The Willows

The property was not very clean, the floors were dirty, there were cobwebs in all areas inside and on the balcony, flies in corners of living room, there was no hose attachment for hose at outside tap, no BBQ although it was listed as having one, the cooker wasn’t fully functional with one knob and plate not working, there were no spare bin bags provided.

It is a nice house in an ideal location but the general state of the property was disappointing.

The Willows is a really beautiful property.

The views from the upstairs lounge really are as good as on the photos The beds are comfy and the house was clean, everything you need for a fabulous holiday The village of Newport has everything you need, groceries, chemist, clothes shop and lovely places to eat We can definitely recommend this accommodation and hope to return

We booked this place for the view, and the view definitely delivered.

We enjoyed using the balcony when the weather allowed and the sofas upstairs are very comfy to relax and enjoy the views through the floor to ceiling windows on rainy days. It’s a very spacious place to stay. Downstairs is a different story unfortunately. The showers flood the en-suite and the main bathroom and the rooms smell damp and mouldy. The dehumidifiers in the rooms don’t solve that problem. There was no heating working in the house at all on Sunday and we were really cold. Coast and country were very helpful on the Monday and sent an engineer out so we had heating upstairs. But the underfloor heating never worked at all, apart from the utility room! The cleaner came on Tuesday and gave us 2 heaters so we could take the chill off the bedrooms a bit but they always felt cold and the damp smell in the main bedroom didn’t go. The main sitting room with the only TV in it was too cold to sit in the evenings all week. To the next occupiers, bring slippers and warm socks! The tile floors throughout downstairs are cold, especially at night. Downstairs wasn’t particularly clean either, silverfish in the bathrooms and dead spiders and dust balls in the corners of rooms. We can see from previous reviews that the showers and cleanliness have been an issue for awhile. It’s a shame that that’s not been addressed but it doesn’t seem to hurt the bookings, so…. This was also the first time ever that we’ve not had any welcome package- not even a packet of biscuits or pint of milk. Generally the place felt a bit neglected and sad- such a shame, especially for the price. Doubt we’ll be back.

The Willows is a lovely place with fantastic views of Newport beach and estuary.

The facilities are great, but the A Frame style roof upstairs and upside down living with intricate staircase while looking fab but can be a little awkward to negotiate for those less agile. Hence 4 stars. That said we have stayed twice and plan to return .

Wonderful stay at this property, perfectly positioned in Newport, a town with plenty of places to eat and useful shops.

House has lots of space and well equipped. Everything you could possibly need in terms of kitchen equipment. All holiday lets seem to have an induction hob and I usually find them impossible to use, but this one was the easiest one I have come across. Fridge and freezer big enough for six people, even a spare fridge in the utility room. Lots of crockery, cutlery, glasses etc. Lots of very comfortable settees. Even on stormy days we loved just resting, looking out at amazing views. Large comfortable beds. The heating is remotely controlled, and you can ring up to get it changed, but only during office hours. I had been worried about being cold if we unexpectedly got up before the heating had come on but it was quite a mild week, so not a problem. In fact, we had the opposite problem, some evenings it got too hot. We solved this by opening all the doors, seemed a terrible waste to have the heating on with the doors open, but it was too late to ring to get it switched off. The following are not complaints but just advice for people staying here: Beware on the stairs, the bottom step is different depth to others and caught a couple of people out when coming down the stairs. No welcome food pack unlike other Sykes properties we have stayed in – just setting exceptions! If you like a decent sized towel, bring your own bath towel as those provided are quite small.

First impression was spectacular.

However we found it very noisy when someone was in the kitchen at night and you were in your bedroom. Be even better with views if the tree was trimmed a little Some of the ceiling lights didn't work, so kitchen area was a bit dark. Otherwise it was so convenient to coffee shops and plenty of glorious walks

We loved the house and have booked to return next year.

The only con if there it can be classed as one was adjusting to the upstairs Aframe roof , we kept banging our heads! But had a great week.

We had a lovely stay at The Willows.

It’s a beautiful property with stunning views and a welcoming feel. It’s brilliantly located for walks, beaches and activities with kids, and had all the facilities that we needed for a great holiday. Thanks, we had a brilliant week.

The whole property was great, very comfortable and with every amenity anyone could wish for.

The welcome pack of milk, tea, coffee, butter, Welsh cakes and even a bottle of Prosecco was a lovely start to the holiday, thankyou!

Beautiful property and everything you need thought of.

Only downsides were it was very hot I'm the house and some small cleaning issues. Overall an amazing property and would go back again.

On initial arrival the house looked lovely.

