (so it can be done).

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• George - Verified booking

  This was a very welcoming property and the great space downstairs was prefect for our large family gathering.

  The kitchen was very well equipped and made it easy to cater for some large meals. The garden room was delightful and the range of games stacked on the shelves a real bonus. The weather was not brilliant, so we did not really take advantage of the huge garden but this would have been a real attraction in drier conditions. There was plenty of space for badminton or any outdoor games but you would need to take those yourself. The little summer house was a nice touch to store bikes or games but was in need of a bit of a tidy. The milk and butter in the fridge was a welcome gift and the provision of dish washer and washing tablets also appreciated. We found fitting a stair gate a little tricky due to the narrow stairs. We had a toddler and a crawler, so they needed watching at all times on the steps down to the garden room and around the hot Arga but there were plenty of us to keep a watch out so that was not too much of a problem. The toddler loved the fact that there were so many books in the bedroom with the two singe beds. This was a lovely room for little ones. One criticism, the bathroom really could benefit from a deep clean. The sink was harboring mold around the open rim and the floor at the side of the bath, between bath and sink, had been missed in the clean, I think. The plane glass in the bathroom window was also a bit disconcerting. Its a difficult place for a curtain or blind for sure but maybe frosted glass would help with privacy? Although the property is not overlooked at the back by housing, there were people walking in the woods at the back, so we felt a bit more privacy when in the house would have been appropriate. We very much enjoyed our stay overall. The area is beautiful and the house is in a lovely, quiet and rural location. The bird life in the garden was a joy too.

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• Kay - Verified booking

  Woodhill Cottage was very comfortable and well-equipped, particularly in the kitchen.

  The only item that seemed to be missing was a teapot! We loved the design and decor of the property, and the large sunny living room which led out onto the terrace was a pleasure to sit in. There were many books, puzzles and games provided at the property, and we made use of these. Croquet on the large lawn was fun! In terms of drawbacks the lack of a mobile phone signal at the Cottage was an inconvenience, and although WiFi was available we found that it wasn't good enough to stream programmes on iplayer. There isn't a grocery store within walking distance, but we found that the Farm Shop at Abinger Hammer about a mile away was great for topping up. All in all a great property for a family holiday in the Surrey Hills, which catered for people of all ages.

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• Ms Combes - Verified booking

  We had a lovely stay at Sandpipers which was a great location for a larger family visiting Brighton. With a few tweaks this good property could be great. We stayed during a heatwave and found it very difficult to sleep in the stuffy upstairs bedroom and really needed a way to cool it down e.g. fans. There is a small sky light which helps a little with ventilation but as it is partially over the bed we also got rained on during the night on occasion! The area is quite hilly and the drive down to the house is steep (hence we didn't even try to park on it) so not suitable for some guests with mobility issues. Ovingdean however is lovely and peaceful and a great location for walks above Brighton and into Woodingdean with some lovely views to take in.

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• Martin - Verified booking

  Bliss

  We stayed at the newly completed house recently and had a wonderful long weekend. All of the rooms are spacious and the bathrooms are beautifully decorated. The great hall had a roaring fire lit when we arrived, we headed off for an energetic walk directly from the house, along the River Arun and through water meadows at the bottom of the Downs which you can see from the Master Bedroom. The house is on the edge of Pulborough and only a 10 minute walk from the train station and 5 minutes from Tesco’s. We popped into the local award winning Butcher and had the most wonderful BBQ sitting outside and enjoying the lovely gardens whilst the children mastered Croquet! Bliss. We will be back!

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