“On arrival we had to set to and wash all the dirty plates, dishes, cups, glasses and then clean out the cutlery drawer.”
No instructions for the oven and a grill rail / slider is broken so you cannot put the tray under the grill. No instructions for the washing machine and a regular leak on the pantry / utility room floor. Kitchen / larder well equipped. Some of the floors were dirty and all the windowsills throughout had dead flies, cobwebs and dust on them. The kitchen dustpan and brush were filthy and thrown behind the bin on the kitchen floor. The downstairs double bedroom has extensive bubbled walls with damp, the radiator did not work, only one bedside lamp and no drawers. Not user friendly or suitable for an elderly family member, apart from the fact it is downstairs. The other downstairs bunk bedroom had no drawers, soiled bed linen and one single open wardrobe for effectively a 3 bed room. The 4 poster bedroom had the most disgusting toilet cleaning brush ever, a useless bin that was dirty and fell over when you tried to use the foot pedal. The room was generally dirty and dusty, a small sink with nowhere to put any toiletries and annoyingly very creaky floorboards. The kingsize en-suite bedroom had no wardrobes or drawers and the foul smell from the septic tank regurgitated up into the en-suite bathroom. The other 2 x double rooms and 2 x twin rooms upstairs also had a lack of wardrobes, drawers, bins, some soiled bedding, dead bugs on the roller blinds, no plugs near a mirror to do hair. The shared bathroom upstairs has a shower curtain which sticks to people when in the shower, which is very unhygienic when it is to be used by up to 8 people from the 2 x double and 2 x twin rooms. A shower screen would be much more suitable, or even remove the bath and have a walk-in shower to make it safer. The shower is difficult to use and water goes all over the floor. Although there is a coat rack in an inner hallway between the kitchen and downstairs bathroom, there are no coat / boot facilities at either the front or back door. No door mat at the front door and a manky door mat at the back door. The lounge had 5 large poor quality sofas in it and a pub table stood in the open fireplace. No coffee table or side table for drinks / snack bowls. We rearranged the sofas and put the pub table in the centre of the room (too high really). We used double sided sticky tape to secure the Hessian rug to the floor because its' curled up edges were a trip hazard. Whilst doing this we noticed how dirty the floor was underneath the rug. Outside there were 2 good quality picnic benches and a nice bench on the front lawn. The random outdoor chairs on the rear patio were scruffy. The shared games room is a health and safety hazard. There is a large hole in the floor with a laundry bag dropped on top of it. There is a chest freezer full of meat in there?? There is bleach and also laundry waiting to be collected or being delivered back. Is it a games room, or a laundry / cleaning room? The sofa and chairs in there are a disgrace and belong in a skip, there was even a resident mouse living in the sofa that we called Zac. Only one broken pool cue available. Table tennis was also available. Although the youngest in our group was 15, you would not want young children in such an unsafe and dirty environment. It is a stretch of the imagination to call it a games room. Also, it was left unlocked all week with various (property) keys on the table. For safety there could be an outdoor security light on the courtyard parking area for people walking to / from said games / laundry room. Large potholes in the driveway up to the courtyard parking that need filling in. I have taken photographs to support the detail given in this feedback, if needed. As a family we have booked a large property through Sykes several times for our annual get together. We always go for 4 or 5 'tick' ratings. This property was rated as 4 ticks but really should only be 2 ticks. The owners seem to have tried to maximise capacity for the house, without considering the amenities in each room. This property needs a deep clean, it needs to smell clean too. With Covid we were shocked at the lack of cleanliness. The property badly needs renovation and some attention to detail in each room to warrant a 4 tick rating and the amounts that are being charged. Until this has been done, we think Sykes should inspect and regrade the rating for the benefit of others considering booking this property. Also, very poor and random internet access. Extremely disappointed on all counts; accuracy of listing, cleanliness, comfort and facilities.
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that you had to raise these points with us.
The comments that you have given us are very unlike the usual feedback that we get for Little Cowarne Court.
The property is usually rated very well in areas of the feedback form so that this has surprised the owner.
All owners want Customers to have a great holiday and if there are any problems, no matter how small, they want Customers to report them to them during the holiday. There isn't much they can do to rectify issues when you have left. The owner didn't have any contact from you during the holiday and would have been only too happy to help.
They have received the photos however they were not able to identify all of them. They will be looking into each issue raised however these have not been mentioned before. As a gesture, the owner had agreed a value of compensation for you and worked with you regarding sending back a parcel that was delivered after you left.
Sykes are a booking agent who work on behalf of the owners. We visit each property before its added to our website and rated this property as 4 tick
Once again, thank you for your feedback.
Property Owner