Laura

2 weeks ago

We had a wonderful weekend with another family, and the property met all of our needs. The location was ideal. The only downside was the presence of flies in the upstairs bedrooms. Some of the fixtures and fittings were a bit worn, but they didn't ruin our weekend.

Brittany

1 month ago

Great place to stay. The only thing i am disappointed in was the amount of dead flies in the bedrooms. We had to hoover them all up

Neve

1 month ago

We checked in to a beautiful spacious home. To later find flys in every window… leading to us finding a flys nest in one of the bedroom windows. This bedroom had around 100+ flies on the window, there is no way the cleaners missed this. After dealing and killing flies for the first hour+ of our arrival. That night in the same room we are met by dead flies and woodlice in the bed, under the quilt, on the pillows. Resulting in 2 adults sleeping in the other room in small bunk beds, where we then found a dead beetle. There were dead woodlice on the living room floor. The room on the second floor, smelt so strong of smoke - like someone had smoked 20 cigarettes in there. We had to air the room out and go out and purchase an air freshener. One of the ovens were broken and they didn’t have some basics such as scissors. The house its self is a lovely home. But need a deep clean and some TLC. Host & stay were shocking and had no remorse over our issues we had to deal with during our stay.

Julie

2 months ago

the place could be have cleaned better the sides had not been cleaned down when we arrived which was a surprise as we were told to check out by 10 but the cleaners were there at 9.45 bagging on the door ( so no lie ins for you! )
there was no cleaning equipment for us to clean down surfaces so had to nip to the shop which was a 10 min lovely walk , and village was treat for a night out for us all just lovely and 20 mins from york !
the left oven did not work which was a bit of a pain as we were cooking whilst there, and the showers didn't drain very well, resulting in a bit of a pong in one the rooms when we arrived all in all tho a great place a great location just needs a check in with the owners to make sure everything is up to scratch x would deffo visit pickering again x

Elaine

2 months ago

Nothing...the property was littered and unkempt outside on arrival.

On entry, the property smelled stale and airless. It was unclean throughout, with dead flies on window ledges, lights that didn't worked and tired decor (unlike photos). There were signs everywhere stating we couldn't open windows (in high summer), blinds broken, stained toilets. The back garden was overgrown, littered and clearly hadn't been looked after. We refused to stay at the property and found alternative accommodation. Host & Stay were very unhelpful & we would not recommend them.

Sarah

3 months ago

Although large in size, and with great views the house is in needs of some TLC, a good deep clean inside and out, updated kitchen equipment, windows the cannot be open in this heat and to sort the squeaky floorboards.

Pamela

3 months ago

Quirky with lots of character

It needs some basic maintenance repairs and the garden needs tidying and trimming back

Jonathan

3 months ago

Good sized rooms and comfortable beds.

The property was found dusty, unkept and dirty. It desperately needs some TLC as it is tired and worn. Some areas were dodgy, lifting decking boards, electrics flickering or not working.

Christine

4 months ago

The location of the property is great, right next to the castle and less than 10 mins walk to Pickering. The property is also spacious, plenty of room for a family gathering. It’s just a shame the cleanliness is not up to scratch. The house (as many other reviews have now said) needs a deep clean. The rug is covered in stains, and the kitchen floor is filthy. There is still a fly problem (despite this being highlighted by another guest back in May) and the garden areas are not well looked after or maintained. The stairs to the garden need something putting on them as I slipped down these during the stay, someone could get seriously hurt. It seems there is only a surface clean done in the property, and it needs much more than this. A number of reviews have indicated this now, which it was sad to see had not been actioned before our stay. This property could be amazing if some care was put back into it.

Liam

4 months ago

Perfect for family time!

Linda

4 months ago

Location, size of rooms.

Property tired, needed maintenance eg windows unable to open. Kitchen cupboard hard to open. Blinds in master bedroom needs attention. Decking outside living room needs weeds removing plus weeds around whole house. Deep clean of property needed.

Joe

4 months ago

Great stay for group of friends, lovely area

Joanne

5 months ago

We had a lovely family weekend. Disappointed on arrival by front door with weeds and litter but much better inside. Lots of stairs and different levels so tricky to get around if you are slightly infirm. Lovely deck to sit out but wooden steps down to garden were letha! Really slippery and tricky for dogs. However we had a great time .

Westmoreland

6 months ago

The area is very nice and quiet. Back of the house private. Good bbq although wasn't clean. Good size rooms. Comfy beds.
.

Although the house was nice it does need a deep clean. There was a awful lot of flys in the house . The decking was full of weeds. I hope your not offended this is not the intention.

Tiah

6 months ago

The house itsself is lovely and very big and the area is great would visit Pickering again. However the house is in huge need for repair and a huge deep clean! Stains on the sofas and rugs, the kitchen floor was so dirty (we spilt something and after cleaning up left a clean patch showing how dirty the floor really was) There was no coffee machine as advertised and the kettle was unusable!! (full of lime scale and no filter on spout!) the property is advertised with baby gates which isn’t accurate there is one on the bottom on the living room stairs and an unusable broken one on the garden stairs but not a single gate on any of the upstairs stairs (and this house has ALOT of stairs). We also had a huge fly problem from day 1 of our stay we couldn’t leave any food or drinks out without flies being all over it in minutes. We spent the weekend swatting flies which wasn’t what you would expect for the amount we paid. Disappointed. Hope the owners rectify these issues asap.

