Harmony House - Harmony Gardens

Harmony House was perfect for our family gathering of 8 adults and 4 Grandchildren, we all had a great time on our weekend break to celebrate our 45th Wedding Anniversary.

Ten years since we stayed here and significant improvement has taken place. Key requirements of heating, well equipped kitchen and shower/bathroom facilities have been significantly improved. Just one suggestion, the automatic door closers on all doors to meet fire regs could do with softening.

Very comfortable.

We had a lovely stay. Great access to both the town and the hills.

We had a lovely time with friends celebrating a birthday at Harmony House.

Very special. It was comfortable, warm and a real treat to stay there. Do take your own salt, pepper and other basics for the kitchen, soap etc. We had a great time.

The property is quite breathtaking in the feeling of being in a Downton Abbey setting!

However if small children and infants are involved in the booking some of the very lovely, and I would assume valuable, artefacts are a concern for families. That aside it is an amazing setting for any holiday in a very lovely part of Scotland

Myself and friends have stayed at Harmony House for a number of years.

Our latest visit- last weekend in August - was as enjoyable as previous years. However we did make some observations that may attract more visitors- namely:- the check-in time of 5pm is quite late to get in and allow visitors to get organised and prepare an evening meal. Similarly the check- out time of 9.30 is rather early and leaves little time to strip and change beds/clean rooms and prepare breakfast. However we were impressed with the new cooker and re-furnished decor and upgraded shower. Could you please install a handrail on the stair from the basement to the ground floor. This would improve safety and make the staircase easier to manoeuvre- especially when carrying luggage from the car park. I don’t mind you publishing our observations.

Lovely old house.

The gardens are the highlight and they were on fire whilst we were there. Kids loved the place. Great place for a gathering. Some things to be aware of- not suitable for disabled/frail due to the layout with all bathrooms up at least a flight of stairs. We had a biblical rain deluge and one of the ceilings leaked dramatically. However, the response from the team to sort it out was rapid and helpful. Melrose also has everything you might need on your doorstep.

The property could do with a few more beer glasses and the information about the single room on the 1st floor should be improved to make it clear that it can be accessed from the landing or via the double ensuite room - we had queried this aspect and the response we got implied that the only access was from the double bedroom, which would not have been suitable for the three members of our group that we wanted to allocate to these two rooms.

Apart from this two minor niggles we all thoroughly enjoyed our week in Harmony House and have already recommended it to all our friends. Thanks for allowing us to make use of this stunning property, which is a great base for the Borders Abbeys Way long-distance walking route.

Lovely house in wonderful location.

We had a great family get together in Harmony House all 12 of us. Only issue we had was the amount of stairs for the older ones, other than that it was perfect and would highly recommend.

An ideal property for our party of 10 people.

Very comfortable and warm - despite being an old property with huge rooms. The dining room was very special and perfect for celebrating with a large number of guests round the table. Kitchen equipment and dishes were plentiful, although the kitchen was on the small side for catering for a crowd. Lovely being in the heart of Melrose and being able to do beautiful walks from the door or enjoy the town itself. Very quiet and restful house with plenty space to spread out.

This was a perfect stay.

Everything was superlatively clean, the textiles were gorgeous, bedding perfect and water fulsomely hot - no mean feat in a property this size and age. We enjoyed cooking in the kitchen - on the small size for the rest of the space, but so well stocked with great quality equipment that catering was straightforward. Eating in the dining room was a joy and the sitting room was enjoyed by all (as this was our knitting retreat). Gardens and environs just lovely. We'll be back I am sure.

Best house for a large group we have stayed in with regards to space, number of towels and amount of crockery, glasses and cutlery.

One suggestion would be a reactive light at the back door would help with access to the key safe and safety in the courtyard. Check in of 5pm was quite late to get in and organised and prepare a meal for 15. Check out at 9.30 is also early to prepare breakfast and tidy up for 15 folk, strip beds and wash everything up. We had a fantastic time however, great location and have already recommended to friends.

We (10 people) have had a weekend stay at Harmony House for the last 16 years (Covid year excepted) The rooms are large and very comfortable and even more so with the re-decoration this year.

