Flat 7 Sand Acres

Flat 7 Sand Acres is very well located for direct access to water-sports in Poole harbour and the beautiful beaches of Sandbanks and Canford cliffs.

The flat comes with a reserved parking space and is well equipped with all the necessities for a few days visit. The Tesco Express downstairs is very handy. Whilst clean on arrival, the flat needs a deep clean. We may have got unlucky having booked the last week of the summer season - heavy limescale in kettle, loose toilet seats, mouldy shower runners. Sheets are a little tired and quite bobbly. The cupboards were very full of spare towels, sheets, a massive vacuum cleaner and several heaters. We arrived for a 6 day stay with a fair bit of luggage and struggled to find enough room for our belongings. Same goes for the kitchen - there is a handy selection of odds and ends in the cupboards (tea, spices etc) but very little room to store our own shopping. The oven, dishwasher and microwave were not clean. The dishwasher is a bit temperamental and repeatedly got stuck mid programme until eventually via trial and error we a shorter programme that ran fully. The flat manual includes instructions to boost the hot water but this didn't work for us until we fully reset the system. Possibly due to peak vs non-peak timing but regardless many cold showers before we worked out how to use it! Lastly a comment on the area - whilst a fantastic location in many ways, we found that there are very few restaurants in the area. Surprising given the number of holiday rentals nearby. Rick Stein and Pig on the Beach in Studland are well worth visiting but when looking for something a little more reasonably priced, there is only the Jazz cafe serving food until late afternoon and the Sandbanks hotel selling take away pizza. The beach stalls don't sell fish and chips to take away, only ice creams and sandwiches. Unless you're cooking every day during your stay, which we prefer not to do on holiday, options are limited!

The property’s location and views are exceptional uninterrupted across the world's second largest natural harbour where boats sail and pass across from one side to the other, particularly spectacular at sunrise and sunset.

The Tesco Express beneath is actually beneficial rather than an hindrance. Unfortunately though there is a BUT... The property was very poorly prepared, there was dust all over the bookshelves, kitchen, piles of dust brushed under the radiators and over the floor, and there was an old ice cream tub in the freezer. The dishwasher had that horrible stale dishwasher smell so we ran it with a tablet and it was fine. The oven had not been cleaned as there was still remnants of the last meal in there. We purchased cleaning fluids for the toilet and then that was ok. The windows had fingerprints all over them, the balcony needed sweeping, weeding and a coat of paint! The bedroom with the bunk beds (for the kids) was great no issues apart from the floor and dust... The main bedroom badly needs a coat of paint on one wall, the bed sheets were very old and bobbly and ready for the bin and when we came to leave and removed the sheets we noticed that the mattress', protectors and the pillows were stained, and the mattress had not been zipped in the middle so kept moving apart. The TV is a bit temperamental too but it has a HDMI and USB socket. So whoever cleaned and prepared the property for our arrival did so with no care at all and as quickly as possible. Being at the beginning of the season it should/could have looked fresh and ready but it was far from that.  Ironically, with all that in mind and once we had cleaned it, we had an opportunity to meet up with friends who were coming to the area in a few days so we tried to contact Sykes Cottages to see if we could extend the stay by two nights, easier to check that first than looking for an alternative hotel. I was given option 1,2 or 3 but every option and combination eventually just cut me off or directed me to the website where there was no option to request the extension. I found a WhatsApp number enquired about extending in a message and was advised that an agent would be in touch as soon as possible, this was on Wednesday, check out was Friday. I finally received a message on Saturday saying that as it is now over 24hrs they are no longer able to respond!  My complaint and review should really be directed at the management company Sykes Cottages but to the owners. It appears they are indifferent to the property’s condition and its occupants. Basic care such as providing new bed sheets, cleaning the property thoroughly and responding to calls and messages is essential operating practice for a holiday let company.  It is possible that the owners are not being informed of these issues as there is a heart felt story associated with the property and they would likely be upset to hear the issues mentioned. These are my personal views and will probably differ from others but this is an honest representation of what we dealt with. So avoid Sykes Cottages but do stay at the property, just take some cleaning products, double bed sheets and be prepared. It is all about location, location, location.

We had a wonderful stay in this special apartment.

It was very comfortable and homely, with a fabulous view across Poole Harbour. We didn’t want to leave! Thank you for an unforgettable experience.