Julia

7 months ago

Perfect for a family get together, very spacious, well equipped, private and cosy.
Loved the separate wine chiller, alongside 2 fridges and 2 ovens and the big round dining table, which we used for dining as well as playing board games.
Close walk to town centre with lots of shops, pubs, cafes, as well as Pickering station and steam train.
Garden was very secure and dogs were able to play safely.

Catherine

7 months ago

Overall we enjoyed our stay, it was a great family space within walking distance of Pickering. Large kitchen and dining space great for family meals. However we felt the space could do with a little bit of tlc, the sofas and rugs in the living space need a professional clean to make the property feel as shiny as the photos. The lack of downstairs WC was also a slight negative due to the property being over 4 floors, walking up several flights of stairs to use the toilet would not suit people with mobility issues.

Katherine

7 months ago

The Old Pottery is a lovely house. We took our grown up children and two dogs and all had a lovely break.

Zoe

8 months ago

We had a lovley stay with the family. Great location 5 minute walk into town. The house was huge and great garden for the dog. Would definitely book again.

Jennifer

9 months ago

Great space & layout for a large group and entertaining. Location is lovely.

Cleanliness is a real issue at this property. Multiple surfaces hadn’t been cleaned and the ones that had were covered in water marks/smears. There was mouldy bread in one cupboard and food stains in the kitchen drawers. Every single window was splattered in what I can only guess is fly faeces and spill marks.
The rooms not pictured like bathrooms etc are in a poor state. Thick lime scale on the taps, rusty stains in the showers. The shower curtain was covered in mould and stains. The outside area wasn’t usable due to the decking and steps being covered in moss and algae which made it dangerous to walk on. The lower garden area wasn’t maintained. Random items thrown around and just looked run down and dirty. Not at all like the pictures. The whole house has seen better days. The walls in most areas are covered in stains, handprints, chips. Overall it was really disappointing. It could be so much more if it was maintained properly.

Hannah

9 months ago

An amazing space with lots of room. Great location and beautifully decorated.

Rebekah

10 months ago

Comfortable beds. Lots of space. Dog friendly. Good array of pots, pans etc. Lovely powerful showers.

No fundamental problems. Lots of dead flies which we hoovered up (perhaps because heating turned up very high upstairs?) Heating on lowest floor did not appear to work. No lights in ground floor large bedroom.

Nigel

11 months ago

Quirky Building. Location. The house it's self is beautiful.

Hi the old pottery was in a beautiful location and the house is fantastic. But it could do with a deep clean as there are cobwebs and dust in all locations. Also we realised its more winter months but the back garden was un usable and not well kept at all.

Lisa

11 months ago

The house has the potential to be beautiful. It is literally 2 minutes walk into the little village.

We arrived at the property on Friday 1st December at approximately 5pm. The outside temperature was 0 degrees. We walked through the front door to a lovely warm home. Walking down the stairs to the kitchen and living area, we could instantly feel the cold hit us. We read through the check in instructions to see that the property had under floor heating, however it was not working in the communal living areas. We turned the thermostats but they didn’t work.
I got in touch with Booking.com initially on Friday at 6pm for advice, they asked us to turn the thermostat. This did nothing. We asked for someone to call and this did not happen.
On exploring the bedrooms, we chose who was having which room. As a party of 5 we all were able to have a bed each. We noticed one of the rooms had a number of flies around the lights. Later that evening, we walked into town to purchase logs to attempt to bring heat into the living room and fly spray. We sprayed the flies and spent the evening downstairs, having to move the sofas so we could get the most of the fire heat as no one had come to sort the problem. At bedtime, one of our party went to bed to find the bedroom covered in dead flies: on the bed, the bedside cabinet and all over the floor, especially between the room and the en-suite. There were still some live ones on the window and around the lights. Due to the unacceptable conditions, she needed up sleeping on the sofa in the living area. This was a room with no heating.
We repeatedly messaged and just received apologies for the inconvenience messages but no solutions.
We spent most of the day in the town as it was too cold to spend time in the house.
We bought another bag of logs and gathered around the fire for another evening. We were unable to make use of the lovely dining area and ate our dinner on our knees in front of the fire.
We bought a hot water bottle and made up another bed in the sofa again.

Lisa

11 months ago

The house was in a great location. Could have been a bit cleaner. But a lovely stay.

Skyhook

11 months ago

We decided to cancel this booking as the host imposed additional insurance costs, identification requirements and separate agreements outside of Airbnb that were not mentioned at the time of booking. We reached out to Airbnb which agreed the listing did not mention the extent of other requirements once booking was accepted. Still awaiting resolution of this matter. Host seemed to think it was clear these additional requirements were listed. Just be aware you need to agree to stuff and pay outside the Airbnb platform if you book this property and any others managed by the same company.

