Columbus Retreat

20 Customer Reviews

• "Great house and great location for North Bay!"

  Lots of room to accommodate our large party of 15 plus our pooches! We parked 5 cars on the drive. Downstairs living space is fab and the outside area was great with hot tub. The pool table/ping-pong was a hit with the whole family! Although we didn't do a lot of cooking, the kitchen was well equipped. All bedrooms had an ensuite - bathrooms a little dated but they did the job and our shower had great water pressure. Owners responded quickly ahead of our stay with a question I had. VERY small downsides - take your own toilet roll, dishwasher tablets and bin bags. The house wasn't dirty per say, but it could've been cleaner! Would we stay again? Definitely! Thanks for having us!

  Reviewed by Joanne4.4★Jul 2025

• "Generally as described."

  Facilities all good except games room for our younger family. Only one pool cue which had no tip has to buy one from Argos. No net for table tennis had to improvise. Also no wardrobes in any room , hangers on doors poor substitute. We enjoyed our holiday despite these minor annoyances. Will not stop us for booking with you for our next holiday.

  Reviewed by John4.7★Jun 2025

• "The facilities were fantastic we would definitely come back"

  It was a pleasure hosting you and the family James. Looking forward to welcoming you back. Property Owner

  Reviewed by James5.0★Apr 2025

• "The property was as listed with very good access to the town centre and sea front."

  Unfortunately the cleanliness let the property down, specifically the bedding which appeared to not have been changed from the last occupants. The hot tub leaked and within the weekend was below a level for the actual jets to work. It is unfortunate we had issues as the property has a lot of potential but is in need of a refurbishment.

  Thank you for your feedback. We're glad you appreciated the location and potential of the property. We're very sorry to hear about the cleanliness and maintenance issues you experienced—this is not the standard we aim to uphold. If you had made us aware of this at the time we could have sent our team round to rectify the issue for you. Your comments have been shared with the relevant team to ensure improvements are made. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Michelle2.8★Mar 2025

• "We are a party of 15 who travel and stay for the new year holidays every year for the last 12 years and have experienced large rental properties of all description nationwide and must say that Columbus Retreat is not the cleanest place we have ever stayed."

  The accommodation itself was fine, spacious, comfortable, warm, well equipped and true to description. Our first point of contact was very helpful and friendly and the car parking was decent. The only general negative was that there isn't any clothes wardrobes or hangers which wasn't mentioned in the property description which could do with a mention to let people bring hangers themselves. As for the property cleanliness, I get the feeling that this property is cleaned by contract cleaners which aren't doing a good enough job in particular the kitchen area. The ovens are filthy and had baking trays and tins left with oils and fats from the previous occupants which left a stench. The crockery, cutlery and glassware is a good quality and condition but the kitchen cupboards need a good clean. The toilets and showers were clean as were the bedrooms but we did find clothes from the previous occupants in the bedroom drawers along with hairs which is not only very welcoming but sort of proves the bedrooms haven't had a good enough clean. Overall this is a good rental property but is in need of a good, regular deep clean to make it a great rental property

  Reviewed by Andrew4.1★Dec 2024

• "Had a fabulous weekend at Columbus Retreat."

  Property was fully equipped with everything we needed and more and all the information we needed was to hand. Fantastic location as it's just a short walk to the centre, also Peaseholme park and the seafront. Ideal for family get together's and plenty to do nearby. Will definitely be booking again and can't wait to return next year!

  Hi Leeanne, I'm glad you had a fabulous weekend and found the property fully equipped. Looking forward to welcoming you back. Thanks Felix Property Owner

  Reviewed by Leeanne4.7★Nov 2024

• "We recently stayed at the Columbus retreat for a family members birthday."

  14 people stayed over for 2 nights and we had a lovely weekend. The children enjoyed playing in the games room and there were plenty of space for the adults to sit and chat. All bedrooms were en-suite and everything was lovely and clean. The digital handbook was really useful and give us numbers to ring if there was an issue…thankfully there wasn’t any. The house is situated in a lovely part of Scarborough very close to the park. We would definitely stay again

  Hi Laura, I'm please you found the place ideal for the family get together and enjoyed the games room. I'm personally glad that you found the digital guestbook really useful as it is a new thing we've introduced. Looking forward to welcoming you back. Best regards, Felix Property Owner

  Reviewed by Laura3.8★Sep 2024

• "Lovely property, very spacious and perfect location."