Of course we had a run around with the kids who were excited to find which bedroom was theirs but once settled in, we realised that it isn’t clean at all. In the en-suite there was mould and the basin was filthy, it was just grime around the plug which one of us saw when brushing our teeth, not really what you want to see. Under the basin lip was just thick mould and grease. The kitchen wasn’t clean, neither were the utensils. We had 6 people which we cooked for after washing everything, to then find the dishwasher is broken and just caused constant issues. Some of the external doors don’t lock properly, mainly the balcony door. You can’t leave the doors open during the day and there’s no windows in the main bedroom, so if you shower in the morning, by the time you get home, all the bedding is damp as it has no where to go! Not to mention the pillows were yellow from sweat, which we found when we stripped the beds before leaving. Overall, and for the money, we thought it was quite poor condition. It looks lovely in the photos, and it’s been renovated really well but if you pay a premium price to stay in a “premium” home, personally I’d make sure it’s gleaming for the next guests. Im undecided if I would stay here again. We stay around this area 4-5 times a year and I’d say this is the only time we’ve had any issues. Really disappointing. If you can get past all of this, it’s a stunning place to be visiting and to us, it’s becoming home.

The Willows was not in a fit state when we arrived and you had to send out cleaners to clean the property, not exactly what you expect when you spend £1800 for a week.

The shower also flooded the bathroom and the TV did not work. The TV was not fixed during our stay. This is the third and last time we will be staying at this property. We received a partial refund of £300, but not the point. Would much prefer to not have our holiday ruined by the issues we encountered.

We had a wonderful holiday and intend to rebook for next year - our only criticism was freezer space.

The fridge up stairs nearest the doors to the veranda was all iced up and dripped water onto the food stuff below as it had no door. The fridge down stairs only had a small freezer box to keep our ice blocks in and to make ice. Otherwise it was perfect!

Lovely property in a great location.

Comfortable and well equipped with beautiful views of the sea.

Our second stay at the willows.

What a difference removing the garage has made ! Love the property, the location, views, space and comfort. Booked again for next year!

We had a wonderful time at The Willows, it’s a great place to relax.

The cottage was comfortable, very clean, well equipped and has beautiful views. There is plenty of parking space now the garage has been removed, and the welcome pack was a nice touch. We hope to visit again soon!

Would highly recommend staying here.

A couple of minor niggles but overall an excellent holiday in this modernised well appointed property. Great views, easy access too the village and to the coastal path. Would happily stay here again. Minor niggles: people have mentioned parking as an issue. It's tight through the garage but we managed to park a Dacia Duster and a Renault Megane in the garage and on the hard standing at the rear without having to fold the mirrors. There are a few spotlight bulbs that need replacing. The freezer box in the kitchen is in need of a serious defrost Not sure how effective the extractor fans are in the bathroom and the en-suite and drying towels can be challenging. Rubbish and recycling instructions need to be clarified. There are no national standards and the instructions for every property we have been in this year have been different.

parking needs addressing

Fabulous views, comfortably furnished and well equipped, we really enjoyed our break.

We did feel there is a need for a TV upstairs, just one in the large accommodation is not enough, the can opener needs to be replaced and there was a bad smell from the main bathroom form the drains at the end of our break, we just used the ensuite but there could be an issue there.

Having read the previous feedback regarding cleanliness we were worried the cottage would be tatty and not clean.

However everything was absolutely fine. The garage was a tight squeeze but we have a big Toyota Rav4 and we managed to get that through. There is also space to park in the road up against the house. It is a shame there is no garden just a hard standing made of slate chips but the balcony made up for that. Some sun loungers might have been useful as the outside furniture not great for relaxing. Everything was pretty much as shown in the photos. The sloping ceiling could be a problem If you are very tall. The ensuite quite tiny and the towels Provided quite skimpy and not really sufficient for a week. Luckily there was only 4 of us so we shared the spare towels between us. Kitchen and house well equipped. Location perfect with lovely views and sunsets.

We have stayed in many Sykes cottages and have enjoyed every one of them but this place wins top prize in our book.

The village and the villagers are lovely. The Willows is within east walking distance to the village, shop, pubs and the beach and the standard and quality of the property was fantastic. We will (if permitted of course) be returning in the future to enjoy the experience again

Fabulous property, looked great in the pictures seriously exceeded our expectations in reality.

Really well appointed and very comfortable, great views across the bay. Will certainly return in the future. Parking a little tight but manageable.

There was certainly a wow factor with this house, it was spacious and the views from the large windows were fantastic.

