Avoca

We have had a lovely return visit to Avoca.

It would have been helpful to have brief instructions on how to use the new dishwasher and oven. We look forward to returning again soon. We recommend Pityme Inn which has recently changed ownership.

Another lovely comfortable holiday, thank you.

Please can you repaint the hob diagrams of which dials turn which ring on. They rubbed off a long time ago. It's actually quite dangerous to have to guess which is the correct knob for each ring when a pan is boiling over! Since Sykes took over from John Bray it's almost impossible to report issues or speak to a human. Maybe have a guest book for reporting maintenance issues.

The accommodation was fine.

A little tired but everything you would need and exactly as described and expected. However, the customer service from Dykes was appalling, with requests for information ignored and their automated contact numbers often never being answered or never managing to sender simple queries. Request for information were left for days with an eventual automated response proving totally inadequate. We cannot blame the owner, but Sykes’s service was the wirst we have ever known.

Overall, a disappointing stay.

We love Cornwall, but we wouldn’t stay here again or recommend it to anyone. It’s such a shame, because the location has so much potential — but it’s painfully obvious that the owner has stopped caring about the property. Everything feels neglected and run down, from the scuffed walls and sagging furniture to the general lack of upkeep. Little things that would make a big difference have clearly been ignored for far too long. With a bit of care and attention, it could be lovely — but right now, it’s just tired, unloved, and not worth staying at the property!

I have stayed in Cornwall for many years and this property is my absolute favourite.

It is very comfortable and homely with everything you could need. The location is excellent, close to the beach and local shops. There is a nice enclosed garden and it really does feel like a second home - you can keep your posh hotels - I'd choose Avoca every time !

We loved our stay at Avoca.

After reading previous reviews, we were a bit anxious but it's a great house in a super location. The road is a tad noisy but that can't be helped. We are a family of 3 with a toddler and it was perfect for us. It's bungalow type style was great with a little one. There was plenty of room for him to enjoy playing both in and outside. The washing machine, tumble dryer and large extra fridge-freezer are all outside in the garage which isn't great when it's raining but much better than not having at all. Plenty of books to read, games to play and even books and some toys for little people. The wifi is great and the heating works really well. Would definitely book again and even a tad reluctant to leave such a good review as we don't want everyone to know about it and start booking there :)

Property in serious need of update.

Couldn’t believe the worn state of the lounge furniture.

We had a lovely holiday, Many thanks.

I have reported an issue with the oven to JB maintenance dept. It heats up ok, cooks for about 10 minutes, then makes a toxic burning smell and automatically turns itself off. I think it's a safety cutout? As others have mentioned in reviews, one of the sofa seats looks like a dog chewed it and needs re-covering. Might be an idea to bring a throw to put over it in the meantime. The garden is great to relax in in summer with some very comfy reclining chairs.

We have stayed at Avoca for several years and we love coming.

The only concern this year is that the furniture in the sitting room is extremely shabby and the cushion covers are threadbare and in holes on both sides on the main sofa. I really think they should be replaced or at least recovered. Otherwise we had a lovely holiday in our favourite home from home.

We enjoyed are say at Avoca, beautiful garden for children and dogs to play safe, the bungalow was very warm and welcoming with a homely feel, very clean throughout, well positioned in Rock to all amenities, we have enjoyed our stay and we will return.

Thanks Ali, John & Stanley the dog.

We loved the cottage.

We used the clothes rack to keep our towels as not much room to keep and dry them in the bathroom A hook on the downstairs bedroom door might help! Beautifully warm but no details on heating.. as it turned out we didn’t need to know! We struggled with the oven as it kept going off.. maybe I wasn’t using it properly. A lovely family home! Thank you..

Have been to Avoca many times in the past.

It is ideally situated in the village for shops and beaches. Plenty of parking space and nice enclosed garden for the dog. However, it could now do with a bit of an upgrade and a good clean. This did not spoil what was a lovely week, the star being the weather. Not sure if I will be returning to Rock though in the future. Too much building of huge houses and the forthcoming loss of the newsagents has made me realise that our best holidays are behind us.

Provided feedback when we stayed a year ago.

Thought they might have taken it on board - they haven’t. They clearly aren’t interested in spending any money on it so are happy for it to deteriorate further. Lovely location, just a shame that the property isn’t better looked after.

The house is great, it is an older property and could do with an update but it all functions perfectly well and actually the write up doesn’t really do it justice.

The house is perfectly equipped, we had a great time and would recommend the property

We have visited the area for many years, walking past this property countless times, always wondered if location was a negative ( opposite petrol station).

We can completely recommend this property, it really exceeded our expectations, there is no smell or intrusion from the service station, the garden is lovely & private. We loved the fact you could tell it was a well loved family property, really comfortable and welcoming, we have stayed in many properties better equipped/specced but this was our favourite stay in Rock. It is so convenient for dog walks/shops/enjoying the local area. Don’t be like is and wait 20+ years to book this! Thank you to the owners for sharing your lovely holiday home.

We had a relaxing stay, thank you.

