Big Cottages & Group Accommodation in Wiltshire

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Tom - Verified booking

  Absolutely amazing stay in this spacious, clean and well equipped house.

  The owners were so helpful and friendly answering all of our questions and doing all they could to accommodate our needs and welcome us. They are by far the best we have ever dealt with. Our check in experience on arrival day was also the best we have ever had and we can’t thank the owners enough for being so accommodating to our situation. They left welcoming gifts and it was an absolute pleasure arriving to find this total gem of a house. The fenced gardens were immaculate with plenty of seating. Great for the dogs to play without any worries of them wondering away from the property. The house itself is fantastic and more like a dream home. The layout is perfect and there is so much space for everyone. Brilliant modern bathrooms and showers and a fantastic deep bath with all the hot water you need and everything was ultra clean. There is a very spacious living room with plenty of seating and a good sized tv with plenty of channels. A wonderful light and sunny conservatory has a large dining table and it was so nice to enjoy food with the patio doors open on a summers evening enjoying the smells and sounds of the countryside. The beds were all very comfortable and actually everyone slept better than when at home! Finishing with the big ultra clean and very well equipped kitchen and utility areas. There is everything you could need and the owners have gone above and beyond to make sure guests have the best stay possible. Longleat safari park is so close to the house and there are little towns and villages very close with all the shops and services you will need. We can’t recommend this place highly enough and we have already started looking at dates to come back. Unfortunately after doing four Longleat safari trips we still didn’t see Anne the elephant so absolutely a must we come back!! And we can’t wait to enjoy this wonderful house again when we do. Thank you so much to the owners.

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• Simon - Verified booking

  The apartment overall is beautiful, very comfortable and we'll appointed, perfect for a stay in Salisbury, and the location is ideal.

  Even the mezzanine bedroom over the open plan living area was OK for the kids. Unfortunately, the holiday was ruined by the state of the ensuite bathroom, black mould, silicone coming away, years of dust and grime built up on the door, limescale encrusted shower head and hose. A broken sliding door difficult for children to close. The apartment had a funny smell when we arrived, which we quickly tracked to the ensuite. It only got worse as the week progressed, despite airing the apartment continuously. Myself and one daughter suffer from asthma, and at times the smell caught in the back of the throat and set off the asthma. It's clearly a health hazard. My other teenage daughter refused to use the shower she was so disgusted by the grime. The other bathroom also has broken tiles with a note apologising, so they are clearly having plumbing issues which they need to sort out urgently. The second issue was the roof windows and blinds, again with notes stuck to the side advising in use. The instructions did not work, the blinds are fitted too close to the window stays and foul, so are unopenable, so the mezzanine area was permanently dark. The wooden block the opening stay is affixed to was broken, so it was not possible to open the window itself. With heat build up in a hot loft apartment, being able to easily open the skylights would have been a godsend, but it was not possible. A potentially perfect holiday was ruined by problems which should be easy to fix, and for £1100 for the week I think these problems are unacceptable.

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• Sunita - Verified booking

  What a beautiful property set in the most picturesque setting!

  We cannot wait to come back! The house itself is beautiful. It is well equipped and so very cosy and warm when it is cold outside. Thank you Annie for decorating it for Christmas and for the best and most generous welcome hamper we have ever seen from a Sykes Cottage until now. It was also lovely to have met you during our stay. We had the most wonderful time and so did our dog. She loved all the smells and the massive garden to run around in. She was quite intrigued by the pheasants that seemed to visit every day and would sit and watch them as opposed to wanting to chase them. The setting of the house is beautiful. Being in an AONB it is surrounded by nature, woods right behind and fields.to the front with great walks right from the door. With no artificial light in the vicinity the sky is lit up with stars at night. It is in a great location, just an hour from Salisbury and Stonehenge and down the road from Avebury. There is just one thing that could be added to make the property perfect in our eyes. There is no fencing in the front garden by the road. I believe there used to be a little picket fence (like what runs around the side where you park your car) but that has been taken out and replaced with very young hedging plants which will take years before they provide any kind of a deterrent for a dog to make a run for it. It is a shame as we felt we had to watch our dog every minute she was out in the front because of the road which isn't a busy one but still is what it is. Having said that, I would still come back.

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• Ewen - Verified booking

  What a beautiful place to stay!

  Packed full of thoughtful touches, Nora and Martin have stopped at nothing to make our holiday and stay at the Old Byre a truly memorable experience. The Old Byre was ‘home from home’ only better, everything that would make our stay comfortable and enjoyable has been thought about from the most delightful decor, the most comfortable beds, all home comforts as well as essentials, all cooking equipment and kitchen appliances and a helpful welcome basket of goodies to get you started with your first cup of tea taking in the beautiful country garden and surrounding views. The area is a perfect location with limitless places to visit within easy reach including the New Forest on your doorstep and the Jurassic coast with stunning beaches and fun days out like Longleat Safari. Whether you want family days out, full on adventure sports or quite walks and country pubs this location will suit any visitor. We would highly recommend a visit to the Old Byre, be prepared to stay longer than you planned as you won’t want to go home. Thank you Nora and Martin.

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• Jane - Verified booking

  Birch House is fantastic - there really is nothing you need to bring with you to start your break here - the generous welcome pack left by Amber and Aaron enabled us to feed our party of 5 on the first evening - thank you so much.

  The furniture and beds are comfortable (firm) and the towels big and luxurious. The house was spotlessly clean throughout. The hot tub was amazing and our party ranging from mid 50s to early teens enjoyed morning, mid afternoon and evening plunges to relax - there are towels in the cupboard for this too. Our teenage children enjoyed playing the selection of games available too. We used Birch House as a base to visit Bath (catch the x31 or 231 bus to avoid expensive parking and long traffic queues in to the centre - you can download an app easily and pay in advance), Bristol Zoo Project, Swindon Outlet Village, Diddly Squat Farm (beware the queue was 3 hours long for the shop) and Corsham Village. We walked to The Great Western pub for a meal and was not disappointed. We highly recommend Birch House for any length of visit - the photos, although fabulous, really do not show how amazing this house truly is. Amber and Aaron's communication from prior and throughout the visit was considerate.

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