Gullsway: Sandpiper

This flat is in the most fantastic position.

Good parking, dog friendly and a huge shared garden with others in the adjoining accommodation. You can walk to Polzeath beach easily with children and the views from the house (sadly not from the flat) are spectacular.

Lovely views from the garden.

Plenty of walking from the property. Comfortable and clean. Could do with a paint on the outside. May be a larger tv for the size of the room. Enjoyed our second stay there.

This the second time we have visited this property, the same week after we believe the owners used the property each year, they used both properties as one as internal doors allow this via the entrance hall.

This means all the cutlery and crockery ends up in the front property we believe. So we had to beg the other two properties for knives forks glasses cereal bowls water jug, there where no wine glasses either or fying pan (we brought our own). In the Toilet room the window lock, a cheap item about £8 was missing meaning the window will either be open or closed and you wont be able to move it. The flat front door into the hall is on a fire door closer and bangs shut, and its attached to a very basic wall when it was converted from one property years ago. the front door and wall is attached to the front properties bedrooms. So if you enter or exit the property when they are in bed your likely to upset them as the have a very thin door into the walkway too, and the closer makes the door close with a bang. The front door to the hall way which you go into and the into the front door of the flat, does not have a external or internal bolt lock. which means it cant be locked. Last year the front door was bolted internally by the previous front property tenants as they can exist via the front flat. and the maintenance man had to break in last year for us to get in, this has not been fixed for a year. So best to bring your own crockery and if your are aware of these issues it makes a nice basic clean holiday flat idea for easy access to polzeath beach and walks to daymer bay

If you want a pristine, luxurious, 5* place to stay this isn’t the place for you.

Yes it’s “tired” and basic but it is in the most fantastic location overlooking Polzeath. The views are amazing. It made a week in Cornwall affordable for me and I loved it. No airs and graces just plain and simple a great base for my stay.

It is ESSENTIAL to install an outside light in the parking/path/entrance door area.

My friend tripped on cracked and unlevel concrete falling forward onto a wooden post sticking randomly up by the path cutting his face open and getting a black eye. I would suggest it is just common sense and common courtesy to assist guests in a PITCH BLACK setting.

The outside of the property could do with new sign on door and a overall paint job.

Although inside is clean and tidy. All you need if you don't want a high speck holiday.and just love peaceful walks with a garden view to die for.i would recommend. Also firm mattress on the single bed was a bit too much for me but other may enjoy. Overall I had a great time and always love to go back.

Unfortunately when we got you the property and got the keys out of the lock box, there are two keys one a yale lock and one a 3 or 5 lever lock.

the front door was locked but when we tried the front door the lever lock key did not work. We called sykes and they managed to break down the door and get it after about 3 to 4 hours wait. The door is never locked a former holiday maker was next door. it appears the door was locked from the inside with a bolt lock, as the previous week the apparent must have been let with the front sea facing one, and the front door bolted from inside. The front door accesses a hall with a door with yale lock to our apartment plus upstairs apartment and a door which is locked (by a bolt lock I assume from the front apartment). So please can the landlord fix the front lever lock, and remove the bolt lock for future holidaymakers. there was also a shortage of cutlery and crockery we assume because it had been moving to the the front apartment when it was shared before us. It all minor details and can easily be corrected, by a new £10 lever lock and the cleaners checking the cutley after shared lettings but a bit up setting arriving at 10 pm and getting in at 2 pm.

The exterior of the cottage has the look of years of neglect, and the interior has a gloomy, dull and dirty look, with barely any daylight or sunshine showing through windows blocked by trees and shrubbery, and no view whatsoever from any window.

The inside smells damp and musty, and, in fact, the whole cottage, inside and out, is in need of serious renovation, including the pathway which is a danger to anyone not steady on their feet.

We had a fantastic family holiday here in Feb 2024.

The location is excellent - close to the coast path and the sea. The facilities are comfortable and clean. Thanks!

The only good thing about this property is its location.

The flat itself is not well looked after. Leaking kitchen sink which already had a bucket underneath - no effort to explain or apologise. Unable to flush toilet in the night because of the screech coming from the water tank. Not particularly clean - felt more effort should have been made to touch up paint/grout before the summer lets. Wrote to John Bray with a list of concerns but response was automated and told me the problem was resolved even though no one had been in touch. I would have been more accepting of the faults if it looked as though some care had been taken to make it as lovely as possible, but it wasn’t. It’s a very unloved property and the lack of response from John Bray adds to the evidence that no one cares about the property or the customers. Owner needs to go in and make some improvements, then find a new letting agent.

