Amberleigh

The beds are very comfortable and clean.

We had to move our single beds out into the middle as the sloping ceiling gives no headspace at all. The house is very dated but perfectly functional. The garden was excellent for small children and dogs. The cleaning could be better - floors and surfaces we clean but a lot of dust and dirt under beds etc Lots of games to play in the lounge Kitchen fairly well equipped - we had everything we needed in the kitchen - perhaps a few more glasses would be good There were no instructions about the house (no welcome information) Overall for the price the house worked for us

So very dissapointed ,we travelled over3 hrs to reach Amberleigh .

The house could be amazing ,the driveway was awful and the house needs a deep clean and revamp .I didnt want to stay .The cooker was unacceptable , everything was greasy and oven trays full of burnt food ,the oven splash back was smeared and dirty .My son found a dirty sock down the side of his bed . The cleanliness was realy unacceptble im sorry to say . Thankfully we only had to stay 1 night . The fridge was dirty the upstairs was full of cobwebs .We were a family of 7 our children are all in there 30s .Our socks were dirty from the floors ,the window frames are all rotten . I was very upset and wouldnt of stayed only we were attending a family gathering at the Barnsdale .The only thing clean was the bedding I would never return

Such a shame, this house is amazing for large groups however it is very tired.

.. The Bad bits: Kettle unusable so bought descaler from the local shop, downstairs toilet flush intermittant, not enough serving dishes etc for the max amount of 9 people nor seating, luckily we were 6, games room is just a garage, the fridge had 2 shelves missing and no door shelves for milk etc, also not that clean. Table mats are shot! £100 would resolve all the above, we use about 10-15 cottages a year so know what to expect, its a gorgeous space and the beds were comfy, the large oven was a bonus. Just needs a restock and a good clean.

Overall we found the property very comfortable the beds were good and showers worked well.

The power chair recliners on the sofa set were very welcome after a day out walking. The home is in a good location and the staff we contacted were very friendly and helpful. Overall the property is in need of some updating and maintenance the flooring and the drive especially. The welcome pack makes reference to COVID as being one of the reasons they haven't been able to cut down the pine tree down and sort out the driveway. There were some lapses in cleaning i.e. sweet wrappers and tissues under bed, hairs in bath tub and shower. One of our concerns was that there were no working outside lights in the back garden to keep an eye on the dogs. However, despite this we all agreed the home felt warm and comfortable and offered fair value for money.

Great place for family get together and dog friendly.

Large spacious rooms with added convenience of some downstairs bedrooms where required. Good dog walking close by. Great pub a short walk away. Log burner was ideal for cold wintery stay.

This is the 4th time in 5 years we have stayed here.

Location is great and the layout works well for the eight of us. Sadly over the years the property has become tired. The beds get more uncomfortable every year and there are alot of blown light bulbs. That being said I'm sure as a group we will return. Hopefully to a few improvements.

The house had a lovely location and we liked the village of Cottesmore which had a handy convenience store, very good chip shop and lovely pub all close at hand.

The food in the pub was very good. Handy for Rutland water. The house was a good size with good bedrooms for our party. The kitchen was well stocked and spacious. The log stove was very good. We enjoyed our trip. We had some niggles such as the 8 of us just fitted round the dining table and there really weren't enough soft seats for all 8 of us but we coped. We all found the beds uncomfortable and the house quite cold- we never quite got the hang of how the central heating worked. The showers were not great and could run out of water with 8 people in the house because they weren't electric showers. The cost of the house was very competitive but it could do with some updating.

Perfect for a group of old men like us.

Great size property and location.

However in need of updating. Bathrooms were dated and had mould. Basic necessities such as shower gel/shampoo in the bathrooms and kitchen paper should really be provided for guests.

Great location but the house needs a little bit of maintenance

The property is large enough for 9-10 people, however the furniture and most of the beds are very dated.

Out of the 10 people only 2 people had a decent nights sleep (grab the Double bedroom on the ground floor!!). I would encourage the owners to spend a little money on decor and furniture mainly the Mattresses and Sofas.

