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per nightCliff - Verified booking
Hi please note this is feedback about the whole experience of dealing with Sykes across the initial booking and subsequent move following problems.
It is a copy of an email sent to your Customer Relations email address. On the first attempt I had no response then the second generated a message saying that this was a no reply email address begging the question why is the email address still shown on the website? Provided we can reach a satisfactory settlement I'm content not to ask for my feedback to be published but I do not accept the terms of the Customer Review Policy at this time. Cliff Froggett Wed, Dec 13, 12:17â¯PM to customerrelations@sykescottages.co.uk In response to your request for feedback I have detailed the events of our stay in Northumberland last week. Canny Cottage - ref 1128972 The cottage was absolutely perfect for our holiday - small, all on one level, yards from the beach. On arrival we were thrilled that it more than lived up to expectations. Under different circumstances we would definitely book it again. The problems began on the Saturday morning when we awoke to find that there was no running water. I called the customer service number and alerted you to the problem. When I got an answer phone before 9am I used the WhatsApp contact and then spoke to Customer Relations at 9:30. By 11am we had walked on the beach and on our return called to see if there was any progress and to say that we were leaving keys in the key safe as we were going into Amble for coffee and to do some shopping. I received a call at 12;25 to say no-one had been to the cottage and that it was possible we might have to be moved. We had lunch and returned to the cottage. By 3pm we still had no water and in the absence of any contact from your team I again rang at 3:01. I believe in this call I made it clear that if we couldn't arrange satisfactory alternatives I would book hotel rooms and that I expected to be fully compensated. In an incoming call at 3:23 we discussed the available options and I made the suggestion that an alternative property was showing as available in Low Hauxley - close to Canny Cottage. We were called from your Chester office at 16:17 We were told that the Low Hauxley cottage wasn't available. We had been offered two cottages in the centre of Amble, but as I made clear neither of these fitted our initial requirements - open fire, close to the beach, out of town and ideally with a bedroom on the ground floor. I asked if we took one of the cottages overnight and weren't happy with the accommodation would we be refunded. We were told that no that would not be possible. The final call that day was made by me at 4:39. By now it was dark and no accommodation had been sorted. At that point I told your colleague that I would be booking a hotel room and that I expected Sykes to pay the costs.We packed up and left Canny Cottage, leaving a piece of fresh fish in the fridge as we would have nowhere to store it. We stayed in the Harbour Inn and ate at the Fish Shack - I had bought fresh fish for dinner but had been forced to leave it at the cottage as we had nowhere to store it. We spent the evening looking at alternative properties and found two that were relatively attractive in Alnmouth. On the Sunday morning I contacted your team and made arrangements to stay at Old Stable Cottage which required an additional payment which I felt was harsh given the inconvenience we had already encountered. The cottage proved broadly satisfactory, though clearly not in as good condition as Canny Cottage nor in as appealing a location. There were a couple of particular factors that disappointed us towards the end of the week. First the building work opposite the cottage. For the first two days it was just a couple of men preparing groundworks who were no inconvenience at all, but on Wednesday and particularly Thursday these works intensified considerably. On the Thursday there was a small digger, a dump truck, a concrete mixer blocking access to the cottage drive whilst it pumped into foundations. At the end of the afternoon a large truck with a digger attachment arrived and continued to dig out mud until at least 6:45pm when we had to ask the driver to move so that we could take the car out to go to a restaurant. The team working were unfailingly sympathetic and moved their vehicles when we needed to go out but on the Thursday afternoon when weather conditions were poor the noise from their work was a considerable annoyance. Second we returned from a walk on Wednesday afternoon to discover the landlord with a workman had let themselves in to the cottage unannounced and had turned the power off to change an outside light. We had to wait around 20 minutes before power was restored. I was disappointed that we didn't at least have the courtesy of a phone call or email to warn us. Third, later on the Thursday evening we returned from Amble to discover the sound of animal scraping in the roof void over the kitchen. It continued intermittently through the night. I left a note for the owner and spoke to the cleaner as we were departing so that they were aware of the potential vermin problem. Overall our experience was frustrating and disappointing. Whatever the reason for the loss of water to Canny Cottage - the weather had been cold - we were put to considerable inconvenience. We had to move, first to a hotel, then to a cottage that wasn't exactly what we had in mind. The start and end of the week were both disrupted in a different ways and I am considerably out of pocket compared to the original budget for our holiday. Your staff weren't unhelpful but to get responses to our problems I had to keep making calls to find out what was happening rather than relaxing and enjoying the break we had booked. Given I alerted you to the initial problem before 9am on the Saturday morning and had to make at least three calls chasing progress the feeling of a lack of urgency in your customer service team pervaded our dealings. In the circumstances I think I am more than entitled to ask for significant compensation - the cost of the hotel (£110), a goodwill contribution to the costs of dinner and around 66% of the total booking costs for the week. Given that we lost two days to the problems at Canny Cottage and the last two days of inconvenience at Old Stable Cottage I think this seems a reasonable request. I look forward to hearing from you Cliff Froggett Cliff Froggett Dec 22, 2023, 12:08â¯PM (5 days ago) to customerrelations Please see the following email sent on 13th December. To date I have not had a response, or even acknowledgement. Whilst I don't expect a full response in the lead up to Christmas an acknowledgement of receipt and confirmation that my concerns are being addressed would be appreciated. Yours faithfully
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Richard - Verified booking
Whilst the cottage met our requirements and we enjoyed our stay in Alnmouth several key points let this cottage down.