The property is in a lovely location, but is very seriously in need of updating and upgrading.

The view in the garden is great !

! The Appartement :-(

We found the property clean and comfortable.

We only used the room with the king size bed which we found comfortable. The kitchen did not have any cereal dishes. We could not find the communal utility room at first, and then following a call to Chester the lady sent me an email with its location in a shed next to the car park. The washing machine and tumbler dryer were relatively new and fine but the shed was very untidy. A folder explaining aspects of the property would be helpful. Although no view of the sea from inside the property. it's position with the coast path at he bottom of the lawned garden is great. An enjoyable stay.

The cooker to my knowledge is ancient and cut off the electricity twice on our first night.

There was 1 saucepan and lid and a milk pan and a frying pan No basin No sieve but two colanders one of whcich should be thrown away There were 4 saucepan lids but no pans to fit them No butter dish No milk jug Horizontal surfaces get dusty However the position is superb and the beds are good and the bedding is good. I have been visiting this cottage on and off since 1972 and like it

The place was not clean, mouldy shower curtain, toaster only toasts on one side, rusty sink, hair in plug hole, fuses tripping, scaley old kettle, drains blocked, half a toilet roll, four forks all different, no tray for grill, no bin bags, TV didn't work, no broom yet a sign telling us we should clean thoroughly.

....I could go on.

Property is very dated.

TV not working but it was fixed on Saturday , this should have been seen to before we arrived on Friday.. No information in the property about where to hang wet suits, we learnt from others in Gullsway. No heating in the sitting room , no grill pan and poorly equiped kitchen We would not recommend Sandpiper but have booked another property with Sykes cottages for next year.

Amazing location for a beach holiday, with beautiful views from the huge garden.

We loved having a gate straight from the garden onto the coastal path - then just 5 minutes walk to the beach. The bedrooms were spacious with very comfortable beds and lovey bedding. Kitchen and bathroom were basic but everything worked OK. We really appreciated having a separate toilet and a second basin in the bedroom, so less queuing! More information would have been helpful (e.g. where the communal laundry room was) - but once we found it the washer was good, some beach gear available, but the tumble drier switch didn't work. But all in all, an excellent week. Polzeath had everything we needed, but was not too busy - even in August - making it a very relaxing holiday.

The cottage was in a lovely spot, with good views from outside.

If the owners would just prune the big Bush down outside the lounge window then you would have a better view. Whilst the property, on first glimpse, seemed clean enough, on closer inspection the cleaning left a lot to be desired. We unfortunately had to move beds and cupboards to get at sockets and find a working extension lead. Whoever cleans these properties clearly never cleans under or behind the beds as the amount of dust and cobwebs and dead bugs was disgusting. This was all bedrooms and behind sofas. There was even a big cobweb full of deadbugs behind the door in the loo so you saw it when sat on the loo. This was particularly annoying as there is a notice that says if you don't want to clean the propert before leaving you have to pay £25 for them to do it. I gave the place a thorough vacuum myself. We had to hunt for the TV remote at one point, only to find out that the lack of vacuuming extended to under the cushions of the sofas as well, not pleasant. In the kitchen behind the bin, this too was not properly vacuumed due to all the crumbs found. I swept the floor to clear up a spill but no dustpan provided to sweep up, so maybe that's why there were crumbs?!!The property is a little tired and kitchen and bathroom could do with an update. Otherwise surfaces were clean, the fridge was clean and so was the cooker. Yes the cooker is old fashioned but it worked perfectly well and both ovens were clean. There was very little in the way of house-keeping items so take your own. We had less than half a toilet roll left and none spare left for us ( I always take some just in case so was glad I did). There was only a small amount of washing up liquid left. No spare bin bags, although again I had taken some. Tea towels were provided. As there is a separate loo take some hand gel as no sink in there to wash hands in. The owners should really change the shower curtain annually as it was mouldy, which is to be expected with curtains but replacing it costs very little. One of the extension leads did not work but we found one in another room to use. Both bedside lights in twin room didn't work, one was missing a bulb which was found while cleaning on the day we left. These should have been checked prior to us starting our stay. Bedding was crisp and clean so that was good. There was enough crockery and cutlery (initially thought there not enough spoons but there were) and there were plenty of pots and pans to cook with. On the whole we had a great stay it was such a shame that the cleaning let it down. I hope your cleaners do a better job in the very expensive properties you run. I wouldn't rush to stay again as I would prefer a sea view, but would consider the other apartments they have in the property.

