Ceol na Mara

The cottage was clean & warm in a peaceful, pretty location.

We were really disappointed that the cottage wasnt very comfortable or cosy & it felt tired & in need of maintenance throughout. We felt we paid premium for having a hot tub & this was one of our reasons for choosing this property. We were unable to use the hot tub because the cover/lid was in such poor repair it was swollen and misshapen making it extra heavy & the mechanism to lift the lid was so wobbly & felt unsafe we could not lift it safely or open it off & on. I have this same hot tub & lid at home & am used lifting with ease. This lid needs replacing as should be easy to lift open & close & risks injury as so very misshapen & very heavy through water ingress and age. Maintenace is needed throughout the property & found the budget furniture really let the cottage down. The rear outside light wasnt working. The toilet seat was not fitt3d properly & slid about. The kitchen lights were very old and bulbs not working. The hard dining room bench was very uncomfortable to sit on so we did not eat in. The sofas looked nice & new but again not relaxing or comfy to sit on. The twin room bed slats were not fitted & loose & when my friend sat on the bed to take her shoes off she fell through & hurt herself. The twin room also has no wardrobe to hang clothes & no bedside table to place phone or items on. There was a nice modern washing machine & tumble dryer & the heating system kept the cottage warm. Due to so many maintenance issus especially not being able to safely operate the hot tub lid we cannot reccomend & would not return.

Lovely cottage with a nice secluded garden, which is a great sun trap.

The cottage has all the necessary amenities. We didn’t use the hot tub but I’m sure others would love it. The nearby River Bothy cafe serves great food as does La Mirage in Helmsdale for fish & chips. The only thing we missed was a nearby pub with a beer garden. Overall I would recommend this place as long as you like remote.

We didn't want to leave!

(so much so we extended our stay for another two nights) we absolutely Loved our stay in this beautiful cottage by the sea. From waking up to the stunning sunrises over the sea, from the bedroom window. To the blissful nights in the hot tub, and everything in between. Super comfty bed, well equipped kitchen, large bath, big beautiful enclosed garden (which our dog absolutely loved) and last but not least the log burner, heaven! Lots to explore nearby, if you can drag yourself away. We only left once to go to Dunbeath, the cave walk was beautiful. The owners Abi and Mike went out of their way to make everything perfect for our stay. You can see and feel the love and care they have put into making it such a dreamy place. We will definitely be back!

This is a beautiful traditional cottage in a spectacular setting, great views over the sea, no streetlights, so perfectly dark skies for stargazing.

The cottage is spacious, good sized rooms, and well equipped. I might add a coffee table in the living room, but other than that, everything is there and in good condition. it was clean and the cake was a welcome surprise! The Hot tub was fun, just sitting there ready to go. This part of the coast is often bypassed by those doing the NC500, but the beaches and harbours at Berriedale, Dunbeath and Latheronwheel are beautiful and usually deserted. our dog loved the enclosed garden and the walks up the hill. We loved the silence and relative isolation, although only a short distance from the A9. Have already recommended to family and friends.

The location was stunning,  the cottage itself was beautiful.

  What let it down for us was the condition and cleanliness inside as well as lack of effort. In over 12 years of using Sykes cottages, this is the first we've ever been disappointed with. On arrival,  we've grown used to wee welcome packages and sadly there wasn't even sugar to make a cup of tea. There was no handwash in the bathroom. In the cupboards glasses were chipped and unsafe for anyone to use. There was a lack of functional kitchen equipment,  e.g only a very small frying pan which meant cooking meals for a family of 4 was difficult.  Only one half of the toaster worked, which was less than ideal at breakfast. In the main bedroom,  there was blood stains on the cushions and the bed itself was awful, a very poor mattress with collapsed springs. The shower was absolutely dire, and was nothing more than a trickle. In the information book there was a page dedicated to telling us the owners don't turn a profit; something I feel inappropriate and unnecessary given how long they've owned the property.  I don't think any of the above comes down to profit. I think it comes down to ensuring the property is a place they themselves would be comfortable to stay for the week. The cottage is beautiful, with lovely neighbours and it really has bags of potential,  but for us, the stay was sadly very disappointing due to really simple things. Equip the kitchen,  ensure soap in bathroom,  remove damaged glasses, absolutely get rid of blood stained soft furnishings.  Invest in a new mattress and shower. Instead of leaving notes on the table for workers, leave a friendly welcome note for your guests along with the means to have a cuppa upon arrival.  Sadly for us, this damages the excellent reputation we had come to expect from Sykes and certainly will not be booking this property again.

Lovely cottage, found beds and couches a little uncomfortable for our liking.

Otherwise a well equipped cottage. perfect for exploring NC500. Fantastic views , so relaxing and peaceful.

I have just a lovely 5 days at the property.