We do our own cooking so the revamp of the kitchen was much appreciated (problem with one oven but understand this is to be repaired). We are particularly fond of sitting in the very large garden but felt it could do with a tidy-up. There are only 3 gardeners(if I lived closer I would happily volunteer to help). I will be making a booking for next year

We had a family trip to Harmony house to celebrate my Dad's 85th birthday.

The house is superb with quality furniture, decoration and fittings. The kitchen and dining room are very well equipped with everything you could need. The only problem we had is that there are no toilets on the ground floor which made it a bit tricky for anyone who is elderly or infirm. We all managed though but just a wee warning to anyone else planning a stay there. The grounds are beautiful with a lovely private garden which can be used when the rest of the gardens are open to the public.

Excellent stay at Harmony House for a friend's surprise 60th weekend away.

We used the house to full capacity (15 adults) and found everything to be very comfortable. Facilities were excellent. We self catered on the first night and found the kitchen and dining room to have everything required. The house was immaculate and the beds were super comfy. The 3 showers and 4 toilets in the house was ample between us all so no complaints there either. All in all a great time had by everyone and we're already talking about returning. Thank you!

We love our annual family weekend at Harmony House.

We were advised on Friday that the oven wasn't working. All efforts were made to fix it, but the part couldn't be secured until Tuesday. A discount was immediately offered and paid- very much appreciated. They thought the right hand oven had been fixed, but it only worked to some extent. The main reason for raising this is that the oven has been a problem every year. The dishwasher also doesn't work well. These are essentials when self catering for 15. Otherwise, the improvements to the house are tremendous. Including the well kitted out kitchen which is now really well provided with pans, serving dishes, crockery etc. One final thing, we brought table cloths but it would be great if that was provided at the house as its such a huge table! Thanks.

We had a wonderful time over Christmas and New Year at Harmony House.

The two beautifully decorated Christmas Trees and welcome gifts of Mulled wine and mince pies set the mood for our stay. It was a privilege to stay in such a beautifull example of Georgian architecture and the perfect setting for our family to be under the same roof at such a special time of the year. The only drawback was the oven, it was very unreliable and made cooking for 12 on Christmas Day a challenge. That being said, we would recommend Harmony House and the charming town of Melrose to anyone looking for a special family holiday.

An enjoyable stay for a group of 6 fishermen.

Areas which would improve any subsequent stay: 1. Parking for 4 cars in the rear courtyard is cramped. The whole Harmony House experience would be greatly improved by allowing guests to park at the front with a key for the main entrance gate, requesting that guests keep the gate locked outside public access hours. 2. I'm sure a larger TV would be appreciated by the size of groups typically occupying Harmony House. 3. The creation of a downstairs cloakroom, ideally with a drying room, on the ground or basement floor would enhance the property, as would the conversion of the 2 single bedrooms into bathrooms. 4. Photos of the floor plans would assist potential guests in understanding what is a complex accommodation layout.

We have stayed at Harmony House for 12 years.

The garden and house are both beautiful and comfortable. Unfortunately there is no toilet at the basement or ground floor level so you have to climb a flight of stairs - not ideal for elderly or children or anyone with a mobility issue

Positives-clean, spacious, most facilities good, lovely area, great public garden in evening Negatives-Oven not functioning well, very small short double beds, curtains in one room very poor and most importantly security.

( Room in also used by a business) Could not secure door into hall and lock on front door not working.

Fantastic unique place to stay.

Great facilities, well stocked kitchen. We could have easily stayed a lot longer. Only downside were the beds were small especially for my 6ft husband.

A really enjoyable Diamond Wedding celebration in a stunning property, highly recommended.

And great croquet lawn if you have a croquet set!

On the plus side: The house is beautiful and has a well stocked kitchen with two fridges.

