Garden House - Culzean Castle

As a retired couple we go away 1 or 2 times a month staying in rented apartments, AirBNBs etc including Sykes Cottages.

We have also stayed at Culzean Castle before, in the Clocktower Apartment. Staying for a week at the Garden Cottage, left us a bit flat, compared to other places we've stayed. Two issues spring to mind: All the doors are exceptionally low. I'm tall but not overly so, but sorely banged my head within minutes of arriving. There really should be warning signs and /or foam padding above all doors. The treadplate in the living room also had a raised exposed screwhead which caught me out when walking barefoot. The cottage is in a nice part of the wonderful Culzean estate. As other reviews mentioned though, there is no direct access into the garden from the cottage. Wish I had read the reviews prior to booking. The other thing we noticed compared to other places, is the general lack of a 'welcome pack' or even basic provisions. Yes there were a few tea bags and coffee sachets, but most apartments nowadays, or certinly what we've become accustomed to, have a fresh pint of milk in the fridge, and other staples to allow you to cook a meal. We had to go out and buy cooking oil, salt, pepper and other provisions that we feel should be a minimum standard in every apartment. Overall, the cottage suited us well for our stay as a couple and maintenance aside (doors/treadplate) it's not that there is anything 'wrong' with the accommodation, however, it did come across as significantly basic in terms of offering compared to other places we've stayed, and as a premium priced venue, this was rather disappointing.

We stay here several times a year.

Stunning location!!! Great walks in the woods, visits to to beach! Love it here!

In the main a well equipped house although we had a few niggles.

Some of the furniture was a bit flimsy and there was a lack of books, field guides or information leaflets, and proper coasters and table mats would have been better as well as some extra cutlery. The house did lack character. In particular though we agree with previous comments about not having access to the walled garden at night and the house windows definitely needed cleaning to get a good look.

Such a lovely property in a magnificent setting.

Garden House was everything we expected it to be.

Clean, warm, well decorated and in a very special setting.

Great cottage in a great location.

Plenty of walking and we only used the car one day in the week. Very disappointed that the access to the Walled garden was not available. We have stayed in 2 Gardeners cottages with the National Trust for England and both allowed this.

Nice property in a lovely location, and it was clean.

However it was really let down by the facilities. There were many items missing that we would have expected, for example baking equipment, laundry basket and pegs (there was an airer), cleaning items in the bathroom, coasters, shade/parasol in the back garden. There were no tourist information guidance leaflets, and in fact no books or games in the property. Also, although we had no direct access to the walled garden, the gardeners had access from the walled garden into the property's garden and used this route to move gardening material around the estate.

It is lovely to stay on the grounds of Culzean Castle, which is so quiet in the evenings.

However, for the price of this house we would expect more for our money. The "small double" is really not comfortable for 2 adults. This could easily be changed and updated as there is space in the room for a larger bed. I notice that this has been pointed out by other guests in the past. We have stayed in properties at Culzean for the past couple of years. The prices have increased but the maintenance of the properties is not good and we don't feel you get value for money. It is really a shame as it is lovely to stay in the National Trust Park with the 2 beaches and grounds. However we will not be returning as this property is not comfortable for a family of 5. I have given 4 stars as we do love Culzean and always have fun when we stay, but the properties need some attention.

Always love staying here!

Stunning location!

The house was one of the best we have stayed in.

Nice large and comfortable rooms. Plenty to do around about for three generations. It was not a problem for us as only one stayed in the room but the bed in the double room was small and would be uncomfortable if two slept in it. We had a fantastic holiday exploring the estate grounds and walks to the beach

We had a lovely stay, accommodation was comfortable, well maintained and had all the comforts of home.

I have no hesitation in recommending for those looking for a relaxing family break.

The description of the cottage was very poor, the description did not include products supplied (i.

e. soap, shampoo etc)., and the cottage came with many added comforts which were not listed. The stay exceeded our expectations.

Worth to stay here!

Great stay!