  Property owners were extremely helpful and quick to respond to us when we contacted them with a query, we really enjoyed staying here and we would highly recommend the property to families looking to stay in the Scarborough area, our family will definitely be back again in the future.

  Reviewed by Analeise5.0★Aug 2024

• "We really enjoyed staying at the property."

  It was very spacious and the kids really enjoyed the pool table and hot tub.The decore was beautiful.We stayed 3 nights,16 of us.There was a few little things like the floor needed vacuuming especially on the stairs and there were no dishwasher tablets or washing up liquid.Overall we would recommend staying at property.

  Reviewed by Ambreen3.8★Aug 2024

• "The property was laid out as described but the cleaning team hadn’t done a very good job, bins weren’t clean with liquid in the bottom, a cupboard in the downstairs bathroom had a pair of men’s boxers in."

  The garden was unrecognisable from the photos, it was overgrown and untidy. The location was very good and parking was great but the property needs some attention.

  Reviewed by Joanne2.5★Jul 2024

• "This generous size house is great for a large family get together!"

  So close to a lovely park, great for the children and dogs. Close to the beach and some lovely walks. Close to cafes, restaurants and some seriously, good Fish and Chip shops and Ice Cream & Coffee cafes !! Plus lots of mini golf courses, by the sea. Also the main shopping area is a 20 minute walk. Plus Train Station & large supermarkets just minutes away by car. Highly recommend the mini train rides and boats in the park. If you like beachcombing go to Whitby for some fossils hunting, plus it’s lovely, old cobblestones shopping areas. The house itself was fine for our needs and we enjoyed our stay. The kitchen , which isn’t shown in the ads is actual a nice size with all you will need for catering a group of 10-16 people. We had a few maintenance issues, but nothing major and certainly it didn’t spoil our holiday. On the whole we would recommend this holiday home .

  Reviewed by Judy3.8★May 2024

• "We will start with the positives, the property is ideally located, close to the North Bay beach and local amenities."

