adellehart
November 2022
My family and I spent a lovely week in Treaddeur Bay during October half term. It is a lovely part of Anglesey to visit and isn’t too far from a range of large retailers in Holyhead in case you need anything. There are plenty of nice eateries and a nice selection of beaches all within easy reach.
Unfortunately upon arrival at the cottage was an issue, it would seem that all of the extra cleanliness measures that have been in place due to Covid were deemed no longer necessary at this property – as I have also noticed is attested to in other recent reviews. There were crumbs in the bread bin, cookie tin, on the kitchen surfaces (which were also constantly sticky) and cupboards. There was grease from previous occupants splashed up cupboard sides near the hob, cupboard fronts were dirty and the rubbish bin needed disinfecting. There were layers of dust on most things, most notably the photo frames in the hall way. Unfortunately the only cleaning products provided was washing up liquid, so we had to purchase our own.
The beds and pillows were very soft – perfect if you like that kind of comfort. There isn’t much storage in the main bedroom as only half of the wardrobe can be used by guests, there is also a chest of drawers available. There is a certain scent to the property, which turned out to be damp as there is black mould in a corner of the main bedroom and conservatory and damp traps can be found in most rooms to try and mitigate against this.
The hot tub was plenty big enough for the 4 of us – however the owners have preset the temperature to go no higher than 37 degrees – which at this time of year meant it rapidly dropped to 35 degrees which just wasn’t warm enough. However, a simple Google search provides you with the information you need to override this. There was also insubstantial hot water provided from the boiler to be able to use the jacuzzi bath.
The log burner is a lovely feature in the living room and gets the room nice and toasty – however make sure that you clean up ALL of your ashes or else you will receive a complaint from the owner.
The garden is advertised as enclosed and dog friendly – it most certainly isn’t enclosed at the back and could be quite dangerous for an inquisitive dog. There is however, a picnic table here where you can get lovely views over the bay on a nice day.
The departure time is strictly 10am on day of departure, we were being rushed out by the cleaners from approx. 9.30am.
The sting in the tail from this holiday were the accusations that were made of us and the penalty fees that were imposed once we were home to the tune of an almost additional £150. Accidentally one of our children got a slight mark on one of the single duvet covers – the owners alleged that we left ALL of the linen and towel heavily soiled and claimed they had to be laundered twice at an initial estimate of £50 which when formally invoiced increased to £84. Photos of 2 towels with what looked to be fake tan or foundation were also sent to us as evidence of our ‘mess’. They were most certainly not towels from our stay. In any case as the stain on the bedding was spotted pre wash as the photos sent to us show, I would have expected a pre wash stain remover to have been used to prevent double laundering. The grill pan had seen better days and had rust on it, but was still usable. Upon using it the rusty screw holding the handle to the pan fell out – we were invoiced for a brand new grill pan (with 2 pizza trays added on) surely this is wear and tear of their own equipment which isn’t the responsibility of guests to foot the bill for. It was also alleged that we had damaged a leak prevention seal around the bath. We had seen no evidence of one of these during our stay, let alone damage one. No signage was evident either to warn people to be careful as such a measure was in place – which would be useful for guests staying in the future.
It feels to us that an opportunity was taken to unscrupulously get more money out of us the renters and has left a very bitter taste in our mouths. I would advise to rent this property with caution (and possibly not with children in case they get a mark on anything or accidentally damage something) as we even had a complaint that a hairdryer had been left in the wrong bedroom! The irony of the cleanliness not being up to scratch when we arrived is uncanny.
I was very disappointed with Sykes handling of these claims as I apologised for the ‘damage’ that we had caused and ultimately agreed to pay the extortionate laundry bill which I expect based on the original lower estimate had other elements lumped into it. At no point was I given the option of a more cost effective replacement of the single duvet cover and it would seem in contrast that no attempt was made to repair the grill pan, a new item was immediately sought. It was very much the owner is correct is what they are claiming, pay up. I only wish I had had the hindsight to take pictures of the cottage upon arrival and sent invoices for our cleaning product, cleaning time and air freshening products!