The Shingles

7 Customer Reviews

• "Property in need of an update."

  Lounge was clean and tidy but the seating was uncomfortable. Bedrooms were fine. Bathroom needs an upgrade,peeling paint and a leaky shower screen. An issue with towels and heating was quickly resolved. The kitchen was clean but like something out of the sixties. Potentially an excellent Property but update please!!Excellent situation ,shame about the maintenance.

  Reviewed by Yvonne2.2★Sep 2024

• "We have been visiting the Isle of Wight for more than twenty years, and most years, we try to stop somewhere different."

  Consequently, we have stopped in a great many properties all over the island so far. Unfortunately, I must say that this particular property is, by far, the worst that we have ever used. Firstly, the booking page needs to clearly indicate acceptable arrival or departure times. For many properties, the arrival time is 3 pm, so we arrived on Saturday at around 2:50 pm. However, the so-called "cleaners" were still on site and informed us that the arrival time was, in fact, 4 pm. They did offer to allow us to leave our belongings, but we declined and came back an hour later. I say "so-called cleaners" because the property was far from acceptable when we finally arrived. The kitchen table had a vinyl tablecloth with bits of food stuck to it in several places, and the toilet was in a deplorable state, with a dirty seat and unmentionable substances stuck to the tiles just next to the toilet cleaning brush. The TV screen and kitchen windows were filthy. We rented the property for two weeks, but to our surprise, there was only one hand towel and two bath towels for the entire period to supposedly serve two people. There was also no tea towel at all, so we had to go out and buy our own. On Saturday morning, at the end of the first week of our stay, the cleaners turned up at 10 am on the dot. We answered the door and asked them what they wanted, and they said that they had come to do the changeover. They were utterly oblivious to the fact that we were renting the property for two weeks. Additionally, there were no spare bin bags or floor mats in the bathroom, and the shower screen leaked so badly when we took a shower that we had to mop the floor every time we used it. The paint around the bathroom window is peeling off. In addition to all of the above, the property itself is generally very shabby and seriously needs a makeover. We shall not return to this property and certainly would not recommend it to others.

  Dear Mike, I’m am so very sorry that your stay was not a pleasant one. I have taken all of your comments and fed this back to the cleaners who will take these comments on board. The property is very tired and will be undergoing some much needed refurbishment over the Winter period. I do apologise again that you were not happy with your stay. Regards, Jo Property Owner

  Reviewed by Mike1.3★Aug 2024

• "We liked the cottage especially the location."

  I would agree with other reviews though that the cottage does need some maintenance. Especially to the kitchen and the decor needs upgrading.

  Hi Helen Thank you very much for your feedback. The property will be undergoing some much needed refurbishment work over the winter period ready for the new year. I do hope you will visit again to see the improvements made. Warm Regards Jo Property Owner

  Reviewed by Helen3.4★Aug 2024

• "The property is quite nice, but needs updating"

  Reviewed by Roy4.4★Jul 2024

• "We have used Sykes many times over the years and sad to say The Shingles does not meet the usual high standard in several respects."

  The property does not meet its description. We thought we would have the entire property to ourselves and were quite frightened on the first night to hear footsteps overhead Although the property was clean, it is really in need of re-decorating. There were no instructions about operating the heating system or any of the electric appliances. A small welcome pack would have been nice, even just a pint of milk and some bread. There were just a few tea bags and some coffee sachets which is very poor. Unlike at most Sykes properties there was no Visitors Book. Perhaps this is understandable because had there been one it would probably contain a lot of negative comments. This property is over priced and not deserve a three tick rating from Sykes

  Dear Alan, Thank you very much for your feedback and I am very sorry to hear that The Shingles did not meet your expectations. With regards to the property, it is in fact semi-detached and the family who own it were staying in the other side. I apologise that this was not communicated to you and I am working with Sykes to make this clearer on the property description. We are working on a welcome pack for the property and a visitors book will also be included. We will also be making improvements and updates once the busy summer period is over. With regards to pricing, we operate the pricing structure set by Sykes themselves, so your comment may be best directed to them. Once again, I do apologise that you were dissatisfied. Kind Regards Jo Thomas Property Owner

  Reviewed by Alan3.8★Jun 2024

• "The Shingles is in a nice location just a few yards from the coastal path with lovely views of Sandown."

  However the property wasn't as we had hoped for. Positive points were the comfortable bed, good wifi signal and plenty of hot water but the overall cleanliness of the cottage left a lot to be desired and it could also do with some modernisation. The main issue though was the fact that we were unaware that we were not hiring the entire property and we were quite alarmed on the first night when we heard footsteps in the roof space above. The next day we noticed the skylights in the roof which confirmed this and it would appear that the owners live in the adjoining property and the roof space of the Shingles is part of their living space. Other potential guests need to be made aware of this as it isn't made clear in the property description. Also, although 'Things to do' booklets were provided there was a complete lack of any personal welcome pack from the owners, a guest book and something simple like a pint of milk left in the fridge would've been nice. All of these things are usual practice with such cottages that we have stayed in before. The metal patio chairs were starting to rust and could do with painting and / or the provision of cushions, and another thing that I would like to draw potential guests attention to, especially those with children is the deep uncovered open well in the garden. Despite the issues with the property we had a nice week on the Isle of Wight. We would like to recommend the Ocean Deck bar & restaurant on Sandown esplanade for an excellent Sunday carvery. This was our go to place for enjoying a drink after a day exploring the island.

  Dear Malcolm, thank you for your feedback and I’m very sorry that you have had a negative experience at The Shingles. To address your points: - you are quite right in that the property needs modernisation, this is something we will be undertaking once the busy summer season is over. - the property is in two parts and the residential side is used my the family who own the property. I’m sorry that wasn’t clear and I will broach this with Sykes to ensure this is communicated more effectively - there is a welcome pack located in the property, it may be that you didn’t come across it but it is normally with all the others. I’m sorry that it wasn’t there and will rectify this. - as above the furniture including that in the garden also needs updating and we will endeavour to do this at a quieter time in the year - we will also make sure to point out the well in the garden. Once again my apologies that you weren’t satisfied with The Shingles. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Malcolm1.9★Jun 2024

• "Lovely location close to clifftop walk, and cottage had everything we needed."

  As a suggestion, a Visitors' Book is always helpful to pick up any recommendations from previous visitors, together with useful maps/leaflets (especially for those visitors less into technology!) For our part, we would recommend The Hideaway at Shanklin for good food, a spectacular view out to sea, and very helpful friendly service. Thank you for enabling a good break.

  Thank you so much for your comments and very useful feedback. We will endeavour to implement a visitors book very soon! All the best, Jo Property Owner

  Reviewed by Roger4.7★Apr 2024

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