The Cart Lodge

11 Customer Reviews

• "We stayed at Cart Lodge as a family celebration."

  We particularly enjoy spending vacations in December as they are always so nicely decorated for Christmas. Sadly the property lacked the festive spirit as there were no decorations - first time I have known this. We felt the actual rooms were nice but in other areas it was sadly lacking. For example the frying pans were awful and should have been thrown out long ago. The cutlery was an assortment of extremely cheap varieties and we managed to break several pieces just during eating meals as one set was so old and weak. There was an assortment of non matching dishes and only a couple of side plates. It just lacks interest in making it a special place for people to stay. In one bathroom there was no soap in the dispenser and in the other it had been watered down. There was a dishwasher but no dishwasher tablets, no dish cloth or scourer, just a brush. I could go on but in summary it didn’t show the love and interest that other properties have had in our experience it is just an adequate property.

  Reviewed by Heather2.8★Dec 2021

• "The barn is a great getaway, rural settings and a great sense of the world being shut out."

  It is great for disabled people as there are bedrooms downstairs but only a sliding door shower. If I'm truly honest it could of been a bit cleaner in cupboards and it needs updating but don't let that put you off. We had a great time just what's needed.

  Reviewed by Richard4.4★Oct 2021

• "We had a fabulous week staying at The Cart Lodge and it was a great base for the Suffolk Coast."

  The negative reviews I had read before going made me slightly apprehensive but when we arrived it was much nicer than we expected. Three of us stayed for the week so there was plenty of space. It felt really comfortable and warm and private from the other two barns. You do have to drive a fair way to get to the coast or any shops but the roads are quiet and meandering across farmland and open countryside. Lovely outdoor space with table and chairs that I don’t think we saw in the pictures. Plenty of hot water, good heating and loads of fluffy towels. Comfortable beds. Views from the main sitting area over fields. Space is its biggest plus. There is a shared laundry room with two washing machines, two dryers and a chest freezer. There are a few things that would make the kitchen better - loads of crockery but only 3 bowls for eight people? No large bowl for mixing or salad etc but would have been useful. DVD player or stereo would be nice. Good Wi-Fi. On one of the days we saw the two Alsatians running about belonging to the nearest house mentioned in other reviews and they are intimidating- I would not have felt it was safe to have a small child playing outside if they were loose. They made me feel nervous of going out while they were there. So many other people have mentioned this and it’s a shame it doesn’t get sorted out. If they were on a lead it would be fine. Overall we felt this was a great base, clean, comfortable and warm. Just a few minor changes could make it even better.

  Reviewed by Sarah5.0★Oct 2021

• "Cartshed Barn appearance was tired, jaded and unkept."

  Windows filthy and exterior in need of repairs. Entrance path green with slime and slippery, Garden patio set green jaded and in need of stain or varnish. The patio was knee high with weeds. ( although the gardener did arrive during our stay ) and proceeded to strim saw and pressure wash while we were getting up the noise and disruption went on for the whole morning at one point he pressure washed the path and water was poring inside the door we had to stem the flow with a towel! SURELY THE GARDEN AND BUILDING MAINTENANCE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT PRIOR TO GUESTS ARRIVING! Inside the barn was not much better the cleanliness of the barn being of major concern. With the covid regulations we expected to barn to be clean. There were cobwebs and dust accumulation everywhere The table was sticky and tacky as were the worktops. The dishwasher was in an appalling state and smelt so bad we opted to hand wash all our crockery and utensils all week. There was a cheese grater on the worktop this was full inside of OLD CHEESE The second fridge had not been wiped out and smelt and had mould growth inside. There was someone else’s shirt in one of the wardrobes and also babies nappies in one of the drawers so attention to cleanliness not high on the cleaners to do list! There was a number of lights that would not work and kept flickering particularly upstairs. Also the upstairs bathroom door would not close properly because of the poorly fitted lino and this applied the upstairs bedroom this door which was also difficult to close. We could not gain access to patio outside as no key for the doors we had to contact the owner and had to follow this up when we had no response. The owner only responding after we had pointed out that this was breaking fire regulations. The shared freezer was a health hazard it smelt really bad with left over food inside we would not leave anything in it? We were put off going outside the patio as there were two Alsatians that wandered around the property at all hours of the day and night. One of them a large black Alsatian was aggressive towards our dog who was on a lead, this dog was not and proceeded to bark growl and charge at us this happened right outside our back door on two occasions. Also we could not find a covid certificate for the property nor could we find a covid checkin QR code.

  Reviewed by Denise2.2★Jun 2021

• "We happily chose our holiday with Sykes well in advance and paid for it in full as we desperately needed a holiday."

