“I’m a seasoned traveler. Rented holiday homes across the uk over 35 years and takes a lot for me to complain because I know it’s not an easy business to manage. However, this crowd are con artists & a sham. Charged me full premium for an apartment with a balcony overlooking the sea but forgot to mention the balcony had been removed!! The apartment was very dusty which I complained about and sent pictures. Had emails from their “complaints dept” promising to look into and get back to me. A month later, nothing! I’m now suing them in small claims court for miss representation. Do not use.”
“We booked Somerset cottage in Ogmore by sea in August 2024. The cottage was REALLY dirty - filthy handrails, stairs, back corridor and we had to scrub the kitchen floor with a metal pan scrubber it was so bad. We contacted the company for a refund and to complain about the state of the property. They did not deal with the issue. Emails went unanswered. When we called, we were told the complaints manager would ring us back, but this never happened and we received no calls. We will NEVER book with this company again.”
“I BOOKED A 3-NIGHT STAY AT FORD MILL SHIPPEN THROUGH HOLIDAY COTTAGES AS A SURPRISE FOR MY WIFE WHO HAS BEEN TREATED FOR CANCER FOR 5 YEARS LAST WEEK SHE HAD THE ALL-CLEAR SO I BOOKED THIS 3-NIGHT STAY BUT I HAD TO CANCEL JUST OVER 3 WEEKS BEFORE THE BOOKING TRYING TO CONTACT THIS LOT IS IMPOSSIBLE EMAILS I DONT THINK THEY EVER READ UNLESS IT IS IN THERE FAVOUR WISH I HAD NEVER SEEN THERE ADVERT TOTAL SHAM AND INCONSIDERATE REFUND £22. LOST £271 AND WAS TOLD TO CLAIM OFF TRAVEL INSURANCE READ ALL FEEDBACK THEN MAKE YOUR MIND UP”
“The company will only publish positive reviews of the cottages. Any critical reviews are removed. When questioned they do not answer emails on this topic.”
“Booked a house in Northumberland for next May. I wanted to check booking details after reading the companies reviews here. Cottage shows as booked on their website. I gave paid a deposit but never received a receipt or confirmation. Tried to log in. Details not recognised. Password emails sent but link goes back to account sign up.”
“DAIRY COTTAGE - SOUTHREPPS NORFOLK
There are issues with basic cleanliness.
This is a 5 star rated cottage.
Please see photos attached.
I'm heavily pregnant and have a 5 year old child. This is a dirty place to bring a family.
Some of the issues:
3 piles of dog excrement outside the house on the drive where we had to get into and out of the car. It appears to have been there for sometime.
Urine left down the front of the toilet.
Food on the kitchen work surface, chairs and kitchenware.
Garden chairs and table covered in a lot of bird excrement. Appears to have e not been cleaned for sometime.
Hair on carpets, not vacuumed.
Finger nails found in lounge, sitting area.
How could any of this be acceptable?
We had to clean the cottage so that we could stay there.
These standards are surely not accepted by holiday cottages and they are certainly not accepted by us.”
“Please heed other reviews as to how this company handle cancellations.
If no stars was an option would have given.
We booked our holiday never thinking that circumstances out of our control would mean we couldn’t go, so thought we would ask for a transfer at a later date at the same property to which the owners apparently agreed only to find it wasn’t transferred at all, but rebooked at a much higher price as we couldn’t resolve this issue we cancelled only to see on day of cancellation when dates put back on site we could have booked the same dates again at a lower price. Complained but get the same company response deposits are non refundable in any circumstances.
Wish we had read reviews first.”
“This cottage was last used as a holiday let 5 years ago so the comments showing recent reviews are rubbish.
The 3 cottages at Hembal Manor have undergone extensive investment and refurbishment and are now classed as 4 star and marketed through Holiday cottages.com. / travel chapter.”
“Awful cottage, barely 3 star, let alone four! The owner stated that it was the beautiful view I was paying for! Never mind the dirty and broken bathrooms and very tired decor. I paid a lot of money for a four star accommodation and received far less than that. And holiday cottages were not interested. Forget about handpicked, it's only about the money! I will never book with them again.”
“Very unprofessional and poor company !
Please be warned that this company will take your money. No correspondence whatsoever up until I emailed them asking what do we do as regards the keys. Then two days before the holiday was due I receive a phone call saying I cannot go because it's been double booked. I own two companies and had to put a huge amount of planning in place to make this holiday happen. To make matters worse they say I will have to wait nearly a week to get a refund leaving me having to pay out once more to book somewhere else with another company. Before they claim this is a bogus review my booking reference is 3317113. The gentleman that telephoned me to break the bad news was both unprofessional and very uncaring and not at all concerned that I was going to warn others about this companies lack of care and poor performance. Holidaycottages.co.uk will never get another booking from myself again and everyone I come into contact with I will advise them also to stay clear also.”
