“Swallow cottage unfortunately was very disappointing.”
Other than the area, which is stunning and quiet,and outwardly the building appeared to be absolutely gorgeous. Inside was dirty and not maintained. The instructions on the Sykes website contradicted those left in the property.
Firstly, there was no key safe as stated. So we spent a while trying to discover how to get in. After a phone call to the agent we discovered ourselves that there is in fact no key safe. And the property was left open with the keys on the upstairs table.
The ...
Other than the area, which is stunning and quiet,and outwardly the building appeared to be absolutely gorgeous. Inside was dirty and not maintained. The instructions on the Sykes website contradicted those left in the property.
Firstly, there was no key safe as stated. So we spent a while trying to discover how to get in. After a phone call to the agent we discovered ourselves that there is in fact no key safe. And the property was left open with the keys on the upstairs table.
The instructions from Sykes contradicted what was left in the owners book of instructions. 9:30 departure on Sykes, 9 am in the book. No instructions for the laundry, which we did work out ourselves but didn't end up using as the directions were so aggressive and blunt inside that I didn't feel like lining their pocket. Dogs welcome, fully dog friendly on Sykes but in the book keep them on lead and don't leave them alone ( which I did speak to the owner about, as this was one of the stipulations of us actually booking here.)
The property inside although beautiful was dirty, and we spent an hour cleaning before we could unpack. I would suggest having a word with the cleaner as this is not a standard that is expected. We also had an extra horror of someone else's dirty underwear in one of the main bedroom drawers which we had to dispose of.
It was a warm week when we stayed and half of the windows don't open, the double glass doors which lead to the balcony don't open properly and felt like they we're going to drop off. No exaggeration. And the double doors to the small fenced balcony do not open at all, resulting in no air flow all week.
The toilet seat was dropping off, again I spoke to the owner about this and was assured this would be fixed but it was left so I ended up rectifying it myself.
You will not get any service here unless you walk about the property outside. This can't be helped but needs to be more transparently advertised.
Don't expect to be able to order in here, as we found nowhere to deliver locally. Understandable with the location but also I feel should be advertised.
Good points
The property location is quiet and a short walk into Port Isaac itself which is beautiful, scenic but also very hilly so keep that in mind if you are physically challenged.
The property has a decent kitchen, with a large electric cooker, dishwasher and fridge. The king bed is comfortable, although my teenager found the bed in the single room to be uncomfortable.
The property itself is nestled on a farm which is quiet and pretty and you have the extras of chickens and ducks wandering around.
It is quiet and overlooks the bay.
Nearby there is a dog friendly field by the second car park to your right as you go into Port Isaac that is fenced in, just in case your pooch needs extra security.
We didn't end up spending a lot of time indoors due to all of the problems, and didn't get the impression from previous correspondence that anything would be rectified so made do for the week. But going forward we would not rebook unless standards met the price band paid.
I am a travel blogger and hate to have to write negative reviews but renters need to know what to expect when they book a property.
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 and to the owners. 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
