Big Cottages in Whitby

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Noreen - Verified booking

  If you love trains, the The Railway Retreat will be your happy place.

  Not only do the Northern Rail trains trundle past, but so do the North York Moors Railway locomotives, diesels and vintage carriages. The youngest members of our party (aged 5 and 6) very much enjoyed waving to the train passengers from the terrace of the property. An added bonus was that often the trains stopped for several minutes right outside, as the signals were there. As my childhood home adjoined a railway line, I was reminded of that time through the sights, sounds and distinctive smells of the steam trains particularly. The Railway Retreat is only a 5 minute walk from Whitby Station. As one of our party was disabled, this was particularly pertinent, as he was able to walk to the station then join us on a NYMR steam locomotive driven train to Grosmont. The house itself we found very accessible, though the steep stairs had to be negotiated carefully. The Railway Retreat is within easy walking distance of a play park, and also of the town itself, with its famous abbey, and interesting shops. There is a chip shop round the corner, so no need to go into Whitby for a fish supper. Several of our party enjoy hiking and both the Cinder Track walk to Scarborough and the Cleveland way clifftop path are literally on the doorstep. So, overall this was a house that ticked all the boxes for us, and made my birthday weekend very memorable and special.

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• Mr Loftus - Verified booking

  The cottage itself is beautiful and very nicely located. It is about half an hour walk to Whitby (choosing the flatter walk alongside the train track) or longer if you tackle the hills over Ruswerp fields. There is a local pub and butchers that sell high quality food along the high street and we were very impressed with the services. We were disappointed that there was an electrical fault whilst we were staying in the property that left us without access to the washing machine, dishwasher and half the plugs in the kitchen. We rang the numbers in the brochure but it took two days for someone to come out and sort things. In the meantime, it left us apprehensive about using appliances in case of further power cuts or worse. The brochure in the cottage does have useful information in. However, the farmers market advertised is for Whitby in Canada! It’s a good job we used google. Whilst the property states is it pet friendly and is, the property also states it has an enclosed garden. The garden is not enclosed and a dog could easily get out and onto a main (very busy) road. With all this is mind, we would still stay at the property again and would recommend it to others. I would advise anyone with dogs to take them out on a lead at all times and do your own research about the local area (the pub has lots of brochures)

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• Amy - Verified booking

  Whilst we had a lovely stay there are lots of things that need looking at to make this property more comfortable for 6 adults and 2 dogs.

  The doors slam shut, making it very dangerous for young children and dogs, the catches on the doors also don’t work properly and we couldn’t shut our bedroom doors properly. As well as this the bathroom door doesn’t lock. The living space is not big enough for 8 people and dogs, the dining table is too big for the space it’s been given and not set up properly. There was extra chairs stacked up messily when we arrived and a baby chair left on the floor these should have been tidied away as you would have been aware of how many of us were arriving. The breakfast bar in the kitchen is a waste of space and makes it difficult to get to the freezer. In terms of being a “dog friendly” property I wouldn’t say it was well set up for this. Open bins with plastic bags hanging loose from them, as explained the doors slamming shut and the outside area. The outside area has fake grass laid down over the patio area and also plastic foliage and a bamboo panel attached to the fence. (Sticks and leaves a dogs idea of fun!) When it rained ( only a tiny shower) the grass ended up soaking wet and squelchy which took ages for it to dry as well as it smelling. All in all this wasn’t the most comfortable cottage/ house we have stayed in and it needs a lot of rethinking and maintenance.

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• Samantha - Verified booking

  To start with the positives, the property is located in a great place for getting into Whitby.

  You walk down the bank for 10-15 mins and you are right in the centre. You do need to be fit though because the bank is extremely steep to come back home. Its a good location for going further afield (I would highly recommend Scarborough and Robin Hoods Bay). Unfortunately, there were alot of negatives with this property. It wasn't clean enough to the standard I was expecting, for example every single room had cobwebs in the corner of the room, the kettle had heavy scale, the iron had scale which transferred to your clothes when you used it (and leaked everywhere!). There were 3 trays provided for the oven and only the smallest one actually fit in. The shower in the bathroom was terrible, water leaked out of the bottom of the shower and hardly any came out of the head. There was a chunk out of the bath and the living room radiator. The house must be suffering from issues with damp as the entrance hall and living room walls were visible wet at the bottom. The neighbours were extremely loud, shouting and screaming at each other on a morning. I wouldn't recommend this property to others and wouldn't stay again, it's a real shame as it has potential to be so much better.

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• Gary - Verified booking

  Great location, handy for the town.

  On the whole a very positive experience but there are few minor things you need to sort out: 1. The freezer is almost impossible to get to as the gap between the breakfast bar and the wall is very tiny. 2. The freezer needs defrosting, it wasn't possible to open the bottom drawer due to excess ice. 3. When we arrived there were crumbs all over the breakfast bar and flaking paint by the kitchen window. 4. The TV needs changing as there are two bright spots on the screen which are permanent and visible regardless as to which channel is on. 5. There were only four of us yet there were eight chairs crammed into the dining area. We couldn't sit around the table without first carrying four of the chairs upstairs into a spare bedroom. 6. We had to buy a can opener as there wasn't one. This may sound very negative but they are easily remedied and would create a more positive experience. The house was comfy, the beds exceptionally so. One thing out of your control which you may wish to mention is that if you have to park opposite the house be prepared to have your car covered in leaves and tree sap!

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