Rokeby

We were very disappointed with the house.

The lack of maintenance is highly visible - wasps nest outside the bedroom window meaning we couldn’t open the window. This was noted on a blackboard in the kitchen but surely this should have been a priority to fix? We had shower problems in that it wouldn’t turn off easily, very hard mattresses, very outdated television with no smart tv, small kitchen, insufficient cupboard space to store food, cobwebs in every room and dog hairs. The whole house is in need of TLC and redecoration. The only positive was the location. We wouldn’t stay again.

We stayed at Rothbury before and had a lovely time with no problems.

This time we had a very disappointing holiday with the accommodation. We had to contact you three times and the worse part was the showers in both bedrooms were very dirty drainage which should have been cleaned. We would have liked to send you photos of the problems with the showers. I don’t know what you mean by a deep clean. This was not done. We would like this review to be published.

The cottage was well laid out with plenty of space and ample seating, making it a comfortable place to spend time\.

The kitchen was well equipped with everything we needed to prepare meals during our stay\. The location was another real positive\. It was conveniently situated within easy walking distance of the centre of Bamburgh, with the beach around a 15\-minute walk away\. Despite being so close to everything, it was still a peaceful and quiet place to stay\. Unfortunately, we found the beds quite uncomfortable as the very soft spring mattresses didn’t provide much support\. We also noticed that many of the doors squeaked and rattled, giving the impression that the property would benefit from some general maintenance\. Overall, we enjoyed our stay, but the cottage felt as though it needed a little TLC\. With some attention to maintenance and a few updates, it could offer a much more comfortable experience\.

This was a spacious bungalow set in a very pretty private garden.

The rooms were great and easily accommodated all of us. We found the kitchen a little impractical for cooking from scratch given the very limited work surface. Storage of food was also an issue in the kitchen. There were lots of cupboards but they were all full of crockery and other kitchen stuff. On the plus side the beautiful Denby crockery was an unexpected treat to use. Much nicer than what is usually provided in holiday accommodation. The towels provided were great but we struggled to get them dry - a few more hooks in the bathrooms would really help. We loved the conservatory and lounge area and had loads of room to spread out and relax. An easy 5 minute walk from the bungalow takes you to the heart of Banburgh and the Walled Garden - great for adults and children alike.

Rokeby was a wonderful property, all on the ground floor for the most senior of our group a great help.

Our dog loved the garden, there was everything we needed in the kitchen and 3 ensuites, that was an amazing bonus. Great area to explore near and far. Those Northumberland beaches were something to behold. Just one thing, we would have liked to express our thanks to the owner but the guests book was full!! A really wonderful holiday was had by three humans and a Bertie Boy!!! Thank you xx xx

Rokeby is a great property for 6 people, with three bathrooms and a sheltered private garden that we all enjoyed.

The location is perfect- just a short stroll into Bamburgh and the beach. We had lovely weather which was a great bonus. Would definitely rebook.

We stayed as a family of five adults and two dogs, so the design of three en-suite bedrooms was just right, and great layout for socialising both indoors and out, as ample garden furniture and lovely planting, which helped when days were sunny.

Location great in Bamburgh, easy walk to the beach, castle and centre for the three pubs. Garden safe for dogs. Kitchen had everything you needed. Bedrooms are two double (our individual preference would be one king), and one twin. My only suggestion for improvement would be to upgrade the TV, but lots of DVD choice. But thoroughly enjoyed our family stay.

Lovely property and near to everything

The house was great located on doorstep of Bamburgh nicely laid out ample room for our needs

Great location very close to amenities lovely quiet location, everything you need is within the property.

This was perfect for what we needed a lovely entertaining space.

We had a very comfortable stay at property. The only criticism is when we cleaned up/swept we saw there were lots of dogs hairs on floors and on some of the sunroom furniture - we did not have any dogs with us. Overall, lovely stay!

Nice property in a lovely secluded cul de sac perfect for walking into Bamburgh.

Rokeby was absolutely perfect for us, comfortable, warm and well equipped.

