Two Castles

13 Customer Reviews

• "Amazing location and stunning views of both castles."

  Property was value for money, ended last day wishing we could stay longer.

  Reviewed by Edward5.0★Oct 2024

• "The property was beautiful."

  Spacious, clean and perfect location. It was a bit chilly when we visited and the heaters did a good job. The only problem we had was with the fob to open the gate to get the car in and out. It was a bit temperamental and we had to click it a few times before it would open.

  Reviewed by Katy5.0★Oct 2024

• "We found the property to be in an excellent location."

  It was very comfortable, spacious andwell furnished and equipped. The heating system was needed at night and was efficient and easy to use There were a number of minor maintenance issues in particular the bath plug in the first floor bathroom which would not open. In addition information about the extractor fans and heated towel rails provided in the information book and a sign in the kitchen conflicted with each other and caused confusion. There were insufficient pans for cooking and a couple of more pans would have helped. Overall we had a very enjoyable stay in the apartment and would certainly return in the future. Communication with NCCC was problematic. We asked for further information about the property prior to arrival and still await reply three days after departure . The website appears to have been designed to avoid contact. Local staff in Seahouse friendly and helpful.

  Reviewed by Peter4.7★Sep 2024

• "I emailed you before our visit, as there were maintenance issues raised in the recent reviews, plus general issues highlighted."

  You did not respond. On calling the office, your agent said that any raised issues would have been resolved, and needless to say, this was not the case. We found poor provision of glasses: still only 5 wine glasses, 3 water tumblers, or large pint glasses, shoddy mismatched plastic glasses, plus 2 broken bottle openers and no peeler. We had issues with the hot water - faulty thermostatic valve and hence no hot water in one bathroom (which the local office did send a plumber to fix). The shower screen upstairs is still faulty and access to the bath is difficult and frankly dangerous for anyone elderly. The loose toilet seat upstairs should have been obvious on cleaning, reported and fixed. In general, the bathroom taps are hard to use and very stiff in some instances too. The plumbing needs an overhaul! The front door handle was pointing down to the floor on arrival (and subsequently fell off completely), which is not a good first impression. The dud battery for the gate key fob wasn't great either. I don't think being asked to drive out to get one is a suitable response - especially as we couldn't open the gate to get the car out! Having said all of the above, this property is in a beautiful setting, but for the amount charged you would expect such basic things like kitchen provision should be to a suitable standard. Multiple reviews should not be picking up the same faults, as this does not reflect well on the owner and agent.

  Reviewed by Quentin3.1★Aug 2024

• "This is a stunning holiday home."

  Perfect location. The views are breathtaking and the rooms are large and comfortable. A truly incredible place to stay. The management of the property could be improved, however. The promised travel cot for our baby was broken and missing a mattress - very grateful that this was resolved quickly but shouldn't have happened and it is concerning that this wasn't noticed before our stay. There were other small housekeeping issues too - we found books (presumably left by the previous visitors?) wedged inside our "freshly" made bed on arrival, the hand-wash bottles in two of the three bathrooms were empty. Information about the property online and in the ring binder was inaccurate - no second TV in a bedroom as promised, the manual for the dishwasher was for a completely different brand and model, info about using the towel rails and extractor fans contradicted that on stickers in the apartment. All these things could be addressed very quickly for future guests. Overall we loved it and would like to return. Hope the small issues can be fixed.

  Reviewed by Alexandra1.9★Aug 2024

• "The apartment is exactly as described, in a fantastic location and very comfortable."

