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"Boathyde has much potential given its location and very modern looking facilities however, when the basics aren’t right the experience suffers."
1. Property details on arrival are poor with little info on the digital heating and door access. Th
2. An en-suite toilet cistern ran constantly causing sleepless nights.
3. A shower drain was blocked, flooding on first night and couldn’t be used again.
4. Games room was freezing, it took 4 nights to warm up (we stayed for 5).
5. Hot Tub wasn’t ready on arrival, it needed 24 hours to get to temperature.
6. Whilst the kitchen appears modern it is not well equipped, only 3 saucepans, a poor selection of glasses and overall lacking in sensible items such as colliders etc.
On arrival and first inspection Boathyde appeared perfect for us (9 adults across 2 families with dogs) and whilst we enjoyed our stay the aforementioned niggles (which weren’t corrected when highlighted) meant we couldn’t fully enjoy our New Year break. Festive breaks carry a premium which we understand but in truth when you pay £5k for 4 full days you expect better quality.
Thank you for taking the time to provide detailed feedback following your New Year stay at Boathyde. We’re pleased to hear that you enjoyed the location and found the property visually appealing, but we’re sorry that some aspects of your stay did not meet expectations.
I’d like to address the points you’ve raised to provide clarity.
On arrival information, we do provide digital guides covering heating controls and door access. The heating throughout the property is preset to maintain a comfortable temperature, however it can be manually overridden if required. We did discuss this on the phone and instructions on how to gain access to the house and heating was sent to you via WhatsApp.
I’m sorry to hear about the en-suite toilet cistern and the blocked shower drain. The toilet system was checked and the push button was jammed in place.
Regarding the games room temperature, due to its size and layout it can take longer to reach temperature during colder periods. That said, the heating is designed to warm the space adequately, and again can be overridden if additional heat is required.
The hot tub requires approximately 24 hours to reach operating temperature after a water change (changed after every guest), which is standard for safety and hygiene reasons. This is outlined in the pre-arrival information.
Your comments about the kitchen equipment have been noted. While the kitchen meets standard holiday let requirements, we do review guest feedback regularly and will take this into consideration when assessing future additions.
Thank you again for your feedback. It is invaluable in helping us improve the experience for future guests.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Paul3.0★Dec 2025
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"Overall stay tainted by the intransigence of either the owners or the property management company refusing to decorate the house for Christmas week."
Disappointing when you consider we had 5 children under the age of 5 staying for Christmas and a price tag of £4.5 k for the rental. We would have booked elsewhere if known beforehand. Sykes tried several times to request this from the owners but were not able to influence this position . A message to Sykes CEO failed to have any impact. I’m kicking myself for not checking this out before committing. The lesson is to review the ts and cs thoroughly. In addition the intrusiveness of the CCTV in every ground floor room and the poor wifi added to the feeling of discontent. Check out for 10 am was stressful for a party of 13 but we managed it. As an ex hotelier I’ve managed 4 and 5 star holiday and hotel complexes, if I had this in my portfolio I would focus on the customer care element .The property and position is beautiful, Appledore is a delight .
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I’m pleased to hear that you found the property and its location beautiful and that you enjoyed Appledore, which really is a special place.
I would, however, like to clarify a few important points raised in your message, to ensure the context is accurately reflected.
Prior to your arrival, you were made aware that the property would not be decorated for Christmas. This was confirmed in advance, and we understood that this information allowed you to make an informed decision before proceeding with the booking.
In addition, an early check-in request was declined ahead of your stay. Despite this, the property was accessed and checked into at approximately 12:00 midday, rather than the agreed 4:00pm check-in time. This naturally placed additional pressure on housekeeping and preparation schedules.
Regarding CCTV, I would like to reassure you that there is no CCTV inside the property. The devices you refer to are motion sensors, which form part of the internal alarm system and are standard for property security. There is no internal monitoring or recording of guests.
Check-out is clearly stated as 10:00am, which allows sufficient time for the property to be prepared to our required standards for incoming guests. While we appreciate that departing as a larger group can feel pressured, this timing is consistent with holiday let industry standards.
Thank you again for your feedback. We genuinely appreciate guests taking the time to share their experiences, as it helps us continue to improve.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Nigel4.0★Dec 2025
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"Wonderful property."
Ten family members, including 4 grown-up grandchildren had a fabulous time at Boathyde. One of the best we’ve stayed in. Superb facilities, spotlessly clean and a bonus having the games room, the gym and jacuzzi, which meant it was so much fun for the grandchildren and adults alike. Generous welcome pack, delicious scones. Superb views, couldn’t fault it. Had a fabulous time.
Reviewed by Gail5.0★Sep 2025
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"This is the second time with have used Sykes and we were not disappointed."