However we had to move out of the back bedroom after the first night due to a very unpleasant smell emanating from the shower room. We were fortunate to have 2 other en-suite rooms to choose from. The rest of our stay was very relaxing, loved the enclosed garden for our dog and the conservatory for the sunshine. Perfect location for Bamburgh Castle and exploring the coastline area. Would definitely return if the problem with the shower/toilet was fixed. Thank you for a pleasant stay.

Lovely property in a fabulous location (a few minutes walk to Bamburgh centre), and with off road parking.

What more could you want! We were a group of 6 friends, so the 3 en suite rooms worked well for us. The large sitting room/kitchen/dining space was spacious, the conservatory a bonus, and with good sunny weather, we even made use of the outside furniture! We only planned for breakfast in the property, but it certainly looked to be well set up with everything you would need to self cater. We can however, highly recommend numerous cafes, pubs & restaurants, all within a 30 min drive! We did have a plumbing issue, which we reported on the Saturday morning, and it was fixed (within a few hours) while we were out carrying on with our trip. We would highly recommend Rokeby, and are certainly planning on coming back ourselves.

What an absolutely fantastic house to stay.

The house had everything we needed during our stay. The place was immaculate and beautiful.

Property in an ideal quiet situation short walk to all amenities in Bamburgh,castle,pubs,beach and a great new walled garden play area .

Property was very comfortable with a lovely conservatory area . We have one complaint which was a very unpleasant smell which came from the shower drain in the shower with brass fittings. This was quite overwhelming coming into the bedroom and hallway area my wife managed to put some cleaner down which helped but the smell returned after a few days ,you wouldn’t be able to use that bedroom unless you managed to control the smell.

A beautiful spacious home fully equipped in every way.

Everything was to the highest standard we couldn’t have asked for more and had a fabulous weekend with friends. We would definitely use again when visiting the area and recommend

A lovely cottage in an excellent location in Bamburgh.

The cottage was very well equipped and laid out both internally and externally. Given the very good weather we really enjoyed the lovely garden. Very close to the centre of Bamburgh and to the beach for glorious walks. Enjoyed excellent evening meals at the Victoria Hotel and the Lord Crewe. Our first visit back to Bamburgh since the opening of the Walled Garden and we cannot praise the staff, the food and the facilities highly enough.

I visited with my elderly Mum and needed an accessible property, and this house was ideal.

I think it could only be improved by adding a rail or similar to get down the steps into the garden, but other than that it was perfect. The location is perfect, and I was able to take my Mum down into the village in her wheelchair, which is lovely when you need a break from driving everywhere! The neighbourhood is really quiet, clean and feels very safe.

Fabulous.

. A wonderful property in a fantastic location. Ideally situated in Bamburgh village with a short walk to beach, castle and local restaurants and pubs. The property is decorated and furnished to a high standard throughout. We will definitely be back to stay

The property was tired and dated and wasn't particularly well cleaned, some fixtures and fittings were not really fit for purpose The whole of the sink in the front twin bedroom was a mess, loose tap fittings, curtain fittings coming out of wall, sink in kitchen was backing up when dishwasher was on, an awful smell emanating from back shower room ( i think this has been mentioned before on a previous review), poor quality and stained bedding.

Beds were very uncomfortable. Back lawn hadn't been cut for ages and was full of nettles (had grandson with us, so couldn't use lawn) ,the outside area was poorly kept and generally uninviting and not very secure. Could not lock patio door properly. Although the location was central there are no real views. Everything about the place was basic and just about adequate.....for 2.2k for a week we expected better, ....overall disappointing. The only real saving grace was the weather. Wouldn't recommend ...and think Sykes need to do more checking of the properties on their books

The house had a closed-up, unwelcoming feel when we arrived.