The location of this property is amazing.

So close to the beach and polzeath shops and restaurants. We have a dog and are used to booking cottages that look tired so we have no issues with this. The living area and the bedrooms were clean and comfortable. We slept well during our stay on comfortable mattresses with crisp white bedding. The only downside is the kitchen and cooking area. There are limited appliances that really need renewing. The toaster being one of these. The microwave was clean but the cooker is temperamental, some rings weren't fully working and there are only a few pots and pans. There are also very few dishes and cutlery and the mugs were tea stained. It was good that we'd seen the reviews and had decided to bring our own. We would stay here again but only for one or two nights.

Ok, firstly we would like to say that we were very grateful to the people who we rang to help guide us to find the property as the directions were inadequate as it didnt state from which direction you would be approaching.

secondly without their guidance finding the property even though we were in the right road would have been impossible as the name of the property could not be seen from the road, and you had to be facing the front the door to see it... no signs in the road at all!!! Then we would comment that the visual appearance of the property was apauling! the door looked ancient and delapidated.... the internal of the flat was expreemly disaapointing and old fashioned. When we arrived there was no welcome note, NO HEATING and NO HOT WATER... and no clue as to how to get hot water or heating!!! thanks to my husband he found the switch hidden in a cupboard, had i been there on my own i would not have had a clue....... The main bedroom the bed was very small, and the pillows were disintergrating... the bathroom was freezing and by todays standards totally unacceptable... the shower hose was disintergrating, NO TOWELS - this surley is a basic requirement... the TV was tiny and we found the hand control hidden down the side of a chair... the radiator in the second bedroom (where one of us had to sleep due to the small double bed) tthe radiator was behind a huge wardrobe...and thereofre inaccessable... there were cobwebs... and the floor in the toilet was clearly not cleaned... the best and only part that we enjoyed was the location being able to walk to the beach, but it ended there... NO VIEW to sea..so for us this was a VERY disaapointing trip... only blessed by the weather we were fortunate enough to have experienced.

This cottage I feel sullies Sykes names for cottages.

The shower curtain had mould on it, the curtains were falling off the rails and had holes in them, the crockery was cracked and there was hardly any plates or glasses I do not believe there would have been enough for 4 people, there was black in the living room, there was no grill pan, there was no ice container in the ice box, there was a hedge in front of the front living room window, the cottage was depressing, the door to cottage was not secure at all, the shower was prehistoric, there was no main bedroom light and the electrics do trip off. I feel this cottage is over priced and needs to be reviewed before any other holiday makers stay here. There was no love put in to this cottage.

property is in a brilliant location with the coast path at the end of the garden,ample parking and brilliant views.

polzeath is a short walk for supplies etc. the property was very clean and adequate but as previous reviews have stated needs a little tlc. curtains are falling of the rails, blind in bathroom wont move,very little crockery- had to buy two shorts glasses from tesco for our drinks to match etc. Overall had a lovely stay and no cause to really moan in these exceptional times!

This must be my 13th booking over 25 years with John Bray.

Your standards have slipped a lot. Sandpiper is not up to the standards I have come to expect from John Bray. The kitchen is very poorly equipped, with a cooker that continued to trip out even after attendance by an electrician. Fridge too small. Cutlery and plates are a random odd assortment. 2 odd wine glasses for a party of 4. We had to phone up John Bray to ask for a frying pan, which came the day later. This is just mean spirited and a complete lack of care, without any quality standards. Bedroom sink very slow to drain away. Insufficient plug sockets. It would take very little money to raise the property facilities to a basic standard, and I find it very difficult to understand why the owners and John Bray do not take the simple steps to achieve what I would describe as basic minimum expectations. If you want me to return as a customer I request your response to this feedback.

The crockery and kitchen utensils were very inadequate.

there were no bowls, 3 mugs for 4 people and 1 wine glass which broke in our hands whilst washing up. It would have been impossible to do any proper cooking in the kitchen. Turned round so that we wouldn't notice it, one of the sitting room curtains had 2 holes in it and dirty marks on it. Otherwise it was nice and clean and ideal for 2 teenage boys. I had great difficulty paying my balance this year. On line my booking number was no recognised, and contacting the office proved impossible by phone (I either gave up waiting or the phone just rang off without being answered). In the end, after a succession of reminders, I had to send cheque in the post. How do I get my (unexpected) £200 deposit back please? Will it be sent to me or do I have to contact the office? I appreciate that you have been experiencing technical difficulties this year during the merger. Margaret Barrett