  Bamburgh is in a magical part of the world. All of these are great ingredients for a wonderful stay. We have stayed in this property before and it is clear that the owners/Sykes Cottages never act on any feedback, so what follows is purely for the benefit of those who may be considering renting the property (caveat emptor). The grounds were unmaintained and untidy on arrival. The team of four (!) who arrived on Day 3 said that nothing had been done all year. They spent all day restoring the grounds to their former splendour, inevitably making a fair amount of noise for a prolonged period in the process. The result was great but the situation was very disappointing. The bathroom in the 2nd floor castle-facing bedroom had a defective (dangerously so) shower screen, a non-working bath plug mechanism, an unfixed toilet roll holder and a door that jammed on the tiled floor. One of the (cheap) window blinds does not work properly. The maintenance visit on Day 3 fixed some of these issues but I would still not recommend opening the shower screen, especially with small children. The same screen in the first floor bathroom shows how it should work. Unacceptable. The keysafe mechanism is very stiff (dare I suggest some WD40 may be required?). Having only one set of keys for a 3-bedroom property is hugely frustrating, especially with a challenging keysafe. Irritating in the extreme. The kitchen looks well equipped and has good basic appliances, until you actually try a use it. For example, there is one huge drawer filled with saucepan lids but only 2 mis-matched saucepans. The water glass collection is a joke - some are plastIc and some are freebies. There is no set of six matching glasses of any description - the 3 standard wineglasses are of 2 different styles and the other 5 decorative ones do not even fit in the dishwasher. Most of the water glasses would be declined by our local charity shop, who could easily provide a better offering with which to equip this apartment. Basically, the kitchen is both disappointing and frustrating - but on issues that would be of trivial cost to fix, if only someone cared enough to act on them. Could only do better. The coat hook rack in the laundry area falls off the wall if used, so best not to. One of the under-cabinet lights in the kitchen does not work. Basic maintenance issues. The bedroom on the first floor has pretty curtains but with zero light-blocking characteristics, so waking up early is no challenge (and there is no alternative!). The light above the bathroom mirror does not work and the bedroom door (still, 3 years on) jams in its frame. Self explanatory. The summary is that this is a lovely property that is let down by lack of attention to details that are important if you are actually trying to live in it. The feeling is that it is simply rolled week-to-week by the cleaning team, but with no attention to, or review of, the contents. Given the rental fee, asking me to strip the beds on departure is just the final bit of grit in what should already be a pearly oyster. The property has fantastic promise but currently punches below its weight on easily addressed issues. Despite our love for the location over many decades, sadly, we are unlikely to be back any time soon. ☹️

  Reviewed by David4.4★Jul 2024

• "Positives: View was spectacular."

  Shops and restaurants across the road within walking distance was nice but confusing as to hours open or if opened at all some days. Negatives: for a cottage that can sleep 6, there was only one partial roll of toilet paper in each bathroom no extra rolls to be found We had to find a store (not easy in that area) to purchase it. Confusion upon arrival was not provided a flat # asked for when trying to gain initial property access. It was not clear by the address what the flat # was someone inside opened the gate then we had to try all key boxes to figure which one would open with the code we were given not knowing our flat # The dryer on the washer/dryer combo did not work well if at all No answer at numbers provided so sent message no response They need to better understand we travelled internationally did not have good information provided to us The realtor we rented through was less than responsive and difficult to contact but happy to provide you with the feedback you are requesting feel free to publish this and maybe the next "client" will have better knowledge of what to expect

  Reviewed by Jane2.2★Jun 2024

• "We loved the apartment."

  Really well appointed and comfortable. Fantastic location opposite the castle and a couple of minutes walk to the beach and local shops and pubs.

  Reviewed by Joanne4.7★May 2024

• "Lovely property in a great location."

  Reviewed by Christian5.0★Dec 2023

• "Beautiful flat and clean."

  However not enough serving dishes. The kitchen utensils were scarce and insufficient to cater for 6 and created difficulties. The frying pans had lost their non-stick coating.

  Hi Thanks for the feedback. We will add all the items suggested. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Ashok3.8★Sep 2023

• "The most wonderful holiday accommodation we’ve ever stayed in!"

  We have rented homes in Bamburgh every year for the last 15 years, and this was the very best. The views over the cricket pitch, castles and sea were probably the best in the whole of the village. The accommodation itself was superb. The only slight issue was the keypad to open the gate is so worn away that the numbers were not visible - everyone appeared to struggle with it. Otherwise, perfection! Thank you.

  Reviewed by Jill5.0★Sep 2023

• "Lovely location, very relaxing overlooking the village green."

  Property is very nice, lovely well equipped kitchen and beds are really comfortable.

  Reviewed by Anthony5.0★Jun 2023

• "Well presented spacious property with excellent views of castle and sea."

  Dec 2019

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