. very peaceful location. I was out during the days exploring and the cottage is a good base for that. The cottage itself has everything you need.. it isn't high end plush as some other reviews have said. Instead it is a lived in homely crofters cottage and very relaxing for lazing about with a view from every window. The hot tub was clean and a lovely addition. I felt quite sad to leave the wee cottage..

Very pleasant stay in this comfortable, cosy cottage.

Lovely views over the sea, with ever-changing light on the water. The hot tub is an added bonus. It is a quiet location (which we like), even though conveniently located just off the main road. A good base for radiating out to explore - we drove as far north as Thurso and it takes under an hour. Lots of pretty, small harbours. Helmsdale was a favourite, with all local amenities available, including chip shop, convenience store, cafes and a couple of gift shops. Plentiful walking opportunities, including with a dog. A car is a must, although at the junction off the main road to cottage there is a bus stop.

We have just spent a lovely week at Ceol Na Mara with our two Chihuahuas.

The cottage was clean and cosy, and the view's from the windows were absolutely beautiful looking out towards the sea. We saw some amazing sunrises. The kitchen is well equipped, including a good set of sharp knives, plenty of cooking utensils, pots and pans. There is plenty of room in the kitchen cupboards for putting stuff in, and a good sized fridge freezer. The bed mattress was soft, but comfortable enough, unlike the sofas in the sitting room. One was so low to the ground, it was difficult to get up, and wasn't comfy at all. The other wasn't much better, and we both ended up with bad backs. The back garden is very large, and enclosed by a dry stone wall. In some places this is very low, and a medium sized dog could easily jump over, especially as there are rabbits running about everywhere. I find it a good idea to do an online shop to be delivered to the cottage for when you get there, it saves time driving around looking for shops for bread and milk etc. All in all, we had a great week, visiting Brora, Dornoch Thurso and beyond. The dogs loved the beaches, and long walks. The only negative us as I mentioned earlier is the extremely uncomfortable sofas.

Lovely property in beautiful location.

Loved the views, and the peaceful location. While there we got to experience fantastic show from the northern lights and some beautiful sun rises. Despite low temperatures outside, the house was warm and cosy. The hot tub and log burner were great to come back to after days out exploring. The only downside was having to clear up in the garden after previous guests dogs, but that’s not the owners fault. Highly recommend this property, and can’t wait to go back again.

This is not suitable for people of a certain age as getting in and out of shower is dangerous as there is no handle for support.

Also the table and bench are also very uncomfortable and the double bed is also needing new mattress. We also had only 1 bath towel each and no hand towels also 1 hand towel in bathroom between 3 adults this was for a 2 week holiday celebration for my mother-in-laws 90th birthday, also we left a day earlier as vacating for 9am would have been a rush. Also we have been around that area for years and it’s the only one that when you arrive there was nothing in cupboards ie seasoning cleaning products we had to buy it all normally I leave this for guests who are arriving but I took it all home.

We had a fabulous stay at Ceol-na-mara.

The cottage really felt like home from home. Cute, cosy and very comfortable. So peaceful and secluded with horses and lots of wild rabbits everywhere. Loved looking out at the sea every day, stunning views. Was too cloudy and full moon for star gazing but definitely want to return and star gaze from the hot tub like other guests enjoyed. Would definitely recommend here to stay, we loved travelling around as much as NC500 we could each day. We went as far as Tounge. There was so much to see and do. We visited the Castle of Mey and it was great to meet the folk who look after the Royals when they visit. There are too many highlights to mention as there is so much to see. Thanks for having us.

It was a nice cottage in a lovely location.

There was an issue with the plumbing which was dealt very promptly.

We had a great week at Ceòl na Mara.

The cottage is cosy and comfortable, with gorgeous views. We loved the hottub and the nature garden, and found some amazing local areas to explore. Mòran taing

We really enjoyed our stay at the cottage.

Pros/cons - warm and cosy feel to the property. Location is good but couldn’t walk the dogs immediately from the property. Mattress is very soft but will did actually sleep well. Garden is walled (low wall though and only suitable for well behaved dogs). The garden was bursting with flowers which was really pretty and enjoyable. The hot tub was excellent and a real pleasure even if the weather was poor it was still worth going in as it was so hot. The kitchen is good but we felt a few things would really help. There was no salt and pepper, or any general bits like oil, sugar, cleaning spray, no collider. Also one toilet roll for the week was a little stingy, no bathroom products like shower gel or shampoo, no matches to light the fire. The fire place flu needs a bit of attention I think? The property was nice but would have felt like a bit of a tight squeeze for 4 people. We were there as a couple. I think in future an outside space to really be able to sit on like a mini patio would be very welcome. The table and chairs for outside wouldn’t really accommodate 4 people. On the whole the property was comfortable, clean and very suitable for a lovely stay in the area. Thank you so much.

Promotional Pictures are flattering!

