Bow Cottage

We selected Bow cottage for its location.

It proved a good choice: small but comfortable, and plenty of character.

What a beautiful old cottage in a stunning location .

The cottage has lots of lovely features and comfortable beds. Such a shame that housekeeping left a lot to be desired. I found dirty clothes in the washing machine and personal belongings of others under the side board . There was lots of hair in the bathroom plug and a very dirty mop for drying the bathroom floor. Toilet brush was revolting and rusting so the floor had lots of rust marks on. The shower curtain was discolored from water damage. . The fridge drain was dirty and the oven gloves were heavily stained and the dishwasher was out of salts. Such a shame we were greeted with such an array of issues, first impressions really do count. You don't expect to have to highlight so many basic housekeeping tasks to a company who manage holiday accommodation. Please be aware you MUST spend time valuable time of your holiday getting in touch with the agent,. and arranging for issues to be resolved. Don't address the issues yourself and then let the agent know.

A beautiful, comfortable cottage with lovely views.

The kitchen is well equipped and the beds very comfortable. A great location with easy access to the beaches and Salcombe ferry.

The excellent location was familiar to us and views from main bedroom are stunning.

The property was well furnished and equipped and comfortable. The level of cleanliness was a bit wanting, as we came across dog hair and spiders webs in many places. The building has obviously settled over a longtime, but we found the sloping floors quite disconcerting and the two stair cases steeper than normal with limited depth of tread, making them difficult to negotiate. The hand rails were a must use. The offset rear gardens is strange and off putting in its use.We arrived promptly after the set time, after a two hour journey so we’re in need of the bathroom so we’re agahast to find less than half a roll of toilet roll! This was followed by no bread or milk which we have enjoyed as standard from other holiday rentals, particularly when there no local facilities (shop/store) within three miles. A bit disappointing and if we were a party of four, would have been an appalling. The large double bed was extremely comfortable, but on our departure found that the mattress cover was horribly stained from bodily fluids, which indicated to us that it had not been changed /washed since the very hot weather in August. This was an unacceptable standard and needs to be reviewed in the future. The rugs in the bedroom also smelt of dogs. The property is quirky and has character which we appreciate and enjoyed which makes it a bit bespoke and not everyone’s choice, given their expectations. For us the cottage proved to be very convenient and comfortable evening retreat which requires some basic minor cleaning improvements /checks. This cottage is probably priced fairly average in terms of tariff, so needs to address the cleanliness issues which we have highlighted. We are not picky people, but felt that we had to feedback our recent experience.

The kitchen was very well equipped.

Having never used an Aga before I’m glad the instructions were left out. I found Coast and Country very helpful and friendly when I popped into their Salcombe office and preferred that to calling Sykes HO. The beds were very comfortable and there was plenty of storage space. Having use of the garden was a real bonus and we were able to sit at the table and enjoy a drink in the sunshine. It’s not mentioned but there is a large freezer which was very useful.

Wonderful stay!

Clean, welcoming and comfortable. Views from front and back are stunning, and house is well equipped with everything you would need, and perfectly placed for walks and accessible to the best spots in south Devon. Pictures do not do it justice and one of the best homes I’ve stayed in in the area. Only slight criticism; hot water tank- be sure to read the instructions located on the tank to give a little boost of hot water, or don’t expect to have more than two showers out of the tank! Other than that, would highly recommend and look forward to returning soon!

This is a delightful warm cottage in lovely surroundings, a perfect place for walking, sea and fresh air or simply curling up and reading.

The cottage is lovely and we have booked to come back.