“I shouldnt even give them 1 star. I was booked for a family wedding / reunion But suffered a seizure and heart problems 2 days before arrival. And of course had to cancel. I was only reminded of their policy stating no refund if not cancelled 21 days before. How the hell is anyone supposed to schedule a cardiac event for themselves 21 days before anything ! I did opt to move the dates to a couple months down the road, but was denied Smh ! Ruthless company I was hoping for a bit more consideration considering I was in a health crisis. Money hungry Karma happens Do not book with these people. I feel sorry for their property owners. They being taken for as well as the guests. So wish I had read the reviews first So angry.”
“would give zero stars but no option just returned from a 4 night stay in the lake district , accommodation was awful too many issues to list on this review contacted holiday cottages to complain with supporting evidence as soon as i came home over a week ago still no reply
totally agree with another review on this site i sent my negative review to holiday cottages but surprise surprise its not made it on to there website with all there other amazing reviews ??
do not use this company”
“We have just returned home from staying in one of their cottages, heatherbrae in lochinver, it has been 24 hours of absolute hell, the house was filthy, the towels were stained and some of the bedding was stained, horrible smell throughout the cottage but the worst thing is that it is infested with tics, I had to use teasers to pull 8 tics out of my skin within 2 hours of arriving, we had driven 7 hours to get there and didn't want to drive so far again with no sleep,
We tried to stay the night but by 2.30am it was impossible, we were being bitten by tics in bed and had no choice but to leave at 2.30am to drive 7 hours back home,
Our belongings were also covered in tics when we got home, we have now been awake for over 24 hours and are still trying to clean and hoover our belongings and our house so that we don't get infested, it has been horrendous, truly horrendous, we called the owner to say we had to leave and why and requested a full refund were told to contact holidaycottages.co.uk, I have done this and am awaiting a call back.
Don't book with this company, the reviews on their website are clearly lies, I don't want anyone else ending up with our situation,
It will be an absolute miracle if my partner and I don't end up I'll after just a few hours in that he'll hole”
“My partner and I just had the most incredible stay at the Barn near Porthtowen! We found it on Holiday Cottages, and let me tell you, the pictures didn't do it justice. This place is absolutely dreamy for couples. It's super private and quiet, just what we needed for a romantic getaway :)
The decor is gorgeous, they've really put a lot of thought into it. Everything you could possibly need is there, from the kitchen gadgets (we cooked most nights in!) to a massive shower and the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. Seriously, don't skimp on sleep on vacationn. this bed is a game-changer!
The best part, though, might be the location. We were right in the center of Cornwall, so it was easy to explore everywhere”
“Ok, anyone thinking of booking a break through Original Cottages make sure to check every detail by calling them first. I had just booked a short beak after reading all the details of the property and immediately received confirmation email. However, there were added details in the confirmation telling me that the property was under repair during the whole time of our stay? These details WERE NOT in the original advert. Now I have to wait 5 days to get a refund before I can rebook with others! Be Careful.”
“Absolutely terrible company, unless you have absolutely no chance of anything going wrong don’t book anything because you’ll not get any kind of refund. My booking is for something in nine months and after just two days I needed to cancel because of a emergency in the family they We’re not interested and didn’t even offer to make any kind of contribution to the over thousand pounds deposit I paid. The customer service is terrible trust me steer well clear.”
“By far the worst company ive ever come across, ive made a COMPLAINT and they have said for the last 6 months we are waiting for someone to come back to us and still no communication so had enough and now feel i need to complain about this company, judging by the other complaints on hear and the fact they havent replied shoes there are a disgusting company and treat there customers horribly so i will take this up with the media !”
“Not happy at all - shocking customer service!
I booked a holiday almost a year in advance for an ex-partner's 40th birthday last year. It was a special occasion and I spent a lot of money. Unfortunately, we broke up after I suffered physical and mental abuse; as soon as this happened I phoned and spoke to a lovely lady who told me that while they could not refund me, they could keep the £350.00 deposit that I had already paid as a credit and when I was ready to rebook to contact them. I gave you 6 months notice cancellation so clearly the dates I originally had booked could have been booked by someone else and in all likelihood were. That was all well and good and I was satisfied.
The following year, I phoned to choose an alternative property on their site with my £350.00 only to be told that my money was actually bound to that particular property which was not explicitly explained before. I do not want to go to this property as it is labelled as a "romantic getaway" and I chose this property when I was with my abusive ex-partner so obviously this would be triggering. After going back and forth being cut off on the phone and having to chase updates, I was ultimately told, tough luck.
I explained my sensitive situation to you to relay to the property owners - who clearly do not care for these extenuating circumstances and just want money. There is no justification to keep £350.00 of my money for a cancellation made 6 months in advance. All I was told was "you were informed of this under the terms and conditions when you booked". Actually no. When you go through checkout, it does NOT clearly state these and instead in tiny letters at the bottom of the screen is a link which - let's be honest - no one is going to sift through. I was even told if I changed the booking date I would keep being charged £75.00 amendment charge to change. I do not want to go to this property, so I am now out £350.00 of my hard-earned money because you refuse to have a reasonable heart with my situation. I am willing to spend the extra money to go to a different property and give you more of my money Holiday Cottages. I cannot believe this customer service - absolutely shocking. I am not asking for a refund, I am asking to amend to an alternative property. Be warned out there, this company is only after your money it seems.”
