“We stayed in the property over February half term and wished we hadn’t .”
When we arrived late afternoon the property was freezing; it took hours for the house to warm up from the 17 degrees the thermostat was set at, despite housekeeping being in the property during the day as we had seen them at the property when we arrived in Southwold. The first evening was effectively spoilt by having to sit in hats and scarves to keep warm. The bunk bedroom where my daughter was due to sleep was so cold that we had to use the supplied fan heater to get it to a reasonable temperature but as this smelled terrible when on, the relief was short lived. This room never got warm for the duration of our stay despite the heating being on - there must be a problem with the fabric of the building that affects this room, and as a result my daughter came home with a terrible cough and cold.
The house had a kind of ‘tarted up’ feel about it, which soon became apparent. The bathroom door did not close so a flimsy bolt was added to keep it shut, but I had to tell my daughters not to use it because the knob was so wobbly it could have come off and they’d be stuck in the bathroom unable to get out. The shower screen over the bath did not actually touch the bath, so whenever you used the shower you had the joy of mopping up puddles of spray off the floor afterwards. Obviously not what you want to be doing on holiday. There was no radiator in the kitchen, only a fan heater, which didn’t actually pump out warm air, and the dining room didn’t have a main light, only lights over the table, with one of the bulbs missing so you had to eat your dinner in the gloom. Not great either when your daughter needed to use the space to revise for exams.
The house was at least clean and well served by kitchen equipment, but overall it had a kind of ‘student vibe’ which meant we didn’t want to spend time there and regretted spending money on what was marketed as a high-end property. All of this has been reported to Sykes since our stay.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your stay did not meet your expectations.
We would, however, like to clarify a few points. The property’s heating is fully adjustable via the Nest thermostat, and we have personally stayed at the house countless times throughout the year, including during colder months, always finding that it heats up very quickly and remains comfortable. We were therefore surprised by your comments regarding the temperature.
There are clear instructions provided on how to fold away the shower screen if you want to use the bath and then how to slot the shower screen into place so the water doesn't leak.
We also take great pride in the presentation of the house and have invested a significant amount of time and care into making it a welcoming and stylish place to stay. In all the feedback we have received from previous guests, we have never had anyone describe the décor or atmosphere in the way you have.
That said, we always appreciate constructive feedback, and any maintenance concerns raised during or after a stay are taken seriously and passed on for review. We are pleased to hear you found the property clean and well equipped, and we remain committed to providing a high standard of accommodation for our guests.
Property Owner
