1. The ground floor shower room was not suitable for use by anyone with a mobility problem as there is high step up into the shower and nothing to hold onto [ eg.. grab rails] when entering or leaving the shower. I was unable to shower during our stay but had to make do with standing to wash. I did enquire about suitability of shower use before booking and felt misled. Also the shower room is so small that it is difficult to use. The hand wash basins are cloakroom size making it awkward for tooth cleaning without banging into the wall. The ground floor shower room is approximately 7 feet x by less than 3 feet wide then hand wash basin 10 inches deep and a shower and toilet fitted into the space. Not much room for comfort ! The showers were difficult for the able bodied among us due the bi-fold doors.
2. Without moving and making use of the hot-tub steps and the cigarette end box it was not possible for me to use the patio area due to high steps
again .
3. Although access to the communal on-site open fields and woodlands is advertised the gates , apart from one we found, have notices saying 'KEEP OUT'
4. Overall it was a disappointing experience because it did not meet the expectations implied by the advertising which uses the word ' luxury' when there was an overall meanness of spirit in that it , although was very comfortable in some ways, failed in others such as cheap small sized cutlery, rather worn kitchen goods, no pegs for hanging washing on line, no spare toilet paper and minimal hospitality welcome. I do understand that this a self-catering holiday but its not the cheapest and the advertising raises expectations which are not met.
5. Some aspects of my complaints we could have easily overlooked but not the difficulty of not being able to use a shower . The expectations on arrival were were lessened by a notice saying 'overflow car park' when we felt were going to a quiet cottage in the country side and there were a lot more buildings on the site not shown in the advertising.
6. I have now spent a great deal of time , on several occasions , pointing out the shortcomings of this holiday let when I would much preferred to have come home feeling more relaxed and less stressed about the lack of quality regarding our stay.
7. Sadly and lastly we may not book with Sykes Cottages again as our recent holiday experiences have failed in one or more ways as I expect your records show.