A few suggestions based on our experience... we arrived in the dark and from the road it's impossible to see Avoca on the wall from the road. Please could John Bray update arrival guide to say access is via driveway across grass verge opposite texaco. Then (funny story here) when we got inside the gate, it was even darker, and when we got the key box open, we grabbed the first thing we felt, which was the big keys for the side kitchen entrance, which isn't very easy to open when you have to try 4 unmarked keys and the lock is so low down. Only later did we see the yale for the front door, lurking at the bottom of the key box! As it happens, using the side entrance was better given the amount of mud and sand on our boots from the storms. Please can John Bray fill in the information about heating and hot water timings and boost in the welcome pack. The page is blank, and the weather was very mild so we would have turned the heating off a bit more. Please can the owners fix all the broken window latches. If we returned in summer we would want to be able to open all the windows. To the people looking at that narrow stair case and wondering whether this house is right for them, it's easy to go up because the stairs are open so your toes fit. But it's tricky on the way down unless you twist your feet sideways or go down facing the stairs like a ladder. The hand rail stops half way up. We are fit people and we didn't dare try to get our suitcase up there. But the bed in the loft is the best mattress in the house. The divan bases of the twin room aren't supporting the mattresses v well. Personally I'd put a king size downsize in the twin room and 3 singles in the conservatory. Or get those single zip up beds that can be put together like hotels do to make a decent king-size double downstairs. The sofa is comfy and the living room is cosy. We had to buy an extension lead for the dvd player. Beware of the toilet seat lid which likes to fall down when you least expect it. The shower isn't powerful but it's not too weak either. There is an extra fridge and freezer in the garage which was very handy over Christmas. Kitchen is well equipped except extractor fan doesn't work. Thanks for a lovely stay.

'Perfect, cosy, great location'

Avoca is in a great position in Rock, however it is in serious need of some TLC, the furniture in the living room is not comfortable and requires an update, for my partner and myself the king size bed was in accessible as it was at the top of very steep steps and due to my infirmity was not practical.

There was a double bed in the conservatory we decided to use but for us the very soft matress meant sleep wasn't great. There was a shower over the bath but pressure wasn't great. The final problem for us was the heating was preset but at night the room was cold. Plus point was the great garden where we knew the dog couldn't get out. This could be a great place to rent with some modifications.

A little difficult to find as the name of property was hidden behind Ivy.

Some of the taps need adjusting as they drip Otherwise the property was perfect and very spacious for the 2 of us plus one small dog, great location will definitely Book again

Avoca is a lovely cottage in a brilliant location, it’s spacious with plenty of parking and walking distance to all of the local shops.

The beds are very comfortable, however the sofas really need updating, they feel like you are going to fall through them!! The kitchen has plenty of accessories and utensils for cooking and the added fridge freezer in the garage is a plus! We are booked to go back in April for two weeks and we are looking forward to our visit ( hoping the sofas have been changed!) Thank you Avoca for a lovely week.

Avoca is a perfectly proportioned, perfectly equipped and perfectly located holiday home in Rock.

We loved our stay and it exceeded our expectations from the photos. Thank you for letting us stay! Just a little note, the description of the key box location isn’t very accurate in the arrival email so that perhaps needs updating to help future holiday makers :)

Suggest checking the fridge in the kitchen .

Had milk and some dairy products " gone off " after a few days. Suspect the fridge is not working to the required safe temperature for meat and dairy products.Although there is a back up in the garage, not sure if that is working to proper temperatures either. One bathroom not really enough if six persons staying.Great garden and location. About 15 mins to walk to Rock harbour, but near to all the shops.

Shower didn’t work but was fixed same day.

However it isn’t the best! Not exactly a power shower! Garden is not dog friendly even with full complement of fences. Gates don’t close and fences are not secure on full perimeter. Serious problem especially as house on main road! Key lock box is at front door not on garage wall as stated on joining details. Location of property was superb but standard of accommodation was seriously lacking. Can’t fault response of your team though! Thanks.

Avoca is a well loved gem.

Comfortable, warm and inviting in a great location. Lovely big garden, very dog friendly.

It was ok for us - though expensive given the general state of the property - but I would be horrified to pay the peak season prices (we did look) for this accommodation

All good our perfect location walks straight from the door.

The property is a little tired but price reflects and it’s comfortable enough and suits us and our price range. You might like to check The key/lock for front door it’s a bit sticky and we were worried it would snap so used back door Will be back next year thank you

The property was large, clean and well equipped but tired and very dated which did not give a good impression.

Were not happy with John Bray has they changed the terms of our booking after we had paid the deposit. We sent an email to John Bray with our grievance but they failed to respond. Would not use John Bray again for this reason, not good practice not too respond to customer queries provides little faith in their service.

We really enjoyed our holiday at Avoca and it was perfect for us and Winston our doggy. It is ideally situated for the shops and of course lots of lovely walks, especially along the beach.

Thank you for finding and sending my phone charger, I doubt if it's the first time it's happened, but much appreciate the time spent finding and wrapping it up. Many thanks for a lovely week at Avoca - it was great to explore so many footpaths suitable for dogs - all new to us, we were more used to the Porthilly beach area. Thanks so much