Rookwoods, Sible Hedingham

Our first day of a five day stay was completely ruined as the log fire did not work, there wasn't heating in the main bedroom and the WiFi wasn't working! Worse still, Sandra Robinson, the owner, refused to take phone was eventually calls and would only text which was very inconvenient and inhospitable. To my shock, I found out the next day that she was holidaying in South Africa and had not even bothered to delegate hosting to her housekeeper/someone else in her absence! As a result, we tried calling and texting at 6.30pm on Day 1, but did not get any 'help' until 8.30am the next morning (a very brief and unhelpful text message from an owner too busy holidaying to worry about our plight). By this time, my vulnerable, heavily pregnant wife, who suffers from sinus issues and is used to very warm rooms, had to sleep in a cold room we weren't able to enjoy even the basic amenity of Wifi and watching a movie on Netflix. We would have been 100X better off staying home!!! When we text back to explain she hadn't solved the problems, she took another 4 hours to reply! Claire, the housekeeper, eventually arrived in the afternoon of Day 2. She couldn't solve the kindling issue. It was only after we rang around friends to get ideas and suggested getting firelighter cubes that we were able to finally get the fire going at 3pm. Claire was brilliant. She would answer the phone and respond to messages within minutes. She fixed the Wifi, got us an electric heater for the bedroom, etc. She was the hostess Sandra should have been and salvaged the rest of our stay. Naturally we demanded a refund for our completely wasted and stressful first day and night when the owner was not available and was not able to solve our problems until well into Day 2. To our utter shock, she point blank refused to issue a refund, sufficing with the briefest and most indifferent of apologies ('I'm sorry for your trouble but...'). We were equally disappointed with Sykes who refused to refund from their ample coffers and don't even have the power to enforce a refund in such circumstances (even when their agents sympathetically agreed with us that the owner ought to refund). Pathetic. In 20 years of regular cottage holidays, I've never experienced such negligence or indifference from the owner or company. I just hope this review will warm holiday goers to steer away from Sandra Robinson, and I hope Sykes revise their ridiculous policies on this issue. They're more than happy to profit from our bookings, but stingily avoid responsibility when the holiday goes horribly wrong.

The cottage is everything we hoped for - comfortable beds, nice furnishing, a perfectly adequate kitchen and generally a lovely and cosy space. However, the real treat is the garden, which is very large and secure making it ideal for our puppy. The garden faces woods and fields - the sun setting directly facing it. Walking past the beautiful listed house and stables is a pleasure. There's a woodland walk just round the corner - the owner seems perfectly pleasant. We hope to return soon.

Weekend breakaway with our dog ... Arrived late afternoon. The sign to the entrance road was missed, it's very small and faded. On entrance into the cottage first thoughts "oh this is lovely", ok so it's January you expect it to be a little chilly, we were advised that fuel for the log fire was available in the cottage, logs plentiful for a day, but with no kindling to light the logs ?. There was one wall mounted heater that despite its best efforts was not sufficient .. Needless to say back into the car in search of kindling to get fire started. More logs available from owner at extra price. Underfloor heating in bathrooms .. Yes ... We took the duvets from upstairs bedrooms for added warmth overnight as no other form of heating main bedroom. With the beautiful surrounds, it was a shame we could not wander around ... But if you take your dog the back garden Is the only place they can go, or a quick on the leash march through the owners land. It's not really the ideal place to take your dog unless you are prepared to drive out ... It may have been better in the warmer months, but way too cold to stay during winter with inadequate heating .. Needless to say we left a day early as was spending a small fortune on log fire

Can't understand some of the comments on this property on here- we found it to be nice and comfortable-very nice inside and out- very warm inside-beds were great-ok the cooking equipment could have been better-but who cooks every day on holiday-plenty of pubs etc nearby-good parking spaces- yes the TV was'nt 40"- but again who goes on holiday to watch TV?? we had a great time.

Sign on main road impossible to spot, Issues with cottage and poor attitude from owner spoilt the break somewhat. Dangerously hot towel radiator burnt arm of my son, toilet broke on day 1 and both sons stepped on carpet gripper spikes on stair carpet. I have to say, things do happen but it is all about the response from the owner. Some hosts are happy to welcome guests and other merely tolerate them. The owner should really review the equipment in the cottage, no washing machine, minimal kitchen utensils, 4 guests but only 2 garden chairs?? and no garden umbrella for shade, a tiny TV [ok we weren't there to watch freeview but still]. The general refurbishment of the cottage was to a good standard BUT, can definitely do better. The cottage welcomes dogs [apparently] however they are not allowed anywhere on the grounds except immediately in front of the cottage, so we could not walk through the fields. An unfriendly feel to the place.

A lovely cottage, lovely area, lovely garden, lovely holiday. The bed was probably one of the most comfortable we have slept in while away from home. The rooms were all very clean and comfortable, and the owners were very helpful.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Rookwoods. The cottage is warm and welcoming with lots of books, interesting pictures and nice comfortable chairs - a great place to relax. The garden is enclosed and was much enjoyed by our spaniel. The boot room is incredibly useful especially if you have a dog and walking boots. All in all, a beautiful and compact cottage.

