Sykescottages Reviews

Cedar Cottage via Sykes Cottages – Filthy, Unsafe, and Misleading

We booked Cedar Cottage through Sykes Cottages and regret every minute of our 14-day stay. The property was filthy, neglected, and nowhere near the standard advertised. From the moment we walked in, the house reeked of stale odors from dirty carpets, rugs, and soft furnishings. The vacuum was full to bursting, with no spare bags provided—disgusting. The main bedroom had no extra bedding or pillows. Dust flew off the ceiling fan, curtains were stained, and the fitted sheet looked slept in. No top sheet, so the duvet touched our skin—who knows when it was last cleaned. One bedside lamp didn’t work. The en suite light flickered and buzzed like it was shorting out. The smoke detector didn’t work. Peeling wallpaper, frayed carpet, and broken curtain hardware added to the chaos. The kitchen was a health hazard. Dirty floors, fridge seal caked with grime, faucet and counters wiped with what looked like a filthy rag. We had to buy paper towels and sanitizer just to feel safe preparing food. The oven tripped the breaker constantly and exposed wiring in the hood. The kettle and toaster were worn out and gross. The washing machine was full of hair and dirt. One tea towel for the entire stay. The conservatory? Smelly, broken fan, missing bulbs, bent blades. We avoided it completely. The downstairs bathroom was vile—black mold, broken blinds taped together, loose dirty toilet seat, filthy toilet brush, and hair stuck to the tiles. We removed the rug and stored it in the garage just to breathe. TV didn’t work. Owner brought a new one but couldn’t set it up. We installed a new antenna and rearranged furniture ourselves. Living room smelled awful. Dirty couches, cobwebs, smelly curtains. We used multiple air fresheners just to make it tolerable. Outside was no better. Garbage bins half full on arrival. Gates broken and couldn’t be locked. The whole place needs pressure washing and serious repairs. We’ve stayed at other Derbyshire properties and had great experiences. This was a nightmare. Sykes Cottages should be ashamed to list this property. It needs a deep clean, safety inspection, and a full refurbishment. We were stuck because we prepaid, but no one else should have to go through this. completely. The downstairs bathroom was vile—black mold, broken blinds taped together, loose toilet seat, filthy toilet brush, and hair stuck to the tiles. We removed the rug and stored it in the garage just to breathe. TV didn’t work. Owner brought a new one but couldn’t set it up. We installed a new antenna and rearranged furniture ourselves. Living room smelled awful. Dirty couches, cobwebs, smelly curtains. We used multiple air fresheners just to make it tolerable. Outside was no better. Garbage bins half full on arrival. Gates broken and couldn’t be locked. The whole place needs pressure washing and serious repairs. We’ve stayed at other Derbyshire properties through Booking.com and had great experiences. This was a nightmare. Sykes Cottages should be ashamed to list this property. It needs a deep clean, safety inspection, and a full refurbishment. We were stuck because we prepaid, but no one else should have to go through this. Avoid Skyes Cottages if this is what they call acceptable! Have submitted a complaint via email and phone call, requesting a full refund, but no response.