Bethany

1 year ago

Great place to stay for our 2 families. Really great location would stay again thank you

Sophie Nicola

1 year ago

The space inside is brilliant - all rooms beautifully light. Location with three children (6yr 5yr & 2yr) was fantastic. They loved the castle and trains! Kitchen has plenty is storage. The house does require a deep clean & maintenance regarding the blinds / bedside lights. Underfloor heating throughout was amazing.

Patricia

1 year ago

Breakfast was not included - we brought our own

You do not give enough detail about the limited parking. Because of the amount of steep stairs, you should state that this property is not suitable for older quests with age-associated joint problems.
On arrival my brother spent hours vacuuming up the hundreds of dead and dying flies in every bedroom. My bedroom whilst looking lovely was a health hazard - every window has black mould growing around the area next to the glass.
Glasses in the kitchen not clean, vents in the bathrooms filthy, window vent covers are missing, so cold at night.
No means of lighting the log burner in the lounge area - the coldest part of the property. We all have photographs to support these comments.

Jonathan

1 year ago

Great place to stay, didn’t disappoint. Would definitely recommend

Nicholas

1 year ago

the place itself and the location are excellent.

You'd expect a few minor problems and imperfections with a property like this, and that wouldn't stop it getting a 100% rating. The problem is, it's not just a few, it's dozens! Lots of individually annoying things, which mount up - poorly maintained fittings, bare screw ends dangerously protruding, lights not working, dirt, dust balls, etc. Clearly the place has been neglected and poorly maintained. The tumble dryer filter had obviously never been cleaned, and was alarmingly overheating. Worst was probably the bed bug infestation.
We spoke with the cleaning staff, who confirmed that basic maintenance issues which they raised to the management firm / owners were routinely ignored.
After the stay we contacted the property management company, explained the above, and said we'd hold back from a review for a little while to let them check into it and respond. That was 2 weeks ago, and we've heard nothing.

Karen

1 year ago

Loved the Old Pottery, it’s really spacious, it’s an unusual layout , lots of stairs, probably not too good if have younger kids but we went with older kids who just loved it

Only downside were the stairs & steps to the garden area, it rained heavily when we were there & they were really slippy

James

1 year ago

An amazing and spacious house in a great location but it's starting to show signs that it needs a deep clean and some TLC to justify the pricing. Everything worked (although not sure about the rusty, dirty BBQ) but a number of items need minor repairs and the rugs are grubby. The garden could be great but is becoming overshadowed by trees and shrubs.
A couple of points to note: the coffee machine only takes Nespresso Virtuo pods which aren't generally available except on line or at a Nespresso shop. Secondly the house does have two small car parking spaces which is useful as the street side parking is a few minutes walk up the hill.

Aaron

1 year ago

E

Abigail

1 year ago

Beautiful, luxury house with lots of space for 8 adults plus kids. Very peaceful and a suntrap on the terrace. 10am is an early checkout meaning rental for a weekend is a bit rushed.

Trevor

1 year ago

Location is great, overlooking the station. The original conversion from perhaps 20 years ago was excellent.

Has clearly been flipped a few times & is now being run down, not spending even where absolutely necessary, whilst assiduously lying to disappointed customers that their feedback will be acted on: none of the following problems are new. The booking process was chaotic, with an automated Lynzi telling us our booking was about to be cancelled while some other entity told us everything was fine. We repressurised the boiler, which had been leaving previous customers without hot water - where can we send the bill? There is a lethal ground-level laundry drop to the cellar in one of the attic bedrooms, which is left unlocked for your toddler to fall into because the lock appears to jam. None of the bedside lights work. The dishwasher has been broken for years - check the age of post-it. One oven is broken, and both were filthy. The freezer needs defrosting. There is insufficient cutlery for the theoretical 8 pax. The wrong wifi info is still displayed. The outside barbecue is filthy and the chairs rusty. And so on and so forth.

Jamie

1 year ago

Lovely family stay visiting local area and flamingo land

Marion

1 year ago

The space was brilliant. We were a group of 7 women. Plenty of room for us all. The layout was great. Ideal location for the station at Pickering, and the main town area too, it was about a 5 minute walk. The house had a good amount of facilities you would expect, but some things could have been better (e.g. lack of warm water/broken dishwasher). The location was quiet, although close to the station and the trains could be seen and heard from the house, this was only from 9am until 6pm, so it was enjoyable to see them coming and going.Wifi was good, with a decent Smart TV with access to a large number of applications for streaming. Washing machine and tumble dryer in the utility room too, but unsure if these were usable as we didn't need them.

There was little to no hot water for the whole weekend for any of us, no matter what time or how many had showered beforehand. Showers and washing up had to be done with barely warm water! There were 2 fridges in the kitchen, but one of them had a foul smell in it so wasn't used. The dishwasher was still broken, even after I'd checked if the previous reviews were still valid. There were no small, individual recycling boxes, just a main rubbish bin and a green/grass bin. Some of the cupboards in the kitchen couldn't be opened properly as they are push function. In the bunk bed room is a box on the wall that constantly hums all the time, even during the night which we weren't made aware of before our stay, even with ear plugs this could be heard!! There are no mirrors in any of the bedrooms, unless they had an ensuite, but then no electrical plugs were in the bathroom for using hairdryers. The car parking space isn't big enough for 2 cars, only 1 car could fit so all others parked up the hill near the houses. Some of the pots and pans could be replaced, as they looked old and tired. The ovens and microwave needed to be fully deep cleaned as still covered in grease!

