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"We had a lovely week in Stepping Stones , ideally located , lovely back garden."
Close to a beautiful beach.
Reviewed by SusanMay 2022
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"Location of cottage is ideal, but lack of cleanliness and the basic facilities lets this cottage down."
When we arrived the kitchen, living/dining room were filthy. We had to thoroughly clean and disinfect the kitchen before we could use it, grit all over work tops, sink, floor. Plates had dried in food left on, glasses had lipstick stains - all plates, cutlery had to be washed before we could use them. No Covid cleaning/ protocol undertaken in this cottage.
Living room - floor and skirting boards full of hairs and grit, cobwebs all over nest of tables, so again we had to clean there too.
Strange smell coming from bathroom, again needed cleaning.
Bedrooms surprisingly were ok, considering the rest of the place but we did bring our bedding and towels.
Storage heaters not the best, thankfully it wasn’t that cold, no heater in bathroom.
No Wi-Fi, which could be a good thing for some people, good phone signal required staying here.
I would stay here again if cottage was modernised, needs new kitchen, better heating, Wi-Fi and definitely thoroughly cleaned after each visit.
Reviewed by LynneMar 2022
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"We would recommend that anyone staying in this cottage or anywhere nearby that the Aqua Beach bar is well worth visiting."
The quality of food was very good and exceptionally good value. In a location suitable for anyone who enjoys a sea view.
Reviewed by MartynSep 2021
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"The location of this cottage was fantastic for us."
Walking distance to a lovely beach, the shop and a pub. Its in a really nice area and the cottage has everything we needed. Would definitely recommend and would stay here again. We travelled with 2 young children and they loved every minute of it.
Reviewed by SarahSep 2021
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"The pros of stepping stones
1 - location."
This place is in an amazing spot and could be incredible!
2 - it was available. We couldn’t get anything else near to abersoch and it was cheap!
The cons:
1 - the smell. The whole house smelt really bad - mouldy, damp and musty. One bedroom in particular smelt so badly we couldn’t use it during our stay (back bedroom nearest the bathroom) it smelt like something had died in there. As there is no heating in the property apart from storage heaters which don’t appear to work. All the bed linen, towels and soft furnishings smelt really damp and the bathroom towels didn’t dry from day-to-day so we had to go out and buy some as we were only provided one set for the week. The smell in the bedrooms was so bad it was not conducive to a good nights sleep at all.
2 - cleanliness. There were cobwebs in the corners of every room, the floors were filthy and the kitchen cupboards and utensils were all sticky and grubby. The kitchen cupboards smelt so bad we had to keep zoflora soaked kitchen roll in them to enable us to use them without gagging.
3 - upkeep. This has obviously been a well used home but the general state of the furnishings is poor. In particular the bedroom furniture is really shabby and the kitchen cupboards are all falling apart.
4 - connectivity. We knew there was no WiFi and that was fine. However there is also no phone signal so it makes booking any activities, arranging any meet ups with friends or just generally checking opening times or directions etc impossible. To use any mobile device you have to walk up the road - not ideal when trying to book rainy day activities in the pouring rain! Also not great with kids.
We would happily pay double/ triple to stay in this place if it was modernised, clean and heated. Such a shame as has so much potential.
Our booking experience with Sykes was really good though - just the property that has let this down.
Reviewed by CerisAug 2021
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"The cottage was in a great location that meant easy access to the beach and many walks."
Kitchen could do with an upgrade and bathroom had no heating which would be a struggle in the winter. Nice cottage and comfy bed. Secure garden for dog which is great.
Reviewed by JohnJul 2021
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"Location of the house is fantastic with beach , beach
Bar , pub & shop all within walking distance."
Beach dog friendly all year. Highly recommend
Reviewed by InaJul 2021
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"Stepping Stones is a semi detached bungalow the property is easy to find and sits on a quiet, private road."
Entry is straightforward through keybox system. The property is in an excellent location,the reason we booked it. We could see from the photos it wasn't the most up to date modern property but that was acceptable to us when booked 20 months ago.
On gaining entry the property smelt, we had to open all windows and spray deodrant around, it put us off unpacking as we didn't want our clothes to take on the smell. There were quite a few cobwebs around the property too. Covid cleaning?
The said smell got worse and we figured it was the drainage as was really rather strong in the bathroom on the first night. We kept the sink and bath plugs in, toilet lids down and doors shut also opening windows when we were in property.