There is artwork and elegance throughout. The gardens are lovely and it's very quick to walk into Melrose but you feel as if you are in the countryside. on the downside: There are several cafetieres for coffee. Unfortunately when I enquired about what coffee facilities there were, first i got no reply and then got told there weren't any. Also, the listing indicated garden furniture but there was none. There is only one key which, when you have a group of people means it is easy to get locked out. The beds are mediocre especially for how expensive the house is. The water coming out of the sinks is VERY hot! Sadly, the showers did not get so hot. I probably would not come back given the cost of the place.

We’ve stayed at this house many times.

The bathroom improvements are excellent. Generally the house was as good as ever. A few door and cupboard handles broken here and there. Some of the beds need to be upgraded and less heavy duvets available. Otherwise the house was a joy as ever. Thank you.

This is our second time at Harmony house the first being 14 yrs ago.

It's a fantastic property for a family gathering. The showers and bathroom facilities have been upgraded which was great but otherwise the property is the same. The only complaint is the beds. They are horrendous. The doubles are small doubles at best, some with end boards which is challenging for the 6foot plus amongst us. All of us where keen to return to normal sized beds!

We had a lovely time at Harmony House.

The house is beautiful and the views from every window are stunning. We will be coming back

The house is wonderful for a large family gathering, with plenty of bedrooms and communal space, not to mention the free access to Harmony Garden after opening hours.

The only drawbacks were the poor bathroom facilities (which we understand are being updated shortly) - only one shower for 12 people was definitely not enough and the ‘shower over bath’ was merely a tube you stuck onto the taps - for rinsing hair after having a bath, I think; the poor WiFi (which we were warned about) and the self-closing doors which banged very loudly each time they closed. All in all, we had a wonderful week there.

Beautiful and spacious accommodation.

Really comfortable and peaceful property for holiday. A home away from home. Beautiful garden surrounding, a beautiful town. Thank you Sykes cottage team. We will be back again.

everything was clean and tidy.

Directions to the property was precise. Everyone in my party was delighted.

We booked Harmony House and Gardens in Melrose for our wedding reception and it was absolutely stunning.

The bridal party all stayed together in the house and we had the best week together. The house is absolutely stunning as is the garden, the views of the Eildons and the Abby are an added bonus. Gordon and Jo, the managers there are just a dream to work with, so kind, helpful and supportive. The house has perfect facilities and enough room for everyone, we loved the Library for cosy nights and the grand sitting room is perfect for game nights. We will definitely be booking again and we can't wait. The Sykes team were also so helpful with our booking process. We would highly recommend this venue and company! Thank you for helping us achieve our dream wedding!

Can’t thank you enough for our wonderful Christmas holiday at your house.

From the moment we arrived the house was warm and welcoming, two lovely trees were decorated for us and all the rooms were cosy, immaculate and with quality bed linens and towels. Honestly it felt like a home from home. Your kitchen was well equipped with plenty of crockery and cutlery, took us a bit of time to work out the range ovens - that was down to us and not the cooker ! Location of the house was perfect for us as shops and cafes were literally 5 minutes away also we had a clear view of Melrose Abbey and the grounds of the house itself we’re lovely. All the family are looking forward to a return visit. Once again a big thank you to you. All the best.

Ten from 12 were here, and we all had a great time.

Harmony house was a great venue and everything was spotleddly clean and the shortbread thoroughly enjoyed. Located ideally for a quick pop into Melrose and surrounding areas. Thoroughly recommended.

A beautiful house in a lovely garden.

It has its own private garden but out of visiting hours the whole of Harmony Garden was ours. It’s a wonderful area with loads to see and do. Lots of lovely walks nearby. And houses and gardens aplenty. Go to Carolside gardens if you can - they’re beautiful ( only open weekends) The house is comfortable and as one would expect, old fashioned. Facilities ok but a few things need attention: the television had no signal and the dishwasher needs a new lower basket. For a large party some bigger cooking pots/ casserole dishes would be good ( plus a grater and a sieve)

We really loved staying at Harmony.

The house is full of character the furniture pieces are really excellent. The garden is awesome and worth staying here just to enjoy the garden! We’ll like to suggest upgrade to the bathrooms as they look really tired and the house definitely needs WiFi that works consistently. The hosts/caretaker generously offered us an Ethernet cable so we could get some connections.