Tilly's Retreat

Property was great, very well equipped kitchen, very spacious accommodation and nice size garden to relax in.

Would throughly recommend to families with children. Short walk to the sea front, high street and all amenities. Great fun was had by all.

Fabulous house so much room and easy to use.

The cupboards had plenty of cooking and eating things it was a pleasure to be there with all we needed.

We had a great time Tillys retreat .

The house is perfect for a multi generation holiday or lage family group etc. The location is perfect . You can park up and explore locally ,there is plenty to do . Also on the door step to travel to many attractions in the area . The beds are all great very comfortable. The kitchen is packed with all that you want to cook ,plenty of takeaway options aswell. You can walk to the beach , no need to worry about parking. The garden is great the grandchildren and our doggie enjoyed the garden as did the adults . The area is very quiet we found plenty of parking.in the local area aswell as the drive way . I would highly recommend Tillys place . We hope we can come back .

We loved the house, very spacious and well equipped.

The garden was lovely and the location was perfect for accessing Hunstanton. The only downside that we had was that the garden furniture was particularly uncomfortable owing to the fact that there was no cushions or lounger type seating. This was a shame given how lovely the garden was.

House is very comfortable.

Only concern for older people would be the stairs design. It has a tight 90 degree turn at the 2nd floor. Location for the town is idea & The local park is good for walking your dog

Would not go back.

Owner not helpful with issues.

Family of 6.

(3 generations) & 1 small dog. We found the accommodation spacious, warm ( we didn’t need to use the log burner), comfortable & great location for beach & shops. We thought the decor, carpets & some of the soft furnishings were tired with stains on them, some of downstairs doors didn’t latch closed. The place was dusty especially on a wardrobe ( noted after removing stored bag) this did affect our noses!! 1 bedroom bin had not been emptied & the microwave didn’t work proving an inconvenience. We did inform the owner of this who offered to replace it but as it was Xmas it would be delayed. We were allowed to take our Xmas decs. Overall we felt the house met our needs but it requires a spring clean.

The overall accommodation was very good.

Close to all amenities & very comfortable. Had a few issues but was dealt with very quickly. Would recommend a stay there & would definitely go back

Our third lovely holiday at Tillys.

Great location for park,shops and beach.House very comfortable and well equipped and a secure pretty garden.

a mirror over the basin in 3rd floor bedroom will be nice.

grab rails in all showers will be good soap racks in all showers. clothes hangers in all showers. the sink in the kitchen lets water back on worktop ao if anything can be done to run the water back into the sink. the shower door needs sealing to stop water getting on to the step

Great size and location for our specific needs.

Comfortable and well-appointed accommodation. Simple instructions - easy to follow. Would certainly book again

Spacious and well located house that worked well for our family holiday.

The layout with one bedroom off another was fine for us with the kids. Nice garden and electric car charger was helpful.

The property is fantastic but needs some work doing to it, near the back door the paint is peeling off due to damp,the dish washer needs maintenance as the door wouldn't shut on nurmorous occasions and nothing was their stopping it,when you are in the shower down stairs it knocks the shower upstairs off,the bedroom with the interlinking children room I would swap round as the children go to bed before the adults and a door needs to be put on,on the listing it says 3 bathrooms which their is only 2 and a upstairs toilet and sink needs a shower or bath up their 100 percent as our parents where up and down!

Really couldn't work out the down stairs bathroom as no bedroom down their, this day and age needs tvs in bedrooms especially in the winter and with children staying,a very small TV in the lounge in the corner which needs to be bigger and on the wall so everyone can see it! Internet needs upgrading and also why is the Ariel just stuck on the wall with tape! Big rip in the curtains,and if the cleaner cleans they definitely don't clean like we clean as dog hair allover! Defo needs some work and maintenance re painting

The house needs some updating and furniture in sitting room has seen better days, but overall it's a spacious family house in convenient location for sea front and amenities.

Enjoyed the large garden, perfect for bbqs. Coffee machine a welcome touch! Note: We noticed the down pipe from the upstairs bathroom seems blocked as water overflowed from the hopper onto the patio.

This is our second stay at Tilly's retreat, we were there last year as well.

It was great to see the issues I reported last year were all sorted. The house is a lovely size and comfortable for 4 adults and 2 children. It's close to the shops and beach, plus there's a kids park over the road as well. The rooms are all a great size and the garden is lovely, we spent a lot of time in the garden. The overall cleanliness still lets the house down, lots of dead flies and cobwebs, I expect the cleaners are doing basic cleaning which doesn't include dusting around lamps and lights. The lamp in the main front bedroom doesn't work, not sure if the bulb needs replacing. The plug in the bath seems to be stuck, my daughter wanted a bath but I couldn't get the plug up, so that will need looking at. Everyone had a lovely week and the house is beautiful, we would deffo stay again, although next year we will probably pick somewhere different. Hunstanton and Tilly's retreat have been fab for the last 2 years.

what a beautiful house!

Well equipped and provided with thought. Unfortunately the maintenance and the cleaning of the house is letting it down. The upstairs bedroom has a large area of paint falling off and there are many cracks in the walls. There are cobwebs up high and the kitchen window was in need of attention. The showers were not great and the bath unusable. A real shame but a week or two of attention would bring the house back upto expectations. OVERALL WE LOVED IT AND IT DIDNT SPOIL OUR STAY.

House was ideal for us with lots of equipment and excellent position in town.

