“The cottage was unfortunately filthy when we arrived.”
We spent almost 3 hours cleaning before we could even bring ourselves to unpack. We in fact left one day before we were due to as we just couldn't settle/feel comfortable in the cottage.
Not only were there still crumbs on the worktops, jam stuck to the toaster, tea stains and human hair stuck on the front of the washing machine, a dirty sink/draining board and grime in the cupboard under the sink in the kitchen, the floor and the rug were full of dust and human hairs in the living room.
In the bathroom, the shower head/fixtures had not been cleaned properly in a long time and nor had the tiled floor. The bedroom wardrobe had not been wiped out inside and the skirting boards throughout revealed that the cottage had not had a spring clean in a very long time.
Thankfully, the bathroom towels and bedding seemed clean otherwise we would have had to abandon our trip completely.
The fact we are still living with COVID makes these conditions even more unacceptable than under normal circumstances. Also, there were far too many unnecessary soft furnishings - throws, rugs and cushions throughout that we had to hide away while we were there given the germs they would be harbouring. They look fairly old and tired at any rate.
A previous guest had even written in the little information pack in the cottage that they had found nail clippings in the large red rug in the living room!! So clearly we are not the only guests to have had a disappointing stay. It is a shame as the location of the cottage is great in Ambleside and the fact it has its own parking space is a real bonus in such a busy town.
The owner also refused to accept my feedback which I delivered respectfully on the day we left (one day early). This has put us off booking a cottage through Sykes again in the future, sadly.
In response to your feedback and regarding your comments on the cleanliness of the cottage I as manager cleaned the cottage myself on day of your arrival . We adhere to Sykes rules and regulation to the letter and always have done so. Our record is continually in the high nineties and one hundred percent with cleaning and have many guests who return regularly. We are always on hand for any problems and we would have gone to the cottage to sort out any problems immediately if we had been informed. Over the past 18 months, due to COVID we are very meticulous with our cleaning and are very proud of our cottage and record with Sykes.
Property Owner
