Ravenglass Retreat

We had a brilliant stay at the house.

It was really clean and cosy. The only slight issue was we couldn't get the fire to work in the front room. It would have been nice to have a welcome book with some instructions in. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend to others as a good base for the local area.

No welcome book provided, I called Sykes cottages several times during the stay to complain about issues found.

1. Requested one high chair and one cot. Received two cots (one was unusable) and the highchair was in pieces, also unusable. 2. No Internet access info provided. 3. Cleaning was substandard, top oven smoked badly when turned on so we couldn't use it. No smoke alarm on the ground floor!! Fire extinguisher and fire blanket were out of reach and not wall mounted. These are safety concerns that need to be addressed. 4. Garden was not mowed, the grass was very long. Outside chairs were rusty so we could not sit on them. Trees and shrubs were overgrown, pond scum was unsightly and pond was not child safe. From upstairs the neighbor's garden was lovely this garden was NOT. 5. Cracked window between sunroom and dining area. 6. Downstairs loo door lock is missing and latch sticks making it hard to open the door. 7. Lower door hinge broken (screws pulled from the wall) on door between hall and kitchen. Could not close this door. 8. Junk (hardware, screws) in dresser draws in bedroom with twin beds (children's room). 9. There was only one smoke alarm in the house, and it was on the first floor. 10. Cottage claims off road parking for two, we could not park one car in front of the garage without blocking the neighbors garage. There was a sign on the front door "do not block the second garage so cleaners have access on weekdays". We could not park either of our two cars at the cottage. 10. No garbage/recycle bins marked for #9 Croftlands. We had no instructions for where to put our trash/ recycling. 11. Key kept jamming in the lock box. We had trouble opening it on several occasions. 12. Toilet seat was loose in en-suite bathroom. Paint was pealed away exposing bare ceiling above the shower stall. 13. Carpets need cleaning. Floors need mopping. Ovens need cleaning!! 14. We left one piece of mail that was delivered on the kitchen counter along with one chipped glass (found in the cabinet that way). 15. Top screw loose on fridge door, it fell out twice during the week. Fridge/freezer not working properly - fresh veggies in fridge got frozen/damaged and could not be eaten. 16. While searching for a welcome book we opened all drawers, many contained items dangerous for children, and trash just stuffed in them. 17. We had to live out of our suitcases all week because dresser drawers were dirty and contained hardware and junk. 18. Main bath tub drain did not work properly to hold water, so it was difficult to bath our grandchildren. 19. Beds were uncomfortable, we did not sleep well. The mattresses need to be replaced. 20. Cutlery tray should be marked (with a label), we received a specific email about it but it was not obvious at first so other guests have also struggled with finding it. 21. We always prewash cookware before use, but many of the pots have damaged non stick surfaces which are actually unsafe to use. These should be removed/replaced. We had enough pots/pans/casserole dishes that were acceptable. 22. Laundry was supposed to be for guest use, however area is crowded with stuff that should not be touched and should be segregated.

Lovely property in a beautiful area.

Fabulous communication from owner.