Porthilly Greys

Great property in an excellent location, just a pity that when we arrived there was no welcome pack containing for example:- - extra loo rolls - tea bags - kitchen roll or towel - candles Also a few sharp knives would have made our life easier, however we did have a very enjoyable holiday.

Fitted very well for our group of 6.

I know we were only there for 2 nights, but it may have been nice to have left a small welcome pack? First time I have been to a house where nothing had been left. Three further things: We were unable to locate the fuse box - we did not need it but always check in case they may be a problem - it said it was in a hall cupboard but we could not see it and wondered if it was in a cupboard that was locked? EV charger - we had awful problems connecting to this. We did not know there was a lead in the hall cupboard that was long enough as nothing is mentioned. All that is said is that you need to download the Easee app- we did this but it kept asking for serial no’s and PIN codes. We assumed we needed the app to pay for the charge, but all you need to do is plug it in and the charge starts automatically!! This needs updating in the email that is sent out as a lot of time was wasted on trying to connect via the app which you do not need to do.

We love Porthilly grey as a property and what a beautiful location.

This is our 4 th visit . It is so comfortable and beautifully furnished . You can’t help but relax straight away .

This is the third family break we have had at Porthilly.

Not cheap, but worth the cost, and a perfect bolt hole for a large group, with 5 bathrooms and 5 double bedrooms, a large kitchen diner and two lounge rooms. Ample parking is available and the kitchen is well equipped, except there was a distinct lack of welcoming essentials. There was virtually no toilet roll and no hand soap in the bathrooms, no dish soap in the kitchen. No milk or other hospitality items were left, which don’t cost a lot compared to the good will they generate. A small complaint and an otherwise great holiday retreat.

Been to property several times and love it!

Layout of the house not ideal with space around the dining table very limited.

The garden could be made more usable and do with more maintenance. There was limited amount of garden furniture and some repairs were required.

Excellent cottage with lovely rooms and bathrooms.

Particularly liked the 2 lounges that works v well with 10 adults sharing a house! Would definitely come back - thought 'annexe' meant a separate building but just meant downstairs bedroom. This changed our plans slightly as had a couple who were not family were going to have the annexe. Thankfully rooms were so good we worked it out. Issue on arrival dealt with immediately by SYKES. During stay couldn't get the QOOKER to work but didn't need it. Outside area great for adults but if you have dogs they can escape over the back wall to chase the rabbits in the field opposite so beware! Shame the grass didn't get cut as it was long and got longer through the week but that's such a small detail under the circumstances. Loved the venue. Loved the location. Loved the time we had.

The accommodation was superb.

The building improvements excellent. The location is also very good. Conversely, John Bray has lost its way through a lack of personal touch inability to answer simple questions and a total reliance on technology. This aspect was exceedingly disappointing. Ultimately it opens up the market to alternatives. The overall score would have been a 10 without this factor

Great place all round.

All our friends said they would love to come back again. ( the weather was perfect!) I think a few instructions on the equipment would be helpful. Heating/Dishwasher mainly. Also need to tell quests that no logs etc are supplied. I knew that as been to Cornwall and it seems the norm. Thanks once again for a fantastic place to stay.

We absolutely loved this place!

! Beautifully decorated with a mix of new and old. The social area was perfect for our family gathering. Great location to walk across Porthilly Beach and either walk in the dunes to Daymer bay or catch the ferry to Padstow. No faults or negatives. We’d definitely look to return

A beautiful property, in a peaceful setting within walking distance to the beach which was great for dogs.

Do not heed the floorplan, for example there are two staircases, no kitchenette in the annexe and the layout of upstairs does not show the bathroom between bedroom 1 and 2, to name but a few. Both staircases and the stairs to the lower lounge from the kitchen (which is not shown on the floorplan) are open. Next time we would take our stairgates as there is no secure area to accommodate dogs at night, which is surprising for a dog friendly property, we did not want to use the lounge (which had a door) as we did not allow dogs on the sofas. The kitchen/diner is well stocked and a lovely room enjoying views of the garden. Communication with the company is not easy. Having stayed in a very many holiday properties we were surprised that there were no welcome goodies, not even a pint of milk or any supplies to start the fire (although the log burner did not work). The beds and bedlinen were very comfortable, the bedrooms well accommodated and the showers are the best! Parking was easy and plenty of space. Unfortunately we had to leave a night early as 09.30 is too early if you have older or disabled party members who cannot rush. Our issues are mainly relating to the holiday company rather than the owners. A lovely property loved by all our party and we would definitely come back.

We stayed here 30 years ago and were keen to see how it has changed since then.

Wow: it has been renovated and restored to a high level whilst retaining a relaxed and casual feel - perfect for holidays. Having two lounges, one modern and one traditional in character was both appealing and useful with 10 family members able to spread out and do different things. We loved the bifold doors extending the kitchen area out into the garden so those on cooking duty could chat to those relaxing on the patio. We were all in agreement we need to stay for longer than a weekend next time.

There were several things that were disappointing about the property, which is a great shame as the house could be incredible.

