Downalong

We loved Downalong and it was our second stay there.

It’s a beautiful house in the perfect location for us. Everything that we look for in a great holiday house. The only thing we weren’t impressed with was the service from John Bray. No help with the booking process when requested, no reply to online chat or to email for a simple enquiry, 45 minute wait to answer the phone! Downalong is an amazing place to stay, we hope to be back in 2027.

We loved it, perfect for family Christmas.

We would like to book again for next year

Downalong was an excellent holiday home for 12.

Well equipped for indoor and outdoor entertainment and sensibly furnished. There was a leak between two bathrooms upstair A problem the Agent was awareness and quickly resolved. Bottom of fridge full of water. Agent aware.

Lovely big house with great facilities in a good position.

Couple of niggles; the couple sleeping in the master bed thought that perhaps some slats might be broken on the left side as one faces the bed as it felt like there was a big dip on that side. We couldn’t unlock the front door so used the other one, this had been noted by your employees who called round on the first day to check the pool table. We didn’t want to have a maintenance person round at that time to interrupt us so it was left, needs looking at though. We liked the house overall and would stay again!!

Absolutely loved staying at Downalong.

It was perfect for our family holiday, 6 adults & 2 dogs. Spacious & comfortable. It is probably ready for updating parts of it but it suited us perfectly with our dogs. Games room was an huge hit as was the fire pit in the garden as we had some cool evenings Beaches easy walking distance as was Polzeath with choice of eating places & shops.

We love Downalong, it’s such a treat to stay in such a fabulous house.

Very efficient run up to our holiday, thank you Sykes. Perhaps a bigger drinks fridge in the laundry would be an enhancement. Hopefully we can have the same week next year - please!

Facilities were good - trampoline was the big hit with the family and grandchildren.

Property details makes mention of clearing up from own dog - however we found a lot of historic dog mess on the lawns. Details also mentioned clearing cupboards of food remnants - two cupboards were full of historic bottles etc and store room by back door was full of stuff making it unusable by guests. The kitchen implements are very mixed up and fill a lot of the drawer space. We couldn’t find duvet covers and sheets for the two slide out beds. I reported the leaking freezer ice maker and was not aware of any maintenance visit. I’m being quite ‘picky’ - but it is a very expensive upmarket property. Loved Flo’s deli’ and easy access to Daymer Bay.

Downalong was airy, spacious and beautifully appointed.

Perfect for a large family holiday with everything you could need provided.

Such a lovely house- thank you!

Surprised that there was no hand soap in the bathrooms. House information pack was not on display- we had to dig around in cupboard to find it. Clearer instructions on recycling and bins would be helpful. Some tennis rackets left out would be nice. Crockery and cutlery was very ad hoc- given the quality of the house- would have been nicer if curated and better quality.

Great house with excellent facilities and ideal for a large family holiday.

Many thanks!

Fantastic property for holiday with friends/ family.

Lots of space for everyone. Games room is a real plus for kids Bedrooms comfy Kitchen really well equipped

There are no decent mirrors in some of the bedrooms only small portable ones Most of us prefer a shower, and there was only one decent shower and that one was extremely slippery, those of us who had to have a bath and they were lovely deep baths but no handles to help you get out, some found this very difficult

Lovely property would return barbecue had not been cleaned and a toilet seat was missing otherwise excellent

Our second year staying at Downalong and once again we had a great holiday .

The high quality accommodation , the great location and excellent sports facilities were very much enjoyed by all my family and partners and it was nicely finished off with some decent British weather !!

We had a great stay at Downalong.

The owner has provided everything you need to enjoy the property (plenty cookware and utensils, ping-pong bats and lots of balls, cushions for the outside seating, barbecue, very nicely done bathrooms, a brilliant drying room, plenty towels, sonos speaker system etc). And it is a lovely property for good weather (the terrace area gets sun from pretty much sunrise until about half an hour before sunset) and there's plenty of space inside for rainy day hanging out too. A couple of things that might want looking at before they break: Quite a few missing bolts on the stools around the kitchen island - if they get fixed they'll last much longer A few missing / loose bolts on the outside chairs need attention - again so that they don't break unnecessarily The catch on the bin in the kitchen is a bit temperemental. It does work but it will go eventually and Brabantia do supply spares for a few pounds as opposed to buying a whole new bin - you might want to get one at some point. There are no wire racks for the top oven (that we could find). It needs one or two or it's hard to use it. There are couple of fixings in some of the rooms that need to be fixed. But great place, happy feel to it and would strongly recommend.

A beautiful home in a fantastic location let down by poor cleanliness and ongoing maintenance issues that you wouldn’t expect at any holiday let especially not one in this price bracket.

TV’s all stopped working mid stay and were still being looked at when we left. No information in the property folder about the hot water and heating systems. We had no hot water in downstairs bathrooms for a couple of days until Sykes staff turned it and heating to continuously on. Two downstairs bedrooms then became unbearably hot despite thermostats being set to 18 degrees. A further visit by someone who looked at TV and heating claimed to have fixed this but did not, so heating had to be turned back to Auto timings and bedroom windows opened for a few hours before bedtime to try and cool the rooms. 25 degrees is too hot and to someone who has underfloor heating at their own home suggests either failed actuators or stuck zone valves. A top oven/microwave with no shelves, a chair with stains and springs protruding under the seat and a kitchen drawer with a vast mixture of odd utensils probably collected over the years, some that clearly need discarding, all give a poor impression. Someone should replace several downlight bulbs that don’t work and a few labels on the many light switches would help. The light switch for the downlights in the boot room needs checking as it causes the lights to flicker off and on unless held down, so best left off and use the switch outside the room. How do you turn the outside lights on; would be useful when unloading the car. The John Bray emergency phone number in the folder was not answered. Thankfully Sykes phones are staffed at weekends, but it seems to me that appropriately knowledgeable staff weren’t sent soon enough, or at all. It’s not reasonable to expect general maintenance staff to know how to fix complex underfloor heating systems and tv distribution systems that vary from one property to another. After the first visit specialists needing sending immediately to get the issues properly diagnosed and fixed rather than allowing the issues to remain and drag on until after our holiday was over and those paying even more for Xmas week turn up.