Lovely space for family gathering, well appointed with crockery, cutlery, glasses etc.

However, the property needs an update. No excuse for 5 out of 6 light bulbs to be out in lounge. Twin bedrooms configuration not good for adults. Mattresses on single and upstairs double need replacing. A mirror in downstairs toilet would very useful. Garage could be made onto proper games room with addition of pool table or table tennis. Drive in urgent need of repair- no point in apologising when nothing has been done for 5 years! It could be a superb let, shame it has been neglected

The house felt homely, it was spotlessly clean top to bottom.

It is an ideal base to explore the area. Only negative was the double bed downstairs mattress very uncomfortable (didn't use upstairs apart from bathroom) Liked the tv had all the channels, sports, movies etc. Internet was reliable. Big kitchen (didn't use garage) 2 toilets downstairs was convenient ( excuse the pun! ) Good enclosed and safe garden for the dog. Comfy sofas and armchair, sturdy dinning table and chairs. Choice of games and books. Need to sort the driveway and some of the fences out, believe it is being dealt with. Excellent local shop, and chippy. Locals were friendly. Rutland water not far away.

Great location.

The house is well equipped and had everything we needed.

Great location, good layout, but awful care and upkeep.

Cleaning standard was good, but several kitchen utensils unfit, and general maintenance very poor. Would benefit from taking out of rental until kitchen refurbished and front paved area relaid.

Needs updating squeaky laminate floors parking tree stumps for low profile cars

There was a log burner, but no logs?

It was October so nights are chilly Induction hob very hard to use Downstairs toilet needs a good scrub!

Had a lovely stay.

Lovely and spacious for a family and dog. It does need a little TLC but it was perfect for what we wanted. The village is very pretty. We went for Sunday roast at the Sun up the road it was delicious and very dog friendly.

Great property,great location unfortunately very tired decor,facilities and information.

The property was clean and tidy, and pretty much as described, although, because of the tall trees close to the north-facing living room, it was hardly ”light and airy”.

By today’s standards it was tired and in need of refurbishment. Freeview TV stations were unwatchable, and it was only possible to watch TV via online iPlayer on the BT Box. There were no instructions on how to use the TV. The small downstairs bedroom’s door latch was broken, meaning that someone could be trapped inside the room. There was no wall mounted soap or grab handles in the upstairs shower. The rug by the French windows probably needs replacing because it ruffled up easily and could become a trip hazard. Although there was signage, the outside paving is dangerous, and perhaps the loose paving bricks need lifting around the tree. There was a lack of large dishes and bowls for cooking purposes, especially for full occupancy of nine. (we were only five). The oven trays were too large for the oven. Proper detailed instructions are needed for the complicated induction hob, which proved impossible to operate without downloading the manufacturer’s instructions. There was a general paucity of cleaning materials and tea towels. There was no up to date information generally, especially the rubbish emptying schedule. We had to consult the local authority website, and the two recycling bins were completely full and had obviously not been emptied for some time. In spite of this long list, we enjoyed our stay, but we feel this could be a really first class holiday cottage with much more attention to detail. Small deficiencies do tend to spoil a visit. There seems to be inadequate close monitoring either by the owner or Sykes Cottages. The guest comments book and online feedback point out many of the above problems, which have not been attended to.

Loved the position of the property, easy to visit Various locations round the Rutland.

Being a group of pensioners, we all found your beds too soft for us sadly. You do need to replace your baking tray, and roasting tin, I wouldn’t recommend using those. But as far as everything else goes, we were comfortable enough. Good luck with your tree felling .

We felt that the property could do with some updating.

The chairs in the kitchen were badly worn and the downstairs toilet/utility room is quite tatty. The toilet roll holder was hanging off the wall. We had a few problems understanding the booklet instructions for the induction hob, despite the fact that 2 of our group have one at home. Maybe put an "idiots guide" on the wall? The towels were very tired and one had a hole in it. Overall the property is comfortable and spacious and well stocked with kitchen equipment etc. The wheelie bins could do with a good clean as they were quite smelly. Just these small improvements would enhance guests' comfort.

