Mill Pond

A brilliant little cottage, nice private garden, well equipped and clean, a smashing welcome bag of goodies

We had a lovely stay and it was a lovely cottage Perfect for us we would definitely stay again Only trouble with it , it was a nightmare to find.

We had a very enjoyable stay at the cottage and it was very well thought out with everything we needed.

It was a very peaceful location and not too far from the local beaches and shops. The welcome pack was much appreciated on arrival. The only issue we had was the gap under the fence at the rear of the garden, we had to block this with an upturned picnic table and some logs to ensure our dog did not get out into the private wooded area beyond. We had raised this with Sykes before we arrived but it was not fixed. We feel it could be very easily sorted with some mesh fencing being fixed to the bottom of the fence.

We found this property very clean and comfortable.

The welcome pack was thoughtful and useful for an arrival.

I would recommend Mill Pond, but the cottage is remote, even if one of a number of properties on site.

Particularly for late arrivals it is advisable to research its location in advance and a torch is essential for operating the key safe. For those with definite disabilities it is a reasonably steep incline from the car park, although the cottage itself is all on one level. Certain aspects of the interior probably need attention in the near future, eg the carpet to the sitting area which is badly stained and the bathroom fittings and the frig without a separate freezer compartment. Also, I wanted to use the wood-burner but there was no wood left and it was impossible to find wood over the Easter Weekend. And the all bells and whistles TV defeated me - the Live BBC channels kept breaking up. Problem with the TV or the internet connection ?

Wow!

Such a huge improvement on last year and so validating to see that previous customer reviews have been actioned in the main. The property was pretty much spotless, the glass cupboard was much improved and the previous damp smell had gone. So lovely to receive a hamper on arrival which was more than generous with really useful goodies to set up our stay. Very much looking forward to returning for the fifth time in November. Keep up the good work. Small points to consider - the laundry bag labels do need a rewrite - just need to say, please use rather than list your expectations! Fireplace needs cleaning out between guests and we look forward to the new shower in November which we understand has been recommended. But all in all, really great improvement and much appreciated.

Positives: The cottage and location amidst other holiday properties, the peacefulness of the place and amazing birdlife, was truly lovely.

The cottage was a reasonable size for two guests and two dogs. Close proximity to Rock, and other scenic places was great. The log burner added a welcoming touch to each evening, and gave a lovely glow and warmth to the room. Negatives Arriving in the dark, and in lashing rain, the cottage was not easy to find, even after arriving at the site. The cottage names are not recognizable in the dark, without approaching each property independently - something I did for over 20 mins before finding Mill Pond Cottage. Signage at the top of the road, would be very helpful. There is little lighting on the outside of the property. Opening the key code box was a nightmare challenge, using the torch light on my phone. My car got stuck in deep mud just outside the cottage on Friday evening, having pulled up directly outside to unload. Only then was a propped up sign saying 'no parking' discovered. Despite calling the emergency phone number, there was no response overnight until I called again on Saturday morning. A maintenance gentleman, on his day off, called at the cottage on Saturday c 11.30, and helped move the car out of the mud. I valued his support, but the late arrival meant I had been at the cottage over 20 hours, with no shopping, milk, tea or essentials. I had planned to get those from a local shop after arriving and unloading. A simple welcome pack in the cottage would have been greatly appreciated. The cottage was cold on arrival, and only really started to feel warm on Sunday evening. Departure was by 9.30am on Monday, so i did not have long to benefit from the warmth. I discovered the storage heaters were turned off at the socket which was unfortunately I bought logs, firelighters, kindling wood and matches, as there was very little wood supplied for the weekend, and the lighter had no fuel and did not work. I think the main grievance is that supplies have been left to run low in the cottage, so that even washing liquid for the washing machine, had to be squeezed out with water added, to make up enough for one short wash. Going out to buy matches and wood and lighters, was another bother. On Monday morning, with an early check out, compared to other holiday lets, I was greeted by a maintenance man just after 8am who was instructed by the management company that the cottage was empty, and some repairs or maintenance was needed. It was good of him to agree to go away and come back later, but ideally, the information about the occupancy should have been correct, especially after the maintenance visit on Saturday. t felt that each day of my weekend break was disturbed in one way or another. Finally, as I left, mindful of the precise instructions for departure and rubbish and recycling, in the (very unwelcoming), welcome handbook, i searched in vain to find bins for waste and recycling,. In the end, I drove back to the cottage and left the bin bag in the parking space. I did not want to start a 4 hour journey home carrying rubbish and recycling with me. Having bins near each property would be extremely helpful. in short, better communication, a warmer cottage, better lighting and more supplies for a weekend stay would have made a world of difference.

