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"The cottage is beautiful and the location is ideal."
We really enjoyed our stay. Although the cottage was well-equipped it would benefit from some upgrades and a bit of TLC. There are 2 areas that stood out.
The lamps and hairdryer were certainly vintage, in keeping with the style of the cottage, but the flickering and exposed wires on the hairdryer (which looked like it had been there since the 70s) were of concern.
I was disappointed to read instructions on leaving. It's self-catering accommodation so I expect to have to keep it clean and tidy and would always wash up and wipe down tops before leaving. I wouldn't expect to have instructions to prepare it for the next guests, stripping the beds etc. The dated feel of the cottage and the expectation that we would have to help prepare the cottage for the next guests was a little disappointing.
We welcome muddy hikers, mountain bikers, festival goers, children and pets so the cottage furnishings aren’t brand new, people can relax and we don’t charge top notch prices. I wasn’t aware the hair dryer was damaged and have removed this.
Two of us cleaned the cottage for over three hours prior to your arrival so it was cleaned thoroughly.
We ask that guests strip the beds that they have used so that they retrieve children’s toys, nightwear, watches and ear-pods - other self catering establishments boats etc are similar.
I have asked guests to empty bins and leave the place tidy so it is ready for cleaning for the following guests as all Sykes cottage owners do.
You gave us a low rating yet you say the cottage is beautiful, location great and you enjoyed your holiday.
This is disappointing for us when we work hard to give guests a good holiday.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Karen3.0★Oct 2025
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"We really enjoyed the property great location and a lovely garden."
Thank you for your feedback. I’m really pleased that you had such a lovely holiday.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Nick5.0★Jul 2025
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"The cottage is in a great location to access all parts of the island."
Decor and furnishing are on the basic side, but this is more than reflected in the price. The garden has lovely views - a picnic table is provided but I suggest taking your own camping chairs for more comfy, longer term seating. The cottage is on a B road with some traffic at times but the noise was not intrusive, and was non-existent overnight. The pub, just 200 steps down the road, is a gem and serves excellent food - I recommend booking as it is very popular. Shorwell is picturesque and away from crowded holiday spots which is a bonus. Eating in garden at The George Hotel in Yarmouth was a high spot - great food and great views of departing ferries and across to Lymington. I would stay in Ladylands again and I am very picky.
Thank you for your review and your recommendation for other guests to book at the pub- many of the local pubs are very busy in the summer. I’m glad you enjoyed your stay at Ladylands Cottage.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Colin4.0★Jun 2025
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"A very nice cottage in a good location."
BUT, the walk in shower could not be used because there was no heat provided in a very cold space. The previous guests also complained about it. The radiators in the kitchen and twin room were also permanently cold, with no facility for adjustment.
The modest "welcome pack" included a small half filled jug of milk, partially covered, which does not comply with good food hygiene standards. (A 500ml. carton of milk only costs 90p!!)
The advertised village shop has been shut since Christmas and is unlikely to re-open, we were told. The shop in Brighstone was excellent.
I was disappointed to receive your review as no issues were raised during your stay.
I don’t advertise a “Welcome Pack” but try to leave some essentials guests might need on arrival. Most guests appreciate this.
The boiler and radiators are new. Unfortunately, some guests alter settings although asked not to and this overheats the thermostat zone compared with the rest of the house. This can shut the boiler off. There are fires for guests to use. There are two showers available.
There is a new village farm shop with local produce - this is signposted at the end of the road.
We always try to ensure that guests have an enjoyable stay.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Roger4.0★May 2024
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"Ladylands is ideal for visiting the Island."
It is central to everywhere that you may want to visit. The kitchen is well equipped, the utility room excellent for storing outdoor clothing and dog stuff.
We had a restful, peaceful time, just what we needed. THANK YOU.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed your first visit to the island and hope that you will come back again.
Many of our guests are walkers and cyclists - the utility room offers space for boots and winter weather clothing. The cottage is immediately adjacent to a footpath and cycle path leading to the Tennyson Trail.
It was nice to meet you!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Tracy5.0★Oct 2023
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"Wonderful cottage in a beautiful area - didn’t disappoint."
Would definitely recommend. Thank you for a lovely stay.
We are lucky to be surrounded by beautiful countryside and adjacent to footpaths. A lot of our guests use the cottage as a base for walking, exploring the countryside and coastal paths. I’m glad that you enjoyed your stay at Ladylands Cottage and hope that you will visit us again. Thank you for being great guests!
Property Owner
Reviewed by Kate5.0★Oct 2023
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"A real home from home with everything needed supplied for a great holiday."
The local pub was a real bonus for those that don't want to cook as they provide great meals.
The only slight negatives are that the garden is very steep for OAPs and those not agile. The parking works best if you reverse into the property and are confident when leaving as you are unsighted along the road.
I’m glad you enjoyed your holiday and discovered the local pub which many guests have recommended.
We have tried to be more accommodating to less mobile guests by providing step free access from parking and a ground floor toilet and shower. However the garden is on a sloping site and the bedrooms are upstairs.
Property Owner
Reviewed by John5.0★Sep 2023
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"Lovely place to stay , very relaxing and comfortable, wonderful views across ..."
Lovely place to stay , very relaxing and comfortable, wonderful views across the countryside to see , there was plenty of room for our family of five,
Thank you for your comments here and in our Guest Book. I’m pleased that you have enjoyed yourselves so much and discovered some great places to visit. The views and walks from the cottage are lovely. Thank you for being great guests and we hope that you will come back to us.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Neal5.0★Aug 2023
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"Cannot understand that when a washing machine, iron, clothes line and pegs are provided an ironing board is not."
An information file ( which has been available in every other property I have used ) is necessary.