The area is fantastic. The cottage could be excellent with a few more small touches. The under floor heating in the bathroom did not work this time (it was so nice last September when we came). The switch operating it crackled unnervingly. In the end we switched it off and reported the problem in the Salcombe office. The bed in the main bedroom is wonderful and the views from the window fantastic. The kitchen is very well equipped. The French posters are lovely. There is plenty of room for clothes. We commented that the blinds in the living room and back bedroom didn't work properly last time but they appeared to be the same this year so we didn't touch them. That’s a shame as it could easily be rectified. The sofa looks jaded although was spruced with a blanket. We didn’t mind that too much but this cottage is not inexpensive so it would be good to have a few improvements. The TV is rather small. A toilet roll holder would be good! The garden is completely unloved in contrast to neighbouring gardens and is not very welcoming. That said, we do like the cottage and in particular, we love the area. A few small improvements would make it better value for money.

We love Bow Cottage and will always come back!

The location is spot on, exactly where we want to be and the views on both sides from the house are stunning. We have fantastic holidays every year. It would definitely benefit from another toilet on the top or middle floor as it’s a fair amount of stairs to get to the ground floor but there isn’t really space which we appreciate, so it’s no big deal.

The garden was very small and not attached to the house therefore our dog was unable to use it without us taking her there.

We did not feel inclined to sit outside in the garden as it was so small and sloped. The cottage was tired and in need of a good clean. Chairs and sofa were stained. Steep incline to cottage was a hindrance to anyone with mobility issues going to Salcombe. We enjoyed the views and location. The bed was very comfy.

The property flatters to deceive… Initial impressions are good, clean and fresh, however it slowly goes downhill.

The Lounge – the marketing images create a false representation, the lounge is now tired and in need of painting, the furniture is different than that shown with the sofa and 2 chairs tired and dirty, even stained in places. It also has cluttered shelves, a window blind I had to untangle to get to work and a TV smaller than my laptop. Main Bedroom, great view from the window, however and again, the picture used is deceiving, this room is also in need of decorating. The picture does show the super king sized bed, but doesn’t show that it is only fitted with kingsized bedding – 6’’ smaller all-round, so the bedsheets only just hang on the corners of the mattress and come off when you sleep and the quilt doesn’t hang over the side of the bed but only just reaches the edge of the mattress, making for a difficult sleeping experience - thankfully you've still got the view out of the window as you untangle yourself from the bedsheet in the early hours. The Bathroom – fantastic, big bath, great shower heated floor and plenty of room. However, there is one thing to watch, because the floor is sloping towards the shower the bath is chocked up at one end by 2 pieces of wood, one was missing resulting in the bath moving when you climb in – I did find the wedge the following morning under the bath, presumably knocked out by the cleaner. The Kitchen – Poorly conceived and very poorly appointed – 10 Dinner plates and only 4 side plates, no matching mugs, not in a themed way but in a random way. Cupboards full of a random and eclectic mix of pots, pans (8 off), casserole dishes, roasting & baking trays (9 off) and general kitchen utensils - enough for at least 3 cottages. The dinning table has flaking varnish and is sticky to the touch, the Everhot Range Oven is very nice (different than the pictures), but not really that practical in a holiday let, as mastering cooking on a range needs practise and planning – you're not going to come back from the beach and throw something together quickly for tea! But if your planning on bread making, a full roast dinner or baking you'll be fine. Again the marketing pictures show a clean fresh and uncluttered kitchen, it isn't…in fact I would have to question the cleanliness of the kitchen. The property feels much more like somebodys second home, furnished with surplus items from the main house, than a considered holiday let.

The cottage is in a beautiful spot.

View from front bedroom lovely. However the photos of the lounge must have been taken with a wide angle lens after it had just been decorated. It would have been very small if 4 adults were staying. The room and furniture looked grubby and worn. The settee and chairs were uncomfortable and the TV was tiny. Only two of us stayed and the hot water ran cool. The garden was pretty but very overgrown and we got soaked by the wet bushes when letting the dog out. There should be a note on the details to say that the cottage is unsuitable for older people and young children due to the steep and irregular stairs. The beaches were beautiful but the climb back up the hill is not for the faint hearted. One route has 134 steps and a steep path. Pubs in Salcombe had long queues for lunchtime dining, one was closed and another only open certain days due to Covid. Obviously this is understandable but visitors may want to take more food with them. Details state parking usually available outside cottage - it is early morning and evening but if you go out during the day you won't find a space when you get back. In places the access to East Portlemouth is by single track roads with occasional passing places. The roads were very busy and we were there in June. Dread to think what it will be like in school holidays. This is the first time that we wouldn't return to a cottage booked through Sykes and we went home a day early. Cottage needs decorating and more comfortable seating then it would make a good base for younger guests.

