The Dovecote

15 Customer Reviews

• "Enjoyed the stay, lovely and peaceful but a little enclosed at times."

  Downside was having no central heating that we could work out. Did telephone the emergency number given for the caretaker but they did not answer or respond to a voicemail or text message. It was difficult to dry towels etc and the temperature dropped a little in the evening but the fan heaters provided were lovely. Beautiful building but did smell a little fusty and damp, to be expected due to age of the building. All kitchen utensils etc clean and everything provided to have a meal at home. I would have liked to have seen a mattress protector on the bed but could not complain about the comfort. Overall we had a lovely stay but you do need transport to get out and about. The village is lovely and the local pub food exceptional.

  Reviewed by Julie2.8★Sep 2024

• "Beautiful place, very peaceful and tranquil."

  However, a few points to note: There were cobwebs in the bedroom Lights- no overhead lights in lounge, only two lamps. There was no two way control for light upstairs, so you had to go up, put lamps on, come back down, switch hall light off go back upstairs. There was no curtain over the door, felt quite exposed when sitting down in the evening. The garden area was very unloved. Weeds growing out of the gravel, plant pots with dead flowers- first impressions and all that. Shower room flooded Could do with a mirror on the wall in the bedroom for hair and make up

  Reviewed by Viv3.8★Aug 2024

• "How very disappointing."

  As a regular Sykes customer I have never felt so let down. Tucked away in a parkland setting, what a load of rubbish, this property is at the back of a carpark boxed in by an abandoned building surrounded by high brick walls. I will start with the one positive, the bedroom is stunning with a very comfy bed but it is freezing even in August. Note the toilet and shower room is downstairs (as described) though the kitchen at the back of the property As you arrive at the property you enter through a car park which is open to the public for a business situated on the site and an abandoned Spa facility which is fully boarded up. There is building materials in the yard and work vans. There is a space signposted for Dovecote but this is nether private or secure and the sign reads owners leave vehicles at there own risk. You cannot see your car due to the high walls. You enter a very enclosed grey courtyard which stretches along the front of the property which has old walls and faces the gable of the old spa building and the fire door of that building. This is the view from your sofa. The space at the front of the property is shingle with a few scattered plants in pots and stretches the length of the front of the cottage . There is a dirty looking picnic table which has seen better days. We went outside on Saturday evening the sun was blazing but not in the courtyard which is fully enclosed by high walls and the old spa so it was dark and dismal completely shaded by the walls and buildings. On entering the property there is a large sofa which is described as scrumptious, This has been covered with a large fur like throw to hide the ripped leather which has been repaired and the smelly seats. Four tweedy style cushions were on the sofa which smelt of dog and were covered in coarse white dog hairs. I had to remove the cushions immediately as I started to sneeze as soon as I arrived . Into the hall and there are two walk in cupboards one had hangers for clothes but was also filled with old cardboard boxes with toilet seats and other cardboard. The other held a full length mirror and one chest of draws again for clothes which also held the mop bucket, brush and ironing board and smelt of chemical; there is no storage upstairs. We were not prepared to leave our clothes in either cupboard thus we hung our clothes in the corridor on the coat hooks and lived out of our bags Move into the kitchen which was a very thin galley. described as hosting a superb range of appliances. Well there is a toast, microwave and cooker. No tea pot, no coffee pot or maker,. The cooker trays were filthy as were some of the dishes and glasses in the cupboard. The only place to eat was on the worksurface next to the sink and the bathroom, there is no table to eat meals which could easily be fit into the lounge or link corridor, Lastly the bathroom which is right at the end of the property and is a serviceable shower room however the drain was very blocked which we had to clean The description states rear enclosed courtyard with furniture. step outside to bask in alfresco mealtimes. We open the rear/back door which is labelled FIRE EXIT to look at the rear area and to our delight saw a beautiful grass area with trees and a bistro table. However this is not for the Dovecote and there has been a steel fence erected over the fire door exit to prevent any access. This steel fence blocks any exit if there was a fire as you were unable to exit via that door. It was a good job we checked as we would have headed that way in an emergency If there is a fire in the kitchen and you can not pass the cooker you are not getting out. The cottage had reed diffusers everywhere to mask the small of dog and needed a good scrub. I mopped the floors on arrival as i was not happy with the cleanliness and the water was black In all we were so disappointed this cottage, we so needed a break. We work full time and have parents with Dementia and Alzheimer so do not often get to have weekends alone. We ate out each night as we were not prepared to eat on the kitchen counter and all the food we had taken to make nice romantic meals either went out of date or came home with us. I woke on Sunday morning and started to cry, I was so disappointed and just wanted to go home can honestly say i could not wait to leave and if it was not for the fact that we were taking a break from caring responsibilities we would have come straight home.

  Reviewed by Pippa2.2★Aug 2024

• "Me, my partner and our dog stopped here for two night in a little long weekend break from the 21st to the 23rd June."

  We couldn’t have wanted anymore. Was in a location set back away from the road with everything you need not far at all away!! The house itself was stunning with great facilities,clean throughout and a lovely little paved garden for the dog. Would recommend to anyone. Will definitely be booking up again. Tom, Lauren and Ronnie (dog)

  Reviewed by Thomas5.0★Jun 2024

• "Hi,the accommodation was great but the weather not brilliant."