Scott

1 year ago

Great stay, ideal property!

Sian

1 year ago

Lovely house in a nice area close to amenities. Clear instructions and check in was easy.

Only space for two small cars.

Immediately met with a mop and bucket full of dirty water at top of the stairs. Not a great start.

Spacious and stylish house with nice rooms.

Not very well maintained at all, looks luxurious from the pictures but the sofas are stained and covered in hairs. The kitchen cabinets do not work and you cannot get into some. The pizza oven was full of tiles and rubbish so unusable. Cup rings on every surface. The dishwasher didn’t work. Rubbish in the garden. Blood stains on the bedding, limescale and hairs in bathrooms. Stains on carpet and rugs. The kettle is disgusting, they need a new one. It’s rusted and covered in limescale.

You can tell they go for a quick turnover of guests and do not invest in maintaining the property or cleaning it to a high standard. It’s a shame because the area is lovely and the potential is there for a really relaxing stay.

Thomas

1 year ago

Don’t be put off by the odd review regarding maintenance and cleanliness. There are a few of the cupboards in kitchen that are awkward to open and have handles that are loose but all of the facilities were plenty clean enough!

4 x couples stayed and had an amazing time. Everything was as described and everything matched the photos

Close to local pubs/takeaways so plenty of food choices if you don’t want to cook

Would definitely stay again.

Zoe

1 year ago

We had a wonderful stay at The Old Pottery and I am sure we will return. It was a very large and beautiful property with a lovely garden that was completely dog safe. The house was very well set up for dogs too. The bedrooms were also lovely too. The layout was perfect for our 2 families to socialise and it was absolutely stunning. It was very warm and homely. There were some minor problems with handles coming off, taps falling off, cupboards needing handles etc which had clearly been like that for a while and needed a bit of maintenance work. But they were only minor in comparison to major positives of the place. Thank you so much for a wonderful holiday!

Hayley

1 year ago

Lovely home in a small quaint little town. Definitely prebook a restaurant as it was difficult to get in places

Luke

1 year ago

Great stay, great communication all the time

Kristina

1 year ago

Just got home after 4 night stay over new year.
It was disgusting. Certainly not worth £1600 we paid( plus more with the extras)

Avoid at all costs, it’s a hell hole.

Deborah

1 year ago

The Old Pottery sits in a lovely location. Pickering itself is a pretty small town with lovely walks and a bustling town centre. It is within easy drive of York and Whitby, again with lots of good walking terrain around, especially for dog owners. The railway is a great local attraction. Unfortunately, for our Christmas stay, there had been the minimum attention given to preparing the property prior to our arrival. As a result we found less than acceptable levels of cleanliness, facilities (e.g. dishwasher and freezer) not working and poor maintenance throughout. This was a great shame as the property offers real potential and regrettably our Christmas was marred by what we found and the inconvenience and upset of then having to initiate a complaints procedure.

Sonia

1 year ago

We stayed as a family group , 3 children covering an age rage of 10 months , 4yrs , 7yrs up to 80 years old and found this to be a great place to all be together.
All rooms are exactly the same as the photographs , all very comfortable and well provided for. This house is huge and ideal for families coming together, the garden looked beautiful in the snow , and would be amazing on a summer night.
Kitchen is of a high spec , however we only found the microwave and coffee machine on the last day as some cupboards in the kitchen didn't appear to open initially so have a good look. Dinning room is beautiful and great for family meals.
Pickering is a lovely village with lots going on and we could see the steam train which was great for the kids.
Would definitely stay again , plan to return in the summer and enjoy the garden.

Alex

1 year ago

EXTREMELY OVERPRICED & DIRTY. We were really excited to arrive at the property. Upon arrival the property was freezing cold there were numerous light fixtures that weren’t working, along with a broken dishwasher, toilet roll holder which fell out of the wall. The sofas were disgustingly dirty, they had bottle caps and bits of old food stuffed down the side as well as numerous white stains all over the sofas and chairs. The rug in the living room was also really dirty. There was also fat deposits in the baking trays in the kitchen as well as food deposits on the cookware. The bedrooms also had biscuit wrappers under the bed. The property also has significant signs of wear and tear that need addressing such as chipped paint work and the material on the breakfast bar stools was peeling off. It’s a shame as the property is beautiful but it seriously lacks basic cleanliness and maintenance. I would not recommend this property for this price; we felt disappointed with it for the money.

Paul

1 year ago

The house itself was excellent, and perfect for a weekend get away. The town was with easy walking distance.

I'd definitely go back.

Jonathan

1 year ago

space

nothing

Luke

2 years ago

The house was amazing with all the rooms being very comfy and the living room being perfect size for a big family. Sadly the weather stopped us enjoying the garden but it looked lovely and was well maintained.

The train station being so close was not a bother at all. The sound of the steam trains going past added to the charm of the house.

Overall it was a lovely house and the owners were very easy to get hold of.