  However with less than 24 hours until we were due to go our cottage we were advised the cottage would not be available despite the owner calling us with key lock instructions and other various bits of information, then within an hour of that call being told it was no longer free! Now I appreciate these things happen but the lack of interest in finding us alternative accommodation was appalling. Yes we were offered a refund but we wanted and needed our holiday. We accepted the cart lodge as we had no alternative despite it costing twice as much as our original choice. On arrival what we found was a place that was tired, unclean, unwelcoming. The entrance gateway was piled with rubbish bags - still there when we left. The crockery was chipped and there was insufficient of it, the curtains were hanging off the rail in the kitchen, half the lights were not working, the up lighters contained various dead bugs, the bathroom was dirty and starting to mould, the windows were dirty, the towels old and hard.. we spent the first hour or so cleaning the kitchen and utensils before we could unpack our food. The laundry area was untidy with a broken clothes aired for use in the lodge... I could go on. More worrying was the two large dogs which ran towards us barking each day, we are not afraid of dogs but we did not know them or their natures. This on top of the fact that it cost twice as much made the whole trip very disappointing. I will certainly interested to hear your response to our feedback, as key workers we were in desperate need of this break and to say the whole thing left a nasty taste would be un understatement!

  Reviewed by Phillip1.9★Oct 2020

• "Expected the cottage to have an individual freezer (as listed in ambiguous description of this particular building)."

  however, although the cottage for some reason had two fridges, the freezer was located in the Laundry Room. After looking into the freezer there was so much build up of ice sandwiching frozen items left by previous residents that we found it quite distasteful and unhygienic. This should have been addressed as it was not ideal under Covid regulations. Several items e.g. curtains needing new hooks etc., blinds where a little TLC wouldn't have gone amiss. The downstairs twin bedroom had an 'odour'-presumably emitting from the oil-heating (?). The cottage wasn't as remotely remote as some comments on your website had given us to believe. This is not a particular complaint but is in fact in quite a nice village. The dishwasher was obviously not in a particularly 'good frame of mind' as it rejected the tablets. Obviously either needed repaired, renewed or removed. On a positive note, the cottage was warm and spacious but weary.

  I am sorry that your stay had not matched your expectations. We do provide a fridge and a freezer for our guests and I am sorry if you feel that this was misleading in anyway. It is our policy to clean the communal chest freezer out weekly should guests leave frozen produce behind. Some of the points you have raised about the property maintenance have been addressed. Had we been made aware at the time, we would have been more than happy to put it right for you. Thank you very much for your comments and for taking the time to let us know your thoughts. Customer feedback is very important to help us continually improve our standards. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Martin3.1★Sep 2020

• "The photos don't do justice to the feeling of space."

  A dvd player would be handy but not crucial. The upstairs bedrooms need darker curtains, as well as the main bedroom. A very comfortable property.

  Reviewed by Laura4.7★May 2019

• "Although I must admit Cart Lodge was in an ideal situation, and it would have been perfect but for the fact that it really wasn't very clean."

  We found wrappers and various bits and pieces under chairs and stools, the kitchen surfaces, cupboards, draws and contents were sticky and did not smell clean. The knobs on the kitchen units were coming away when I opened a drawer or cupboard. The curtains were tired and the fixings coming apart. There were flies in the lodge and a particularly large dead fly on a bedroom window sill which when I tried to pick it up with a tissue to dispose of it completely disintegrated, which was proof that it had been lying there for some time. There were no cleaning products other than washing up liquid and 3 dishwasher tabs and some toilet cleaner. Before I felt comfortable I had to purchase cleaning products and give the kitchen a jolly good scrub, including all the contents of the cupboards and drawers. I was also disappointed that there was no welcome box. Wherever I have stayed before the owners have left a little welcome box, and even if it only consists of bread, milk and eggs it shows that you have been thought about and it is important that you have a pleasant holiday. Once I had got the property clean enough to feel comfortable in I began to relax and enjoy the area. It is such a shame that Cart Lodge feels so neglected because it could be a really special place to stay. I feel it is very sad and I'm afraid this would go down as my worst experience with Sykes Holiday Cottages. I hope that my feedback will inspirt the owners to make some positive changes to their cottage.

  Reviewed by Gill2.5★Apr 2019

• "Very simple booking process with useful updates during period leading up to stay."

  The Cart Lodge is very remote, but that was stated in the listing, and was fine for us. A lovely stay in a peaceful setting.

  Reviewed by Mel5.0★Mar 2019

• "Great place if you like being a bit remote."

  Very well appointed and comfortable. Nearest town Halesworth is 6 miles away with good eating options. Good number of village inns surrounding the area. Overall a great place to chill despite worst weeks weather of the year !

  Reviewed by Christopher5.0★Mar 2019

• "The accommodation provided was excellent and exactly what we required for our family of 5."

  It was spacious and the open living/dining area made for a better family experience. It was clean,well equipped and dog friendly which ticked all the boxes for us. Its location, was remote and whilst it would have benefited from a nearby pub it was a lovely rural occasion and the secluded garden overlooking the wheat fields made it a very enjoyable holiday.

  Reviewed by Colin4.7★Jul 2018

• There are no reviews featuring this term Show all reviews