Armstrong Cottages No2

24 Customer Reviews

• "A lovely well equipped cottage, a beautiful place to stay and explore Northumberland."

  Reviewed by Mandy5.0★Apr 2024

• "Thank you for allowing us to stay in your lovely home."

  The setting is amazing and the cottage was very homely and had everything we could possibly need. We would definitely recommend this property and would love to return sometime soon.

  Reviewed by Joanna5.0★Apr 2024

• "Firstly, we have been using Sykes for 6 years and have always felt assured that, rather than booking directly with the owner, should a disaster arise, we could trust them to loo after our interests but we felt hugely let down during our holiday to 2 Armstrong Cottages."

  To explain (and unusually for me, I'm starting with the negatives because there really was only one), we arrived at around 3.50pm on Sat 30th March to be greeted by another holiday maker who told us there was a power cut. In fact, it had taken out the whole village of Bamburgh. In this extreme eastern coastal location, neither of us had enough mobile signal for internet or to make a phone call (so we couldn't email or phone Sykes) but we could text the owner. She confirmed there was a power cut. In fact it had happened at 3pm (so I don't know why we didn't receive an advance warning). We were then updated by the owner (as I kept contacting to say there was still no power) that it should be back on at 4.45, 6.30, 8.00, 8.30 and then 12 midnight. The real problem (even after a five hour drive and needing something substantial to eat and drink) was that it was Easter weekend. If we didn't go to the shop that evening and fill the fridge/freezer it was going to be a struggle (which in fact it did turn out to be). The owner told us about the CoOp and there being places to eat in Seahouses (which there was) so we ended up with chippy chips and cold ham from the CoOp (with tap water) for the first night. Great. When we did get back to the cottage, it was or course, pitch black inside. On first arrival, we wandered around the beach front for the first hour, expecting the power to come back on at 4.45. From 6pm, it was pitch black inside the building which is when we went to find food at Seahouses. When we got back and had our chips and ham (...) feast, I asked the owner (in two separate texts) if there were any candles or emergency lighting in the cottage (such as a wind up camping lantern) and she didn't respond to either text. I left a message for Sykes via the app explaining the situation and requested a refund for the first night as there was absolutely no assistance whatsoever to provide the emergency lighting I was asking about. The owner clearly lives in the village as she said that they were also waiting for their power to come back on so how difficult would it have been to bring or send the housekeeper (who must also be local) with some candles? I doubt they were sitting in the dark (and paying for the privilege). Our first evening in the cottage saw myself and my husband with our 11 and 7 year old daughters sitting the the pitch dark for hours, eating chips shop chips with some cold ham and tap water, with only the light of my husband's mobile phone to cast some light over the coffee table that we were huddled around. It was freezing cold (no heating), everyone was miserable, I was worrying about what we were going to do for food over Easter weekend with little choice about where we could get some food/if the power was going to come back in or if we would be going home the next morning, and the kids were scared because they were in a place they didn't know - and let's face it, young kids are scared of the dark. We eventually gave up at around 10.20pm after the last update had said the electricity board were hoping to get the power back on at midnight and went to bed. I had to sleep in the single bed with my youngest daughter because she was scared (they usually have a nightlight or a lamp on ...) and this set the tone for the rest of the holiday because she was too scared to sleep without me nearby (so it's been an exhausting holiday for me....). As for the food situation - the CoOp is not our shop of choice. It had limited opening hours and it's expensive. We'd spent £1,031 for the week at the cottage - we weren't planning on blowing our holiday money on chip shops, the CoOp and (as much as the food is lovely and they allow dogs which is fantastic), The Bamburgh Castle Inn in Seahouses (we ended up having 3 meals there at almost £70 a visit....).Our plan is usually to arrive, unpack, go to the nearest Aldi and stock up for the week, and then spend our money visiting all the local historical places of interest (Bamburgh Castle was £47 for a family ticket....and I wouldn't recommend it if you take your dog - grounds only). We were refused a refund of the first night (which is just outrageous, all considering) based on it being "covered by the booking terms and conditions" (I don't know of any common sense explanation for why a family with two young children left sitting in a cold dark house for an entire evening, not knowing where they're going to get food from during the bank holiday Easter weekend would be acceptable?!). We overspent on our budget by at least £150 having to 'make do' and find places to eat, shop in the expensive CoOp because we couldn't go and do a proper shop until Monday at Aldi in Alnwick. A disastrous start to the holiday - I don't care what explanation you to to fob us if with (Sykes reported back that the owner said that no refund would be given for that first night as the power cut was due to a 'geographical fault'. A poor choice of words I'd say. It was reported in the Northumberland online news as being due to a low hanging cable that somebody had reported, so they decided to deal with it and knocked out the power across Bamburgh). As I replied to Sykes, my complaint wasn't directly about the actual power cut,or the fact that there was a power cut, it was about the absolute LACK of assistance. We were just left to sit in a cold dark house. If I was the owner in that situation, I would have gone round with some candles - or contact the housekeeper and ask her to. She obviously knew about the power cut. If the house is being cleaned between 10am and 4pm as stated as being the reason for departure/arrival times, and the power went off at 3pm (as stated in the news report) then she would have known before she left the property (unless she had left much earlier - possibly as the first things I did on the Sunday morning when we got up to find the power had come back in was to clean the dirty coffee table and hoover the long dog hairs off the living room rug - disgusting, we'd been sitting there eating our chips in the dark the night before!). Apart from the above, we did actually like the cottage itself. Credit where it's due. The positives that stood out where the quality of the furnishings, textiles