This was our third visit to Mill Pond.

This year it was a lot cleaner than last year and it serves us well. Positives are its layout works well, its location is ideal and it is quiet and relaxing and warm. However, the pervasive smell of damp is still a problem in the double bedroom and the quagmire of a garden means it cannot be used when it’s wet. The demands at the end of the holiday including stripping beds, cleaning and taking bins out to receptacles that are not nearby, do leave a sour taste though and take away from the relaxation of a holiday. The lack of a welcome pack and not leaving sufficient logs, for example, for a first fire are also a little mean/tight. To improve, address the damp, revisit the welcome pack and, whilst it’s fair to expect guests to leave the premises tidy, consider the impact of asking for excessive housework (especially in the presence of leaving demanding notes on laundry bags that don’t say please or thank you).

On arrival no welcome pack or even a tea bag to make a cuppa (not like many others we have had at other Sykes cottages where , tea , coffee & milk was provided ) .

2/3rds of a toilet roll in bathroom . Very poor . And on departure you are required to strip the bed linen and put it in laundry bag (also towels ) . When being charged over £100 a night i do not expect to do half the cleaning for them . Won’t be returning. Shame as it’s a nice place .

Property was very nice & well kept, clean etc.

Kitchen was well appointed with plenty of equipment & implements. Nice enclosed garden which our dachshund enjoyed. Would certainly recommend & rebook in future. A couple of observations. - no handsoap or shower gel provided in kitchen or bathroom. Was a bit awkward on our arrival date as we couldn’t get to a shop to purchase any. Would be useful to state these aren’t provided. - only 1 roll of toilet tissue provided (couldn’t find any others). Wasn’t an issue for us as we only had a short stay. - TV remote didn’t work. We found some spare batteries in a drawer & this resolved the issue.

The cottage was excellent and spotlessly clean, your cleaning team are a credit to you, my husband has allergies and he never suffered at all while we were there.

Only two little things , the front door light doesn’t work which made it difficult opening the key safe at night and it would be nice to have a full length mirror so us ladies can check how we look but a part from those two little things the cottage was home from home, excellent, thank you for a wonderful stay we will definitely book through you again, thank you. Wendy, Roy and Sophie

We had fabulous weather in April.

This area of Cornwall and mill pond cottage provided us with the best of coast, beach and rural. I have to say some comments on mill pond cottage reviews are questionable. I’m sure if it’s raining all week there are likely to be issues with the garden overlooking the pond, it’s not great anywhere if it’s raining! The parking and driveway down are no problem. I like the fact cars cannot drive down all the way to the cottages as with dogs and young children it makes life easier, it’s only 40 yards to the car spaces. Plus points are- peaceful rural location well away from noise and traffic, an easy living cottage layout, double aspects for sun in the morning and the evening. We enjoyed beach surf in the morning and the mill pond garden in the afternoon. Some minor points the owner could address. The cooker extractor fan and light does not work, it’s not the fuse. The kitchen is fine for purpose but a little dated. The shower is lacking power. There are plumbing noises on refill from the main tank I would have checked out. The Soft furnishings are ok..i would add an armchair. In the garden, our hound dog showed intense interest in a pheasant or two and I’d rather the fence went all the way down. If all the trees around the millpond are in full leaf there would be little direct sun to the garden and that would make a difference to our stay. On the whole though a unique little place to spend a week, thanks for renting mill pond to us, and we would happily book again.

Very comfortable, well equipped, a bit tricky to find on first arrival but all good from there on.

Very well situated for some very pritty coastal areas and beaches. If you have a dog with you Rock is a beauty.

Lovely stay in the cottage, quiet surroundings.

