We had an excellent holiday in the cottage we booked for my father’s 90th birthday celebration. It was a mammoth affair including all the extended family. The cottage had 5 bedrooms including a two bedroom annexe, so there was my husband, me and my daughter; my mother and father; my sister her husband and her daughter; my nephew and his wife and baby; and my aunt and uncle. It was great to book this cottage so we could all get together. All our houses are much smaller, so it would have been impossible to meet up at any of the homes. Plus we all live quite far apart, so this we could all gather in a neutral environment. The weather was great, apart from one day when it rained. The cottage had wifi internet which was very useful, as quite a few of us have our own businesses and you just need to be able to keep an eye on emails even if you don’t action anything. The satellite TV was fantastic with lots of channels. The owners also had subscribed to Netflix, so we were able to choose from a huge selection of films. Mind you it was quite difficult choosing sometimes, with so many people and so much choice! The area was very picturesque and very peaceful.  We booked the cottage through Karen Durant from Holidays 4U. She was very helpful, throughout the booking process.  Infact, she was a life-saver. We had been let down by a previous owner with a double booking, but Karen saved the day by finding us this fantastic property which surpassed all of our expectations.

Sharon from Sunderland (July 2016)

We have just returned from a very needed and very enjoyable fortnight in Torquay. We stayed in a lovely detached property which enjoyed amazing views across the ocean and had lovely gardens. We wanted something top end and this house was certainly luxurious: just what we were looking for. We booked through Karen Durant from Holidays4u.org. Although we noticed that this house was on a few different websites, we preferred to book through Karen as we have used her before. She is reliable and efficient and her prices were the same as the other websites.  The accommodation was very clean on arrival and the kitchen very well equipped. It had all the usual appliances you would expect such as a dishwasher and washing machine, but also an Aga which was absolutely great. The owners had left us a welcome pack, which included water, tea, coffee, wine and even dishwasher tabs, washing up liquid, toilet rolls and bin liners, to name just a few essential items. The location was very good, especially for the views, but also we found restaurants, pubs and shops within 500 yards. We thoroughly enjoyed using the games room, which had a snooker table. We have a snooker table at home as well, and we often play a game in the evening before dinner. So it felt like home from home. We were very lucky with the weather which was fine and sunny every day. This was great as it meant we could make use of the hot tub outside. This house really does have a lot of extra luxury items.

Carol from Poole (July 2016)

We have just returned from a fabulous holiday in Torquay which we booked to celebrate my niece’s wedding. We stayed as an extended family of 12 people including grandparents, father and mother and their partners, my family of 3, and my sister-in-law, her husband and her daughter. We had to book the cottage from a Friday for a week, which was perfect as the wedding was on a Saturday. After the wedding the bride and groom left for their honeymoon and the rest of the party stayed for an extended holiday. We were really impressed with the house. It was decorated in a luxurious style. If you only like modern, you wouldn’t appreciate it however. We loved it however, as the owner has kept the decor and furniture in the period style. The main reason that we chose this house was the snooker table. We loved to spend our evenings there playing and sipping glasses of champagne. The house was full of original features including the lovely chandeliers. The owner left us a luxurious welcome pack to match the luxurious cottage. It included champagne, caviar (although I am not really keen on it: lots of the other family were though), Belgian chocolates etc. We were really lucky with the weather. Although there was a bit of rain, somehow we managed to avoid it everytime we ventured outside. We loved visiting Bygone Days, which the children really loved. It is a sort of museum. You can walk down a Victorian street and look in all the shop windows to see all the produce which would have been on sale at the time.

Nigel from Cambridge (July 2016)

We have an absolutely fabulous holiday in Torquay.  We booked through Karen from Holidays 4U. The booking process was very easy and she was very efficient in answering all our emails promptly (even late at night). We were a family of 6 people.  We were celebrating my father’s 90th birthday party, so we wanted to book a special cottage. So our party was made up of my mother and father, myself and husband and our two daughters.  My sister also joined us for one night with her husband and daughter. So it was good to have a lot of room and a large dining table so that we could all sit down to dinner together. The cottage had a hot tub outside. It was an 8-seater hot tub.  So my sister’s family and my family all enjoyed, but understandably my mother and father declined.  We really loved this property and would definitely book it again.  We were very lucky with the weather. The sun was out most days, apart from one. So we had a couple of barbeques. We were advised that there was an award winning restaurant nearby, so we tried that out one night.  I would also recommend Angel’s Tea Shop.  It is in Babbacombe, so we had to drive there.  We parked just nearby on Babbacombe Downs. There are fantastic sea views here.  Angels is  a lovely tea shop.  They serve amazing cream teas.  There are several different types of scones you can choose including plain, fruit and ginger scones. They are homemade and very large.  Unlike some scones you would buy in the supermarket, these are moist and delicious, not all dried up and crumbly.  There were also several different types of jams such as strawberry, raspberry and plum. This was topped off by a welcome pot of Earl Grey tea.

Simone from Solihull (July 2016)

We recently stayed in a cottage in Torquay in Devon, which he really enjoyed.  The cottage was in a great location for getting to the beach and also other amenities such as restaurants and a pub. The cottage had clearly been refurbished recently as the standard of the decor was very high and the cottage was very comfortable.  It really was like a home from home! The sofas and the beds were very comfortable. We were particularly impressed by the fast wifi broadband. The kitchen was very well equipped and included a washing machine and dishwasher. We travelled as a family of 2 adults and 2 children and we booked through Karen from Holidays4U as a celebration for my husband’s 40th birthday. The booking process was very straightforward and easy. We came in one car, but there would have been room to park 2 cars if needed. We were also lucky with the weather and were able to spend several days at the beach, which our children loved. Most days we went to Meadfoot Beach.  This cottage is also dog friendly. The owners allow a total of 2 pets.  It’s lucy as we have a labrador and a cockapoo. The owners also left us a welcome pack which was a nice touch.  It meant we could relax and have a drink on arrival, before having to worry about going shopping. We were travelling from the North of England, so we didn’t arrive until late. Because it was my husband’s birthday celebration we went out one night to Memories Bistro, which is in St Marychurch. The food was amazing and I can highly recommend it.  But as we have been to Torquay many time, we knew it would be important to book several weeks in advance.

Jasmine from York (July 2016)

Although only a small little studio, we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday. It felt like having a room in a large villa. The original features were stunning especially the entrance hallway and staircase. The garden was very large and well maintained. We will definitely return again. We booked through Karen from Holidays 4U, who was very efficient in dealing with our enquiry. We originally enquired about a different property which was not available, and Karen emailed a list of suggestions and alternatives. We really enjoyed the area of Wellswood. It has a lovely selection of restaurants. There was also a wonderful little cafe which was part of a pattiserie. They also sell lovely chocolates. The nearest beach to where we were staying was Meadfoot Beach. It was great to walk along the sea front and watch the sea lap against the sea wall. The beach is very family friendly. But be aware that if you walk down the steps from the sea wall to the sand below, you need to watch the tide very carefully. We walked around the corner and we almost got trapped as we didn’t notice the sea was coming in. Luckily a diver walking past warned us. By the time we got back to the steps, the water was covering the sand by about one foot.  As it wasn’t too rough we were able to wade in, to reach the steps and to safety. Another day we visited Kents Cavern, which I would definitely recommend. A little further afield, Babbacombe Model Village is also worth visiting and Bygone Days where you can walk through Victorian streets and look in the shop windows to see all the produce and products that would have been sold in the day. It’s quite amazing to see how old some of our famous brands are!

Jackie from Derby (June 2016)