Property starting to look a bit tired now. Struggled to get in at front, lucky back was left unlocked? Quite a few minor defects and deficiencies in the inventory, not getting passed back to whoever is managing the property? Inadequate storage if you were a party of 4, 1 small dwarf wardrobe in main bedroom, no hanging space in twin. Garden looks unkempt and gives a bad first impression! (There is a fine line between letting go wild, and neglected???) Part of derelict roof in garden? Random dumpy bag, discarded guttering, plastic bucket etc. Weeds up to the back door. The Hot Tub cover bar is broken, and keeps breaking, broken bits of strap everywhere? Woodburner door seal is hanging off and flue pipe leaks? All this is quite livable of course, but if you are charging a Premium rate, you should maintain it to a Premium Product Standard? Stop banking/spending the profits in Kent and put some back in to the asset at Caithness??? (Out of sight, out of mind???) Stealing the extra hour at check out is a step too far, with 4pm check in that is already a day of your holiday lost? To get up early and rush around to be out for 9am is not a great feel or way to end a relaxing holiday, especially when the "cleaners" have already arrived and are moving in at 5 to 9??? So you have to get packed and tidy the day before another day impacted! (There is no evidence that 7 hours is being spent prepping that property prior to check-in???) Cannot argue with all the Rosey tinted reviews in the guest book, the area, the views, the wildlife, the peace and quiet. Fantastic, second to none. But you did not provide that, nature did? Yes Disappointed, could have been so much better, probably cost less than a weeks rental to put the little things right?

Fabulous property, clean and warm with all the amenities needed for a relaxing break.

Plenty to do and see in the area. Lovely restaurant with sea views nearby. Great contact from the owner. Can’t wait to go back

What an amazing base for a Highland holiday - the views (from any window) were fantastic - rabbits running around the garden and incredible views of the sea to the front- especially at sunrise.

The cottage was cosy and the hot tub after a long day of hiking was a godsend. The log burner is great and neighbours are lovely. Breathtaking mountains and beaches are all very close, and driving on the A9 in any direction is beautiful. Brora beach was great for seal spotting, and herds of deer were spotted while hiking in the mountains. The drive north from Helmsdale is a great one and Melvich beach is worth a visit. We loved our stay at Ceol-na-Mara and fell in love with the Highlands, thank you very much for sharing it with us- my only issue was that we didn’t book a two-week stay.

My friend and I had a wonderful time at Ceol na Mara.

It was clean, comfortable and peaceful. Everything we needed was there. My wee dog also had a fantastic time running around the huge garden. The only thing -which is entirely out of your control - we weren't able to use the hot tub quite as often as we would have liked due to the weather. A permanent covering of some description would be great. I did bring a gazebo but sadly it was a bit too windy for it. We are hoping to come back in the future.... hopefully the weather will be more accommodating! Thank you for having us in your gorgeous wee cottage

This place is amazing, absolutely loved every part.

... It was a surprise for my partners 40th Birthday & she was so made up with every part of the stay.

Lovely secluded location, well equipped cottage although additional large towels for the hot tub would have been appreciated and standard terrestrial TV too but the smart TV and Netflix account, together with our own Amazon prime TV did allow adequate entertainment, necessary in winter season with early dark afternoons.

Coffee pod machine was an added bonus as was the large enclosed garden enjoyed by out 4 legged friend. We did have to contact Sykes Cottages as both normal and recycling bins were full to overflowing when we arrived and despite putting these out for early collection on the Monday, they were not emptied leaving us an issue with disposing of our own waste, we thought it seemed bins had nor been emptied for the last few lets ? We are still awaiting Sykes to comment

We had a fantastic time at Ceol Na Mara.

The cottage is lovely and has everything you need. So isolated and peaceful here with amazing views over the sea and plenty of beautiful harbours and beaches to visit along the coast. The hot tub is an added bonus to relax in at the end of the day. Overall a wonderful time was had by all and the property is a credit to Abi and Mikes hard work. Thank you Andy Rach and Girls Devon

The property was basic but had a lovely character.

The views were superb. The garden and hot tub were enjoyable. It is a great place to sit and relax and plenty to do nearby. Loved walking round all the harbours and learning about the area. Lovely spot to enjoy the sun sparkling on the sea.

Me and my partner had a lovely stay in the cottage, we would absolutely stay again.

Personally I think there should be a big brush and possibly a mop left in the cottage itself. Thank you for letting us stay

Lovely Clean & Comfy cottage, really relaxing and peaceful, loved staying at Ceol-na-Mara

An absolutely fabulous cottage.

No surprises. Delightfully presented, it's not perfect as the owners state, but we had the most relaxing holiday we've had as a family for a long time (even though the weather was pretty interesting

Loved our stay!

! Comfortable and relaxing will definitely be back the silence was bliss.