The property is very dated, so much so the kitchen is coming apart.

The property is dirty, not just not cleaned for a few weeks, it’s deep grime. The beds are all ridiculously uncomfortable, the mattresses are bumpy, lumpy, old & not acceptable. The items in the kitchen are not fit for purpose, almost everything needs replacing. The house is in need of big overhaul.. carpets are dirty & need replacing, bathrooms are not just dated but grubby. I’ll add pictures to my trip advisor review. We stayed here because my brother was running the Grim Reaper 40 mile run. I desperately tried to find alternative accommodation so we could get out of there, as it was a bank holiday there was nothing available. It’s really yucky.. the cutlery draw is disgusting, cups are stained, we had to wash everything before we used it. If you come from a clean home don’t stay here, it will make you feel really dirty.

Bedrooms and bathrooms clean and airy, towels and linen very good Kitchen spacious and light but lacks essentials for 9 people such as drinking glasses, serving dishes, baking trays Games room quite dangerous as the step is the same colour as the floor so there is no demarcation, had to put a strip of tape at the edge of the step to make it safer to see Living room very gloomy especially with the dark furniture, almost depressing Dining table only seats 6 people, cannot seat 9 unless you move furniture from the kitchen, not very helpful Garden does not have any seating/eating facilities in good weather although the paved area looks as though it may have had a picnic bench at one time Only one key to property and front door is on a Yale latch so people cannot access front door from outside unless you leave the key in the Yale as the side door does not have a key access and is difficult to walk to because of very broken driveway Cottesmore is a lovely friendly village but the house is not as good as it could be with a little more attention to detail

Lovely big house, well equipped and comfortable.

Set in the nice village with good dog walking paths. Would highly recommend

Property is for 9 people there were only 8 forks !

! Made a crumble and went to put it in the oven but the oven tray was too big to fit the oven !!! Not enough big things for cooking for 9 frying pan far too small. Need bigger pots for things like pasta or soup.Other than kitchen problems we had a great time. Property was clean. Great pub nearby and a chippy.

Its a big house with everything you need in a lovely village.

Great for a couple of families and great value for money.

The property was clean and the beds were comfortable.

Needs Instructions for TV , heating control pad, and for induction hob. There were not enough glasses for 9 people. Fridge shelves were missing in the interior and on the door.

What a great place for a big family getaway,We had a pre Christmas get together as we cannot meet at Christmas,Plenty to do in the area the cottage was clean warm and cosy, pleasantly surprised after reading a few adverse comments from previous guests.

Yes the drive is a concern needed a torch at night, overall we had a great time and Thankyou for Treats ,Chiristmas tree and decorations.

House needs lots of TLC .

Bathrooms old and mouldy . The bathroom down stairs was very bad . Garden needs attention and lots of over hanging trees make the house very dark .

The good points - house was found to be clean and spacious with all appliances working bar the T.

V. and located in a charming village with a good pub and chip shop. The bad points - it seems previous reviews have been ignored i.e. T.V continually pixelated (very annoying), Settees need replacing due to wear and tear, downstairs bedrooms shower has mould. We all agreed that the property outside was scruffy and needs attention to make it appealing to sit outside i.e. fences in need of a coat of paint and out the front a good sweep so as the uneven paving caused by the tree can be navigated, all our cars had to be jet washed as our feathered friends had a field day!

A great property for a family gathering.

Good communal areas and good sized bedrooms. A bit dated and the showers could do with a bit of TLC but it was warm and plenty of crockery and cutlery for all of us. Lovely enclosed garden.

This property could be fantastic, but it falls short on a couple of counts.

The house is in need of quite a bit of basic maintenance and deep cleaning. The furnishings are very basic, with no charm or character and not altogether sufficient for the size of the property, for example , this is a five bedroom house with only four kitchen chairs! The location is fantastic with lots to see and do in the area and we can recommend the chip shop. The driveway is quite dangerous to both cars and people’s with lifted pavers. The whole property needs a lot of TLC!