  The beds we used were very comfortable. The Hot tub was clean and useable, it was located in a shed, which I appreciate is difficult to keep clear of cobwebs, but they did look well established. Sadly that is the end of the positives. We were disappointed with Sykes for the way the property was advertised, the property we rented did not meet up with the impression created in the sales description and photographs published on the website. For instance one of the bedrooms did have a TV as listed, there was a TV but it was not even connected to an ariel or power socket - contradictory to the sales description. The photos show a 'standard welcome pack', nothing was left, apparently the owners do not do this anymore, and know that the photos on the Sykes website imply there is a welcome pack, we were certainly expecting one having reviewed the sales photos on the website! The guest brochure even states, "by now you will have found the welcome pack and guest book", wrong and wrong again! The brochure is absolutely 100% out of date, not only for referring to the no longer offered welcome pack, it also gives the wrong code to connect to the Wi-Fi, incorrectly locates the Wi-Fi box, and tells you the property is strictly no pets, again contradicting the Sykes website description. I messaged Sykes before we arrived at the property to ask about the availability of stairgates, which Sykes quickly checked and answered before we got got to the property, so we were prepared in advance, and knew there were no stairgates being provided. However, when I registered my dissatisfaction with the property on arrival with Sykes, stating it was mis-sold, and the cleanliness was well blow par, rather than getting an acknowledgement or response from Sykes, it was the property owners maintenance team that contacted me, by text, saying Sykes had been in touch about the stairgate, and they could look in to sorting one out for us! Sykes ignored the message about my arrival dissatisfaction, and the ability for me to comment through the website was closed down. I am not sure if this was a coincidence or a deliberate act. I did state I was not happy and felt the property had been mis-sold, the very least you would expect from a company like Sykes is an acknowledgement, but no!! I am bitterly disappointed with the reaction of Sykes to my initial complaint registered on arrival at the property, and they know following my stay I was going to give them the full review. Hopefully Sykes will also read this review and provide me with an explanation as to why they failed to respond to my initial feedback on arrival at the property. One of the bedrooms on the second floor at the front of the property was unusable as a bedroom, there was only a net curtain up at the window, no blinds, no curtains, no way of even blocking out the street light located just outside the property! Sykes emphasise there is a bond required on the property for damage, I was worried about this so paid a premium and took out damage insurance, just in case there was an accident during our stay. But to be fair I should not have worried, as I reported to the owner / maintenance team (contact details were correctly noted in the guest brochure), the property is tired and looks uncared for and un loved. Two of the WC seats were broken, one of the light bulbs did not work in the WC's, some of the toilet roll holders were no longer fitted to the walls instead they were just placed on shelves or window ledges in the room. The shelf in the entrance hall had gouges / damage to the top surface, disguised by mail strategically place over it! When we arrived the house was cold, the heating was not on, we went to light the gas fire in the living room, don't be fooled by the picture, it does not work. We were actually told, it is just for show when we phoned to get directions on how to light it! You should not have to go out and buy basic cleaning materials when you arrive at a property, unfortunately we had no alternative, the place did not look like it had not been cleaned for a while, and there was no cleaning materials in the house. To give you a few examples, in the kitchen, there were still drink bottles in the cupboard, food in the freezer, vapes in the cupboards (we do not smoke or vape!), there was a vimto spillage and food debris on the kitchen work surface, stains in the WC's (might be explained by the missing loo brushes), toothpaste in the bathroom sinks, dust behind the taps, hair and dirt in the drawers in the bedrooms, dust, dirt and cobwebs at the side of the beds, dust and cobwebs on the floors and in the corners where walls meet ceilings, deep scratches to the floors in the games room, the stair carpets had not been vacuumed, there were food crumbs on the chairs in the dining room, dog hairs and stains on the furniture in the living room, black mould growth on shower heads and tiles in the showers, I could go on, but I suspect you have got the gist! It was poor. We did have the cleaners come out to remedy some of the issues we pointed out to them, and as I reported back to the maintenance team, you could see where they had been, which was an improvement on the very low starting point! I showed the cleaners some of the damage, I showed them the stained towels that were left out, and bed sheets that were stained with what looked like paw prints and dog hairs, I actually asked if they would use them, to which they said no, they told me the sheets and towels could all be changed. They weren't. The maintenance contact we had been talking to said the cleaners (his staff) had reported everything back to him, but still the maintenance issues were not picked up and resolved, nor were the sheets or towels changed during our stay. The beds were not made properly for our arrival, on some beds the duvet was crumpled in the duvet cover, it just needed pulling straight, the towels looked like they had been thrown on the bed rather than neatly folded and placed, which when they looked like they needed a clean too just did not create the right impression at all. It was clear, not only was the cleaning a poor standard, but more importantly there had not been a deep clean between paying guests. We do not want to arrive to find other peoples debris or dirt, unfortunately this is exactly what we found, and we had to start cleaning ourselves before our other guests arrived. We felt embarrassed with the quality and cleanliness of the property we were inviting our guests to stay in with us. Look at the website photograph of the dining room, it is set up for multiple guests ready to eat, this was exactly how we found it on our arrival, the crockery was dusty, the glasses were smeared, the placemats were dirty and stained, everything needed cleaning before we could use it! Not sure how long it had been sat there, but it was long enough to gather dust!! In the games room, there is a pool table, but the cues do not have tips even though a chalk block is provided. The dart board and darts are not compatible. There is a downstairs wc and shower off of the games room, but not only does the door not have a lock, but the whole locking mechanism has been removed leaving a peep hole through the door, far from ideal, the below sink cupboard handles are corroded and have sharp edges! I fail to see how Sykes can rate this property with 4 stars, there does not appear to have been a recent inspection of the property to check it was fit for purpose and ties in with the sales description / photos posted on their website. It certainly doesn't live up to what is advertised. At best I would describe this property as STUDENT ACCOMODATION standard, it is not luxury by any stretch of the imagination. There are notes all over the property / guest brochure that this is not a party house, yet there must be 5 or 6 bottle openers / cork screws, but the kitchen lacks some basic equipment like scissors or baking dishes. The bedrooms are relatively spacious, but not one room contains a wardrobe to hang clothes up. If you do have 14 or 16 people to stay in this property be aware that the living room is not big enough to seat you all, there are two settees (6 people) and two chairs (2 people), that is a long way short of seating for all, though the games room does have another 3 person settee in it. I am far from satisfied with the performance of Sykes as our booking agent or the property owners for the delivery of the product we thought we were purchasing. We always leave rented properties clean when we depart, in this instance when we left, the property was definitely much cleaner than when we took possession!

