Dog Friendly Cottages in Wiltshire

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Aleksandra - Verified booking

  If you want to have a relaxing break please do not book this property and not via Sykes cottages.

  We booked a 3 night stay and ended up staying only the 1 night. The mattress and bed we slept on were absolutely appalling. Might as well have slept on the floor. The mattress about 2 inches deep sunk and you could feel each slat underneath. Neither myself or my partner got any sleep and we were absolutely exhausted the next day unable to go ahead with plans. We informed the host the next morning who advised they are not around to help and could try to get a mattress topper for our 3rd and final night. Mattress topper would not have made a difference especially after people have been unable to get any sleep for 2 nights. We politely advised that we are leaving the property after that initial first night, left it clean condition and had to book a comfortable bed in a hotel nearby. The last thing anyone wants is to go away for 3 nights rest and have to pack up and leave again after 1 night in search for a good night sleep. Our old dog who came along also didn't appreciate being moved about... When we asked the owner for a refund for the 2 nights which we didn't use her property for, she didn't even respond. The next day we had a template email from Sykes cottages advising that our case is closed and there will be no refund offered. Closed?! You didn't even contact us to see what the issue us. We then had to get in touch with them whilst still on our holiday to explain our side of the story which we would have thought they would ask for in the first place. Absolutely pointless. The lady on the phone was lovely and admitted that the property owner did not offer them the full story. According to the owner she offered to help us and we refused. NO! She offered to help only for the 3 and final night for which we were not prepared to stay. Sykes cottages obviously take the owners side without even checking with the guests and listening to their comments/complaints. Again the next day a template email arrived from Sykes cottages saying the owner offers no compensation. Who needs all this stress when they try to go away for 3 nights and relax?! Luckily we paid by credit card and have raised a chargeback case. Advice to the owner: IF YOU ARE LETTING YOUR BARN, BE PROUD OF YOUR PROPERTY,BUY A DECENT MATTRESS SO YOUR GUESTS CAN REST AND TREAT YOUR GUESTS WITH THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE. Advice to Sykes cottages: MAKE SURE YOU HEAR BOTH SIDES OF THE COMPLAINT BEFORE MAKING A DECISION AND SHOW THAT YOU CARE ABOUT THE CUSTOMER WHO IS BOOKING THE PROPERTY NOT JUST SIDE WITH YOUR HOST.

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• Lindsey - Verified booking

  Just got back from an idyllic week in Pops Barn.

  We did not want to leave. It was ideally situated just off the High Street but was quiet and felt secluded. The property was clean and the kitchen was well equipped with new pots and pans and had everything we needed. The bed was very comfortable and the property had a lovely homely feel. The shower was powerful and hot. The cottage style garden was a particular feature and we spend many hours relaxing in the loungers and eating out on the outside table. The cottage was perfectly situated just a few miles from the New Forest and Salisbury. We enjoyed some lovely walks with our 2 dogs in the surrounding villages. Downton is a pretty village with the river running through the high street in several places. There is a good sized Co-op with the very nice Borough cafe one side and a very friendly gourmet pub called The Goat on the other just a few minutes walk from the property. Both serving very good food. It is also close to the Spinnaker fish and chip shop which served excellent fish and chips and a few doors down from The Wooden Spoon pub which also served nice food. We visited a very nice pub in Woodgreen just a few minutes drive away and the food there was excellent. We would not hesitate to return to this property as there was so much we didn’t get time to do. The owners we very friendly and helpful and replied to messages whenever we had any queries. Could not find anything to fault.

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• Stephen - Verified booking

  We had booked a week, but left after 4 nights as we had 2 days when the Hot water wouldn’t work.

  Coming back wet and cold from a cycle ride to no hot water was the final straw. The property is owner-run so Sykes only take bookings and are not liable, the owner by his own admission said it ‘probably needs a service!’. He takes no responsibility for the shortcomings and refused to pay any compensation. The best he offered was “You can walk across in the rain to another outbuilding and shower there!” Definitely not what we paid for. The building is a ‘prefab’ , glass all along the front , no opening windows in the bedroom, lounge or kitchen. Bit of a goldfish bowl as walkers on the road can look in, stuffy at night as only option was to leave door completely open and then the local dog walks in. The outlying property ‘walks’ have a neglected air about them as well as being a Scrapyard of old vans and tractors, broken machinery and glass. The ‘tennis court ‘ needs a good clear up - extension leads to the ‘Box’ running across it. Also the trainline passes 100 yards away, not mentioned in the information. The outside ‘Bar’ is a derelict shed and the ‘Swimming lake’ is a pond! It has potential to be a lot better but needs more investment and maintenance to bring it up to standard.

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• Christine - Verified booking

  It is a nice place to stay for 1-2 people and a well behaved pet.

  All of the utilities were high quality in the property and clean, bed comfortable and shower perfect temperature. The owner proactively contacted me a couple of days before arrival and answered questions about parking. I had no problems parking right next to the property all week. There is a good chip shop twenty paces away, a pub which I didn't try but is recommended and is next door but one. The Co-op is walking distance, under 1km round trip and there is a petrol station in the town too. 9 miles from Salisbury, right next door to the new forest and easy access to places to visit. As mentioned in an earlier review by someone else, there is no wifi. I paid a little bit extra for a one off increase in data on my mobile and managed to tether it successfully in the property. The speed wouldn't work for gaming but I was successful in running videos for a course I am taking. Just use your USB charging lead and select "thether" in your mobile settings and you are there - keep an eye on the data used though as it can eat it up quickly.

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• Louise - Verified booking

  We had a lovely trip to the New Forest.

  Pops Barn was a lovely place to stay with all that we needed and close to the forest. There was fantastic communication with the owner who seemed really nice. A bottle of wine milk and some rather lovely biscuits were a really nice surprise when we got there. It was fantastic to be able to take both my dogs and they had a wonderful first holiday and the really pretty enclosed garden gave me peace of mind. We thought that the only two things that were a bit of a bind was the parking and lack of Internet . You have to park on the main road and right up on the pavement ( we were aware that we had to park there.and obviously this isn't the owners fault! ) The trouble was finding a spot as it was packed with cars. The lack of Internet wasn't really an issue for me but my friend could've done with it. ( Again this was told to us before hand) . All in all, a really nice place to visit and I would recommend Pops Barn to friends.

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