Ian

2 years ago

The property is in a great location, with parking for two cars. Lots of space, great lounge and decking area for relaxing in. Lots of character in the property. But lovely and clean, loads of space. Recommended

Rhys

2 years ago

This property has a lot of potential.
Ease of key collection.
Large size.

The company who runs this property have several issues. After we booked through booking.com they require a £250 damage waiver deposit. Ok, fair enough. They sent messages on the platform asking to pay but no instructions. Finally they sent a link, I paid within a couple of hrs.
Next day we were due to leave and to my surprise we received an email saying they DIDN'T receive the waiver and the booking WILL be cancelled. Had to phone to ask why this happened and to check they actually received the deposit. 1hr later it was confirmed. Only half the instructions were sent on SMS so I had to call again to ask them to send the instructions again.

Once arrived at the property here's where more issues appeared:

1) large pile of dog excrement in the middle of the back garden
2) the heating in the main area didn't work
3) kitchen fitting we're broken and have seen better days
4) WiFi password and name are incorrect, a.new router was supplied at some point and no one thought to change that info on the placard or the welcome book
5) the oven is very dirty

Once again, I called to report the dog excrement and the heating issue to which I was told "we'll inform the cleaning team" - that's it?! Nothing to say they'd come round to clean up immediately, just that they'd leave the large mess there until our stay is over.
When informed about the heating issue, they said they'd have to ask the owner, to which they called back 30 mins later recommending me, the guest, to open up the thermostat to change the batteries. Only the thermostat is wall mounted and mains installed. Recommending a guest to open up a mains installed thermostat is absolutely outrageous and dangerous thing to do.

No resolution was sorted by the end of our stay and no one had come to clean up the mess or fix the heating.

Stained carpets.
Old dog treats in the cupboards.
Very dirty glasses in the kitchen.

Stella

2 years ago

Fantastic and very spacious property in fantastic location. We were a family group of 8 plus dog and found communal areas really comfortable for us all and lots of alternative space if you needed time alone. Definately recommend and would return.

Colin

2 years ago

The property is well appointed, with plenty of space and in a great location. However, it let's itself down with some, mainly minor, irritating maintenance issues, which have been pointed out by previous guests and have not been addressed.

Melanie

2 years ago

The property is WOW from a design perspective, and comfortable, but definitely not luxurious. On balance, it’s overpriced and whilst it wasn’t awful, it definitely was not the luxurious experience we were expecting. It’s run as a business, and not by someone who loves it and wants you to have a home from home experience. But we enjoyed our weekend.

Here’s what we liked:
- The design of the property is lovely and we loved the kitchen, and living area. It was spacious and comfortable, and nice to have Netflix etc on the telly.
- Great location – right next to the castle and an easy walk into Pickering.
- The outside space looked lovely, although we didn’t use it as the weather wasn’t that good.
- The beds were comfortable.

And here’s what wasn’t so good:
- The cleaning standard was average throughout. We even found some rubbish in a kitchen drawer.
- Lots of the property can only be described as tired. It’s fair to say the photos on Airbnb are ‘flattering’. There are lots of maintenance issues needed – we’ve sent in a list of a few. What was particularly annoying is how difficult it is to get into any of the kitchen cupboards.
- Basic stuff in the property only – we stay in properties for weekends a lot, and was surprised that there wasn’t any kind of welcome pack. Only a pint of milk was left.
- Description says there’s a coffee maker – but it’s a Nespresso one, so unless you bring your own pods (which you wouldn’t know to do), then it’s useless. We went out and bought a cafetiere – this would be an easy fix for the owners to do!
- Parking is tight – we had three cars. Room for 2 small ones only; other cars have to park on the street, which is fine, but it’s up the hill and round the corner – approx. 300/400 metres away.
- Communication with Host & Stay is average – as I said, it’s run by a company, and the people who pick up messages talk in general terms about the property, and I suspect have never actually been to the property. I had to chase up the night before for instructions on how to get in.
- The Damage deposit scheme incurs an additional £10 charge.

Foy

2 years ago

The village location, beautiful garden, layout of the building was so different, cosy and relaxing

Katharine

2 years ago

Beautiful property, lots of interesting features and location unbeatable. Walking distance into Pickering, right next to castle, parking outside, loads of places to explore nearby.
Some general maintenance issues (lightbulbs, etc) but nothing that impacted on our enjoyment of this lovely house.

Michelle

2 years ago

This is a fantastic, quirky property in a great location close to Pickering Station and some really nice bars and cafes. We would agree with other recent reviews that the cleaners need to improve their standards.

Wendy

2 years ago

Location

Nothing

Alexander

2 years ago

Great property

Aisha

2 years ago

We went on the hottest day of the year the property should have been aired when we arrived the house was so hot the windows would not open properly some did not open at all this was very concerning god forbid if there was a fire as the back door would not open so much for a fire escape the house is not child safe as there is so many stairs the windows would only open from the bottom so the top level were all the bedrooms are this was a serious concern as our three year old would have walked straight out of the window the main bedroom no lock handles on the taps missing bathrooms need a serious upgrade we paid a lot of money for the two nights we had to clean the house dead flys on window sills dust everywhere I did get in touch with Host and Stay regarding my issues and concerns there answer we are sorry and would get in touch with the owner not on as a company they should have done more I defiantly would not recommend to families with young children

Lyndsie

2 years ago

lovely big house, close to town and the station pub at the bottom of the hill was gorgeous food. beds really comfortable. Nice outside space. pleasant lovely stay would go back. just beware there is only parking for 2 cars

Erfan

2 years ago

Good location perfect clean large kitchen room

Nicola

2 years ago

This property has been beautifully renovated and has luxurious cushions and furnishings throughout the house.