  Hi Martyn, While I cannot comment on the specific points you raised about Sykes, I have spoken to them and it seems that they have a different opinion about how they handled your communications with them. Regarding the property itself, we addressed all the issues you raised during your stay. Amongst other things, we explained that the password to the wifi was temporarily changed to factory settings during a BT engineer's visit, but it was written on the back of the router. We also explained that the TV is a smart TV and does not need to be connected to the analog aerial physically. When you mentioned cleaning issues, we sent out the cleaning team immediately and dealt with the issue. We have also asked you several times for the metatag of the pictures you took to determine if they were missed by the cleaners or not, but we are still waiting to receive them. We are disappointed that you felt the need to write such a negative review, which, in our opinion, is untrue. We have spoken to the guests who stayed just before and after you, and they have all been very happy with their stay and have given us a 9/10. We also had your son apologising for the way you handled things, and we are sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations. However, we always strive to meet our guests' expectations, so we have taken your comments on board and made some improvements. For example, we have moved the sofa from the games room to the living room to provide more seating. Thank you for your feedback. While we do not agree with your version of events, we appreciate your time and your willingness to provide us with feedback. Best Felix Property Owner

  Reviewed by Martyn1.6★Feb 2024

• "Overall the layout and facilities were very good."

  Plenty of room for everyone and we had a great weekend. The boys loved the pool table. Due to weather we didn’t make much use of outside space but looked clean and tidy. The only thing we had a slight issue with was that there were some ‘essentials’ that were missing - bin liners, dishwasher tablets, laundry stuff, hand soap, tea towel and very very little washing up liquid. We were not informed ahead of time these were not provided which would have been nice to know. Again overall we all had a lovely weekend.

  Hi Mrs Patton, I am glad you and the family had a lovely weekend. I’m also delighted the boys enjoyed the pool take. That's always a crowd-pleaser. I am sorry for the slight issue of miscommunication. We will look at how we communicate through Sykes. Thank you Felix Property Owner

  Reviewed by Jo3.8★Sep 2023

• "Nice big house beds very comfortable and well equipt."

  If anything it was missing a couple more outdoor seats as the table seats 8 and only other seating was indoor. The garden area was in need of a tidy from weeds and the bush was overgrown. Flower bed seemed to be placed a bit random and broke up the yard space, but no biggie. We alerted caretaker to a couple of thing which were fixed quickly. We were disappointed that the hot tub was not up to temperature (38°) from the clean until saturday afternoon. The power cuts out at 8pm so it does not reach required heat overnight. Big toaster in cupboard didnt work although a 2 slice was provided and then the boiler cut out one night. But as I say these were dealt with quickly.

  Reviewed by Hazel4.7★Sep 2023

• "Great place to stay, just missing basic things I."

  E tea towels, oven gloves, bin liners,soap ,spare toilet paper and no welcome pack.

  Dear Michelle, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us feedback about your recent stay at our property. We are pleased to hear that you found the property to be a great place to stay and enjoyed your overall experience, and we appreciate your kind words. As you were aware, we had pulled all stops to get the property ready for you in a very short window after the state the previous guests left the property, but despite all our efforts, you were missing some basic items, and we're genuinely sorry. We wish you'd have brought it up during any of the number of conversations during your stay, and we would have gladly resolved it on the same day. Thank you again for your feedback. We value your input and are committed to providing our guests with the best possible experience. Many thanks Management Property Owner

  Reviewed by Michelle3.8★Aug 2023

• "Excellent location - amazing Turkish restaurant at top of the street Property clean but tired"

  Reviewed by Mandy2.8★Jul 2023

• "This property was ideal for our purpose."