We loved the break! Like a home from home! Super cozy! The most wonderful views of the walled garden. This cottage is set in the most beautiful location! Only downside was that there were quite a few wasps and lots of flies I know we are in the middle of the forest! I did expect some insects and creepy Crawlies but we noticed there seemed to be some kind of wasp nests on the outside of the kitchen window backing on the the walled garden! Onced we covered over some holes at the top of the windows we didn’t have many of them flying around. Would still recommend though as once we sorted we could relax a little more.

This is one of the best places in Scotland to stay.

Such a wonderful location with spectacular views.

Another amazing holiday with Culzean Garden house!

This was our 4th stay this time and we've already booked to come back. Stunning location!!!

Great property , magnificent setting.

Lots for everyone from toddlers to oldies like myself to do . Really enjoyed the experience and would definitely go back.

Ideal location for a peaceful getaway.

The castle itself was closed during our visit, but we loved having unlimited access to the Country Park grounds, which are gorgeous and offer an over abundance of delights for walking and wildlife enthusiasts. We also enjoyed our visit to nearby Alloway, birthplace of poet Robert Burns and an ideal stop for poetry lovers. The cottage itself was spotlessly clean, modestly but beautifully furnished, and filled with every possible amenity we needed to make our stay there comfortable (and the views out the back windows into the walled garden were lovely). We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and would be happy to visit again in the future. Highly recommended.

Have holidayed in Culzean cottages since I was a child.

My children now adult and teenage adore this place . This cottage is perfect for families and central to the park. The only down side is the tiny double bed in the second bedroom. Very uncomfortable for 2 adults. Would suggest changing this for perfect feedback.

You couldn't ask for a better setting, you could spend all of your holiday on the estate.

We spent hours exploring the grounds and facilities. The property is charming, there are a couple of things which could help make for a perfect holiday. A lock for the bathroom door. A few door handles need attention. The second double bed is a small double so a bit tight for two adults. We were a family of four adults and a two year old so a stair gate would have been a help. Nothing that could spoil our wonderful holiday. I would highly recommend a stay at Garden Cottage and will be back.

This is the perfect holiday home.

It really has everything that you could wish for. Well appointed, stunningly beautiful situation, easy communication, amazing facilities. Just perfection.

This is a fantastic place to stay- great location with lots to do on the Culzean estate.

The cottage was very peaceful. The kitchen facilities are excellent- we cooked every night we were there. There were not quite enough basics like toilet roll, tea towels, laundry tablets, kitchen roll or salt and pepper) supplied. This was a pain as the nearest shop was a ten minute drive away. Supplying these basics in future would make the stay 10/10.

We all loved the cottage and everything was in excellent condition.

The only thing missing was a dustpan and brush! The outside sitting area was lovely when the sun came out as it was very sheltered. Good for little children.

We enjoyed our stay at the Garden House, the cottage is generally good, but there are some easily resolved minor issues which could have improved our stay.

There are garden benches located within the walled garden right outside the sitting room & kitchen windows, people were sat on those benches, looking straight into the cottage rooms, we asked a gardener if they could be moved a little so that our privacy wasn't compromised but they were not moved during our stay. Photographs online of the rooms showed pictures on the walls, but these had been hung with self adhesive fastening and I can only assume had fallen down, and were stored in cupboards instead of being rehung, this made the lounge area feel somewhat bare/stark without the pictures which was a shame as they looked nice! Also a footstool shown in the photographs was not there. There were no logs for the fire, nor were there any fire tools or gloves, which could prove to be dangerous if someone brought their own logs. There was no door mat. Also we had a sleepless night caused by the film crew who were on site leaving their generator & flood lights on all night by our cottage, we went out to look but no one was working, this was reported to the office the next day and did not re occur. Despite the above we enjoyed our stay, Culzean is a lovely estate, and the cottage was warm, clean & reasonably well equipped, a few more items of crockery and cutlery would be good.

Wow!

Staying at the Garden House was amazing and so very peaceful. Exceeded our expectations.

This is a beautiful peaceful property in a great location