Orchard Cottage, HOOK NORTON

Rated 2/50 by Homebird492 on 30th October 2018

"This is a pretty cottage with attractive outdoor space well located in a very friendly village. The downstairs is acceptable, if overfull of furniture and trinkets but the upstairs - oh dear! The main bedroom has a small uncomfortable bed and appears to have been furnished in a junk shop without so much as a mirror or a place to put anything down. The second bedroom contains bunk beds and little else. The real concern are the stairs, which Sykes Cottages describe as steep, and only suitable for the able bodied. Indeed they are, and as such you would expect a decent handrail. Not a bit of it! there is a flimsy strip of wood reaching half way down, and nothing at all on the bottom half. This in a cottage with only a downstairs bathroom. The second bedroom door opens directly onto the open stairwell. Lethal for children I would think. We were only staying for 3 nights and so remained. We would have gone elsewhere and requested a refund if we had booked for longer. Sykes cottages were quite uninterested when we raised these points as a safety issue, so avoid both the cottage and the company."

Rated 1/50 by Normanbitesyerleg on 3rd February 2018

"Booked this cottage through Sykes (never again). Sykes awarded the cottage 4 ticks which equates to "Excellent standard throughout", they also describe it as; "delightful, charming and wonderful". The front elevation of the cottage is no doubt charming to behold, but inside the standard is horrendous. We would not have stayed even one night but we had commitments in the area on Saturday and Tuesday, so we left the property early on Wednesday. I detail the issues as follows: Bathroom: Exposed wiring to the main light, the ceiling rose cover appeared to have slipped down the flex (only held in place by friction) Mildew/mould on curtain tie backs (they were sticky to the touch. Bodged repair to hand basin. Dust/dirt on inside of bathroom door. Further to my complaint I add the following: Kitchen: Dirty damaged cabinet to fridge/freezer. Lounge: Uncovered wiring Rusty, noisy water meter in the lounge! Bedrooms: the doors to both bedrooms are very low and anyone of average height will bump their head. The bedroom furniture is all very basic with poor quality mattresses. In the small bedroom the bunk beds are very close to the single bed (only 12" apart at the narrow end of the room) and there is no wardrobe but a full size folding dining table is sqeezed in! Landing: the landing is less than 1 square metre but the staircase, 2 bedrooms and a storage cupboard open on to it. It is quite scary especially when the small bedroom door is opened, anyone standing on the landing could easily be knocked down the stairs. Staircase: very steep with flimsy handrail and very small treads especially on the sharp turn. Sykes negotiated a small refund 1/7th of the weekly rate!"

Rated 5/50 by Lawrence L on 17th July 2017

"Thought I would write a review after reading the "disappointed" review earlier of same property. We stayed in July 2017 and not in the winter months as per previous review. In summer this property is warm but not over warm. It is situated in a nice village with plenty dog walks in area. Rental price was good for family of 4 plus dog. Not the biggest property but suited us fine. No WIFI which upset kids but that worked out as a plus as we actually talked. Small shop nearby that is well stocked. Aldi close by in Chipping Norton. Plenty to do locally including Hook Norton Brewery and Blenheim Palace. I recommend this property and would re-visit"

Rated 2/50 by LesleyS994 on 3rd March 2017

"Great location. Hook Norton is such a pretty village and the cottage is perfectly situated immediately opposite the friendly well stocked village store and Post Office. You can buy everything you need here including great fresh baked bread. There is a wealth of things to do within a radius of 25 miles. The cottage itself is very pretty but I have no idea how 5 people would manage here. The second bedroom has adult bunk beds and one single in a minute bedroom with no heating and nowhere to store anything. Truly awful. Downstairs is absolutely stuffed with furniture because it is marketed for 5 people, so you can hardly move for tables and chairs. We were told that a starter pack for the open fire was part of the deal, but when we arrived on a cold dark February late afternoon, not only was there no starter pack, there wasn't even a grate in the fireplace. The heating was Economy 7 which means it was warm all day but went off around 6 in the evening. So without the fire you would be left with two small plug in space heaters to heat the entire cottage. The shower was a real trial to use and the screen so I'll fitting that the floor flooded every time it was used, and because of the stupid Economy 7 heating the bathroom was always cold. This could be such a cosy little place for two, but it needs some work. The owners live abroad and I feel they are too remote to keep an eye on things. Such a shame."