  We had trouble getting in on arriving we did not know about the star key. Thankyou.

  Reviewed by Graham5.0★Jun 2024

• "We stayed here in June and were looking forward to the short break."

  The cottage was lovely as we knew it would be! and the extra heaters came in handy at times when the weather was chilly! The welcome gifts were very much appreciated. From the last time we stayed there is a little maintenance required as the blinds behind the bed aren’t opening/closing properly. Not a complaint at all, just wanted to let you know. Once again we really enjoyed our stay and are likely to revisit again x

  Reviewed by Sharon4.7★Nov 2023

• "Was surprised that the cottage was very separate from the village and had to walk along the busy A road to get anywhere to walk the dog."

  Would be good if the sofa had wipeable seats eg leather as the fabric was very smelly of other dogs. However, otherwise the property has been restored to a very high standard but would benefit from a coffee pot for the coffee lovers amongst us!

  Reviewed by Lois4.1★Sep 2023

• "We had a lovely holiday in this beautiful cottage!"

  There was local information provided which helped us decide on things to do whilst we were away. The cottage had everything we needed and was perfectly clean!

  Reviewed by Jess5.0★Sep 2023

• "We love the property and the bed was comfortable but this is where it ended."

  The cleanliness was extremely poor, clearly it is being neglected. on arrival there was no toilet roll, i have never been to a holiday home without the the initial roll being supplied, this wasn't a major problem as I had brought some along. As the the majority of the flooing on the ground floor is stone, it would be helpful if there was a long handled brush or hoover, I personally like to keep a tidy house and found this difficult to do with the items provided. I was really disappointed when the shower over flowed into the kitchen. My husband cleaned the waste trap, which resolved the issue but he shouldn't have to do, it was that bad it looked like a dead rat had been removed. There was black and pink mould on the shower tiles, some of which could easily be removed with a wipe. The bathroom sink was also backing up and no doubt will remain the same for the next holiday makers, my husband went out of his way to make the garden to look presentable, this is not something we should be doing on a well earned holiday , photos of what we found can be provided if needed

  Reviewed by Sharon2.2★Aug 2023

• "Lovely cottage we would stay again and recommend."

  only downside is the drainage from the shower isn’t strong enough. Literally flooded the bathroom so had to to shower quick to stop it from happening the next time, and no sweeping brush or mop. We only stayed 3 days but if you was staying longer I couldn’t cope with not being able to clean the floor, especially when having a dog.

  Reviewed by Jason4.4★Aug 2023

• "Everything you need for your stay was there."

  Very comfortable bed. Use of a vacuum would have been handy. Use of Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi code was supplied on correspondence and in the kitchen in the property. Plenty of parking. We think that it would have been useful to know it was stoned from the driveway to the property as we did bring the motorbike as well as the car. One the downside the property was quite dusty with cobwebs but there were quite a lot of spiders that we aren’t particularly fond of, but this was probably due to the location of the property and the surroundings and out buildings. Overall we had an enjoyable stay and would recommend this property.

  Reviewed by Martine4.1★Jun 2023

• "A lovely place to stay, also really good to have a secure garden for our dog."

  Everywhere was clean and we were very comfortable. Can’t fault the place at all. We loved that the original dovecote has been left partly exposed in the bedroom.

  Reviewed by Sharon5.0★Jun 2023

• "Very disappointed with this cottage."

  Have never had to write a negative review before. Always felt in safe hands with Sykes but not so, this time! The place was scruffy and uncared for and adjacent to a closed down spa resort with no information in the property about WFi etc. To many snags to list here!!! Left and went home as no phone number working for housekeeper and no response from Sykes on the weekend! Shame! Always trusted this company.

  Reviewed by Phil2.5★Apr 2023

• "We really loved yr cottage."

  It is lovely and homely, well equipped and spotlessly clean. Location very good and enjoyed the countryside and a quiet restful break. Thankyou very much for having us.

  Thank you for your lovely comments and we’re so glad you enjoyed your stay at The Dovecote! Hope you’ll come and stay again! Sarah Property Owner

  Reviewed by Yvonne5.0★Mar 2023

• "Good Afternoon Many thanks for making contact and I appreciate the opportunity to provide some feedback about our stay in between Christmas and New Year at The Dovecote."

  There were some issues during our stay at the cottage. My husband liaised with our contact about these issues whilst we were there. She was clearly frustrated herself as a couple of communications with us demonstrated. In one she said "Oh gawd that's not good is it" and in another we suggested very politely that she might have a word with the company who look after the change over to which she replied inappropriately. This is a text that I sent to our contact just before we left on 31st December.... "Hi, we are leaving very shortly. The cottage is lovely and thank you for the fan heaters in case of dropping temperatures. But clearly there have been number of hiccups unfortunately: bins left (ie. rubbish bags from previous visitors which we were asked to move), wood not put out, no corkscrew or tin opener (which tbh I anticipated someone would drop off) absence of any decorations on the tree other than one bauble (see photo attached) no shampoo, conditioner or body wash (would have expected those to have been included). Thanks for the welcome package of wine and Welsh cakes (but no Welsh cakes!!!). I have used one of the bottles of wine from under the stairs but left quite an expensive one in its place. Kindest regards for the New Year"

  Reviewed by Josh2.8★Dec 2022

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