The position of the garden is not clearly advertised.

This meant I had to accompany my dog outside every time to make sure he didn’t go into the wrong garden. This is a very relevant consideration for a dog owner and had it been clearer in the details, I would not have chosen the cottage. Furniture downstairs is tatty and extremely uncomfortable with stains on the easy chairs and cushions. Thankfully the bed was comfortable although I noticed that some of the pillows did not have pillow protectors on and were slightly stained. The double-glazed doors to the Juliet balcony had a big gap at the bottom letting in water (there was a lot of rain and gales throughout my stay). The windows in the front bedroom were difficult to open and very dirty outside thus spoiling the view. Aside from the above, the cottage is in a beautiful position but despite this, I consider it to be very dear for reasons stated above.

Was a lovely cottage and had everything you could want, well stocked with everything, it was really lovely

There were several items under the vanity unit, the butcher’s table, the sofa, & the bedroom drawers.

So the cleaning wasn’t very thorough. A freezer would have been very useful. It was a long way to the loo in the night, and the stair carpets are very hard on bare feet. Salt & Pepper grinders were empty, and there was not cling film, foil, or kitchen paper, But the underfloor heating in the bathroom was a great bonus.

Great holiday, we love Bow Cottage and intend to come back year after year.

This was our second stay and it was as great as the first time. Would certainly recommend the service. Very clean. The 5pm check in was pretty late though, guess this was because of extra cleaning needed under COVID but with small kids this created some issues.

The location of the cottage is amazing.

Fantastic views from bedroom. Very peaceful and beautiful location and really handy for coastal paths and walking. The cottage has everything you could possibly need and is very welcoming - we are booking again for next year!

The cottage though perfect in many ways was a bit hot especially as it was warm outside as the Aga was permanently on.

We also needed to contact the caretaker but there was no contact number in the literature and we ended up calling Sykes out of hours who were not able to help though we did receive a call the next day.

An Aga permanently on in mid-summer is sweltering.

Wonderful location, beautifully presented, comfortable property. Do think they need to warn clients that there are low doorways; my partner who is 6' 4" sustained multiple painful bangs to his head and a cut navigating the low set lintels.

Lovely cosy cottage. Very comfortable. Not for people who struggle with stairs as has x2 flights but otherwise brilliant. Very happy.

Excellent

We arrived at the cottage late Friday night after a dreadful journey from London. All seemed great until we discovered that there were no towels! Not pleased or impressed. On closer inspection to the small print we did read that "some properties did not supply towels" But it would have been more sensible for this to have been flagged to us when booking was confirmed or made clear in the details. Salcombe is not the best place to buy utility items and we ended up buying ponsy designer towels, which was preferable to sitting for another hour or so in the car and traipsing round Kingsbridge on a Saturday with a large dog. We have rented holiday homes all over the world and have never had towels unavailable. Moving on from the major bug bare. The cottage was delightful and suited us perfectly. Fabulous location and very quiet. Well equipped, apart from the towels. Great bathroom, even though it was in the basement.The garden was perfect, although the shed only contained 1 garden chair. Unfortunately the weather wasn't kind enough to us so we did not have to fight over it. The kitchen was incredibly well equipped, and the living room was comfortable. The bedrooms were a good size and the beds were comfortable. If I am going to be picky, the duvet and mattresses were good quality, but the pillows were past there sell by date. Would I go again? Yes.