No information on washing machine, dishwasher, recycling, bin days, Wi-Fi code, what to do with bedding and towels, emergencies etc. was available. Both my contacts with Sykes would have been unnecessary had the information been available. I find it difficult to understand that Sykes have not advised the owner of this requirement prior to marketing and I see it as a Sykes problem, not necessarily the owner.
On the day we were leaving the next clients turned up at 9.15 in the morning wanting to “put some stuff in the house”. I refused as we had possession until 10.00 and stated the cleaners had not been in and they should not arrive before 15.00. They drove away after waiting a short while but I am not aware if they came back before their allocated time.
If an item isn’t included in a cottage listing it may not be available- currently our listing doesn’t include an ironing board but I take your point that some visitors might want one.
All information about the cottage, wi fi, appliances and emergencies was emailed to you prior to your visit. Emergency information is displayed on the wall next to the wc and Sykes provided an emergency contact number. We were able to assist you when you locked both of the keys in the cottage although, as it was a busy afternoon (Saturday), Sykes were unable to relay your message immediately.
Unfortunately, we cannot be responsible for the behaviour of other guests and I am sorry they called when you were obviously busy clearing up and preparing to vacate the property. Sykes are very clear in informing all guests of check out and check in times. We would ask all guests to respect these so that we have time to prepare the cottage for new arrivals. We always like the have the cottage looking clean and welcoming. We trust that despite these minor irritations you had an enjoyable holiday.
Property Owner
Reviewed by David4.0★Jun 2023
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"Ladylands was a beautiful old cottage with a gorgeous garden."
The owners were amazing, very communicative and lovely to talk to. The house was comfortable and provided pretty much everything we needed. It was great to have basic essentials of toilet roll, dishwashing products and milk in the fridge. It could be better if it had a freezer as well as a fridge: the icebox in the fridge was not enough for a family of 5. The broadband was brilliant, super fast, but the one tiny TV in the living room was disappointing. Otherwise, we had a lovely stay and have already recommended the cottage to our friends. You can't have everything, you just need to be prepared. We are already looking at a return visit to the Isle of Wight, as there is so much to do and a week wasn't long enough! Shorwell was a good location to explore the island, and the local pub which was only a few houses away was amazing too!
Thank you for your feedback. I am glad that you enjoyed both the cottage and the garden. The TV isn’t huge but does have Freeview. We have a freezer compartment large enough for the children’s ice creams but not large enough for a week’s shopping. However there is a tiny shop in the village, a village store with a good selection at Brighstone and a Co-op within five miles. There are also some really great pubs for eating out and some lovely local produce available on the island. We would be very pleased to see you again if you make a return visit. Thank you for your feedback which helps us to make improvements.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Sarah4.0★May 2023
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"Lovely little cosy cottage."
photos don’t really do it justice. So peaceful and quiet, had the best nights sleep in a long long time. Plenty of cutlery and crockery. Garden kept lovely, probably not good for small children due to the steep slope. But view from the top is beautiful. One small critique would be for a mirror to be put up above the sink in the downstairs shower room.
Good to have its own parking space.
Thank you for your feedback and your lovely comments. We do ask that small children are supervised in the garden because the steps are unfenced. Some young visitors have discovered the slopes are useful for rolling down! There are also flat areas for games. Our own grandchildren sometimes visit. There are indoor and outdoor games for the children.
You are right that the view from the top of the hill is great and well worth the climb! There are lovely walks and cycle rides in quiet lanes surrounding the village.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Michael4.0★May 2023
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"Lovely Cottage in a very picturesque village."
The Cottage was very homely, clean and tidy with everything we needed.
Stunning costal view from the top of the hill behind the cottage was a real bonus!
Would definitely recommend to anyone.
The view is definitely worth the climb! We love the walks around the village. I’m pleased that you enjoyed your stay and thank you for your review.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Stuart5.0★Oct 2022
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"The garden is not securely fenced."
Not safe for young children or dog's.
We advise visitors to supervise children in the garden in our listing because of the access steps (which are not fenced) and changes in levels in the garden. We do allow well- behaved dogs but again would advise that these are supervised.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Brynetta3.0★Oct 2022
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"Our only criticism was the lack of information about the heating system(s)."
It was very cold when we arrived and had to contact Sykes for instructions. Also a shower curtain in the bathroom would protect the floor.
Other than that we had a very comfortable stay in a lovely cottage and village.
I’m sorry you found the heating difficult - you were the first to use it. It’s a new system with timer and thermostat (apart from the storage heaters). I have included some instructions in my cottage info now. I will always try to help any visitor with a problem and was glad we could sort that one out quickly.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Stephen4.0★Sep 2022
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"Had a wonderful stay in the cottage."
It is freshly decorated and spotlessly clean. Very peaceful location and there was everything we needed in the cottage. Highly recommended.
Thank you for your lovely review and also for looking after the cottage so well. I am glad that you had a fantastic time and visited so many lovely places. You would be welcome back anytime.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Sue5.0★Sep 2022
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"Great location and excellent cottage."
I’m pleased that you enjoyed your holiday, the cottage and visits to local places. Thank you for being great guests.
Property Owner
Reviewed by John5.0★Jul 2022
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"We only stayed for two nights there was no hot water upstairs ; the teapot and cups had to be cleaned as all stained and to make matters worse the housekeeping bond was taken from my account because the draining board in the kitchen got wet it is all wood and should dry naturally ; or it is not fit for purpose ."
.I have complained asked for proof of replacement but was told by Sykes if you want your money back go through the small claims court ..it’s not acceptable to use the bond to increase the cost ..we left the cottage immaculate cleaner than when we arrived
Thank you for your feedback.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Dawn2.0★Jul 2022
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