Cindy's Retreat

The only thing I need to say is that having stayed in Cindy’s Retreat last year, we have stayed there again this year, and we are about to book to stay there again next year!

On first entering the property it smells musty and damp.

The sofas in lounge have stains and smells worse than a wet dog(first highlighted in Jan 2023) The cushion covers could do with going in the washing machine. There is a stain on the floor behind and underneath a sofa. This was also mentioned in feedback Sept 2023. There is evidence of damp in the lounge by the winows as the paint & plaster is flaking. Many of the doors don't close properly and the locks on the toilet, bathroom and ensuite doors are small hook and eyes. The main bathroom radiator is rusting and looks like it may fall off the wall. None of the washbasins or bath have plugs that work as the black washers are missing so water doesnt stay in them. (ongoing feedback from Aug 2015 and Sept 2023) The ensuite toilet is still not fixed properly and moves about( May 2025) Its hard to find a rung on the ensuite radiator that isn't rusted. The mattress on the top bunk has a disgusting stain on it and the ladder that was held on by string in feedback from May 2025 is still only held on with a cable tie. The bed in the master bedroom still creaks everytime you move (Aug 2025) we didn't dare look at the mattress after seeing the stain on the bunk bed. The duvets (like the cushion cover) need to go in the washing machine or be replaced as they have multiple stains. The knob on the microwave is still stuck "in"(May 2025) Its like playing russian roulette each time you use the garden furniture. Its an accident waiting to happen for some poor soul who sits on a chair and it collapses. (Aug 2025) Despite there being a washing machine/dryer. Apart from a small airer ther is no outside washing line or rotary dryer which is not good for a property that can sleep up to 8 people. We have used Sykes Holidays many times but this time we have been truly let down. You over 48hrs to respond to a query. You did not respond when we gave negative feedback and reported issues on our first night feedback. We had no response from the "emergency contact" number. Then on our return from holiday my eldery mum realised she had left a brand new unopened pack of underwear in a chest of drawers. I had to ring the booking line to get through to a human. Only to be told I could come in person and collect them or it would cost over £30 for them to mailed to us. If after 28 days the item is not collected it will be donated to charity. To collect them in person means a trip to the Salcombe office of Coast and Cottages but I am still waiting for an email response (12/0626) about the office opening hours to arrange collection. I have held off giving this feedback in hope I would hear back from Coast and Cottages but it seems your attitude towards clients is like your attitude to Cindys retreat - Neglectful!

This was our third stay at Cindy’s retreat, and our first was back in 2020.

Not much has changed with the house which on one hand is great as we like it how it is. But this also means a lot of the paint work is now looking old and needs a good bit of TLC. The beds are also now very creeky but mattresses are still comfortable. Both toilet seats were stained from wear and tear also. The garden could do with some TLC as well for the price you pay. Overall a great stay and so close to the beach, a huge property so great for families with toddlers. Just needs some updating in places now. I have no doubt that we will stay again in the near future. Thank you.

My family and I have just returned from our holiday in Hope Cove.

The position of the property was wonderful, so near to the beach. Generally the property was clean, apart from the oven which was left quite greasy. We had a couple of issues (the kettle and the en suite toilet seat), but these were resolved quickly and well. Maybe the outside furniture could do with replacing, as the chairs were quite wobbly. On the whole we had a fabulous week, fabulous weather and fabulous position.

Cindy’s is a lovely holiday home just a few moments walk from Hope Cove.

Highlights are the location, large kitchen/diner, large lounge area and lots of seating. We had a lovely stay and would come again!

There were some quite negative comments about the property and we asked Sykes about these.

Cindy’s is a large well appointed house in an excellent position. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay

Was pleasantly surprised considering some previous reviews were a little negative.

We have stayed in several properties in Hope Cove and Cindy’s Retreat is the best so far. Have already booked Cindy’s Retreat again for next year whilst we were there.

Freezer badly needs defrosting Doors don’t shut properly upstairs Bunk bed ladder cable tied Master bedroom bed uncomfortable and so creaky - you wake each other up just turning over - and no where really to put anything in the bedroom - needs a chest of drawers En-suite shower control difficult to use (stiff and difficult to get temperature right ) Garden furniture tired and not even left tidy.

There was excrement on the grass out back when we arrived that I had to pick up before the children could use it Most of the little points had been addressed in a previous review which I sent over before our holiday and was responsed to being told they had been resolved which they clearly all haven’t House is a nice size and great location but feels like it needs some decent finishing touches to make it feel worth the money that it charges

The house is in a superb position, but many faults listed below detract from the property.

In its current state, it is not a premium or luxury property. - Toilet seat in en suite badly positioned and unstable. - Radiator in en suite very rusty. - Door to en suite difficult to shut. - Lampshades in bedroom with en suite need replacement. - Bathroom door lock broken. - Downstairs cloakroom door does not close properly (but can be locked). - Top bunk ladder unsafe: tied on with a bit of string. - No bedside light in twin bedroom. - Dishwasher instructions are for the wrong dishwasher. - Microwave retractable rotary selector knob is permanently retracted, and thus difficult to use for setting cooking time. - Freezer is in dire need of defrosting.

