Hartington

First impressions were good - it had been nicely decorated and furnished and everything was comfortable.

Location was good for us too and it was quiet, despite there being a few cottages in total. However, things were starting to fall apart - for example the catch on the inside of the dishwasher (that holds the tablet) was broken, the oven trim was largely hanging off (we tried but couldn't get it back on), several of the dining chairs felt as if they would break easily; there were only 2 mis-matched wine glasses (cottage could sleep 6 adults). Reception didn't seem to be open for the first few days (we arrived Easter weekend) and then we kind of got used to things and forgot to report them! Also the floorboards in the upstairs bathrooms really need repairing and the shower screen (shower over bath) wasn't fit for purpose (way too small!) Other things were skimped on - there were only 3 dishwasher tablets for a week's stay and one small (not very powerful) hairdryer. Not sure if there was meant to be a cafetiere on anything to make coffee but there wasn't one so we had to buy one. There didn't appear to be any recycling bins, other than for glass, so everything had to go in the bin (only 2 bin bags provided). Accuracy of the listing - photos out of date, as downstairs had been redecorated and refurnished since. Not really an issue but should probably be updated. Originally the cottage we tried to book was double-booked, so obviously there was something wrong with the systems talking to each other. Darwin Lake tried to sort this out directly (told me to cancel my booking, which wasn't actually cancellable so caused a few problems) but it should really have gone via Sykes and a nice lady from Sykes sorted it out eventually and we got a better price than we'd been offered direct.

This was advertised by Sykes as PET Free or Pets - NO which I require.

..... yet when we arrived we found Darwin Lodge have this house as leased for people with pets......and as I am allergic to animal fur I was disappointed ..... Darwin could not move me into one of the properties they have as No Pets......but fortunately the house Hartington was well cleaned and the odour was thankfully very minimal in its effect. The Sykes advert requires amendment.

We loved the location of the cottage, it felt out in the wilds but only a couple of miles from shops.

Although there are quite a few properties onsite, it was very quiet and peaceful and also felt very safe. The 3 ensuite bedrooms were all very nicely decorated and there was everything supplied for an enjoyable stay. One of the beds hadn't been made up as a kingsize as requested but was setup as a twin, but this was quickly resolved by a lovely friendly member of staff. We would happily stay here again.