KenMcD2014
December 2015
We stayed over Christmas 2015. The cottage is warm, mid December and we never got around to lighting the fire, it has its own wifi, and a great view onto the bay area, and you can just sit at the breakfast bar and watch the world go by. There is an enclosed garden, so if you have a dog, they won't be able to get out, the beds were comfortable and clean, there was plenty of hot water, and it does look just like it does in the pictures! The upstairs floors do creak, but soundproofing with the adjoining cottages is very good - so if you walk around in the night you might wake up other people in your house but not in anybody else's. A family of about 10 stayed next door when we were there and we didn't hear a peep from them and the street was really quiet.
The owners were very helpful, and left a welcome basket which included a bottle of red and a little selection of Stollen, which lasted a good 5 minutes. The cottage has lots of model ships as part of the decor - and it looks like they've taken care to make it feel like a home. There are also loads of DVDs and books to read, and there were also children's games in one of the bedrooms.
There are all sorts of places to walk dogs in the area, virtually all of them well away from roads, and there's a marina and the main street, Queen Street, which has lots of small retailers. Amble is not the most picturesque seaside town I've been to, but it has a lot to recommend it in terms of places to eat, and things to do, there are at least two fish and chip shops, and a co-op just down the road from the cottage which seems to open exceptionally long hours, and a boutique icecream parlour called Spurreli's which is worth a visit.
It really is a dog friendly place - our two are quite hyper and yet they were greeted with smiles by virtually everybody we met, people were extremely friendly generally, only one person didn't say 'hello' back the whole time we were there, and the Old Boat House serves the most amazing sea food.
The kitchen has everything you would need, the oven is fairly simple but it works fine, good selection of pans and it's quite well stocked with the basics.
There are no horror stories with this place - it is exactly as described. We had a lovely time there.
Also - the booking service, Sykes Cottages - their opening hours were until 9.30pm, we rang them at 9.25pm, very apologetic at being so late, they were very friendly, took the trouble to check with the owners about whether two dogs would be acceptable, while we were on hold, and the follow up was also good - sending through instructions and confirmation by email, how to get there, and other useful bits of information.