Been using sykes cottages for 15 years now and they all come up trumps .

Cindy's retreat was excellent. Pub was very expensive tho

Cindys retreat is in an excellent location that offers a wide range of space and accommodation.

Unfortunately the property is in need of some upgrades and maintenance. The Kitchen floor doesn’t appear to have been cleaned and washed properly in a very long time. The bath has many chips and damage to the interior surface. The general maintenance of the property is lacking and tired. Finally the television is of a poor quality with a sub standard picture and sound. I’ve personally thrown better sets away. It’s a shame that a with a little more attention to detail, the owners could make this property far more appealing.

Before the holiday, Sykes requested info about beds and I could not find anywhere on the Sykes email of how to make that request.

I finally contacted coast and country for help and discovered that they were still the local agent. Our family have booked this property over many years and we love it. We lacked wine glasses which you promptly provided. You also asked your handyman to try and free the windows, especially the kitchen window. This was unsuccessful and he was going to report back to coast and country as they needed further attention. Otherwise terrific stay.

Thank you for a fabulous stay.

The house is in a fantastic location, only a few minutes walk to the beach. We were there on the hottest day of the year so far so was a bit worried to read windows did not open. However found this was not true, you just had to use key to unlock them. Simple. Well equipped kitchen, lovely quality beds and linen. Overall great experience. Will be back.

Firstly the positives: Large house with a good modern kitchen and lounge, comfortable beds, pleasant outside seating area with a short walk to the beach and the Cove.

The negatives: We were told by Sykes the door and window issues mentioned in other reviews had been resolved but they had not - the majority of windows could not open (in fact we reported a broken handle when we arrived) and most doors did not shut properly. If these issues were remedied the property would I'm sure get better reviews.

Wonderful property, very spacious and perfect location.

Would highly recommend. Only down side is the beds are a little uncomfortable and creaky.

Lovely holiday at hope cove due to the fantastic week weather wise, but after 25 years of different cottages in the village cindys retreat was first one that disappointed us , the general condition of the property regarding maintenence which has previously been mentioned in the reviews clearly hasnt been addressed, on the whole the cottage looks lovely and clean on arrival , & is very spacious for a couple of families , Not one of the upstairs bedroom or bathroom doors close at all .

. Leaves no privacy for a sharing families & a wandering toddler in the house , The only one that does catch the latch, the twin room on the back , you can't open because it catches in the wooden floor so have to lift it to open it .. There is not 1 set of windows that opens properly.. some not at all , so frustrating if you want a little window open in the heat , not sure if this meets the fire regulations with both the windows and doors .. The toilet upstairs doesn’t flush properly, and half a plug in the bath , (that has been mentioned before ) toys , fluff, tissues and sweet wrappers left under beds and furniture ,clearly not moved to clean , the hoover I couldn't use because it it blew out a smell . The hirer is responsible for keeping and leaving the property in a clean and tidy condition , shame it wasn't found that way on our arrival , Cindys is a very sub standard property considering the price we have paid comparing to other properties you have & other letting agency's we have used in the past . However we did make the most of the space in the house, the location parkjng and the beautiful weather , it could be a lovely stay if maintained a bit better .

Thank you for a pleasant stay at Cindy's Retreat.

The property was tidy but not clean on arrival and the dirty laundry of the previous tenants was waiting for us. We were able to spend a few hours cleaning to mitigate. The beds are small and would beneift from a refresh. Many of the windows are dirty, rusty and do not open. It would be helpful to have a large casserole dish to enable a meal for eight. We would not stay again because of the now obstructued view from the new build in front, we knew that when we arrived though. Overall we very much enjoyed staying in Hope Cove and in the Cottage, thank you.

This property is in serious need of renovation.

Paint peeling on walls (one patch in kitchen preparation area), housekeeping (socks found in drawer and food in freezer) and the general worn condition of furniture and equipment all make for a very sub standard property. A very disappointing experience.

Great location and instructions.

Couldn't fault property

Lovely house everything well thought of.

Perfect location close to the sea and a few restaurants to choose from. Had a really lovely family holiday staying in Cindy's retreat.

Could not use bath no plug

The house is lovely and was the perfect location.

Extremely spacious with a lovely family kitchen where we spent a lot of our time. We would definitely book again to visit perhaps for a longer period of time Per the accuracy of the listing: - It stated Sky TV was available which did not exist. There is an old Sky box but it does not have an active connection. - The high chair was very dirty and therefore we did not use it. - The cot was not a cot but rather a travel cot. At first I couldn’t find it and had to look in all the cupboards for it. Assembling it was tricky as 2 bars did not want to click into place and it was also very stained. The mattress included was not suitable for sleeping on and I had to pad it with towels.

All great, but family bathroom lock needs mending.

Warm and comfy house, ideal for a break.

Kitchen perhaps a little lacking in terms of cooking equipment – no teapot for instance! Had a lovely time, no complaints!