Boathyde has an exceptional location and the long track was not a problem for us. The house is fabulously set overlooking the estuary and on the coastal path. A large enclosed garden for children and dogs and the hot tub was the perfect temperature! Spoilt with a games room and gym our family really had the space to roam! Inside the layout was great with every facility and most rooms ensuite. Plenty of parking and Appledore is charming. We could not have asked for more. Loved our visit - except for the weather!
Reviewed by Elaine5.0★Sep 2025
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"The boathyde is amazing."
On the whole we had a great time. The facilities it has are amazing.
Just a few little things let it down.
The floor was not clean when we got there and all our socks got really dirty from walking around straight away.
The salt and pepper was empty.
There was a washing line but no pegs.
We had an issue with the smoke alarms beeping at 5.30am which woke us up 2 days running. It was sorted on the second day by Charlie but the batteries should be replaced annually so this should not happen.
There was no batteries in the sky remote so had to take them out of the tv to change the sky over.
The radiators in 2 rooms leaked all over the floor so we couldn’t use this either. We did tell Charlie about this.
With all this said it is amazing and we will 100% book and go again.
Reviewed by Claire4.0★Aug 2025
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"The house and grounds are fantastic."
We did really enjoy our stay. It is in a great quiet location and the view was beautiful . A few small things we thought that could make it even better were - 1) more glasses (for 10 people there was not really enough crockery). 2) the salt and pepper wer both empty and not much left in washing up liquid which was said to be in the welcome pack. 3) table tennis balls were no good to play with 4) Playstation there but no handsets to play games. These are all minor points and we all said that we would definitely return to this property. The games room was brilliant for the children.
Reviewed by Anna4.0★Jul 2025
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"We had a lovely stay at Boathyde."
It was great to have family time together - the games room was well used. The hot tub was a great added bonus. Very clean and comfortable. The cream tea went well very well - thanks very much
Sally
Reviewed by Sally5.0★Jul 2025
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"Stunning property in a wonderful location with easy access to beaches and local towns with wonderful views of the river Torridge from the property."
The house itself is stunning, extremely well equipped with a superb separate games room, with a Cinema standard TV providing film and sports channels for rainy days. Another building in the garden houses a small gym.
The Hot tub is huge and very efficient.
The outdoor dining area is next to the Hot tub and games room and the gas Barbecue worked perfectly and easily coped with food for 7 persons.
The bedrooms were spacious with plenty of storage and the en-suites were modern, well equipped with wonderful showers. Beds were large and comfortable.
The kitchen equipment and indoor dining facilities were top quality and the coffee machine was provided with plenty of pods for our 7 day visit.
The garden is large and secure if you have a dog and provides easy access to the public footpath which runs alongside the river.
It’s about a 30 minute walk into Appledore along the riverside path.
Our only gripe was there were no dressing tables and the mirrors on the walls in the bedrooms were too high unless you’re tall. There are however, large mirrors in the en-suite bathrooms
There is plenty of secure and private parking and there are two charging points in the car park if you have an electric vehicle.
Everyone in our party of 7 would highly recommend this property and would definitely return.
Reviewed by Steven5.0★Jun 2025
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"We have had the most amazing holiday with our family."
The house is superb. Could not fault anything. The games room in the evenings was an absolute hit.
Would return tomorrow if I could!!!!
Thankyou
Reviewed by Sally5.0★Jun 2025
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"We had the most amazing time."
Excellent location, beautiful house and gardens. Lovely to arrive to fresh bread, scones etc. Can't fault it. As a group of 10 mature ladies we all would recommend this house and we are definitely going to come again!
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled to hear you all had such an amazing time and enjoyed the house, gardens, and welcome treats. It was a pleasure to host your group, and we’re so glad the property worked perfectly for your stay. You’d all be welcome back anytime – we look forward to seeing you again soon!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Melissa5.0★May 2025
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"Lovely property with enough facilities to occupy the whole family, well maintained and outstanding views, excellent position if you had a small boat to launch."
Small walk to Appledore where you have some really nice pubs with a beautiful view overlooking the estuary. Very friendly housekeeper and gardener. I would definitely come back
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re really pleased to hear you enjoyed the facilities, the views, and the great location near Appledore. It’s lovely to know the whole family had a good time and that our team made you feel welcome. We’d be absolutely delighted to have you back again!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Robert5.0★May 2025
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"Amazing property in a great location."
The view was stunning! Short drive to all main attractions but the games room and hot tub made it easy to entertain the kids even on rainy days. Nice spacious bedrooms, great decor and everything was very clean. Kitchen well equipped for all you need to cater for large groups.
Only criticism is that the mattresses in all the beds were extremely hard so sleep wasn't great
Hello thanks for your feedback.
We do prefer very firm mattresses in our household, and they are very expensive mattresses.
This said we’ve taken this on board and now provide mattress toppers for those who prefer a softer mattress.
Hopefully this will improve the comfort rating.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Joel4.0★Apr 2025
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