and kitchen equipment. I don't know if these items belonged to the owner once first and then found their way to the cottage or she bought them especially for the cottag but everything is top quality. If it wasn't for our disastrous first night experience, this would be a glowing review because I was very impressed by the quality of things left in the cottage for us holiday makers to use (and I've stayed in a LOT of cottages - we have around four UK cottage holidays a year). I found the beds comfy but my husband found the beds in the room with the head and tailboard uncomfortable (also, when I stripped the beds for the housekeeper, there were stains on the mattress nearest the door and also on the pillow - ugh! Same in the other room with the single beds, one had a stain on it and also the pillow - you can only imagine urine or vomit) Pity about those stains as the actual mattresses are Silent Night and Simba (!). Again, the owner has gone to the trouble of providing the absolute best quality even in the mattresses and the John Lewis duvets (I always check EVERYTHING). The kitchen sink was blocked on arrival. We only used the cold water tap the first night and the next day when there was daylight to be able to see - the kitchen sink was a third full of water. It stayed like that for the week. There were no leaflets or visitor information or even a visitors book to write in. There needs to be. The Tourist Information in Seahouses was about to close permanently when we stayed last week. The woman in there was really unfriendly and could barely take her eyes away from her computer to answer me when I asked for some dog friendly visitor information. There was nothing to take away, she just verbally listed a few things which if course, I couldn't remember, being a visitor and not having been to any of these places before, so I just said thank you, took some leaflets for general places to visit and decided to just do it the long-winded way and research each one a bit more as the week went on. We left some leaflets in the cottage, knowing the TI Office was shutting down. The housekeeper probably binned them (as when I asked the owner where her visitors information folder was she said that visitors tend to go and get their own leaflets...?). So (if it helps as a starting point): Bamburgh Castle - great to visit with kids but expensive. Don't bother if you've got a dog as it's only allowed in the grounds (which is just grass and small). They're only allowed in the tack room cafe which is just a kiosk with limited areas to sit in the old stables. It was raining when we went and there was nowhere to sit under cover (only about five seating areas anyway). £47 for two adults and two kids (plus a small dog). Barter Books in Alnwick - quirky, massive second hand book shop in the old railway station. We went on a VERY rainy bank holiday Monday when we went to Aldi, also in Alnwick, to get some food in for the week. It's not cheap though. Despite being second hand, you'll still be paying a fair amount for your books. Dogs allowed though so happy days. Warkworth Castle - dogs allowed. English Heritage (we got in for free with our CADW pass). Doesn't look like much at first but inside is fantastic - lots of rooms to explore and still in decent condition despite being a ruin. Lindisfarne Priory - watch the tide times. Accessible via causeway. Dogs allowed. The priory is English Heritage and they make BOTH of you adults show BOTH of your FAMILY passes to get in (why? It clearly says 'family' on it). The ruins are 'ok'. I wanted specifically to go and see the priory because of it's history and links with Vikings (!) but nothing at all is me toned, written about, nothing on any information boards....very disappointing and nothing much to see apart from the four ruined walls really. Wouldnt want to go again. Lindisfarne Castle - National Trust so we, as members, got in for free. This castle is fantastic! I could see someone spending a night in there now (would certainly beat the first night we stayed in the holiday cottage). Very cosy - you could see how people of yesteryear lived in these castles after visiting this one. Loved it. Dogs not allowed though so pooch had to wait outside with my husband while we went in. We like to go Geocaching so we also had a great time finding three well hidden Geocaches on Lindisfarne (Holy Island) while we were there. Large car park for visitors - you can pay via app. My advice is to get all the main parking apps set up before you go on your cottage holidays and then it's very quick to pay - otherwise it can be a bit of a nightmare). During the week, we used a mixture of Pay By Phone and Mii Permit (check that second one - I'm used to just tapping on it and off we go, I might have got the name wrong). The sand dunes along Bamburgh Beach are great. What struck us is how white and clean the sand is. Dogs allowed. Loved it. Seahouses - a few tourist shops selling nice stuff. There's two pubs that I'd say everyone aims for. One (I'm not sure if it's called The Ship) looks great but was just too busy. The other (The Bamburgh Castle Inn) allows dogs throughout except one corner, the food is great, we found a water and dog treats station on our second visit, clean toilets, quirky well decorated books. I really can't fault that place. It is a bit pricey so unless you are struggling to find somewhere for some hot meals, as we were in our first few days here, you might only pop in once but it's worth it. Alnwick Castle - home of Harry Potter - doesn't allow dogs anywhere on site except assistance dogs so we couldn't go. So, there we go. To summarise: Cottage facilities/furnishings/equipment 4/5 (it would have been a 5 if I hadn't discovered the mattress/pillow stains - down to the housekeeper I'd say). Northumberland/Bamburgh area 5/5 - we will definitely be back. Having never been to this part of the country before, we were looking for a new annual holiday destination and I do think we've found it. We loved the area and i think we only came across one unfriendly person (the woman in the TI Office). Sykes customer service - zero (I don't see how you think our experience on day one can possibly be answered away by some general Ts and C's) The owner's responsibility towards the wellbeing of the customer - 1/5 for the power cut updates. You should have responded with more compassion. You could have got some emergency lighting to use. You should certainly put some in there after our experience! Would you expect to have to sit in a cold dark building with two young children in the first day of your holiday? This review will be read by the owner, Sykes and is also intended as an honest review, along with some useful bits of info for anyone intending to go on holiday in the area. We still have some holidays booked and fully paid for with Sykes. I've found details of other holiday providers in the area while we were there.