The location is very close to the local village and the steam trains railway also. The property can be noisy due to the main road.

We were disappointed with the cleaning. The stunning, modern kitchen was very grubby and needs more attention to cleaning. This was similar situation to the carpets and sofas.

Two large armchairs in the living room were also missing. Disappointing for 4 adults when we had to squeeze between two small sofas.
Apparently, a problem with the chairs advertised in the photos and agent didn’t seem to see the issue as a problem. The agent response was to use a dinning room chair to sit and watch tv. We were staying for 3 nights, so it wasn’t practical nor very comfortable.

Dr

2 years ago

There are positives to the Old Pottery House in Pickering, but unfortunately these are out weighed by the negatives. For our full review please see Google Reviews.

I do not wish to take too much of my time writing or your time reading, a lengthy description of our findings at The Old Pottery House in Pickering. The recorded telephone conversations in possession of Host and Stay will serve as evidence of our incredible dissatisfaction of the appalling state of maintenance and cleanliness, as well as the related health and safety issues. One assumes, they may be publicly available under the “Freedom of information act” (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contents) unless the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) is applied (https://gdpr-info.eu/).

The pictures we have uploaded provide a basis for concern and can be found in the shared link below or by clicking on the following title “Pickering, The Old Pottery House 20-06-22”.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AopVDDTU38ffi1jmwtHvfSwS5PrL?e=LFCJcd

The included images are in the respective files for ease of navigation and relate to several identifiable areas of concern, namely:

01 Outside The Old Pottery House Pickering 21-06-22
02 Kitchen TOPH Pickering 21-06-22
03 Living Area TOPH Pickering 21-06-22
04 Stairs TOPH Pickering 21-06-22
05 Bedrooms TOPH Pickering 21-06-22
06 Bathrooms TOPH Pickering 21-06-22

We do thank Host and Stay for their continued apologies, but do question why the same concerns highlighted over a year ago have not been addressed. We feel sorry for the property owners as their home is potentially quite exceptional.

Kind regards

Dr John Connell

Steve

2 years ago

It's a great property in a fantastic location. Incredibly well designed and a nice space to chill in. Just a short walk to the town centre, with a good range of restaurants, shops and bars.

Penny

2 years ago

The house was beautiful with lots of space & several areas outside if you wanted to use them including a fire & pizza oven. It also comes with a gas BBQ. There is parking space for 2 cars. If you have children there were child gates wherever they would be needed in the house. We loved the stone areas that had been left inside the house. Loads of storage downstairs. We had a super time & plenty of things to do in the surrounding areas. Everywhere is on a hill so be prepared😄

The house is built into a hill so there are lots of stairs & steps . 4 sets from top bedrooms to living area & some smaller steps. Which meant that 3 out of the 6 of us had some difficulty. We had 3 cars so one car had to be parked up the hill away from the house. Needs some t.l.c. in a few areas & maybe locks on the electric cupboard doors for child safety. Needs more appropriate clothes storage in grannie flat.

Kim K.

2 years ago

The location of the property was ideal. Plenty of parking for two large vehicles. Room sizes etc where very adequate. Overall a good place to stay with just a few easy to fix misc maintenance issues.

Rachel

2 years ago

Beautiful cottage, very light and airy. Great location for exploring North Yorkshire. We will definitely stay again.

Betul

2 years ago

Beautiful huge house, great space, luxury interior decoration, easy lock box check in and out. Beds comfy, bathrooms clean, good water pressure. Views over the steam train station, with regular steam trains which were amazing but also noisy.

However lots of details made the stay not so great for the price.
No oven mitts, not enough kitchen towels, frying pans were extremely scratched up, sofa legs wobbly, floors dirty (particularly living room and old rug), kitchen cupboard broken.

Also the cleaners arrived 15 minutes before checkout and watched us intently, which applied unnecessary pressure to the checking out process.

Would recommend the stay, but bring some kitchen cooking essentials with you!

Rebecca

2 years ago

Great space for our family gathering, the house is large and accommodated is really well. The kitchen was fantastic for cooking with family, and plenty of space to relax after. The location is great with the town, castle and steam railway on your doorstep.

Thomas

2 years ago

The space was fantastic for 3 couples, 3 kids and 2 dogs. Location fantastic. Shame about a few little niggles. Unclean dishes and mugs in cupboards, cobwebs in easy to reach areas, dog poo in garden, dusty shelving, a number of blown light bulbs, replacement lightbulbs in cupboard broken, broken cupboards just taped up and wobbly kitchen handles. A shame given the large cleaning fee which I thoroughly expect to be refunded for. This would be 5-star but the issues listed are not something you expect for a property of this cost and with a large cleaning fee.

