Sustonica, the first global sustainability standard for holiday lets.
Our aim is to create lasting holiday memories and we intend to do so both responsibly and sustainably.
To deliver on this we've set out a number of environmental and social pledges which help to focus our efforts;
you can read more about them in our Impact Report.
This is why we've partnered with Sustonica, the first global certification for holiday lets,
to support our owners to be more sustainable.
The Sustonica certification focuses on four key areas: energy conservation, water conservation,
waste reduction and promoting inclusiveness. They are on a mission to become the most widely
recognised sustainability standard for holiday rentals and a catalyst to reduce emissions of holiday
lets and influence guests to reduce their own household consumption too.
Properties that display the Sustonica badge have successfully passed the criteria,
which align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council standards,
and their owner has made a commitment to look after our planet as well as you.
"We found The Folly to be clean and well appointed with everything you need for 2 people."
The bathroom is probably ready for an update but otherwise everything is tastefully done. Very good location, close to Co-op and easy walks down to Pirt Isaac or Port Gaverne.
We enjoyed our stay and would come again.
Thank you so much for your kind words. It's great to hear that you had such a fabulous stay and had the perfect base to explore the local area from. - John Bray Cornish Holidays on behalf of the owner.
Property Owner
Reviewed by R5.0★Oct 2024
"This has to be the worst house for value and cleanliness I've ever stayed in."
I had no issues with the shower or the garden as in previous reviews but the house is very rundown.
The TV is tiny and Netflix and Prime do not work. The sofa is dirty and sagging, the house was dusty and smelt of dog wee. The wine glasses were misty and mismatched. For the cost of this house I would expect a lot more.
I have been using John Bray to come to Port Isaac for over 20 years and I will not be using them again. The quality service and value of the houses now leaves a lot to be desired. Other companies give a welcome pack and provide much better houses for the price.
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that you feel this way about the property and your stay. Your comments have been passed on to the team here at John Bray Cornish Holidays. We hope you still managed to enjoy your visit despite these issues. - John Bray Cornish Holidays on behalf of the owner.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Marina1.9★Sep 2024
"Like everyone else it would be much improved if you could secure the garden for dogs - they get through where the bushes are and there is no fence and fix the drain in the shower."
Otherwise a great property.
Reviewed by Vita3.8★Jul 2024
"Not impressed with the property maintenance, outside was a disgrace also the garage was filthy patio door would hardly open also garage door very stiff to open another dog got into our garden despite me asking you to check it was secure from previous reviews i saw we were not to know if that dog an alsatian was aggressive as i had my dog with me which is friendly."
they left us no washing machine tablets one dishwasher tablet we had to put waste into black bags but they left none how tight can you get i think they owe me a refund to charge me so much for that property for what we got is a disgrace
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by these issues. Your comments have been passed on to the team here at John Bray Cornish Holidays. We are afraid that whilst the garden is fenced off, we can never guarantee a garden is 100% enclosed and we cannot control other people’s dogs. But we understand the upset. Our properties are self catering but some starter provisions should have been left for you so again, this has been raised to the team. We hope you still managed to enjoy your visit despite these issues and would love to welcome you back to North Cornwall in the future. - John Bray Cornish Holidays on behalf of the owner.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Bryan3.4★May 2024
"We stopped at the Folly from October 13th 2023."
It has a good position with garage parking. However there was a number of faults we reported to John Bray office. 1/ Slate missing at the entrance door way 2/Extraction fan to shower room no working 3/ Cover to drain in shower base broke very dangerous, I see this was reported two years ago 4/ The shower around the door track was disgusting it had to be thoroughly cleaned before we could use the shower. With a bit of tlc this property would be great.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We are sorry to hear that you experienced some maintenance issues during your stay and thank you for reporting them to our local office. Your comments will be passed to our maintenance team - John Bray Cornish Holidays on behalf of the owner.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Margaret3.4★Oct 2023
"The Property has many plusses with the lovely Garden and a Garage."
It is so close to the Bus stop and the Black Cafe. The Co-op is also not far to walk to. The Folly is very clean and comfortable.
Lighting on the stairs would be an improvement and the Boiler in the living space area can be quite noisy.
A visitors book and more local information leaflets would be helpful to enjoy the local area.
Thank you so much for your feedback and how well the property worked for you with its lovely garden and location for local amenities. Thank you also for your suggestions about lighting on the stairs which will be shared with the owner. John Bray Cornish Holidays on behalf of the owner.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Nic4.7★May 2023
"We had a lovely time at The Folly."
The bed was really confortable and all facilities were good. The only thing was that the shower was just not quite hot enough. We managed ok though.
We did consider re-booking for a week in early November but have reservations that the shower is not hot enough, especially at that time of the year which is a real shame. Best regards Norman Cross
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we are so glad you enjoyed your stay, and we will look into the issue with the shower, but we hope to welcome you back soon.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Norman4.4★Sep 2022
"I concur with many of the previous comments, with the exception of the beds which were comfortable."