Bit hard to find initially - could do with a sign at the forks to help guide. Nice fully equipped kitchen etc. Private little garden with BBQ.

Lovely comfy place to stay.

John Bray really need to supply a Google map of where it is. Giving directions from Rock is just bizarre now we don't have to pick up the key first from the office. People are most likely to be travelling from the motorway. Property still needs basics like a washing line and decent outdoor table and chairs. Old slimy picnic bench is too wet to use most of the time. At least with plastic chairs guests could wipe them clean. I say this every year I write feedback... but please sort out the parking spaces. Mark out the bays. On the first week we had 2 really inconsiderate drivers taking up all 4 concrete spaces with their selfish parking while we parked in the mud. We saw a shrew running to and from under the washing machine, please check for holes in exterior walls? John Bray need to make it easier to report problems while on holiday via email as no phone reception in cottage.

This cottage was extremely difficult to locate.

Due to the expanse of the post code. Also when we did locate it the signage was far too small and partially hidden by shrubs. When booking I asked about parking, we were told we could unload and the car parking area was just across the road. NOT TRUE it was up a rather steep hill and as my husband is disabled and I can’t drive as I have an eye sight problem we had to park outside thr cottage. Luckily we have small car but anyone with disabilities with a larger car would have difficulties manoeuvring it. Other than that we loved the cottage which had plenty of crockery and cutlery.

The property exceeded our expectations in every way.

It was extremely well equipped with high quality bed linen and towels. It was a pleasure to sit out in the pretty garden looking onto the pond and trees in the sunshine. On the odd cool evening the radiators proved very efficient and we appreciated the peace and quiet of the location. This property is highly recommended

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Mill Pond.

The cottage was perfect - well-equipped, clean,comfortable and spacious. It's in a lovely spot and we enjoyed taking the ferry to Padstow, walking the coastal path ( especially from Port Isaac to Pentire) , cycling the Camel Trail, the beach at Polzeath and trips to Tintagel Castle. The only thing missing was a Visitor's Book to write our comments in!

Early on our stay we experienced electrical failure on power circuit.

I reported this to Sykes and then again in person at their local branch in Rock. Within minutes of arriving back in the cottage your repairer Ian arrived and identified the problem and fixed finally the next day. However, we subsequently had pro with the TV reception. On reporting again Ian returned immediately and reset the settings. Again however the TV signal failed a day later and we gave up. It needs resetting. We were very satisfied with your service but feel that other customers will have similar problems.

The property is in an ideal location for sightseeing perfect place to use as a base for all local attractions.

Perfect also for dogs, walks very near by, the garden is amazing with the small stream at the bottom of the fenced off garden. We have no complaints at all apart from,( perhaps the directs to find the cottage may be a little better!) we will definitely book a return visit. Thank you to the owners for renting out a beautiful property.

Mill Pond is a gorgeous and cosy getaway!

Such beautiful features in the property itself and the location is very quiet and peaceful. We loved it here ❤️

Had a lovely holiday, cottage lovely, surrounded by birds song as always.

New sofa is huge improvement thanks. I think this is the 4th time I'm writing this feedback, but please put up a washing line outside! And the picnic bench is still rotten, please replace it with easy to clean plastic table and chairs. The car park is badly maintained, it rains all the time and turns into a muddy bog, site manager needs to clearly mark the 4 car parking spaces on concrete so we don't get selfish parking like we suffered. And please put down some hard-core. The new locked bollard stops people from unloading heavy suitcases which is now a major negative for disabled or elderly, given the waterlogged carpark up the hill, which makes packing up on the final day a difficult grim muddy experience.

Wonderful holiday.

So clean and comfortable. Very well appointed and warm. Lovely log fire was a real plus for that hygge vibe. Would definitely go again. Only comment that may help those with mobility issues is that ‘technically’ you can’t park right next to property although we did and it wasn’t a problem. Also it is at the bottom of the hill so garden was too waterlogged to let dog out due to muddy paws although front area could be used for the doggy calls of nature. Overall though - just wonderful.

We enjoyed our fortnight in the cottage.