Kim

2 years ago

beautiful home, lovely open plan kitchen area. Heating was on when we arrived so it was nice and warm. sofas & beds very comfortable. balcony area was great to enjoy an afternoon GnT

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Wilson

2 years ago

Excellent location for all amenities. Not to far from costal towns of Scarborough and Whitby
Dog friendly house. Lovely views, close to castle and lots of walks and restaurants near by. Everything you need in the house for a weekend away.

Was fine for us but toddlers need to watch out for the stairs and steps outdoors. Limited parking at the house (2 cars) but other car parking close by.

Anonymous

2 years ago

A great family house great location

Mark

2 years ago

This is a fantastic property. Great location, tonnes of space, and really well equipped. Highly recommended!!!

Kevin

2 years ago

Location and size very good

The ovens were absolutely disgusting and despite a message they were not cleaned. The shower in the 2nd floor bedroom was loose and overall cleanliness was poor.

Dawn

2 years ago

stunning property in a fantastic location, lots of space and quirky storage.

The ovens were exceptionally dirty, filthy, in desperate need of a professional clean, it put us off using it. There was small maintenance issues that could easily be addressed and make a difference.

Janice

2 years ago

Lovely spacious property, great rooms to spend time with family, in fab location. Super efficient heating for the autumnal months.

One major issue, some of the party were arriving late on Friday so we had decided to cook, the ovens were very unclean and grease had to be scraped from the base off the oven and cleaned before we felt happy to use them. Some minor things in the house that could do with some housekeeping. (e.g. top rack of the dishwasher wouldn't open, a couple of the shower heads wouldn't adjust properly, shower screen not sealed leading to leaks onto the floor)

Clare

3 years ago

Lovely place to stay in Pickering. Fantastic location and plenty of room for 2 families. It wasn’t very clean downstairs so had to clean and hoover on arrival which was disappointing but the bedrooms and bathrooms were fine. The house itself is very quirky and would have been amazing at some point but it needs a bit of attention to a few small things but none of this spoilt our stay . A good time had by all . Watching the trains through the huge windows was fantastic.

Sophie

3 years ago

The property didn't live up to expectations.

On arrival it was clear some things had been missed by the cleaning team: dirty crockery in drawers, mouldy items in the bin, dog hairs on the floor etc. Whilst the pictures on the website are accurate, some aspects of the house not pictured are less impressive and somewhat tired, so the overall feel of the house is not nearly as luxurious as the listing indicates. There were odd items in drawers, cupboards etc which weren't well organised, and frustratingly simple things such as kitchen cupboards which didn't open, a missing plug in the bathroom sink and nowhere to put toiletries in the shower detracted from the experience.

On the positive side, this is a big house with lots of entertaining space. With some TLC/attention to detail from both the management and the cleaning staff, this would be a great property.

Francesca G.

3 years ago

Large spacious property, fantastic location but in need of some TLC, ovens need a deep clean, mirrors needed in bedrooms and a lack of hanging wardrobe space.

Tom

3 years ago

Great stay overall. Very nice property and location but for the price paid we would have liked a little more attention to detail. There were many cobwebs and lots of dust around the property (and not even in hard to reach areas), 2 broken kitchen cupboard doors and most of the exterior lighting didn’t work.
It also felt like from the minute we checked in that our check out time was forced down our throat a little bit (notices, tablet, email etc)

Charlotte

3 years ago

We had a lovely weekend at this cottage. It is decorated beautifully and has everything you could possibly need for a weekend away.

Anjna

3 years ago

What a wonderful property. Great location as little town is a short walk away.. Great place for dog owners as Pickering Castle and Forest is next door. Overall we were happy with the facilities. Only disappointing factor was cleanliness of the property, more kitchen, living room and downstairs toilet. It was more laziness as the things that concerned us were easily sorted - fat tray in oven, dirty kitchenware, cobwebs all around the ceilings and dust and dog hair under the main sofa. However the agency looking after the property were tentative and responsive.
You can hear the steam train at the station but it’s all part of the character and charm of the area.

Emily

3 years ago

Brilliant property and excellent location. Very clean and plenty of room.

David W.

3 years ago

Had a great time at the Old Pottery in Pickering. The accommodation was very clean with loads of space for five people and a dog. Fitted out to a high spec and had everything you would need for your holiday stay. Very quiet and only 10 minutes from the center of Pickering a lovely little town with lots of shop’s, pubs and restaurants. A great jump-off point for the east coast Whitby, Robins Hood's Bay and the North Yorkshire National Park only half an hour away. The weather was brilliant spent many nights on the balcony with a bottle of beer just chilling after a day’s discovering.

Rob

3 years ago

The Old Pottery is a huge and fantastic space. Decor is great and comfortable. The parking space is essential but the town is an easy walk.

Kelly

3 years ago

we had a great stay at the old pottery fabulous house with many amazing features. Great location and ideal as a base.

Paul

3 years ago

Please use any of my private message

Aj

3 years ago

The Old Pottery was a stunning house built into the hillside up to the castle. The house was much bigger than expected and wowed us all as we first walked into it. The mixture of modern fittings and old fixtures/features was very impressive, especially the exposed rock used as a feature throughout the property.