  Reviewed by Lynn4.1★Mar 2024

• "Had a lovely comfortable stay in your cottage, its a great location for the beach, our dogs loved the secure garden too."

  Reviewed by Leanne5.0★Feb 2024

• "4 years since last visit so a few changes/upgrades."

  Love this cottage, especially it’s location and hope to return again. A couple of things re maintenance Assume bulb gone in twin bedroom lamp, had quick look for spare but couldn’t find one. Double bedroom door from lounge doesn’t shut properly - guessing latch needs a tweak Lastly but most important is the lift up cupboard in the kitchen with mugs in also doesn’t stay up properly- it just missed my head yesterday but it caught my friend on the arm the day we arrived and really bruised her.

  Reviewed by Alison4.7★Oct 2023

• "Another holiday at Armstrong cottages."

  Criticisms first...no battery for the torch,garden a bit overgrown and the latch keeps opening on the back gate....minor faults easily rectifiable. Positives ..it's what we expect and enjoy. Parking space front and back to unload. Complimentary cookies,coffee and tea. View of Bamburgh Castle,just across the road from the beach. Seahouses is 10 minutes away by car,Bamburgh town a short walk away. Fantastic Bamburgh beach for our Well-being and our 2 labs love it. Three lovely bedrooms,a new shower facility,spacious kitchen,spacious living room with two settees,2 bathrooms/toilets/bidets and a dishwasher. Lovely garden for the dogs to run around in and for us to sit in and enjoy the sun. Hoover to get dog hairs up,usual cooking amenities and a lovely place to return to and relax. Comfy bedrooms to sleep in,heated radiators to dry things on. We will continue to return to Bamburgh as long as it is affordable. We feel rested and Northumberland is a beautiful place to visit. The weather was a bonus this year and we love driving through the countryside. We always feel welcome here. Thank you

  Thank you for your comments, always very helpful to keep my cottage up to date. I am very glad your enjoyed your holiday with us. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Joanne5.0★Aug 2023

• "This is the 3rd holiday at Armstrong cottages and another winner!"

  Love the location, the simplicity of the cottage, the very comfy beds and big bath, lots of hot water, all the mod cons in the kitchen. Thank you to the owners of the cottage for another lovely holiday, and thank you Bamburgh/Northumberland for being such a wonderful place to stay!