It was clean, comfortable and spacious. We were impressed by the quality appliances, all of which were Miele. However, we were bemused that there were no spare toilet rolls and only one bin liner was provided for a two week stay Also, we had driven a long way and we were disappointed not to find a Welcome pack on arrival. The weather was good so we were out and about. The cottage and surroundings were beautifully peaceful and for anyone wanting to get away from noise and people it is the ideal place

We had a fantastic stay!

We would like to return and would recommend to others.

I would never recommend this Cottage to anybody it is advertised as dog friendly with enclosed garden seating area and barbecue area but it is full of slugs and any time you let your dogs outside they came in they came in covered in baby slugs,even though we had fantastic weather it never dried out there.

it never got any sunshine so we had to sit at the bottom of the drive to get any sunshine and keep the dogs slug free. The rug at the side of the double bed caused a accident because no matter how much you pulled it flat it creased up and when my wife got up in the night to go to toilet she triped any fell head first into the radiator and chair next to it finished up with a large lump on her forehead two black eyes abadly strained wrist and bruises all down her chest and I have photos of her.

This is our third stay at the complex but the first stay in Mill Pond Cottage.

The cottage is spacious and well equipped. We particularly liked having both a washing machine and dryer as this was the second cottage in our two week stay so needed to easily refresh clothes. We marked cleanliness at the lowest rating as there were significant dog hairs from a previous visitor and the property hadn't been cleaned to remove these. Our children are allergic to dogs; as a consequence it required us to both leave windows open at night and apply allergy medicine sprays to our youngest on several nights. If this had been marginally worse we would have had to vacate and finish our holiday early. Other comments: no outside hose for wetsuits, no clothes line we could see, no decent wine glasses, toaster broken as need to hold down to operate.

Lovely hidden away spot.

The owners have really thought of everything.... never thought I would see Miele white goods in a holiday let! The only very slight problem I had was me failing to work out how to get hot water out of the kitchen / bathroom tap - didn't matter to me tho. Also there were no wine glasses.... so I left some!

Great time in North Cornwall as usual, and great time at Mill Pond.

Blessed to have been able to stay a week there. Charming, cosy and perfect for a small family like ours

We have previously stayed at another barn in this complex so already had an idea of what to expect.

Having read some of the reviews about cleanliness were a little concerned, however the property was clean and well maintained so no complaints from us. The only moan we have is there was a gap in the fence in the back garden (we have a dog) which had a drop and ditch the other side and meant there was access to a very deep pond (hence the name) covered in algae which is life threatening to a dog. Luckily our dog is a large breed and we blocked the gap with the garden table, this does need addressing. Only other moan is sofa is very low so anyone older will find it difficult to get up from. Had an enjoyable stay property is ideal for exploring local coastline, lovely quiet location would definitely use again.

Lovely 'hidden away' comfortable cottage.

3 issues: - no welcome / information book - garden fence incomplete, so not dog friendly - only obvious dog walking from the cottage was along the local roads

It was on the whole a very nice stay in a comfortable and convenient cottage.

The only two comments I'd make was that the kitchen wasn't very clean (there was food stuck on several plates and the kitchen surface was very greasy) and the internet password I'd been emailed was wrong, which wasa bit of a problem - Ian managed to get me the right password the next day and checked it all worked and was geberally very helpful.

I was completely miss-led by your advertisement for Mill Pond.

You made it clear in your listing that this cottage comes with WiFi. The fact that we arrived for our two week stay and WiFi was NOT installed in the Cottage has made me very upset. It rained our entire first week and with two kids under 8 we expected what we had paid for (WiFi). I have had to do ALL the chasing to rectify this (BT turned up at 08:00 on a Friday, seven days into our stay) making several phones call from up the lane as the Cottage has no reception in it. John Bray staff (Jess/Penny) promised return calls and also to compensate us for an entire week without the internet. So far I am yet to receive any said compensation. It seems that actually if you read the small print your contract is with the Landlord of the house and NOT John Bray (TBC). As a result it is easy for them to now act as the middle man claiming they cannot get in touch with the Landlord to discuss said compensation. A VERY frustrating first week of our holiday could have been avoided with not miss-leading us on the listing AND then nip it in the bud by honoring what you said you would do and close the case.

Thank you it was all wonderful, very nice house indeed. Excellent miele washer etc