Black Gem Cottage

Great location, comfortable and easy to book at a reasonable price.

N/A

Location was perfect. Lots do see and do on the doorstep. Quaint and cosy.

The delivery drivers are very noisy anytime from 4am.

Very convenient and central, easy to walk everywhere

Not a very good view from the window but we weren’t in much

The lovely old fashioned tea room and deli a few doors down on the other side of the street. The cottage is about halfway down the street and one end of the street opens into the junction where the swing bridge is over the harbour so it’s very handy for everything. I liked the tiny rooms and low ceilings.

The cottage stank of wet dog, when I opened the door before I stepped in the smell wafted out and I thought it was damp at first, my husband walked in and the first thing he said was it stinks of damp, then after a few minutes my child asked why the blankets and settee smelled of dogs and I realised it was a wet dog smell. Dogs are allowed and maybe dog owners can’t smell it but I found it over powering, I had to buy some air freshener from the shop. I didn’t like to sit on the settee and couldn’t relax, I forced myself not to look in corners for muck, they need to get rid of the dark blanket on the settee - when I looked I could clearly see dog hairs. Its not double glazed either, so the seagulls are a lot louder than the ones we have where we live, I saw a planning application notice for a nearby cottage who were applying for permission for double glazing and I saw other nearby cottages with it so it’s possible to upgrade the windows. Also the bathroom fan could be heard in the bedroom in the night so I turned it off at the switch in the bedroom and then the bathroom light wouldn’t work. I thought the yard outside was private as it looks to be in the pictures but the other few cottages down the alley also use that space for access. It looks pretty in the pictures but a bit shabby when you get there. If it didn’t stink it would be ok. Because there’s no dishwasher and the pots were washed by someone who was leaving and rushing and didn’t really care they weren’t very clean. The knives forks and spoons are the cheapest most rubbish ones you can get and had water marks on them and a few plates and bowls, horrible black plates and bowls, had blobs of old food still on them. There’s so little room I can see why there’s no dishwasher but they need to check it’s been done properly or get a mini dishwasher. I didn’t use the washing machine but would have used a dishwasher more than once.