Gullsway: Kittiwake, Polzeath

We have stayed at Kittiwake many times and it’s location and views are A1. Our booking with John Bray (now owned by Sykes cottages) was made pre-Covid and got delayed 2 years. When we arrived the property was not clean and we had to clean it before unpacking. We immediately notified Sykes via their web-site and sent photos but have never heard back. John Bray happened to call to check we had settled in and got a negative response. As a result we were delivered 4 scones with jam and cream but I’m afraid this doesn’t cut it. Considering rental agents say their properties are deep cleaned during Covid times that means this property should be very clean. In fact it was terribly dirty, with food on the surfaces, all sort of debris under the sofa cushions, dirty windows covered in children’s hand prints, dog hairs, etc etc. If you took a glass out of the cupboards you would have to wash it. The cupboards were filthy with sticky Marmite and other mess so much so we cleaned some of them. There were two dishwashers, both had the dishwasher tablet and rinse agent doors broken off. When you opened the dishwasher doors there was years of food debris under the door and there was food debris between the dishwasher and the worktop. I could go on all day. The floor mop sponge was worn out (clearly not from recent use) and was useless. There was an ironing board but no iron. The washing machine was in an outbuilding that was strewn with discarded belongings, broken items, cobwebs and filthy dirty. It’s such a shame as this could be a beautiful holiday cottage, but sadly it is neglected and extremely dirty.