It obviously hadn’t been cleaned or aired that day. I don’t know how long it had been left for, but it must have been a while as it needed a thorough vacuuming before we could settle in. There seemed to be an infestation of spiders. An enormous one had made a nest in one of the basins – it must have been there for some time. There were lots of leaves in the hall that had obviously blown in through the front door at some point. I would say the whole house needs a deep clean. There are lots of shelves and ledges and little nooks with ornaments, and it’s all very dusty. The windows need cleaning, especially looking out into the garden. The lawn hadn’t been cut in quite a while, so the garden didn’t feel very welcoming either. The garden furniture could also have done with a clean, and some cushions and a parasol for the table would be nice. The bedding was clean and there were plenty of towels, but they were nearly all mis-matched and not the best quality. One had bleach marks all over it. The pillows were all very thin and poor. All of the mattresses, except one, were dreadful – you could feel every spring. There is only one usable shower – the blue bathroom only has a shower attachment on the bath taps, though there is nothing wrong with the water pressure. The twin room has a shower, but the water only comes out as a trickle and the shower head is fixed right at one side, so it’s impossible to actually wash in it. The basin in that room is all mouldy round the taps, and one of the taps is extremely loose. There is good water pressure in the main bedroom’s ensuite – and this room has the only comfortable mattress – but there is an appalling smell from the drains, which does permeate the entire house when you have to close the windows to go out for the day. Positives: good, quiet position. Very easy walk into Bamburgh. Wi-Fi worked perfectly the whole time we were there.

Property was good.

Excellent location. Clean and tidy. Kitchen well equipped however a better chopping board and sharper knife would be good. Decor slightly dated. However overall our stay was perfect. We would definitely book again.

Quiet and comfortable.

Only small problem was a smell in the main bedroom's en-suite.

The propery needed some maintenance - eg doors to garden were difficult to open, fridge needed defrosting, the dishwasher tablet dispenser didn't work properly.

The kitchen was poorly equiped - there was not even a cafetiere or filter to make coffee, no tupperware boxes (there were some bottoms but no lids!), no sharp knives etc and no work space.

Garden furniture past its best.

Needs replacing. Lock on door into jack & jill bathroom from bedroom door kept jamming. When we left it wouldn't lock at all

On first glance we were pleased with the property as described and pictured however we soon discovered it was lacking in cleanliness and upkeep.

We found the highchair requested for my 10 month old in the sunroom covered in dead woodlice. We left this untouched and had to struggle with pillows and towels on a dining chair for the week. Some of the towels were old and bleach stained, taps loose and not very clean, doors creaked everywhere. The house seemed to be full of things the owner didn't want for themselves anymore, books, kitchenware. The TV certainly needs upgrading. One concern was the fridge that did not close properly and the freezer in need of defrosting. The garden is also tired and the outside furniture worn and unsafe. The quilt in the cream bedroom was so thick we couldn't use it. This could be a wonderful property but sadly it needs some work to feel like a true holiday home.

Had no hot water on day 3 .

Northumbria cottages dealt with it very quickly but we had run out of oil for hot water. I think the oil should be checked regularly so this doesn’t happen. A note left in each bedroom to strip beds and put in blue bag but there was only one blue bag . Hard to fit bedding and towels for three rooms in one bag. Cottage was lovely and clean and we really enjoyed our stay. Would have been nice if there was a barbecue . We did have a swarm of bees in garden one day so couldn’t sit out. One of neighbours said someone near by had bee hives.

We have emailed your complaints department re total failure to address the absence of WiFi at the property during our stay and failure by you to address questions raised by us.

In addition to the above " I toilet would not flush properly The property was dusty- particularly rugs The kitchen equipment needs updating - no sharp knives and lack of baking trays I door fails to close properly

We enjoyed our stay in Rokeby.

It would have been helpful to know in advance what kitchen implements were available as some things were missing i.e. a baking tray. The knives were very blunt so a knife sharpener would also be useful. Although the house did indeed have Wi-Fi as advertised, it was not fit for purpose as extremely slow & one member of our party could not join in the work meeting she had planned. Given that phone signal is poor, a faster Wi-Fi would really help.

Thank you - we spent a very enjoyable week in this lovely home.

Very comfortable with thoughtful details throughout the property.

Thank you for a lovely week in your cottage.

We had a few hiccups at the beginning, but everything was dealt with quickly and efficiently. Our granddaughter loved the box of toys in the wardrobe which kept her very busy and amused. Such a wonderful, quiet location.

Very nice house, well furnished and in an excellent peaceful situation in a cul-de-sac.

We would book again.

The property itself is amazing, being on a very quiet cul de sac, it had everything you needed, the crockery/ bedding/ furnishing is of a very high quality.