Yes, the boiler is noisy, even sometimes during the night when no water or heating is being used. Our main problem during the week was the very slow draining shower. The water soon came to the top of the shower tray and would have overflowed had we had a normal shower. This was reported on the first day to John Bray, but sadly no action was taken. Disappointing. I guess the maintenance man/plumber is as fed up with the problem as the occupants! Despite this, and the rain, we enjoyed a good week at The Folly, which is in an excellent location, with the bonus of parking. A small kitchen veg knife would be useful.
Reviewed by Sally3.8★Sep 2022
"We (2adults 2kids and pooch) had a wonderful week at the folly."
It is central for both Port Isaac and Port Gaverne but also a fabulous base for Padstow, Rock, Trebarwith Strand, Tintagel all only 20mins away. The parking is great using the garage and just pulling the door down when we were out. It just needs a good brush out as the gravel from outside has worked it’s way in.
The house is fabulous with everything we needed but pleasant to be in and modern. The beds were really comfy and the top bedroom view was beautiful. The boiler didn’t bother us as it just gurgled now and again!!
The only downside was that the step down onto the patio from the lounge is quite high so not toddler friendly. We would 100% stay here again. Fantastic property.
Reviewed by Jane5.0★Aug 2022
"There was no means to dry clothes."
I was not expecting a dryer but there was no line outside, nor clothes airer. It meant that wet clothes/ washing had to be dried over the back of chairs/ tables etc. Not ideal at all.
Fence at back of garden had a large section missing (behind bush on left as you look from house). Didn't know this until we had a call from someone in a car park way down the road to say they had our dog, who had found his way out of the garden. Meant that we could not let our dog out in the garden nor have the doors open (especially difficult when the weather was so hot). Again, not ideal at all.
Other than that, the property was brilliant. Perfect location for both immediate local area and more widely. We would definitely book again.
Reviewed by David4.4★Jul 2022
"Lovely property & wonderful sea view from the bedroom a great place & a garage too bonus!"
Thank you for taking the time to review this property and in such a lovely way too. Delighted you had a great time and hope you’ll be back.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Ros5.0★Jul 2022
"The property looks very tired and in need of some TLC."
Jet spraying the walls to remove the caked in bird poo would be good
The beds were extremely uncomfortable, the springs dug in and infact I tried to sleep in each bed as I could not avoid the springs in the main bed. My son, who is less sensitive than me, also had the same problem.
It would be helpful to provide cleaning products, there were no surface sprays or cleaning materials for the bathroom, the toilet brush was broken. I would usually give the shower a quick clean everyday it would be great to have a shower cleaner and a useable toilet brush.
This is the first time I have stayed in a cottage that doesn't provide a "care package" of milk tea bags and often other goodies, just to get you going.
The skylights need something you can open them with and need blinds as the sun shines in directly, which is wonderful, but not so good when you are trying to keep the rooms.cool.
Sorry for the long list, but I would want to know if it were my property.
Also storage, we found the hoover in front of the door in the downstairs bedroom and the mop and bucket behind the arm chair!
We loved the location and views from the upstairs bedroom.
Thank you for your feedback.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Jacqueline2.5★Jul 2022
"Warning notices made us anxious, were the breakages and carpet issues, that met us when we came into the house, logged?"
Or would we be invoiced for them? A management shortfall.
Very comfortable beds, settee had seen better days. Well equipped kitchen. Dog friendly garden wasn't escape proof, which caused one mid-night problem and meant we couldn't let the dog into the garden without a lead on.
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry for the inconvenience and frustration caused by these issues. These have been logged and you will not be invoiced for them but thank you for raising them with us. Your comments have been passed on to the team at John Bray Cornish Holidays and to the owner. We hope you still managed to enjoy your visit despite these issues and would love to welcome you back to North Cornwall in the future. - John Bray Cornish Holidays on behalf of the owner.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Robert3.1★Apr 2022
"The Folly is well positioned down a quiet cul-de-sac at the top of Port Isaac in easy walking distance of everything."
It makes a very adequate base for a couple for a week and, in our view would be fine for a family of four. Views to Tintagel from the upstairs bedroom.
We did not experience any of the issues mentioned in other recent reviews. As small points lack of any soap, washing up liquid and only one toilet roll were minor disappointments. The boiler is very noisy.
Many thanks for your review and information. John Bray have arranged for the boiler to be sorted. Not sure why there was no toilet paper! All the best for your future visits to Cornwall.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Graham3.4★Sep 2021
"Great location with bonus of parking."