We particularly enjoyed the evening sunsets. The house was clean and comfortable and very well equipped. The 'garden' isnt really a garden but nevertheless it was a useful outdoor space that was enclosed, clean and very suitable for the dog. The garage is as described, a very tight fit for a VW Golf but we did manage to park outside at the front. The location is perfect, an easy walk to Newport's pubs, restaurants and shops, a 10min walk to Parrog harbour and an easy and interesting 45min walk to Newport beach. All in all we enjoyed a great week and would be pleased to return to the Willows again.

We really enjoyed our week in this amazing holiday home.

The house was spacious and comfortable. The views from the upstairs living space are stunning. The Willows had everything we were looking for and more! We are already looking forward to booking another stay.

On arrival which was quite late on the Friday night beds were dirty and had stains on the top sheets these had to be taken off and washed by myself not acceptable and a sign saying all linen must be ripped off at the end of the stay so was clearly missed when they made the beds ,cobwebs and spiders everywhere with in the house had to go around the first night removing them , the cushions on the settee coming in to the house were filthy and all cushion on the settees had stains on had to remove all these as they were gross we did report at the local office and advise them showing them pictures, the following morning we noticed a massive pile of dog muck outside the living room window which is quite hard not to notice when your sat with floor to ceiling windows, really disappointed on the heating as well as the first night it was freezing in one of the kids rooms and after 7 phone calls later over a couple of days and heaters being brought in by the local office the heating finally worked 4 days in to the holiday but still no radiators to dry washing it took 3 days of wet towels and clothes to day and still ended up bring damp clothes home, the photos must of been taken ages ago as weeds and overgrown plants I understand it’s autumn but when your paying the price for what it is you expect it to that standard , The living room was downstairs and nothing upstairs ie a tv when you book it for the view it would be nice to be in the same room not to have to go to downstairs so would recommend a tv upstairs in such a big property as I’m not sure where 6 would seat downstairs There is a very small freezer box in the kitchen upstairs and one downstairs so if your bringing food you would struggle to fit it in.

Garage is very tight fit anything bigger than a Fiat 500L would struggle , would recommend a blind in the laundry room as next to the bathroom as if the door left open you can be caught out We have stopped in far cheaper accommodations and everything has been a lot better very disappointed as was for a 40th birthday and you don’t endeavour being on the phone asking the office to ask the owner to turn the heat up and change sheets on arrival

Loved the property the upside down house certainly worked for us ;o).

The view over Parrog was wonderful from the balcony and the upstairs lounge watching the sun go down was a relaxing experience. Good location to walk to the village of Newport, the estuary and the mountain. Walking maps shared in the welcome book, worth a trip round the area. The welcome package was a nice touch and certainly a surprise many thanks for this. I would go back. Just a foot note to get your car into the garage is a challenge - Mondeo had 2" gap either side with mirrors folded so beware it does take a bit of practice.

1.

As has been reported multiple times in previous feedback - the property was filthy upon arrival, despite having phoned the office in advance and having it apparently inspected before we arrived!! Whilst the list of what wasn't clean is as long as my arm, my personal highlights include a dirty, soiled toilet, a bloody handprint on a photo frame, and a toothpick on the bedroom floor. Sykes did arrange for a cleaner to be sent that evening to clean the worst of it however this was not how we were hoping to kick start our holiday and completely ruined the first evening. Also, considering the view is a big selling point, the windows were filthy!!! It should be stated at this point, however, that I highly doubt this is the fault of the cleaners but the short amount of time they're given to clean the property. It's significantly sized properly with 4 beds - it can't be cleaned in a couple of hours. 2. The property was in a severe state of disrepair - we experienced much of the same things as previously mentioned in the feedback (which the landlord claims to have fixed!!). Numerous spotlights had fused, spotlights were hanging from their sockets, one door was hanging off its hinges, the whole property was in desperate need of being painted as it was downright tatty, the garage door doesn't close properly, and the en-suite bathroom flooded. 3. Parking is a nightmare. The claim that a family car can park in the garage completely baffled us. My daughter only just about managed to squeeze in her '08 plate Renault Clio which is by no means a family car. We were forced to park right outside the garage door, and the faulty door mentioned above opened one evening and scratched the car. How a holiday cottage for 6 can't provide decent parking for at least one car is beyond us. 4. Considering the price (especially in peak season!!) the property lacks some touches that would really make it spectacular. The balcony upstairs had only one small table and one chair when there's room for plenty! And the downstairs outside seating area wasn't very inviting. 5. This property doesn't take recycling into consideration. We were told just to put everything into a black bag that the cleaners would later sort. The cleaners barely have time to due essential cleaning let alone sort the garbage. Is it really acceptable in this day and age not to consider recycling? Whilst not all bad - the view was amazing (even if the tree had grown since the photo was taken), and the location was fab (10-minute walk to Parrog Beach), it's clear to me that this is seen as very much a money-making facility and the owners care very little about the quality of the property and the experience of their guests.