Beautiful main ensuite bedroom with under floor heating. Very comfy beds in both rooms. Shower room and boot room also have underfloor heating. Cottage comfortably warm, we didn't need to light the fire. Hairdryer in the drawer was a nice touch but difficult to use as it has a continental plug. Kitchen poorly equipped with unmatched crockery. Only one sharp knife. Nearly useless tin opener. A soup plate cracked when we put soup in it. A casserole dish would be a good addition. There is a microwave but not simple to use. Hardly any cupboard space and fridge very small with tiny icebox. Extractor fan didn't work but we knew dinner was ready when the fire alarm went off. We opened the windows when cooking. On the patio a shabby two seater bench and and table. Garden is secure for dogs who enjoyed the new sniffs. Patio door difficult to close and only the outside door in the main bedroom has a handle on the outside. Steep steps to second bedroom which grandson loved. Owners dogs appeared at the door several times. Other than that the place is quiet. Area is pretty and the Bell in Castle Hedingham is dog friendly with good food and the Henny Swan is wonderful. Dogs were not allowed in the paddocks even on leads.

We liked the location, the lovely huge double bed and superb enclosed large garden for our dog. Overall this cottage was excellent.

What a lovely week we have had. This was one of the most tranquil weeks holiday we have had. A jolly good week.

We loved this cottage! I would definitely stay there again.

"A five star property in the grounds of a real country house with stone walls, barns and own walled garden. The owners were friendly and on hand if you needed anything but also left you to enjoy their property. This is the best rental property we have stayed in and we have been recommending it to our friends. The high standard of accommodation was such a pleasant surprise."

Excellent presentation - clean, comfortable and warm. Lovely well fenced garden for the dogs. Quiet position but handy for local shops and two pubs in the next village that served good food.

We had a wonderful stay - information was clear for initial access to property. The property felt private though still very much part of the owners wonderful estate. We loved waking up with pheasants in our garden and going to bed with the sound of an owl. Perfect location for exploring both Essex and Suffolk. What can we say - wonderful!

Exceeded our best expectations in all respects. Would certainly be very happy to stay there again

The cottage was clean, warm and welcoming. It suited us as a couple, with a large well furnished bedroom and en suite. Our dog was able to roam free in the enclosed garden. We will return here again.

We had a great holiday and thought the Rookwoods was lovely - a wonderful location, lovely garden, very peaceful and beautifully decorated.

We had a nic Easter week at Rookwoods with a family of four (with two kids aged 9 + 11). The scenery was very quiet as the house is on the edge of the little town of Sible Heddingham and dthe garden looked into the countryside. We could park our car in front of the house - no problem. The kitchen equipment was OK - less than you have at home, but normal for a rented cottage I assume. The only strange thing to us was that we never got to know the owner, although she seems to live on the same property...

Whilst this looks to be a lovely cottage it did not live up to the write up in Sykes brochure. There was no microwave, a rotten bench was all that consisted of the so called garden furniture. It sleeps 4 yet had only 6 wire coat hangers, and no attention to detail for example no matching chinaware, not even any place mats, settee was old and worn out. I could go on, but to put the positive side the bed was comfortable and the two bathrooms lovely, and has nice views. We had to cut our stay short as to get to and from property meant passing owners large house where our car or our dog if on foot got chased by owners dog every time.

The cottage was lovely and close to amenities whilst still feeling like we were in the middle of nowhere. We spent a lot of time relaxing as well as enjoying long walks with our dog. A lovely weekend.

The house was fitted out with care and with top class goods. There was ample space, lots of table room, lighting in the rooms and bedside was excellent. Homely and comfortable.

Great hideaway location in rural Essex. Very peaceful setting but with amenities on hand at a short drive. Friendly and helpful owner in adjacent property. Would definitely return if we were back in this area. Works well for day trips to London and Cambridge.

This cottage is really very, very nice, we had such a lovely time in front of the log fire. The area is beautiful, we will be booking again, a great holiday for time together.

The cottage was absolutely amazing, far away enough from everything to seem in the middle of nowhere and close enough to not be too far away. Every room was beautiful and the use of space was great. I felt cosy and extremely comfortable at all times and am seriously considering visiting again next year!

Lovley cottage, nicely decorated with a country feel with some thoughtful touches. Great places for walking the dog and a countryside break. Loved the open fire.

Very quiet location, and easy to find. Nice and homely. The downstairs master bedroom was superb, a fantastically comfortable huge bed, lots of space to spread out. The underfloor heating was lovely, and it had a very nice en-suite bathroom. The towels provided were lovely huge bath sheets too, which was great! The enclosed rear garden was a huge bonus. The owner was lovely and helpful.

We had a wonderful short break. The place looks and feels beautiful, and the interior has been thoughtfully crafted. Would love to revisit.