Could be super with minor improvements. Garden very untidy, ripped bags of vegetation, decaying table, tatty washing line. Living space furniture needed upgrading. Boiler very weird noises every time tap run. No welcome book with instructions. Oven marking completely worn off so could only guess any settings. No linen bags supplied as per Covid instructions. Mix match of crockery. Good fridge freezer. Back door locked with no key supplied so no exit in case of kitchen fire. Nice sea view from bedroom. This could be a gem with a little tlc.
Reviewed by Alison3.4★Sep 2021
"The Folly is a lovely property - perfect for us but there were only two of us - there was not enough seats if there had been 4 people as this property is advertised as catering for."
Lipstick on cups and food on some plates/dishes was a little off putting. Shower needed taking apart to unblock and garden needed some pruning and weeding (we did both) but overall a great little stay.
Reviewed by Jennifer3.8★Sep 2021
"It’s the second time we stayed at the Folly, the first being 2 years ago."
It it perfectly situated and has a very valuable parking spot.
But, it is a much unloved property. The flower trough on the pathway is full of weeds (just get rid of the trough). On the corner of the outside steps down to the door there’s a pile of stuff for the tip - old polystyrene a bit of old Lino. The curtains in the bedrooms are thin and unlined - both bedrooms face east so you’re up at 5am; the main wall in the living room doesn’t eve.n have a picture on it. The boiler in the kitchen rattles away making some very odd noises; one of the frying pans lost it’s non stick about 5 years ago……we could go on.
As a crash pad (with nighttime eye masks) it works, but it’s definitely not comfort and a little surprising John Bray puts his name to it.
Reviewed by Richard2.8★Jul 2021
"The house wasn’t very clean."
The carpets felt damp especially in the downstairs bedroom which had a horrible damp smell. The pillows on one bed were very musty and damp but were replaced. The shower drain cap is broken and the water does not drain well which means you can’t have a long shower. The cupboards and drawers where dishes and cutlery need cleaning. Lots of crumbs and dirt! We would not recommend this property but the location is good.
This property is part of the John Bray Cornish Holidays collection.
John Bray Cornish Holidays offers some of the best located self catering cottages and holiday homes in North Cornwall’s loveliest locations including Rock and Daymer Bay, on the Camel Estuary, and Polzeath and Port Isaac on the Atlantic coast.
Summary
Two bedrooms: 1 x ground-floor with one single bed (one pull out single bed available upon request), 1 x super-king size with TV
Open-plan living space with kitchen, dining area and sitting area
Ground-floor bathroom with walk-in shower, basin and WC
Central heating
Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, 2 x TV with Freeview, DVD player, WiFi
Fuel and power inc. in rent
Bed linen and towels inc. in rent
Private parking for one car inside the garage, next to property
Patio garden with furniture
One pet welcome
Sorry, no smoking
The property
Nestled on the headland at Port Isaac, with fabulous sea and coastal views, The Folly is a detached self-catering holiday home that is ideal for a small family.
Park in the private parking space and enter The Folly to discover an open-plan living space with vaulted ceilings and lots of natural light from the skylight windows and large patio doors.
The kitchen is stylish and equipped with all modern amenities and there is plenty of space for guests to sit and relax at the dining table or on sofas.
When the sun is shining, you’ll probably want to spend most of your time outside on the patio terrace; bordered by mature plants it’s a perfect spot to relax and enjoy al fresco meals after days spent exploring the coast or sunbathing on the beach.
The ground-floor bedroom contains one single bed (one pull out single bed available upon request), and would be ideal for children, while the large master bedroom with vaulted ceiling and exposed beams is located on the first floor and has views of the sea and the sweeping coastline.
Port Isaac is a vibrant, picturesque village with narrow winding streets lined with whitewashed cottages that lead you down to the harbour, where you can sit and watch the fishing boats set off in the morning and return later in the day with their daily catch.
Treat yourself to a pasty and a local ale or indeed a glass of wine and a delicious meal in one of the many fine dining establishments to be found here.
The South West Coast Path runs for miles in both directions and is a popular route for walkers and wildlife spotters hoping to see seals, dolphins, puffins, falcons, and rare plants.
The beauty of the North Cornwall coast is on your doorstep with a stay at The Folly.
Lovely location with separate accesses but side by side. Perfect for a larger family that wants two properties with their own space.
Note: This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £200.
View on map
About the location
PORT ISAAC
Polzeath 6.5 miles; Padstow 16 miles
Port Isaac; one of the true Cornish treasures. A beautiful fishing village nestling in a steep sided valley, the old village in the valley remains unchanged from its days of fishing, slate export and smuggling in the previous century. An abundance of small character properties complemented by larger cliff-top retreats, can be found with easy access to the numerous restaurants and shops of the village. The sandy harbour provides an abundance of rock pools as the tide retreats. Only ten minutes drive from the beaches of Polzeath, Daymer and Rock, it is perfect for romantic and family holidays alike. There is ample parking at the top of the village.