We had a lovely stay there.

We really enjoyed our stay and couldn't fault the property at all.

All my family , their partners and my in-laws loved the property and it provided everything we were looking for in a holiday property.

As a sport focused family the tennis court was great and the access to the bays at Polzeath and Daymer Bay was perfect for surfing , kayaking , paddleboarding etc. The property was very well appointed and when we identified a few minor issues these were immediately dealt with by John Bray to our total satisfaction. On leaving all my family agreed they would love to come back.

Property is great - a perfect large family venue.

There was no hot water for a few days in the downstairs but the facilities team fixed it quickly once notified. One or two of the gas rings aren't working easily. Overall however we all loved it.

Unfortunately I have many complaints about this property which I made clear to John Bray at the time.

I am afraid the following issues need to to addressed: New boiler; I had to call the engineer three times after many tepid showers. Maintenance; lightbulbs missing. Indoor sofa's worn and stained. Only two working table tennis bats. Outdated and complicated tv system. Outdoors; Garden borders very untidy around the patio. Cleanliness - Outside Patio; Broken chairs scattered, ash left in plastic bags, patio not swept, broken parasole, broken football nets. Cleanliness - Inside; Ants on kitchen worksurface, dishwasher only half emptied, cutlery drawer a mess, all very old kitchen utensils and pans. It is a shame because this property is in a lovely position, but it was not a pleasure to arrive at and we found ourselves immediately having to tidy it up, particularly the outside patio area.

Downalong is a truly magnificent property and the perfect setting for our family holiday.

The property itself has so much to offer and we made good use of the tennis court, table tennis and pool table (it’s a shame the trampoline was taped off). We also enjoyed the beaches at Daymer Bay, Rock and Polzeath. It was a bonus that we didn’t need to use the car to get to these beaches but could reach them via the nearby coastal path. We had a wonderful time. However, a few issues that need to be addressed. Dog muck had been left on the lawns. I had to scoop it myself so our children could play outside during some sunny February weather. When more was discovered on the first full day of our holiday, I contacted John Bray. Someone arrived to scoop the remaining piles at 9.15am on Friday just as we were leaving the property. The oven hobs were temperamental, several not working at all (something I read in previous reviews but had been assured was addressed). Finally, we love that the property is free of clutter, it’s one of the joys of getting away to a clean open space. However, the property lacked basic items of furniture like bedside tables. The twin room just had a lamp perched on a metal chair. As I say, we had a wonderful time at Downalong, but these little issues were a frustration.

House and garden were lovely, plenty of room, well positioned, guide on how to use everything in the house would be useful, only downside - it was a pity about all the cobwebs and empty water bottle found under bed in downstairs bedroom on arrival.

Lovely, spacious house, ideally situated and perfect for a family holiday.

The outdoor space could have been tidier on our arrival and the grass clearly hadn’t been cut for a while, nor was it during our ten day stay in peak growing season. However, almost all feedback re the house extremely positive. Small negatives: no weighing scales in the kitchen, blunt ‘sharp’ knives. Strange that the only bathroom not to have a shower is the master suite. We had a great time.

We loved the property and it was perfect for a family holiday.

We noted some of the previous feedback about the cooker / oven and would like to provide feedback on that also, The oven was not in good working order. The shelving not secured to the sides and as a result an entire tray of cooked food fell into the oven and caused a lot of mess etc. The dishwasher kept giving us a blocked F11 fault and we purchased a dishwasher cleaner from the SPAR and ran it through but it might be worth owners doing this after week long visits to make sure the appliance in good working order. The air-conditioning/heating was very difficult to work out and as a result the rooms would be too warm at times. A number of the bedroom blinds were either close to breaking or broken and probably need some attention. What would be REALLY helpful is a full manual of the household. A compendium that lists in one place all the facilities of the house and how to use them (and what to do if something goes wrong) as each home has its own quirks and trying to work out cook tops/ovens/dishwahsers/airconditioning units etc is time consuming and frustrating. A handy go-to manual of all things and troubleshooting for the property would be really helpful. That said, the team at John Bray were extremely helpful and prompt in providing assistance with handymen on the issues we reported and we were very grateful. We loved our experience overall and the property and would love to return again for a longer stay. Thank you!

Another wonderful holiday at Downalong.

Superb position and every comfort provided for all generations! Much appreciate the new trampoline for the little ones. Would love to come back next year.

The property was very tired, and needs some updating particularly at the rates being charged.

When we arrived outside was a complete mess. I have photos if you would like them. It was not a great start.

This house is fabulous, the pictures do not do it justice.

It is in an ideal position near the beach and village. Lovely grounds ideal for dogs. Close to some amazing walks along the coast. The house has vast amounts of space for families to stay. The cinema room is ideal for people to relax away from the rest of the house. Small giggles- 1 hob burner doesn’t work, some shelves in the fridge door are missing and no potato masher lol

The house is fantastic as is the location.

This is the second time we have stayed at Downalong and it had the same issues as last time which is really disappointing as the visits were 18 months apart. The top oven has no shelf, one job doesn’t work and there are no instructions on how to use the complex oven and hob. Also this year there is a lack of door shelves in the fridge which was particularly annoying. Everything else is great but these problems in the kitchen do slightly spoil your holiday