Yorkshire Coast Self Catering cottage, Raincliffe Manor, Scarborough, sleeps 8

A classy property
Seven of us have just stayed here for a week and had a wonderful time. It is nice and secluded, though the owners live in the attached annex and were very quick to fix some of the teething problems we found. The house is beautifully appointed with good quality soft furnishings and tasteful decorations. The grounds are extensive and well manicured, with a huge lawn at the back just perfect for the roaming wildlife (deer, squirrels, peacocks....) to make an appearance. The nearby brand-new holiday park has a lovely bar which is just a couple of hundred yards stroll away. They will also be opening a shop soon. The kitchen is particularly well stocked, the mattresses and pillows are very comfortable and the bathrooms have lovely, large fluffy towels. There is plenty of private parking right at the front door, and the drive to Scarborough seafront is less than 10 minutes. We would highly recommend Raincliffe Manor to anyone considering renting it. I realise that this was the first year of letting Raincliffe Manor by the new owners, so I offer constructive criticism regarding some of the minor teething problems we observed: * we struggled to get the heated towel rail in the master bedroom and the radiators throughout the house to come on when we needed them. After numerous complaints, we were eventually told that they are specifically set to not be on all the time - which would explain our frustrations with them. It would be better if the occupants were told this up front, or even better had control of the timers for this. Also, once the aforementioned heated towel rail DID come on, it was impossible to turn it off - because the knob became incredibly hot as it was very smooth metal and required numerous turns. It needs a heat-resistant coating (or a glove nearby) and markings so that you can tell when you are turning it. * the gas fire in the lounge is lovely, but when it gets hot and you need to turn down the control you have to remove the very hot metal front cover! Again, a glove would help. * we reported a massive leak of water in the rear porch during heavy rain - the owners strangely did not respond. * we reported the kitchen being dark over the sink area due to 2 bulbs being out - the owners did not respond (though, to be fair, they did about another dead bulb). * people have lots of chargers and power cords these days and so need lots of power sockets. We reported this to the owners and suggested that a few extension strips would have helped....but there was no response. Converting the numrous single sockets to doubles would be a more permanent solution. * the downstairs toilet is right beside the kitchen and could use an automatic door closer to stop smells travelling in there (I did suggest a room spray, which was brought round immediately). * the parking area and front stairs were pitch black and thus dangerous when we returned one evening. We mentioned this to the owners and they very quickly got electricians in to fix a non-working outside light. Sadly, this had a mind of its own and was not always on when needed, and we were not told how to control it. * the no-shoes policy which greeted us was not unreasonable, given the excellent state of the light-coloured carpets, but I don't recall receiving advance warning of this to prompt everyone to bring slippers (apologies if I missed this in the numerous emails sent by Sykes). * the 'welcome basket' in the kitchen was a very decorative touch but, after a long journey, some basics like tea; coffee; milk; bread & butter would have been more appreciated than a watermelon ;) We had to make a trip to the supermarket before we could make a brew. * we would have liked to try some of the walks in the massive nearby woods - some guidance on that would have been appreciated, as locals surely know the best options. * the shower in the master bathroom was quite complex (though nice) - some instructions would have helped. * the bath in the family bathroom had just a handheld shower - it would be so much more useful with somewhere to hold that on the wall plus a curtain (to save the floor getting wet). * a brush for scrubbing the dishes in the kitchen sink would be useful (and a rectangular bowl would be so much better than the round one).
Nigel M
2021-09-18