Our party was a group of 6 consisting of 3 couples and the house was more than big enough for this group, allowing all three couples to have their own bedroom and bathroom (2 en suite and 1 separate). The sitting area, decking, kitchen and dining space were huge and the whole group was able to use them with ample space. The utility space was enormous and came in very useful.

The outside area was well designed with a decking area over several levels and a feature cave which was under the driveway and made use of the old pottery features/Kiln.

The driveway was big enough for two family cars but only just, with some careful shuffling.

The bedrooms and bathrooms were lovely and the bedding and towels were all supplied and again very nice.

The bedrooms all look over the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and it was a novelty to watch the steam trains come into and leave the station through out the day.

The property is also within a short walking distance of all the pubs, shops, cafes and restaurants in Pickering which is a lovely place in its own right.

The only thing that let this property down was the cleanliness and maintenance in some of the areas, which is a shame given the high end property this place is. This is clearly an issue with the current cleaning/maintenance firm however and should and would not put us off another visit. If this was sorted it would literally be the perfect property and the only reason I haven't given it 5 stars.

Alicia

3 years ago

Fantastic house in a beautiful location. So close to the town. Absolutely loved it.

Sean

3 years ago

Lovely place and great value for money

Liam

3 years ago

The Old Pottery is an impressive property in a great location (next to Pickering castle and a short walk to town and the station). The common areas are big and spacious. The bedrooms are a good size with the two en-suites being particularly large.

The property is let down by attention to detail and maintenance. Cleaning was a bit superficial with dust having accumulated in places. The kitchen was reasonably well equipped but missing simple items like a potato masher, teapot and microwaveable dish. There were also maintenance issues. For example sticking kitchen cupboard doors which didn’t easily open, damp around some of the walls, damaged child gates, damaged/ missing sink plugs, damaged shower head holders (I.e. the head not holding up on the holster).

While stay were very quick to respond and sent someone out there was a lack of personal touch for example the welcome back being limited to a pint of milk and the local information being out of date.

Ann

3 years ago

This is probably one of the best Airbnb’s we have stayed in. It is just stunning and I would gladly go back again and again.

It is just fabulous for a family holiday, don’t hesitate to book.

Katie

3 years ago

Our stay was amazing! It was perfect for a Christmas getaway, so cosy (love the underfloor heating) and the open plan living area was great for Christmas dinner. The location is also fantastic, minutes to the castle, train station and into Pickering. The house was very well equipped with everything you need. Really enjoyed the view of the steam train from the master bedroom, so peaceful. We want to come back already :)

Ailsa

4 years ago

This is a stunning house. It was very comfortable and has a very well stocked kitchen, with all the crockery etc you could need. The location is perfect as it is just a short walk into the town.

Natalie

4 years ago

Fabulous location and fantastic property. Thankyou so much for having us and we are already planning our next trip. We will most certainly be back in the near future! :)

Sue

4 years ago

The house is amazing and in a wonderful position

Sarah

4 years ago

Stunning property with real wow factor. So much bigger than it looks. Location is fab, Pickering itself is beautiful but we also visited York and Whitby with ease, the drive over the moors is incredible. Some of the finishes are a little cheap, showers and toilets in particular but functional and didn’t effect our overall impression of the property. Would stay again and recommend.

Lorna

4 years ago

Lovely home thank you

Rachel

4 years ago

Absolutely beautiful house in an excellent location!

Beverly

4 years ago

Lovely place for a group stay , if anything better than the pics

Sanjay

4 years ago

A truely wonderful space for a family stay . Very comfortable and all the facilities we required. Thank you . We recommend this property.

Grace

4 years ago

A stunning property in the idyllic town of Pickering, the beautiful steam train was just a stones throw away. Quick response from the host. We were told this was a fairly new holiday home and in some places throughout the property you could tell but with tBc e feedback we’ve given hopefully this won’t be something others experience.

Lots of fridge and cupboard space so ideal for long stays. A very roomy property! Great decking area and bbq and outdoor hose. (Will need to supply own gas bottle for bbq I would assume as there wasn’t one there) if you like coffee they had an amazing pod machine in the kitchen!
Overall we had a great stay here, felt like we were really treating ourselves in this lavish home! Thank you

Linda

4 years ago

Great house, exactly as photos.

Amy

4 years ago

Wonderful place to share with either family or friends. Excellent facilities.

Karen

4 years ago

What a house!! Perfect location, right next to the castle and some beautiful woods. Only 5 mins walk from the centre of town. I would highly recommend this beautiful house to groups or families. It is a beautiful space with fab communal areas. The kitchen is amazing!

George C.

4 years ago

Brilliant weekend the property was lovely and had plenty of space for everyone. set in a good location for walks and easy access to surrounding areas, would highly recommend.

Sue W.

4 years ago

Stylish, five star house in centre of Pickering.

Gemma F.

4 years ago

We enjoyed our stay at the property. The entertainment area was the real hub of the property and was perfect for spending time together in the evenings. We did find some of the bathrooms required some modernisation or updating, like carpets in the ensuite bathroom. We also had an issue with wood lice in the master bedroom and ensuite bathroom. But overall the stay was nice.