  We had a family get together of grandparents, sons and daughters, in-laws and grandchildren. Not all stayed all the time due to work commitments. The rooms were lovely, well prepared and all en-suite which made a big difference. The kitchen was well equiped and served us well. The hot tub, pool table and table tennis was well used by all. Another bonus was the off road parking for five cars especially as we coincided with several open air theatre concerts making the on road parking difficult. The highlight was the dining room. A lovely room beautifully laid out with seating for sixteen people. Our Sunday night dinner with all the family was very special as some had come from Scotland and London. Having somewhere like this to stay in made our trip to Scarborough so memorable even though we got soaked in a thunderstorm! The service support team were extremely helpful with a very minor issue, quickly dealt with and were readily available if you needed them.

  Dear Brian, Having you and the family stay with us was an absolute pleasure. We're happy to hear that you found the kitchen well-stocked and made full use of the facilities. We look forward to welcoming you again. Many thanks, Management Property Owner

  Reviewed by Brian5.0★Jun 2023

• "We enjoyed our stay, 11 adults and four children."

  A few niggles, the beds were too soft. There were no outside bins for rubbish, the hot water was dangerous as it came through at a scalding temperature needs to be adjusted the mixer taps were lethal.

  Reviewed by Margaret4.7★May 2023

• "Beautifully decorated and furnished house, spotlessly clean, in a very convenient position in Scarborough."

  We even managed to squeeze 5 cars on the forecourt which was a bonus. But it was let down by the inadequate kitchen provision. Ovens and hob were great, but there were no serving dishes, only one large sharp knife, and the cutlery and crockery were barely enough for our party of 12 let alone the potential compliment of 16. The coffee maker was a single cup espresso machine, so we ended up buying a cafetiere as it took so long to make coffees in the morning one at a time. There were also absolutely no house instructions that we could find - information on recycling, rubbish collection, how to leave things at the end of our stay and local amenities were all absent.

  Thank you for choosing our hotel and sharing your feedback. We are delighted that you appreciated the beautifully decorated and furnished house, its cleanliness, and the convenient location in Scarborough. We also understand the importance of parking and are glad we could accommodate your five cars on the forecourt. We sincerely apologise for the inadequate kitchen provisions you experienced during your stay. Your comments regarding the lack of serving dishes, limited cutlery and crockery have been noted. We strive to provide a comfortable and well-equipped kitchen for our guests, and we regret that we fell short of your expectations. We have taken immediate steps and have replenished the stock in the kitchen. Furthermore, we apologise for the absence of house instructions. The cleaning team had taken it away to update it and forgot to return it. You will now find a more comprehensive handbook which provides valuable local guidance and enhance the overall guest experience. Once again, we appreciate your feedback, as it helps us identify areas for improvement. We hope to welcome you back in the future and provide you with an exceptional stay that exceeds all your expectations. Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can assist you with anything else. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Jane4.4★Apr 2023

• "Overall this place looks amazing even with the bathrooms that need updating (except the one with the black mould in the shower and the down stairs with no lock on and all the cobwebs and loose seat."

  ) the cleanliness was really bad as there was dust everywhere thick dust under all furniture as well and used tissues and chocolates. Under the bed a pack of tablets and a used plaster in another shower, we also saw a cig butt behind a bedside table. There had a been a banner left up from previous guests, all the bins were over full the fridge had meat blood in the bottom. The tv in snug/ games room and bedroom didn’t work no information about what damage they was already aware of and code to get WiFi. But the most disappointing part was the hot tub as it gets turned off at 8pm every night so the filter isn’t working and the scum and colour of the water was manky it had a pond life odour to it! Lots of rubbish and debris in the shed with the washing machine. We did ring the number from an email and Chris came out right away and seemed to know about a lot of the damage he understood the point we made about how unclean it was and even told us he knew where the chocolates was from and took them. He added chemicals to the hot tub and sed check it after 3 as we could try and use it then. He also got a cleaner to come and clean which she did do the wrong upstairs shower and moved the cobwebs from the downstairs one and then left within 10 minutes. The next day the hot tub was disgusting again and we tried to ring again and got a txt saying to txt him which I did and he came out and sed that maybe the children had weed in the hot tub which no I’m sorry the youngest was 9 and made each of them shower before getting in. The biggest plus to this place was the beds and bedding they are the comfiest we’ve even stayed in. Over all I honestly think we left it cleaner when leaving than when we arrived.

  Reviewed by Karrie2.8★Feb 2023

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