Lovely property, lovely views and lovely town However the dirtiest rental property we have ever rented floors bathrooms appliances,draws, bins etc and the extensive rubbish from the previous guests - pizza boxes, bottles cans full bin bags left and were still there at the end of our stay Condition also an issue one main door off its hinges, freezer compartment in fridge freezer draw broken - other freezer too dirty to use and many spot light bulbs not working.

The ladies in the local Sykes agency were really helpful and cleaned for 90mins the night we arrived but the property needs proper care and attention

Had a great stay.

The house is very well equity and was very clean on our arrival. Sometimes you can find things lacking but everything we needed was at the house. I have to mention the garage as this seems a topic in reviews - I have a very large estate car which with a few manoeuvres and filing of the mirrors was able to fit in garage. It would be good to have control of the heating but we asked for it to be on earlier as we had a baby with us and this was done right away. Can not fault and will return.

Willows was as listed with great views of Newport bay.

Bedrooms were comfortable. Unfortunately the house had not had a deep clean as was stated by you to meet the necessary changes made to entry and exit, I.e. dirty frying pan and roasting tray, unwashed mug, dust under table marked with initials of previous tenants, a Golden Lion receipt dated April 2020, lying under en-suite bedroom, brass pin from hairdryer plug found in bedside drawer, obviously hairdryer didn’t work, requested heating changes never materialised even after a number of visits to local coast and country shop. This was our very first experience of not having control over the heating of a property. We did, however, greatly appreciate the support from the coast and country staff.

The Willows was a fabulous house, the views were also fabulous, we were lucky to be able to drive our estate car through the garage doors and park at the back, the only negative was the company that clean the house aren’t up to scratch, but once reported to Sykes cottages they acted very quickly, contacted the owner who compensated us, after I had spent a couple of hours cleaning it myself, but I would definitely go back, it was a lovely break!

Just some very minor points 1.

No grill pan 2. Definite short of teaspoons 3. Parking is an issue for a larger car

House was super.

Loved the separate lounge/tv area the upstairs view and balcony and the tiled floor downstairs, felt very med-like. Parking is challenging but not impossible. F-Pace would not fit in garage so parked that around the corner. Squeezed a Discovery 5 outside house, hugging house with no probs for passing cars and vans although we had to move it to let dustcart through. Lovely dog walk to beach, Nice town - Golden Lion is absolutely superb! Beaches around, particularly Barafundle (1hr drive) superb and totally worth it.

The house is very comfortable and views are as good as the photos, the village is also very nice.

The parking is a pain as previous feedback. The staircase is quite steep and our elderly parents struggled with it. The kitchen is on a different floor to the lounge so it is a pain to carry cups up and down the stairs, especially as the mugs in the cottage are extremely chunky. Also any noise from upstairs easily transmits downstairs. Oh and nowhere in the kitchen to store any food you may have brought in. Having said all above we loved our stay and the views are lovely and beds comfortable so for young families none of the above should be an issue. The house is also very peaceful if you are looking to unwind.

Parking can be an issue as the garage is not very wide, so bring a small car otherwise you can park in Parrog Rd.

Neighbours opposite the house now have a sign to not park outside the garage as it impairs their access.

Beautiful property with stunning views.

Ideal for a family as there is plenty of space. The standard of the property is extremely high and was very comfortable. Will definitely be returning!

An amazing house in a great location.

Absolutely recommend.

I enjoyed the holiday but the house was much too big for the 3 of us the two faults were reported and some came out a couple of days later to fix the problem.

The Garage was a pain to get in I drove through and had to put my wing mirrors down. When I drove out the incline on to the road was so steep it ripped off the underneath drip tray and I had to go to the local garage to get it repaired. Apart from that the house was warm and well equipped beds were comfy the views from upstairs were spectacular if we were a bigger party I would rebook

An ideal location to explore this remote area of Pembrokeshire and within an easy walk to Newport town centre

In these strange times it was helpful and reassuring to receive clear and informed updates along with useful information regarding the holiday and changes to arrangements.

We adored the Willows and felt it was beautifully organised and prepared for us.

Only small comment was it would have been nice to have a Dish brush to wash dishes with? We went and bought our own but that was a bit odd to arrive and have no way to wash dishes by hand. Stunning venue and views. We will definitely be coming back!