The Beach House

7 Customer Reviews

• "A beautiful location, but far too many avoidable problems We recently stayed at The Beach House lodge in the grounds of Watermouth Castle**."

  There are certainly some positives to the property — the location is lovely, the lodge has plenty of potential, there is free Wi-Fi, and the view from the decking overlooking part of the castle is really nice. If I stood on tiptoes and looked over to the right-hand side of the decking, I could even just about see the sea — although, at 6ft 4", I probably had an unfair advantage! Unfortunately, though, there were far too many issues during our stay, and several of them were things that really should have been sorted before guests arrived. The arrival – a complete nightmare The directions we were given were totally and utterly wrong and sent us on a wild goose chase trying to find the lodges. Luckily for us, Clare, the owner of Watermouth Cove Cottages, came to our rescue. She very kindly showed us exactly where the lodges were located and was incredibly helpful. Then, having finally found the place, we discovered that the key code we had been given was completely wrong. Clare once again stepped in and contacted the property management company for us. The call was initially answered by an AI assistant, which wasn't exactly ideal when you're standing outside your holiday accommodation having travelled to get there and simply can't get in! Clare was absolutely fantastic throughout the whole situation. She even offered us one of her own cottages for the night if we couldn't gain access to The Beach House. Thankfully, after some persistence, she eventually managed to obtain the correct code for us and we were able to get inside. Quite honestly, without Clare's help, our arrival could have been a very different story. She went above and beyond, and we can't thank her enough. Once inside... Unfortunately, this is where the list of problems continued. * Several light bulbs weren't working, including the one above the sink and the one above the cooker hood. * The cooker hood itself wasn't working. ( The cooker hood/extractor was not working. While I appreciate that a cooker hood is not necessarily a legal requirement where adequate alternative ventilation is provided, it was a facility supplied with the property and, in our view, should have been checked and in working order before our arrival — particularly as there was a gas hob beneath it.) * The advertised whirlpool bath only worked on one setting, which was disappointing for everyone who used it. * There was no television in the master bedroom, despite one being specifically advertised in the property listing. * The TV in the lounge was **not a Smart TV**, despite the listing describing it as such. * The lounge TV may well have actually been the TV that was supposed to be in the master bedroom. * There was a DVD player, but despite looking around, I couldn't find any DVDs to actually watch. * There were, however, a good selection of books, which was a nice touch. I actually left two books behind myself to add to the collection. * There were cobwebs everywhere — and I really mean everywhere. The lodge clearly hadn't had the thorough clean we'd expect before our arrival. * There was no toilet paper provided, which I find particularly poor for a holiday property. Surely a basic amount of toilet paper should be provided for arriving guests. * There were no dishwasher tablets whatsoever. Even providing one or two would have been enough to get guests started, but there were none, resulting in another trip to the local shops. * The bedside lamp in the master bedroom was powered by a **10-metre extension lead that was still coiled up**. Apart from looking untidy, using a coiled extension lead can create a heat build-up and is something that should really be avoided for safety reasons. * The taps were virtually impossible to control. They seemed to be either fully on or fully off, with very little in-between, which made using them unnecessarily difficult. The listing needs updating A particularly frustrating aspect was that several things didn't appear to match the property listing. The master bedroom television wasn't there, and the television that was provided in the lounge **wasn't a Smart TV as advertised**. When guests book accommodation based on the facilities listed, they reasonably expect those facilities to actually be there and working. Some positives It's not all negative. The lodge itself is in a really nice position, with a pleasant outlook over part of Watermouth Castle. The setting has a lot going for it, and the free Wi-Fi was appreciated. The selection of books was also a nice touch, and hopefully the two books I left behind will add something to the collection for future guests. And, most importantly, Clare from Watermouth Cove Cottages was absolutely brilliant. Her kindness, patience and willingness to help us when we were struggling to find the lodge and then couldn't get in was exceptional. Offering us one of her own cottages if we couldn't gain access went far beyond what she needed to do, and we are genuinely grateful to her. A little something for the next guests... And finally, to whoever stays after us: have a look in the cupboards!

  Reviewed by Mark3.0★Aug 2026

• "The lodge was good but the site was like a building site, and I would never ..."

  The lodge was good but the site was like a building site, and I would never recommend booking through Sykes they are notoriously useless

  Reviewed by Grace3.0★Mar 2026

• "The property has good facilities, but they don't all work, and it felt as though the property had not quite been prepared thoroughly for the 2026 season."

  It was clean and tidy. Kitchen equipment is good, and there are lots of glasses (4 of most kinds, but only 3 straight cylindrical glasses), plates, etc. The towels were lovely and soft, and the beds were very comfortable. Good hot water, and we enjoyed the spa bath - only the side jets work. Good thinking with the shoe rack and plentiful coat hooks, plus loads of kitchen storage space. Two large comfy sofas. It was a quiet and comfortable stay. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the beach house, and here is a list of our thoughts, which are meant to help improve facilities for future guests, and not as a list of grumbles. - Dead batteries in the remote controls and, more importantly, the wireless thermostat meant NO central heating until the following day, after we contacted the facilitator. CO2 and smoke detectors were okay. - A missing bulb from a light in the lounge - we found 3 spares when clearing up on the last day! - An extractor fan not working above a gas hob, on an island unit, is possibly a safety regulation issue? It certainly isn't ideal. - The dishwasher is unusable unless you bring your salt and rinse aid - the warning lights are clearly visible! Guests shouldn't be expected to top these up. - Maybe 1 bin bag, 1 toilet roll, and no dishwasher tablets is standard practice? - There were some goodies left, which was a nice touch, and some sugar/coffee sachets. Adding salt and pepper would have been helpful. - Some settings on the cooker are worn off, and the instruction manual is a mess (pages stuck together and torn) - some new markings would be helpful for future users. - Taps often have idiosyncrasies, and this is certainly true of both the kitchen and basin taps, and the WC cistern takes around 5 minutes before it can be fully flushed. The basin hot tap is aggressive when first turned on. It may sound odd, but if you try it, you'll see what I mean. - NO RECYCLING. In an era of increasing 'Green' thinking, putting all the rubbish in the same sack for landfill is lazy, and possibly (hopefully) in breach of regulations. This may not be the property owners' direct responsibility, but the site as a whole should perhaps address this. NOTE: The shelf in the bathroom needs fixing. We avoided using it as the angle slopes down and it didn't look secure. There is also a small fracture in the basin - maybe something to keep an eye on.

  Reviewed by Tim4.0★Mar 2026

• "Lovely accommodation, everything we needed , clean and comfortable, stayed warm inside."

  Nice views of castle and sea. Plenty of outside seating on decking with views. Only negative would be that the decking was slippery when wet, so pheraps some mats or something to walk on? Otherwise well worth a visit. Host was very helpful and easy to reach.

  Reviewed by Gail4.0★Oct 2025

• "For a short stay out of season, this was a m only cabin."

  Close to everything we wanted and lovely views. Would stay again.

  Reviewed by Kim5.0★Oct 2025

• "We loved The Beach House."

  It was well equipped and the views over the valley were lovely. Plenty of birdlife. We spent an enjoyable afternoon at Watermouth Castle and its interesting collection of memorabilia from past times. We spied the Beach House through the trees way above the cafe in the amusement park. Beautiful part of North Devon, so many beaches and gorgeous views.

  Reviewed by Mary5.0★Aug 2025

• "A great spacious lodge in a perfect location."

  Fully equipped and we loved the open plan kitchen and living room space. The wrap around outside decking was also nice. We would love to come back one day.

  Reviewed by Stuart5.0★Aug 2025

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