It has become noticeably unloved since our first visit. The furniture has become uncomfortable- mattressess and one of the sofas are very saggy/lumpy. The downstairs bathroom is constantly freezing as the window is locked open and constantly lets in a draft even with the heating on full blast. It makes for a rather chilly and fast shower which is not pleasant! The fan in the en-suite upstairs doesn't work and I'm sure we reported it broken on our last visit in 2022 and has still not been repaired. At the moment there is significant building work immediately opposite the cottage and this has removed most of the available parking for this cottage and the one immediately in front. The builders turn up at 08:00 and have the radio blaring so there is no chance of a lie in or quiet breakfast. Getting a vehicle in and turned around is very difficult, not helped by builders and indeed random people from other cottages coming and stealing the space often means you are relegated to finding a space on the road - which is infuriating when you specifically choose a property with a parking space as parking in Alnmouth is scarce at times. This information should be stated in a more prominent place on the listing as it significantly impacts the leisure and quiet time of our holiday. The listing says the building work will finish in March 2024 but during our week in mid-April they were only just fitting the roof. Cleanliness of the property is poor - cobwebs in numerous places and under the mattresses when you move them to adjust the sheets etc are filthy with dust and fluff. Spilled tea (I hope) stains on the back of upstairs bedroom door. Windows are absolutely filthy. Kitchen has broken utensils, inside the draws are grubby at the bottom and generally needs a restock of glasses etc - there wasn't even a frying pan provided! The welcome pack consists of 2 tea bags and some cartons of UHT milk. There was no soap in either of the bathrooms and only a dribble of washing up liquid left. When you arrive the clocks weren't even showing the right time and/or battery flat, the internet wasn't working as it had been unplugged and it took us ages to find the router - it just makes it feel like no one cares about the place or first impressions for your visit. We booked this cottage on the hope some of the previous feedback has been actioned but sadly no improvements have been made to the property in 2 years. We will not be returning to this property again, which is very sad as we have had some lovely trips there in the past.
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Jonathan - Verified booking
We enjoyed our stay in Lucker.
It's a pleasant village dominated by holiday homes which gives it a slightly odd atmosphere but it makes a very good base for exploring Bamburgh, Alnwick and the Northumberland coast. Crispin is attractive, comfortable and nicely set next to a small river. The garden is fairly dog-proof (an agile dog could leap the fence, ours can't). The Apple Inn (three doors away) calls itself a gastro-pub, which is an exaggeration, but the food is very good and the staff are delightlful. Because it's a commercially run cottage (one of many run by the same company) Crispin lacks several of the more eccentric things one expects in family run places - there are no jigsaws with bits missing, battered books or bits of old kitchen equipment that should have been thrown out years ago. As with all cottages, you'll need to bring your own kitchen knives or a knife sharpener. You may also want to take a couple of pans, chopping boards, a casserole, a set of scales and a sieve - otherwise you'll be limited to simple meals (or you'll end up eating in the pub a lot). We had no significant problems during our stay. The fridge refused to work when we got there but was replaced within an hour and the maintenance staff were as friendly and helpful as everyone else we encountered. Overall, we had a lovely stay and will almost certainly return next year.
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Robert - Verified booking
We were disappointed with the lack of the following- 1.
No welcome pack -not even some milk after a long drive 2. Badly equipped kitchen (only three dessert spoons and one sauce pan)! 3. No DVD/Blu ray player as specified in description plus broken TV remote 4. No bulbs in some of the lamps 5. No details of bin days/ how to leave cottage on the last day 6. No warning that the downstairs shower was scalding, plumber appeared on Wednesday 7. Very little toilet roll Note- I also had to remove rotting prawns from the bottom of the bin as the bin bag had been placed on top. On the whole the cottage with its poor furniture and cleanliness issues did not feel very welcoming. Its only saving grace was its comfortable bed and good location. This is a three star property at best.
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Angela - Verified booking
Having stayed in this property previously we were quite disappointed this recent visit was not as comfortable and before.
The heating did not work in the bedrooms which meant we all had to sleep in the cold, which was particularly uncomfortable for my elderly father! This was reported to the Alnmouth office but nothing was done to rectify this issue. The lack of heating in the bedrooms resulted in them smelling fusty due to the big patches of mold on the windows and the rooms feeling damp which was not pleasant. February isnât a good time of year to leave the windows open to get rid of the fusty smell and damp when the heating doesnât work! The neighbours dog seemed to just be allowed to roam the yard whenever they wanted which resulted in them going to the toilet and then their mess not being picked up.
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