Stayed in Amberleigh since 2015….

love it, totally suits our needs, lots of rooms, beautiful cottage. We go the Burghley horse trails and this is has a fab location, great pub and fish and chip shop Totally recommend xx

The house is good but in need of updating.

Can understand no carpets as they accept dogs but on the upstairs hallway it definitively needs a carpet atherwise the whole house is awake!

Lovely property but needs some TLC.

We had a great stay and the house is great. Of your a light sleeper take ear plugs the church chimes all night and anyone moving about in the night is easily heard. Games and cards are left in the house for times when not out and about. Kitchen is well equipped , there were a few dish washer tablets but I took my own. There was no dish cloth but we bought cleaning sponges and left what they as left for next occupants. Linen and towels lovely quality and pillows are bouncy and comfy. Overall a lovely stay but look at the property it needs some loving care.

We had a delightful stay celebrating a family 60th birthday.

However it would have been preferable if the dishwasher had been working with 8 people staying.

We loved the place.

It was just right for my party. Would definitely stay there again. Hope they will have us back.

Beautiful house and location with local amenities.

locals were very friendly and helpful.There was a sickly smell in the kitchen which we could not get rid off and the house could do with a bit of decoration.otherwise all good .Will stay again and take the family next time.

Generally we were very pleased with the property.

It provided us with the ideal stay for a family get together. It was clean, roomy, comfortable and in a convenient location in a pleasant village with a shop and nice pub. It was also handy to have a garden to enjoy the warm weather we were lucky enough to have during the stay.

Really nice!

Property has both washing machine and tumble dryer (in the garage), which was a nice surprise. We found the kitchen to be just about sufficiently equipped to feed 8 with dietary requirements, except for a shortage of roasting tins. No issue with heating, although the downstairs en suite has a very loud pump when you use the tap or shower. Driveway can easily hold 3 medium cars with a bit of manoeuvring space, or 4 if you're OK reversing on to or off of the main road.

Perfect for the 9 of us .

Friends and family. Have booked again for next march.

Really nice place for 6 friends to all stay - enough room for us to spread out and talk and the village seemed friendly.

There were some minor maintenance issues (the shower upstairs didn't drain properly, so showers had to be quick and also required you to wait for it to drain so it didn't flood the bathroom, a few taps needed replacement washers) but nothing that really negatively affected our stay. We'd definitely consider coming again!

house was not properly clean, under double bed was dirty with dust and a crisp bag and tissues i had to get the hoover under and clean it.

2 of the bed rooms the head height under the beds caused problems. showers not the best and screens need better cleaning, kitchen utensils need replacing, but was not all bad the village location is lovely plenty of space

We had an amazing time and would thoroughly recommend the house.

It had everything that we needed and more. The location was perfect for exploring the beautiful local area.

We have stayed here many times for a pre christmas family get together.

House is very warm, clean and comfortable for the 8 of us with ample crockery and cutlery, the settees are comfortable if a little worn It would be nice if the upstairs on suite bathroom had a shower over the bath but there are 2 others, so all in all suits my family and our requirements well Lovely village, great pub for Sunday lunch

We enjoyed our stay at Amberleigh, it's a great family style or relaxing space with lots of comfortable seats and a nice large kitchen.

Ample parking was helpful too.

Lovely location and well maintained.

Good size and well equipped house.

Nice area, local pub and chippy are recommended. A few small cleaning and maintenance issues i have already reported directly to the owner.

The house was lovely and spacious for us and our friends however the house wasn’t very clean.

Lots of dead flies around & dust everywhere Also no heating (we tried to put it on but couldn’t figure it out), the house was very cold. Thankfully there was the fireplace and the mini heaters to keep us warm. The key code we were given was wrong. We tried to call the number provided which went to voice mail every time, luckily we managed to figure out the correct code as it was only 1 number out!! Other than that we had a really lovely stay.