First was the appalling lack of customer service from John Bray. We had a small query about the coffee machine at the house, which is a very specific model, to ask if any pods were provided (they were not), sent a month before our holiday. After contacting various times they finally sent a reply to say they didn’t know, two weeks after the stay which was completely useless, and in general contacting the owners was impossible as the only phone number given was the main John Bray/Sykes number. The house itself had various maintenance issues, broken showers and faulty plumbing, overflowing shower trays and with five bathrooms plus the kitchen sink we expected basic supplies like hand soap - on arrival we had to immediately go out to buy six hand soaps, not what you expect in a luxury holiday home. The outdoor shower was completely broken, as was the washing line, and no hangers were provided on the wetsuit hanger outside. All the outdoor furniture was packed away shoddily in the shed and dirty, however the house itself was very clean on arrival.

The property was so lovely, quiet and comfortable.

My only negative was there was no welcome pack with details of local restaurants, details about the house which is unusual. Well kitted out would have liked more sun!

The house itself was absolutely beautiful and in a wonderful location.

It was impossible to get hold of the John Bray team though to ask a few questions despite trying to call, whatsapp and email... That part wasn't so seamless.

A couple of problems with plumbing and door locks swiftly sorted out by Brays maintenance team

This was a fantastic property!

It had everything need for a great stay.

We had a problem with the coffee machine and were told someone would come to look at it but that didn't happen.

The shower fixings were not in great working order in 2 of the bathrooms. However, it is a lovely property in a fantastic location.

We liked Porthilly Greys and generally it worked well for us.

We loved the quiet location, the proximity to the beach, Fee's etc. The two sitting rooms (shown in the photographs but not the floorplan btw) worked well and the kitchen was generally well equipped. My only gripe would be that there are a number of pans in the cupboards which we had to find out the hard way do not work on the induction hob, so why are they even in the house? I would also have liked a microwave, which are cheap as chips these days but are very welcome after a day out for heating up leftovers without the inconvenience of a pile of pans to wash up. We were not able to connect the car to the the electric changing point even with a five metre connecting cable as it is so far from the road and we felt this should have been made clear on the details or a connecting cable provided. We had a problem with a flood related to a blocked shower drain on one occasion and were super impressed with the maintenance team from John Bray. The house needs a 'useful information' pack and it would be good to have an inventory of what is provided in the kitchen prior to arrival. Overall if you can sort out these minor niggles it will be a perfect spot for a family break.

Overall very happy but there was no microwave which was a bit of surprise in this day and age.

Also a couple of the pans did not work on the induction hob.

A well furnished house for our large party to stay in.

Adequate room to all be together but also if some wanted to spend quiet time. Short walk to beach. Excellent bakery and places to eat in short walking distance as well as the foot ferry across to Padstow

Beautiful house with lots of space.

Lovely location, close to the beach and about 10 minute walk across the beach into Rock if the tides out. The house was clean - bathrooms and clean bedding but the rest of house needed a good clean. Worktops weren’t that clean in the kitchen and there were so many flies and fly poo everywhere. It is situated next to a farm which is probably the reason for the flies. However, we did have a lovely week and would go back there.

Beautiful location and great property.

Only issue was to do with the three days we were without hot water and the very slow response and numerous calls on the Friday to get it fixed. Overshadowed what would have been the perfect week.

We really liked the cottage and the facilities but it was not finished.

It started badly when the key safe was the wrong the number so we could not get in but this was sorted out quite quickly. The WiFi was not working but this was eventually sorted out on the Monday, the hot water failed on the Sunday morning and wasn't fixed until Monday evening. In the annex building, no curtains were fitted in the bedroom instead a large screen needed to be unraveled and put in place every night. The smoke/heat detector had a dust cover over it (this is bordering on the illegal) I would have taken it down but it was too high up on the ceiling. No mirror was provided at the sink. Instead their was a mirrored cupboard to the left which was not fully assembled inside. The room was partly furnished with a bed, side tables and a chair. No hangers were provided in the wardrobe. The balcony would have been used if seats were provided. Downstairs in the new living area cooker parts were still on the floor. The photograph of the garden was not a good representation of what it really looked like as it was very uneven in places and the grass was unusable. The response from the Sykes team was good and they were very helpful when approached about the problems but these should have been fixed before it was rented out.

We have been coming to Porthilly now for 45 years.

We have never stayed at Porthilly Greys before but it was most enjoyable.

Unusually, in my lengthy experience with John Bray (JB), there were a couple of big issues to overcome on our arrival at Porthilly Greys.

There was a mix up with the keys to the annex and when we got entry there was no linen on the annex bed. Obviously, after lengthy journeys from London and Lincolnshire, this was rather frustrating. However, JB’s emergency number was manned by James, who very efficiently sorted everything out and personally made up the bed when he arrived with the bedding. Porthilly Greys is an interesting, comfortable house in a splendid position with conveniently close access to Porthilly beach and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We would be very happy to return in the future.

We loved the house and fully enclosed garden, it was ideally positioned for walking our dog on the beach and for the local pubs and shops. We didn’t need to drive anywhere which was marvelous. The house was warm with the extra radiators provided, and the king bed was super comfy. We had a super time and are very likely to rebook next year if available.