Gudhjem

Reviews (10)

• Emma

  Seahouses itself makes a lot of Northumberland accessible. The house was great for accessibility with ground floor bedrooms and bathrooms. It also had plenty of space to park off road. It was fairly well kitted out with the basic equipment needed to cook etc Cons: As a family we have stayed in multiple holiday cottages in various locations. Each had made us feel welcome right from the moment we open the front door. This one just didn’t. No one expects a welcome pack, but I have never stayed in a cottage that hasn’t provided a pint of milk as a basic starting point. We also had to hunt for the back door key. No information was provided on bin days - so watch the neighbours for which colour bin and it’s on a Wednesday but not too early so you don’t need to do it the night before. The welcome mail said to collect the keys front he key boxes but there were two so guess work is required. There is a lack of clothes drying space which meant it was hard to keep on top of the washing even just for the five of us. We nearly always do a two week holiday in the summer and in all of those properties we have been given the option of a clean and bedding change midway through (even in Covid they asked and we agreed we would strip the beds and towels and leave then out and re-make up the beds ourselves). The house was relatively clean on arrival but little bits let it down eg the wall around the bin hadn’t been wiped down. There were also just little bits, like a corner of the sitting room that didn’t look finished, and a wall socket that didn’t look quite flush to the wall decoration wise. The biggest downside for us though was the lack of furniture. There were no bedside tables (in the main bedroom we ended up using our suitcases!) The only bedroom that had drawers in it was the main bedroom, so the kids ended up using bags for smaller items of clothes. There were places to hang clothes but for my littlest, who stayed in the room with the bunk beds in, he couldn’t reach so had to live out of a suitcase. Just to note as well the tv didn’t seem to connect properly to the aerial so channels were very limited. We couldn’t figure out the showers - how to make them hot - but more as they were different to what we knew. But the compromise of hot showers was the water pressure was non existent so for long thick hair it was a challenge. The shower screen in one also crashes into the sink leading us to panic that it would get broken.

• Timothy

  The two upper bedrooms were roomy and very comfortable, the property as a whole was light and airy and very well presented. However there were a number of issues with the facilities which I will present as follows: No teapot/No Tea/Coffee/Sugar, I have stayed at Sykes Cottages previously and I have always been greeted with an arrival welcome packages, usually filled with snacks/cakes etc, none of that was present here. Also No Kitchen roll/hand wash-liquid soap in the bathrooms (which is essential in my view)Only 2 toilet rolls were given to a party of 4 over 4 nights. Dishwasher tablets were provided, but no washing up liquid/sponge scourers/scrubbing brushes/No laundry tablets or liquid were provided. Further to this, I found a number of issues with the property - the lock was broken on the inner front door, the property really needs venetian blinds in the front rooms and overlooking the dining area for privacy, you do not want a busy street looking in at you whilst watching the TV, or the neighbours observing you whilst eating. I would recommend a rug in the living room and artwork/pictures above the TV and above the sofa opposite the window to make it look less sparse. The lock on the bathroom between the two bedrooms did not twist and thus did not work. There were plaster chippings on the downstairs non-bunk bedroom wall which need addressing. This room is advertised as a 'double room' well it has a double bed but it is far from a double room, there is extremely limited storage and you can only shuffle around the room, it's a single room and should have a single bed, essentially it is a box room. The curtains in the living room and the box room (downstairs non-bunk bedroom) are not blackout and let all the sun and heat in, in addition they are too heavy for the rail and fixtures, leaving them barely hanging off, they don't close in the middle and need replacing. There is an area in the living room between the sofa opposite the window and the wall which looks like it has been re-plastered, but not painted - it needs painting as it looks messy. The shower next to the stairs got as hot as 'luke warm' and the one between the bunk bed room and box room got as hot as 'warm' I can only be thankful I stayed here in the summer. In addition the shower system is so convoluted it needed instructions - but none were given in the 'welcome' pack. No instructions about bin collections were given in the 'welcome pack' the black bin was mostly full already, they need to address this - this has been mentioned in previous reviews but not acted upon. The shower screen in the bathroom next to the stairs is hazardous, it needs a stopper as clashes next to the sink and there is a real chance of breakage. In the kitchen there are extensive chippings on the chairs - they need repainting or replacing. As noted in other reviews (which has not been acted on) there is limited kitchen supplies, the pizza trays were in good condition, but the other baking trays were filthy, worn and need replacing. There is a lack of mugs considering up to 10 people can stay here, only a half sized dishwasher and a half sized air dryer are provided, wish no washing line. Kitchen supplies were lacking in the main, which again has been pointed out in previous reviews, but not acted upon (do they care? Probably not). The toilet roll holders are useless, they flop down so the paltry 2 rolls provided fall on to the floor if using them. The broadband is a basic package, no higher than 18mbps, so the TV streaming services cut off more than once during our stay - an upgrade is needed. Also, we were asked to strip all bedding and leave in bags for them to clean - I have never been asked of this when staying in Sykes Cottages before. Ostensibly, I don't have an issue with this - but I am being asked to go above and beyond when the owners are not willing to do this themselves? I found this is a bit cheeky. Would I stay here again? If they addressed the above issues, then yes, otherwise no.

• Mandy

  As a family of 6 we have just spent a very good and comfortable stay at this 'home'. The house had everything you would need for a week away. With many plusses including off road parking, four generous sized bedrooms and three different chill out areas. With the main benefit of only a matter of minutes walk into the pleasant town and seafront of Seahouses. We would highly recommend this property to anyone looking for their next cottage booking.