Beautiful place,and so spacious We had a problem with the heating when first arrived,it kept cutting out and cottage was freezing, fortunately my husband is a heating engineer and kept resetting it,mentioned it to the owner and next day she delivered a couple of heaters,other than that was a very relaxing holiday, garden was so spacious so our 2 pooches enjoyed there zoomies round it.

Very nice property in lovely village.

Property is a bit shabby in some areas though very clean. The mattress in the downstairs double bedroom is totally unacceptable - it is lumpy and prevents sleep. I have seen this same comment from many previous people who have stayed at Amberleigh, not just over recent dates, but going back many months. I think a new mattress is long overdue!

We had a great family holiday, the house is in a great location.

The lounge was quite dark, another lamp would have been helpful. It was a shame that the en-suite bathroom on topfloor did not has a shower attachment. Loved the wood burner and communication with the house manager Mel was good.

Great to see a very well equipped property, with added extras, clean and warm, even when the heating tripped, soon sorted, lots of parking was great.

On the down side, sleeps 9 but does not seat 9, tired furniture made it difficult for some of our party, maintenance, decor etc needs some attention, quirky floor glass tiles between living room and bedrooms made it awkward for early risers to have lights on disturbing those upstairs, bad lighting in front room, we were crafting so needed light, would not be a problem for most. Problem with needing a delivery of oxygen, as they dont delivery on a weekend but could not get anyone to accept the order apart from the original booking person meaning this could not be done caused quite a problem. Overall happy with property, would recommend to those not needing the extras we needed.

Lovely big house with plenty of room for everyone.

Bathrooms needs some TLC but plenty of hot water and good showers. Lots of space and seating for 9 people. Kitchen well stocked so plenty of plates cutlery and glasses. Welcome tray lovely with biscuits, nuts, sweets and of course tea and coffee etc, really nice touch. Great off street parking, lovely pretty village. Really enjoyed our stay thank you.

we felt the property was well below the 4 star rating given by Sykes with a number of faults already reported, like uncomfortable bed in down stairs double bed, lack of hot water in that bedroom and pump system in room very noisy causing discomfort to other guests upstairs, incomplete or unclear instruction of how to use the induction hob.

Phone numbers given for contacting someone incorrect or they where not available, for other problems already reported with maintenance staff calling 5 days after need also after waiting in one afternoon for them to come and not turning up as advised going away to order parts and supplying electric heater for one bedroom plus parts for others, also to try and rectify other problems, Very disappointed in the condition of the property, with veneer coming of some of the kitchen cupboards, paint flaking of wall outside upstairs shower and wc down stairs not finished properly plus others, Believe that the property well maintained would be ideal for parties like ours who haven't met up for a number of years because we made the best of what we had

There was only two of us staying at the property so we chose the downstairs bedrooms.

The matresses on the beds were well passed their sell by date, lumpy limp and uncomfortable. The downstairs shower was tepid at best but mainly cold and the pump on the water was very noisy. The property was dark to say the least. The bed upstairs had a velux window above it and as it was windy with heavy showers it felt as if you were sleeping under a tin roof, to add to that you were next door but one to the church with the clock chiming loudly every hour. None of this was mentioned in the property description. In the information pack there was no mention on how to access the wi-fi. Overall the property and furnishings were tired

Cottage really well placed for getting around to Stamford, Uppingham, Oakham and Barnsdale Gardens.

We eat in the Sun Inn 4 times - just across the road (recommend it) and the chippy another evening. Also went to 2 of the visitor centres around Rutland Water and the nature reserve. All really near.

Lovely house, very clean but dark, needed lights on at all times , could do with bigger or extra freezer and larger pans/ fry pans and more glasses.

Driveway was tricky because of shape and lots of uneven bricks and tree roots, but overall we would come back again as house was good location.

I had to sleep in a chair due to the beds having a ridge down the middle, I have been in many of your cottages, but this was the worst for sleeping, the cottage was dark and the driveway was dangerous due to trees uprooting the bricks.