  I am so happy you have enjoyed our family home, we love Bamburgh. I do hope you will come back one day, thank you for your wonderful feedback. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Lucy5.0★Jul 2023

• "Beautiful peaceful and the home had everything possible."

  We have booked again for a week in September.

  Thank you for your kind feedback, very happy you enjoyed your visit to Bamburgh. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Sandra5.0★Jun 2023

• "A lovely cottage, and extremely well appointed."

  Good features in the kitchen include lots of pans, good quality kitchen knives, a knife sharpener, and good quality appliances throughout. There was a welcome pack for cleaning products, and ignore the standard advice to bring oven gloves because we found 2 sets. Beds very comfortable. The bathrooms were surprising because they'd been updated since the photos were taken (as of June 23), and they're just as you would like them now: modern, stylish and highly functional. Minor negatives: The listing was clear that dogs are allowed, but there were dog hairs under the dining chair feet and under the sofas. I'm allergic to dogs, and I had a mild reaction while staying, but overall the house was very clean and it was easy to throw open the doors and windows to clear the air. Sarah, who manages the cottage, was very helpful and reassuring when we had a toddler-based incident needing some cleaning products and replacement bedding. We felt well-looked-after. Overall this felt like a home from home, which I suppose is based on it having been someone's home in the past. Highly recommended.

  So glad you enjoyed our family home, Bamburgh is a beautiful village. I am sorry for the dog hair, will do better next time. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Mike4.7★May 2023

• "We only had one problem, with a leaking kettle, which the caretaker (I think her name is Sandra) sorted out very quickly."

  We may have overlooked it in the property information folder, but were unable to find out which day the recycling etc was collected.

  Thank you for your feedback, glad the kettle was sorted out. Will look at information for recycling. I hope you enjoyed your holiday. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Shirley5.0★May 2023

• "3 areas that need addressing."

  The key safe that holds the house key is awful to get in. So much so that we took nearly 10 minutes to get in it to retrieve the key on one day. I don’t know if it just needs oil or safe needs replacing. It would be great to have a couple of ‘pint’ glasses. Lastly something that didn’t affect our stay but in the wind several slate tiles have become dislodged.

  Thank you for your feedback, we will address all issues asap. I hope you enjoyed your stay. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Adrian5.0★Feb 2023

• "The property is lovely."

  A little tardis of a place, that looks small from the outside but is very spacious inside. The garden at the back was an added bonus and the proximity to the beach is fantastic. The cottage is really well equipped and was super clean

  Oct 2021

• "An excellent location for us."

  An ideal base for exploring the local area. A very well set out and incredibly spacious property with a generous garden area with a clear view of the castle! Nice and quiet and relaxing!

  Sep 2021

• "Lovely cottage with views of Bamburgh Castle from the garden."

  Plenty of space for 6 people, well stocked kitchen and dog friendly

  Oct 2020

• "We've been to Bamburgh on several occasions and love the place and the cottages."

  A home from home

  Aug 2020

• "This was our second stay at this lovely property, very comfortable, clean and well appointed."

  Loved the position right next to the dunes, fabulous castle view, spacious garden for the dog, comfortable bed in en-suite room, well stocked kitchen .Would highly recommend and hope to stay again in the future

  Jul 2020

• "We had a fantastic time at this property."

  It was super clean and had everything we needed for our stay.

  Dec 2019

• "The cottage was all we wanted for our family holiday and more besides."

  A great memorable week.

  Jul 2018

• "It's very good size in a great position for the beach - ideal for dog owners, we will be using it again."

  Jun 2018

• "Very good facilities in cottage and area is lovely."

  May 2018

• "This property is in an excellent position with views of the castle and only a short walk across the dunes to the superb stretch of sands with walking to beyond the castle and to Seahouses."

  It is in excellent order and very cosy and comfortable.

  Apr 2018

• "Deceptively spacious, historical and homely cottage five minutes from sand dune access to stunning beaches and panoramic views of the coast and Bamburgh Castle."

  Mar 2018

• "It is a single level cottage within walking distance of the Castle which is magnificent and the beach which is an amazing playground for our dogs."

  All mod cons including Wi-Fi and a super place to spend a couple of weeks.

  Sep 2017

• "The cottage was very well equipped with the joys of sharp knives, plenty of crockery and a wide selection of pans."

  Very comfortable beds and sofas made for a relaxing time. The garden was perfect for our dog as well as for sitting out in the sun. Well placed by the most beautiful beach and a short walk into Bamburgh - this cottage can't be beaten.

  Aug 2017

• There are no reviews featuring this term Show all reviews