Sykes holiday cottages

Posted by MapLady (Central Coast CA, USA) on 03/26/26 12:53 AM

Have any of you used "Sykes holiday cottages" for a holiday let? How has your experience been? Came across this company for holiday lets in the Lake district, but they seem to have properties all over the country.

Online reviews are very mixed. I saw an earlier thread and wondering if anyone has any recent experience.

Also, what does this mean - “This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £xxx”?

Any other holiday let companies you would recommend, especially for the Lake District?

Thank you for any insights!

Posted by Katy

London, UK

03/26/26 01:44 AM

534 posts

I have no personal experience of holiday cottages, but the UK consumer association (Which?) has four companies as recommended providers (as of a review last year.) Landmark Trust. Rural Retreats. National Trust. Classic Cottages.

www.which.co.uk/reviews/holiday-lets/article/holiday-cottage-company-reviews-aluxM5N5Bhg4

Posted by Gundersen

Niagara, Ontario

03/26/26 02:25 AM

1948 posts

We used Sykes with no issues in the early 2000's. They've been around for many years. My wife was in touch with them a couple of years ago but opted to use another company instead, more to do with accommodation choice. Unfortunately, there was a major plumbing issue with our rental a few weeks before we moved in. A relative in the UK baled us out through a contact of his.

My wife's in bed, I think she used one of these two, which have also been around a while:

https://www.staycotswold.com/

https://www.manorcottages.co.uk/

Whichever company it was, they returned our money swiftly. Whoever you choose, you will likely have to pay upfront and there will be a no cancellation policy, so insurance is a good idea.

Almost forgot. In Moreton we met another Canadian couple who live about an hour away from us, and we've kept in touch since. They used Sykes and were very happy with the booking process, though their cottage needed a little TLC; I'll try to find out which cottage they rented, if you are interested in Moreton?

Posted by MapLady OP

Central Coast CA, USA

03/26/26 03:30 AM

389 posts

Wow, already such great information!

Katy - thank you for the link to the article. A lot of information there, including specifically for the Lake District.

Gundersen - We will be going to the southern Lake District, so unfortunately Moreton will not work. But thank you for sharing your experiences. I will look up your second link in case they have anything in the Lake District.