I would not go back again.

On opening the door we were greeted by a note saying 'If you feel unwell go home' not very welcoming.

We have booked with Sykes for several years and there has always been an excellent welcoming pack, nothing at the cottage except some packets. Last year in Lincolnshire we had a better welcome when Covid was rife.After a long hot drive we found no ice or facilities to make ice. Covid is no excuse, a bag of ice could be bought or ice bags.The salad tray in the fridge was broken. Outside the dog's water bowl was full of green slime. The door bell was broken. the bottom bedroom was decidedly scruffy, the carpet didn't seem to have been vaccumed. The mattress sagged.A king sized bed upstairs would have been nice. The T.V. was hopeless no reception just pixiling.For the price we paid we felt everything was a bit substandard. The cafetiere should be thrown out. There was enough of everything for us but we felt if 9 people were staying there they would have struggled.The hob on the stove was a bit of a nightmare. The garden needs some attention, it could be planted as a dry garden not needing any maintenance.There was a lack of tourist information.With a bit of love this could be a really special property. Great location, lovely village, good pub.We have always had good cottages with Sykes and given the price we paid we expected better.

Brilliant location, large property with plenty of good size bedrooms.

It has a brilliant garage perfect for dogs or kids games rooms. Would definitely stay again.

The house was clean and tidy if a little basic, but met our needs.

The village is well equipped with a good food pub, well stocked shop and a chip shop at the end of the drive.

Lovely place, we had a great time away.

Good commuting place to a lot of attractions in the region

This is a great cottage with excellent facility's.

There is a brilliant local dog friendly pub, post office, chip shop all within 2 minutes walk. Also provided is table & chairs for the garden. A great size side garage for the kids to play or exercise. All rubbish bins are separate for recycling purposes. An excellent place for larger parties.

Mel was always very helpful and we were very happy with cottage.

Two minor things- the dishwasher didn't get things very clean and the tumble dryer stopped working, which we reported.

There are a few issues I think that should be addressed.

The photographs on the website should be updated as there is no longer a spiral staircase. We chose the accommodation with a spiral staircase so that the dogs could not go upstairs to the bedrooms, but obviously they managed a normal staircase. Also the drive on the photographs looks fairly even, however, due to the roots of the trees, it very uneven and difficult to park. The heating was rather random, coming on at the wrong times so that we were often cold (no logs for the fire) and often too hot (especially in the night). The TV reception was intermittent. However, the accommodation was perfect for us ladies, plenty of space and fully equipped and we enjoyed our holiday.

The bushes need cutting back on the drive, it was very difficult to get the car past.

There was a distinct smell downstairs that wasn't very pleasant, we needed to keep all the windows open. The house was clean in main areas however more attention needs to be paid under / behind beds and cupboards etc, found a few dead bugs and lots of cobwebs.

There was no hot water in the kitchen or any of the bathrooms apart from one on the ground floor which had a pump - all of us had to share one bathroom - this is unacceptable.

There were three out of five lightbulbs out in the main living room, so it was dingy. Only one tablet was left for the dishwasher and no cloth for cleaning up. Would not recommend this place or Sykes after this experience.

Perfect house and location for 6 of us to celebrate 30 years of friendship.

Local pub served a fab roast dinner on the Sunday.

The Christmas Tree with lights and decorations was very much appreciated.

The central heating pipes (pipes underfloor, not the radiators) made such a loud regular "knocking" noise in the main bedroom it was difficult to sleep when the central heating boiler was running. Although the noise could be heard elsewhere in the house, it was loudest in the main bedroom and would only stop when the central heating was switched off. That meant the house got cold overnight which was a great discomfort to one of our older party members in the mornings. The freezer in the garage was so moldy inside, it was a health hazard. The fridge section above it was cleaner and usable. There was plenty of cutlery but it was of such poor quality that it was not a pleasure to use. Similarly, all the kitchen/cooking knives were blunt and unusable. The under-bed areas could do with a good clean.