Bunbury, Farley Near Alton Towers

We booked this property through Sykes Holiday Cottages expecting it to be as described "a luxury cottage furnished and decorated to a very high standard". This is not what we found upon arrival. Although it may have been as described several years ago, this property is now extremely tired and in need of complete renovation. It was unclean, damaged, and the furniture extremely tired. The first hour of our stay was spent documenting the extensive list of damage found, including damaged beds that simply could not be slept in. We also cleaned all the kitchen utensils as it had a grubby feel and we were not comfortable preparing or eating food until we had done so. We thought that things would improve if we remained patient with the owner and allowed her to deal with the issues. In fairness, the owner did send someone to replace one of the beds (propped up by a concrete block), replace the kitchen sink tap and carry out some additional cleaning. Had this not happened, we would not have remained there. The photos you will see advertising this property do not reflect the current state of it (as of September 2018) so it would be worth checking to so if the property has been refurbished since September 2018 as it could be a lovely place once again with some investment. Ending on a positive note, the property is sited as close as you could possibly get to the main entrance of Alton Towers - less than a five minute walk.

Just to let you all , know that the pictures is not the same as the place. These pictures have been taken in 2011, so don't be fooled. Nice area, Just that the place needs updating. One last thing found breeze blocks underneath the bed to hold it up,As fours of beds were broken. Paid £1,000 four nights, what a waste of money.

This place is so close to Alton towers. A five min walk and your at the ticket booths. The cottage was ok. Parking was great. Outside it looks lovely and there’s outdoor places to sit. Indoors was ok. We had a 1 year old and a 3 year old and it was not child friendly. The floors, fireplace, stairs and open plan made it stressful to keep an eye on a 1 year old. The beds were comfy and bathrooms were lovely. Great showers. I would stay there again if I was going Alton towers with friends or older kids. Location is worth it alone.

We were looking for a last minute break before school starts again, and found this cottage available to rent. The pictures looked perfect. A nice modern cottage within walking distance of Alton Towers, and within driving distance of the Peak District. The owners were friendly and very helpful once we had booked and we found the cottage without too much trouble. It certainly looks impressive when you pull up the private drive. The cottage is one of three with private gardens and a shared courtyard. However, we were a little disappointed to note that internally the cottage was starting to look a little tired from wear and tear over the years. Comparing it to the pictures, it is evident that it has gone a good number of years between major decorations. The lounge furniture was looking especially tired with the faux leather peeling and gouged in places. A leather style chair was also falling apart. This theme continued into the kitchen with a very smelly fridge, worn and missing utensils and crockery. Generally, the paintwork needs refreshing as there are a good number of scuffs and marks on most walls; especially bad in one of the twin bedrooms. We were also dismayed to find that we had to thoroughly clean the downstairs areas before we were comfortable preparing and eating food. We did email the owners with a list of items we felt needed addressing to ensure that families continued to have a comfortable and enjoyable stay and got a friendly response. We certainly hope that they give these tired areas some love because this cottage could be outstanding again. Certainly, the bathrooms were finished to a high standard in terms of fixtures and fittings but they also suffered from the need of a deep clean and redecoration. On a positive note, it was large enough for two families to share and our boys enjoyed playing in the field outside. The private courtyard garden with a slightly rusting and decaying but serviceable BBQ was appreciated. We would book again if these items were taken care of without doubt.

I thought the lounge/dining area was ideally suited to our purposes, with comfortable seating and the woodburner was there if required. The beds were comfy and the showers were lovely and hot! The kitchen was well stocked with utensils and plates etc. and there was plenty of space for all we brought with us. The owner was also very helpful with regard to offering to provide a cot and high chair. Overall we really enjoyed our break, we thought it was a lovely cottage in a nice area that was entirely suited to what we wanted. The Christmas tree was a lovely touch! Thanks to all.

Lovely stay in a great location just outside of Alton Towers gates. We used for a group stay of friends and wasn't using Alton Towers as out of season. Was good value for a girly night and fab accommodation :-)

Lovely location, very spacious cottage! Would love to visit in summer!

Very relaxing and away from the hustle and bustle. The location is very close to the Alton Towers Theme Park. There were sufficient bathrooms and generally very comfortable furnishings . Enjoyed the fire.

The property was extremely convenient for Alton Towers for those of our party wishing to visit. The cottage was good to come back to with a lovely deep bath to soak in. We had a great time spending this weekend with family and friends.

A really good weekend. The cottage has more than enough room for 3 adults and 5 teenagers. The location is very close to Alton Towers but in a beautiful rural setting and was very quiet. It was an ideal base for exploring the Peak district. Particularly liked the fact that keys were in a key safe so there was no pressure to arrive or leave at a particular time. We would definitely come back.

We loved our stay in your beautiful holiday home and had a fabulous time. If we could, we would definitely come again and would recommend. The children loved the cows!

The lounge area was spacious as was the eating area. Been going to Alton area now for 9 years and so far this is the best self catering cottage we have stayed in.

It was a family trip with one infant, and we all had a fantastic time. The location of the property for Alton Towers was just ideal. Communication with the owner was excellent, and she could not have been more accommodating to us. As a group we all could not praise the facilities any higher. First class!

The cottage was beautiful and in excellent condition. The views were gorgeous too. Would recommend and would definitely go again.

Lovely warm comfortable cottage. Beautiful views. Great location

Cottage was nice and warm, well furnished and location was excellent. Owners also very helpful and communicative.

The key arrangement was good. The bathrooms were excellent.

Very quiet as we came before Alton towers was open. Well situated for us as we had two very young children in the party - access to Dovedale, Ashbourne etc. We chose it as it meant we could accommodate children in separate bedrooms, and had granny accommodation downstairs for me!

The closeness to Alton Towers was wonderful while the peacefulness of the countryside was perfect.

The owner was very hospitable and accommodated our every need. I liked the trust policy applied to the logs for the fire. I thought this was wonderful. I booked the cottage for a friend's birthday and it worked as a perfect venue for our outing to Alton Towers at the weekend, followed by some serious relaxing the week thereafter. With the two adjoining cottages in the courtyard, we have already talked about hiring out all three spaces at some stage in the coming months so we can invite more people to share the wonderful experience we all had. I would highly recommend Bunbury and surrounding cottages as the perfect place to relax and get away from it all.

This was our second visit to 'Bunbury' so we knew what to expect. The cottage is gorgeous, with plenty of room. The beds are extremely comfortable and bathrooms amazing! The proximity to Alton Towers is just fantastic, you are much closer than the actual car parks. I would highly recommend it.

"It was a good price and great location for Peak District and Alton Towers. The kids enjoyed seeing the cows in the adjacent field."

Great location for alton Towers. Just across the road and round the corner - but quiet. Checked in by very friendly local. Set in courtyard with 2 other cottages - but own private yard/BBQ/seating.

Clean accommodation, tea, coffee and milk for when we arrived.

The cottage was absolutely gorgeous! The bathrooms were boutique hotel quality! The location for Alton Towers was better than the actual Alton Towers hotels! (Closer to the front entrance.) On returning home we decided to book again straight away! The owners were very helpful. Very highly recommended.

The lovely, peaceful location with great child-friendly walks. The cottage was perfect and we especially loved the big comfy sofa.

We went to visit Alton Towers for Halloween weekend. The location of the property was second to none - it was closer to the entrance of the park than the Alton Towers hotel!