The owner did send someone who confirmed a soil pipe was cracked in the single toilet. All plumbers were busy so the issue wasn't rectified that week. A handy man came to put some tape round the toilet soil pipe but it wasn't the one that was causing the issue. Another plumber visited and said it was the bathroom toilet.
It baffled me how the cleaner couldn't smell this as it was obvious to us as we entered the property. The hoover also smelt a great deal.
On the Wednesday morning the two huge gas bottles ran out which supply the main gas fire,no more could be delivered until Friday.A portable heater was available in the property that was effective though. There are storage heaters too.
Poor phone signal made it more difficult to contact the owner. Might be worth the owner investing in wifi as it may limit the market to who will rent the property, families with teenagers etc.
As I say lovely location and fairly well equipped property but I feel the owner needs to keep it up to date, maintained and cleaned thoroughly all round.
The owner did keep us up to date with the movements of plumbers,handy men and cleaners and we left the key every day for the property to be accessed so the owner could try to get the problems resolved. We were compensated for our inconvenience. Thankfully we were out most of the time as the weather was beautiful.
Many thanks for your feedback, we did everything we possibly could to rectify the issue you had raised and hope you can appreciate that the cracked pipe was outside our control. We appreciate that you would have preferred to have wifi but as we do not advertise wifi, and so would expect that guests are aware of this property does not offer this when making their booking. Sykes Cottages have also attempted to contact you by phone and email regarding your stay but regrettably have not had a response from you as yet. Property Owner
Reviewed by LindaApr 2021
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"It was our third visit to Stepping Stones and although we had to take our holiday later in the year than originally planned we had the best time."
The bungalow is in the perfect place for us and our dog. So near to the beach and beach bar and also the local pub. Plenty of walks and lots of other beaches to visit. We will be going again.
Reviewed by SueSep 2020
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"The location is perfect for accessing great walks along the cliff tops, driving out to other lovely destinations such as Aberdaron and its only a short walk to the nearest pub the Glyn y Weddw where the staff and food are lovely."
The property catered for our needs with enough space that we weren't falling over each other and a lovely little garden.
Reviewed by AnnetteSep 2020
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"We chose this cottage because of its fantastic location and We had been looking forward to our holiday for over 12 months."
Due to Covid -19 we were not able to enter the property until after 5pm. This was to allow for extra cleaning inline with government guidelines. However when we arrived it was obvious that the extra cleaning was just a tick box exercise. The floors weren’t clean and there was bits of food in the kitchen cupboards. The kitchen is antiquated to say the least and has been repaired a few times. The hoover smelt dreadful, it was obvious the bag hadn’t been emptied for a long time. The water from mopping the floors was so dirty, it was depressing. This was our holiday and we felt like our money was taken under false pretences. We came home on the Wednesday since it actually rained in one of the bedrooms! I did speak with the owner via the phone to ask how to work the washing machine. I explained that the property was dirty and she spoke to the cleaner. She offered a £40 refund for the cleaning. I did send her photos of the affected bedroom and she thanked me and said that she could now get that problem sorted. I have never complained about anything like this before, but I feel so strongly about this and really let down.
Reviewed by HazelAug 2020
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"Fantastic base and chosen so we could walk to the beach."
Wouldnt hesitate to book again.
Reviewed by RachelJul 2020
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"It’s the second time we have stayed in this cottage."
It is just perfect as it’s an easy walk to the beach shops and pub. The most important thing is it’s dog friendly. There isn’t any WiFi and other signals are hit and miss but it’s not necessarily a bad thing and it means you have to nip to the pub. The only downside from no WiFi is you cannot easily check on nearby attractions, opening/closing times etc. Will definitely be go back.
Reviewed by SueSep 2019
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"Beautiful cottage in beautiful location."
Very clean too and well equipped - My son was highly amused when he saw I’d taken my own iron and mini-board as well as my vacuum cleaner!
Great to permit dogs, after all they deserve a holiday too.
I WILL DEFINITELY BE BOOKING WITH YOU AGAIN FOR NEXT YEAR :)
Many thanks:)
Reviewed by BernadetteAug 2019
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"Excellent location, maybe for the future a dishwasher could be incorporated into the property."
Reviewed by SueMay 2019
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"A lovely property which was in a perfect setting, close to beach, café, pubs and shops."
A lovely homely place to stay with all the comforts. Very clean with everything you would need provided. Would stay there again.
Reviewed by MaryApr 2019