Jan - verified booking

"It was a hard call for me not to recommend Victoria Cottage as it could be a lovely holiday base.- I picked this cottage as it said baby and toddler friendly in the features. I followed this up with an email to our booking agents, emphasising we needed the advertised stairgate. They assured me in an email that they would let the owner know. On arrival there was no stairgate to be found. I phoned the owner who wasn't sure where it was but directed me to a locked cupboard and where I could find the key. The stairgate was there but the owner said he hadn't personally used it and he advised me to also 'put a chair across the top of the stairs' to be sure. On inspection it had certain side parts missing which meant it couldn't be attached without drilling and a certain amount of creative bodging. We actually ordered and bought a new gate the next day which Our booking agents agreed to recompense us for, and we fitted it the same day. I feel if a holiday property is advertised as being child friendly this is the very least you should be able to rely on.-The main bedroom lights are still not working although this was reported months ago and the back window had a mildewed carboard notice requesting us not to open it. The only other window was tied shut with a plastic bag so we had no means of getting any fresh air at all. The in-room shower still had the cover to the 'trap' missing, the shower door was hanging off and the whole thing was brown with mould. The blinds were still thick with dust.- The advertised cot was folded up in the bottom of a wardrobe with no mattress or bedclothes but we had notified that we were bringing a 2 year old.- The fridge/freezer similarly had mould and the kitchen appliances had a miasma of grease over them all. The kitchen bin was filthy.- There was not one dishwasher tablet or a single refuse bag. We went out and bought both.- Although it creatively says "two bathrooms", one is the shower within the main bedroom (previously described) and one is the main bathroom. There is therefore only one toilet, which for maximum occupancy of 8, would be an inconvenience in the very least.- Although towels are advertised as being provided, we were told in an email a couple of days before we left that towels and tea towels should be brought.Notwithstanding the above, if everything was rectified this would be a lovely base for exploring the local area. However, I don't feel that the facilities were up to scratch for a property costing over £1,000 a week."

Hannah - verified booking

"The listing for this property does need updating.- There are NO towels- Listed as child friendly and with a stair gate, however, on arrival we were told that it was broken despite the owner knowing that we were coming with a toddle - this was not just an inconvenience but it made the property dangerous as the stairs are steep. As the owner was aware that it was broken they should have let us know so that we could have brought one- The TV in the bedroom does not work- The plug in the bath does not work and the shower in the bedroom doesn't even have a plug- Although the main areas are clean overall the property was not - the blinds are all covered in dust, the bedside units in the bedroom were too dirty to put clothes, the fridge and freezer were not clean- The property only has an inch of watered down soap and washing up liquid with two dishwasher tablets (no bin bags for the rubbish) - not what you would expect from a 4* listing for 6 people for a week- There is no welcome pack (a long text prior to arriving is not that) and no guest book with information on the local area - there are some leaflets but many of these were out of date- When asking the owner prior to arrival where we would find the cot and highchair the response of 'They Will b left out in a wardrobe or wherever xx' is not helpful - on arrival we could not find the high chair and rang the cleaner (as directed) however, she was in Greece. When getting hold of the owner we had to get it out of their own private store cupboardThis is clearly someones holiday house that they make money out of by listing it for rent. However, if you want to charge people over £1,100 and class it as 4* it really needs some time spent on making it to an appropriate standard.Disappointing and unfortunately in the current set up I could not recommend it."

Joy - verified booking

"Victoria Cottage is a very nice cottage, in a great location , a nice pub with good food within 50 yards............... but sadly Has some reservations..... the beds are not king size and the bed linen was very poor and not clean or ironed. the shower cubicle in the main bedroom was very dirty and the door fell off..... the bathroom was very nice but the main drain in the bath was very slow....I cannot see how a family could cope with that as well as just one loo upstairs in a house that could sleep 8.the kitchen was nice but the toaster had clearly not been cleaned, and the freezer was frosted up.there was a very small amount of washing up liquid available.the leaflets on local info was stuffed in a draw and mostly very old and out of datethe sun room had a very unpleasant smell and had many cobwebs complete with dead flies.the final straw came when looking for a spare toilet roll in the middle of the night ,to eventually finding one in a wardrobe..why there were not some in the bathroom ??we had had enough packed up and went home"

Karen - verified booking

"A spacious cottage in an excellent location. However there are reasons why I couldn't give it the high score it deserves:1. On arrival the key was not in the location we were told, however the owner sorted this over the phone by contacting the neighbour.2. The kitchen floor needed a wash and in the lounge we found a child's beaker visible under a piece of furniture which made us question how thoroughly the lounge had been cleaned.3. One of the beds hadn't been made so one of our party brought his own bedding as he joined us a couple of days later.4. There were issues in the master bedroom, the main light didn't work, the shower door fell off with every use and one of the windows had a notice saying not to open it.There is only one toilet in this property which is unusual in a house of this size and a second toilet would help.Each of the above could be easily rectified during the 5 hour change over time between guests leaving and arriving."

Geoff - verified booking

"A lovely grade 2 listed cottage. Situated within walking distance of the harbour and Avon beach. The grandchildren enjoyed surfing and crabbing without the need to use the car. The local pub was only yards away plus two other pub/restaurants near the beach.Within 20 minutes we were on Bournemouth beach using Undercliff car park which is right next to the sand. Just yards from the pier are a number of restaurants and gardens with a very good crazy golf.The cottage is very comfortable with a conservatory and large garden which is ideal for sitting out in the evening. We were a party of six (three generations) and the facilities were fine although usually we are a party of eight which the property will comfortably sleep. However whilst we had absolutely no problem the extra couple might have created one with there only being one toilet.That said, we had a wonderful time and will take away a lot of lovely memories."