This property has the perfect location close to all amenities good facilities and even set close to the main road and close to traffic no noise was noticed inside the house

This is our second time staying at Cindy’s Retreat.

It is a really easy and house to use and the layout is great. The one downside I would say is that the beds are incredibly uncomfortable, mattresses are hard and pillows are very soft with hardly any stuffing. The rest of the house though is fabulous and we will be back.

Beds in rear room very uncomfortable.

Toilet door had no lock. No BBQ, or dishwasher tablets or spare refuse bags .Paintwork generally very shabby and leaking tap in kitchen. Kitchen, lounge and upstairs toilet very good but rest needs upgrading. Great location and could be very nice with some quality upgrading. Not value for money as it is.

The house was great and the location.

It was perfect for a family holiday. It was lovely and clean and had everything you needed.

I appreciate we visited just after Covid restrictions and cleaning surfaces has intensified but basic areas like floors and furniture had been done in a hurry thus not as well as we would have expected.

The previous tenant must have had a dog.

Spent five days at Cindy’s Retreat with our son &grandchildren to celebrate my wife’s big birthday(60

Lovely property and great location.

2 minute walk to centre of village. Showers were great. Beds a bit small for our 6ft 3 guest but we coped. The small issue on arrival was dealt with swiftly and efficiently. Very happy

Perfect location.

Some rooms / decor needs looking at as ceilings stains in living room. Very well equipped house. Will definitely be back

Lovely house plenty of room for all of us and superb location closer to the beach than I thought it would be.

Fenced garden ideal for our little dog. This is the second property we have rented from you and will definitely do again and recommend.

All good except I prefer the scheme of booking the following year that Coast and Country provided.

On completing holiday each year, we had the next two weeks when we could reserve that same property for the next year. In October we could confirm and pay deposit. The present system is not explained, so we have missed booking properties for the next year. Our family has booked up to seven houses in Hope Cove same week each year so very disappointing. Housekeeping and maintenance from Salcombe coast and country office brilliant.

Beautiful house which met our needs exceedingly well.

We wanted a quiet break away for my 85 year old father, having recently lost my mother. Even though there was some building work going on next door, we were not inconvenienced and the builders were extremely considerate, with any noise being minimal - very friendly bunch who Dad enjoyed the odd chat with. Although we didn’t cook much, we found the kitchen to be extremely well equipped and very warm (as was the whole house) for sitting, completing jigsaw puzzles! Very comfortable accommodation throughout. The house is 2 minutes from the beach, pub, shop etc. and there are sea views from the lounge and en-suite bedroom. Thank you for a lovely break. Would love to come back.

The new fittings in the kitchen are very much welcome.

The old cooker wasa complete pain, so much so we debated whether to have it again, and the fridge freezer was way too small. All ok now! We are booking it again next year but the price is at the ceiling of what we feel reasonable. Hope this is helpful. David Richards

Had a lovely week at Cindy's retreat fab house in amazing position.

Thank you

the house overall was a bit old and tired, particularly the kitchen could do with a make over. A bbq would have been nice in the garden too

Lovely big property. Very comfortable kitchen and living room.

Good

Lovely place perfect for us and two generations of same family (now three separate families). Clean linen and spacious. Plenty of hot water. Fridge and freezer very iced up so not working as best they could. Ideally positioned. Could not get washing machine to tumbel dry which was a problem. Would definitely return ideal for Hope Cove.

Good

We absolutely loved the location of Cindy's Retreat. It could not have been better for us. I thought the cottage was perfect for what we needed and would book it again. It was clean and well equipped. The only negative I sadly do have to say, is that the Master Bedroom is described as having a King-size bed. This was an important deciding factor to us in the choice of cottage. However, it is not king-size, it is a double. It is the same as the bedroom opposite the master bedroom. Fortunately, in a way, my husband could only stay the first 3 nights and so I had the bed to myself for the final 4 nights. Having said that, we still loved it there and were all pleased and had a great holiday in Devon for the week.

Would have benefitted from supplying towels at the property. The rest was fantastic

Cindy's Retreat is in a great location - just a short walk from a beautiful, family-friendly, beach. The property is spacious, but we found it rather "tired": several doors would not close properly; a garden gate was lying on the ground; a wash basin would not hold water because the plunger was faulty; a handle was missing from one window and couldn't be closed; a bedside light fitting was loose and potentially dangerous. We had to search for information about appliances etc, which we eventually found, spread between 3 folders. It would have been nice to have had a "welcome pack" - we had to go shopping for basics such as salt and pepper. For the money, we were also surprised we had to supply our own towels.

The house was well equipped but we were very disappointed to have no t.v. reception, although they had a very decrepit satellite dish and wifi was almost non existent, other than that it was good.

Good

This property is not being maintained. It is clean and spacious but two years running had to de frost freezer and fridge on arrival. Mattresses on bunk beds worn out. Garden overgrown and unkempt. Gates outside have fallen off. Hose area a mess of water.but property spacious and in good location