The Shambles

15 Customer Reviews

• "Lovely cottage very comfortable and everything you'd need for a great holiday (minus a puzza cutter), but new carpet created lots of dust and dirty socks and slippers."

  Parking availability varied, but other streets nearby had space. It's an old seaside town with old cottages, so narrow steep roads, not for you if you don't know your cars' dimensions or can't walk hills. I have a large saloon and coped fine, but you won't always be right outside the row of cottages. Access down a set of steps to the road parallel to the sea means ease of access to food places and pubs and the beach. Pubs worth booking in advance as they aren't big and very popular. Cove Inn especially but also recommend the Blue fish cafe and Quiddels. Loads to walk to locally like Portland Castle, DDay & WW2 museum owned by locals and an outdoor activity centre. No flyers in the cottage and the park had limited info re local enterprises so hopefully info above helpful.

  Reviewed by Sarah4.4★Aug 2024

• "A nice, well maintained and equipped property with a great view up Chesil Beach."

  Vehicle access with a large car might be a challenge for unloading & loading luggage on arrival & departure but there are car parks close by to save the hassle daily.

  Reviewed by Geoffrey5.0★Nov 2023

• "'The Shambles' is a beautiful, comfortable and extremely well equipped cottage, spotlessly clean, and provided us a relaxing and much needed holiday."

  The location is perfect and the Isle of Portland is a lovely, friendly, and interesting 'jewel' of Dorset. After just two days back home we are already missing the stunning sea views and sunsets from the cottage's sitting room and bedroom windows (as well as the sound of the sea!). My husband and I look forward to our next visit! Thankyou!

  Reviewed by Catherine5.0★Aug 2023

• "The property is lovely."

  Comfortable, and beautiful sea views. The parking is dreadful and once we did manage to get a spot in front of the cottage, we didn't move or use the car all week for fear of someone else taking the spot. For this reason alone, we would not book again.

  Reviewed by Catherine3.8★Jun 2023

• "We enjoyed the view of the sea being whipped up by the winter wind from the window of this warm, cosy and well equipped cottage."

  The parking is snug but there were plenty of free spaces within easy walking distance. We enjoyed our stay on Portland.

  Reviewed by Paula5.0★Jan 2023

• "My wife and I loved the cottage and had an excellent holiday."

  Overall the cottage was clean and well equipped. A few avoidable niggles stopped me giving 5 stars. 1. The oven grill rack and a baking tray were very greasy from previous use. 2. The toilet seat chrome fittings were rusting but I know from own experience are easily restored if cleaned properly. 3. The seating area in the lounge could be made more comfortable.

  Reviewed by Christopher4.1★Sep 2022

• "Technically there is parking outside the cottage, but in practice, this is not the case unless you have a small car and nerves of steel!"

  It is easy to find parking nearby, but I really think the property details should reflect this more clearly.

  Reviewed by Diana4.7★Sep 2022

• "This is advertised as sleeps 4 but only 3 seats in living room where does 4th ..."

  This is advertised as sleeps 4 but only 3 seats in living room where does 4th person sit says parking on first come first served no chance of parking any where near the property oven was left dirty bit disappointing otherwise was ok

  Reviewed by John3.1★Sep 2022

• "The shambles is a cosy holiday cottage very close to the coast."

  I was able to go for a morning walk along the coast each day. Public transport was good, making it easy to get to local places of interest. The neighbours were very friendly and I would definitely go back again.

  Reviewed by Julia4.4★Aug 2022

• "Lovely little house, which was super clean and had everything we needed for a pleasant stay."

  It is so close to the beach and the views from the main bedroom are stunning. As others have mentioned, parking can be busy, but we always found somewhere to park and it's such a nice area to walk through so we didn't mind at all. The house really needs a new bin, with a working lid. It's not great to have an open bin in this heat. I wanted to mentioned that the kitchen sink tap needs tightening and I think that some love could go into the back yard area, to make it nicer to spend time in. These minor things did not ruin our week and we would love to return next year!

  Reviewed by Keris4.7★Aug 2022

• "We loved our stay here and felt at home straight away."

  The cottage was in a quiet, peaceful area. It was well presented, spotlessly clean and everything we needed was provided. The sea views were a bonus and this made the holiday even more relaxing. The location is also ideal for getting around Portland and Weymouth.

  Reviewed by Caroline5.0★Jun 2022

• "A few points: No bedside lights in back bedroom."

  House can accommodate 4 people but only seating for 3 in living room, Bin lid doesn't close. Upstairs loo not properly cleaned - encrusted waste on metal loo seat fixings! Not my job to clean this. The rest of the house was very clean. Comfortable beds.

  Dear Catherine Thank you for your valued observations. We have referred the cleaning issue to Dream Cottages, who are responsible for the cleaning of the cottage, which prior to your comment has been rewarded with some good reviews. The lounge has been equipped with seating compatible with room size, comprising of a three seater sofa and armchair. We are sorry the bin lid caused an issue for you whilst on holiday. We were unaware of this and I appreciate you bringing it to our attention. Nick and Frances Hawkins Property Owner

  Reviewed by Catherine3.1★Jun 2022

• "The Shambles is a lovely place."

  Immaculate furnishing and decor, peaceful, clean, quiet, well-kitted-out and a haven to arrive into. The sea view window in the main bedroom is a great feature.

  Reviewed by Kathryn5.0★Jun 2022

• "The Shambles is a beautiful, recently decorated, clean cottage on Portland."

  The area is also really quiet as we barely heard any noise for the whole of our stay. There are some fantastic coastal path walks that you can do on Portland and Weymouth is also a great place to visit. We had brilliant weather while we were there (end of March) and some amazing sunsets over the sea which can be seen from the lounge window and the front bedroom window. The only slight downside is the parking situation but it’s like that everywhere in Fortuneswell and we always managed to find somewhere to park either up or down the hill. Also, if I was being really picky, there are no plug sockets anywhere near the mirror in the bedroom but we bought an extension lead and got round the problem. However, these are minor niggles and we wouldn’t hesitate to visit again.

  Reviewed by John5.0★Mar 2022

• "This cottage was very clean, well presented, nicely decorated and furnished."

  It was well equipped particularly the kitchen. Extras such as tea and coffee, salt and pepper, kitchen roll etc. were useful. The cottage was warm and cosy and very conveniently located. However, although there was seating outside, attention to the weeds / plants growing could make the outside space more attractive. This place is very conveniently located in Fortuneswell with a wonderful sea view. It is close to the pebbly beach, and a short walk to a pub, post office and Co-op Supermarket. There are not many restaurants around here, but there is a fish and chip shop and an Indian takeaway. There is a petrol station and Lidl Supermarket 5 minutes drive away, close to the marina. On-street parking is tight and limited. However, there is parking if you don't mind a walk up or downhill away from the house. If public transport is used the cottage is conveniently located to the bus stops up and down the road from the house to take the bus into Weymouth or along the rest of the island. People around here are nice and friendly. The island has a wealth of history and lots to do.

  Reviewed by Sarah5.0★Sep 2021

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