However the bed collapsing on the first night, we did not arrive until Sunday, was a trifle unerving though dealt with promptly and efficiently by handyman. I sorted all the cupboards in the kitchen as they had been left in a rather chaotic state and did not seem to make sense re.storage of equipment. I also sorted and cleaned under sink cupboard as something unidentifiable had been spilt in it. The cupboard in the dining room and under the stairs looked as if everything had been thrown into them, so guess what, I sorted them out as well. I think the owners need to ask someone, cleaner or handyman to check these things on a regular basis as I am sure it was previous visiters who had caused the problem. I also think the handyman should empty and sort the garden shed to avoid someone being injured trying to get the barbecue out. Finally for the amount of money I paid for renting the house I think the bedding and towels could do with a revamp. It is all a bit past their best. Even so all my fellow holiday makers had a good time and would probably stay at the house again.

Lovely house, perfectly located for town and beach.

A very relaxing stay with no real issues. House is very comfortable with a great garden for dogs. Liked it so much we've booked again for next summer.

Sadly it needs a little up grading.

No lock on the top floor loo, no mirror, but still a very nice place to stay, we had a great time.

I would like to speak with a Sykes adviser about a refund!

I have used your properties before but have never found one like this. The arrival process was fine and at first everything seemed okay until!!! One of the double bedroom's is directly off of a twin room. It is accessed by a short flight of stairs but there is no door to provide privacy from the occupants of the twin bedded room. Also you have to go through that room in order to reach the double room. This is only acceptable for a family but is still poor and not mentioned in the property listing. The third floor room is cold and the radiator only gets warm at the bottom. We bled it and it improved a little but not enough for the occupant to feel warm and nothing like the temperature of the lower room radiators. Both of the shower doors leak. Water from the upstairs shower drains through the ceiling via the ceiling light unit and drops into the toilet area below. The downstairs unit leaks onto the wooden step, the inner edge of which has rotted due to repeatedly being wet. Door latches required adjusting so that the doors would latch and stay closed. The light above the cooker had failed and we had to change it in order to see while we were cooking. Pans, bowls etc were stored randomly in the cupboards and and take up nearly all of the space. As a result there is very limited space to store food! The oven only has one shelf and the tray beneath it was covered in foil to hide the burned on food remains that were beneath it. It took half an hour of rubbing with a Brillo pad and a spell in the dishwasher to make it usable. The largest frying pan was rusty on the inside. Add to this the fact that locking the front door was very difficult and I think you can perhaps understand why I wonder how this property came to be listed by you. The final insult was the cleaner arriving at 9.00am and insisting that we should have left by then. Your listing states a departure time of 10.00 am. I look forward to receiving your reply

Beautiful house in a superb location, had everything required and more.

Simply the best Christmas we have had in years. Thankyou Anthony

A beautiful house in a great location.

Let down by rising damp, leaking gutters, an electrical fault, dirty mattresses, a general lack of cleanliness, a faulty front door lock, the TV doesn't get terrestrial channels, the loft room is too cold to use in winter. And be aware that the twin room that interconnects with a double room has no door in the door frame between the two, so if your children are asleep in the twin, you can't really put a lamp on in the double without risking waking up the kids. This could be the perfect holiday let if only the repairs and maintenance issues were resolved. It's spacious, with attractive decor. At the end of the road are all the shops and the promenade is just beyond.

The accommodation is very spacious, well decorated throughout and has a lovely garden which in the summertime would be a great asset.

Close to all amenities too. However we did have a few niggly concerns - some I have noted have been brought up in previous reviews. We had a problem in locking the front door. Once locked we then left well alone and used the back door without any problem. We were unsure of whether the radiator was working in the bedroom on the third floor. It always seemed cold when all the other radiators were working so it was obviously cold in that bedroom. Finally some of the quilts were very badly stained - something you were unaware of until as per the request to strip off the bedding before you leave. This is something that really ought to be rectified

Beautiful house and so close to town, perfect!

We would definitely stay here again

Looking at the quality of the fixtures and fittings, this spacious house once had a lot of money invested in it.

However, time and visiting families have taken their toll so that, in places, it is in need of a bit of TLC and attention; damp patches on walls, chipped paint work, dripping taps, doors that don’t stay shut. All these are relatively minor and could be fixed easily. Fresh, new bedding, towels and place mats would improve the feeling of the place too. As would a little more thorough cleaning. Having said all this we did have a wonderful week, despite the vagaries of the weather. We enjoyed the surprise of a bat flitting through the garden in the evenings. The large garden would be a real bonus on Summer evenings. The house is only 5 minutes walk from the town centre shops, supermarket and beach. We spent a great ‘Chilled Sunday’ afternoon singing and dancing along to the free band concerts on The Green. It is a great base for exploring the gorgeous North Norfolk coast. We would happily visit again.

This is our fourth visit to Tilly's Retreat and it is our last.

Firstly this house is lovely, the location is great and the garden perfect for our dog, however, after four years we are now fed up with the lack of maintenance. Following previous reviews, despite trying to deal with maintenance issues prior to the holiday with Sykes, we attended the house to find a hot water tap that could be rotated 360 degrees and tipped forward when used which was dangerous. We insisted a plumber fix it which they did 4 days later. This was classed as in "working order" and this is just the tip, fuses blowing when the oven is on, damp in the hall, big damp patch in the sunken bedroom when it rains, broken blind, spot lights out, tap leaking outside in the garden, no seal on the shower door, four drawers in freezer each had food in it from previous guest, trade bin completely full so we had to keep our rubbish in the house all week until the bin was collected on Friday (ie day before holiday ended), wi-fi dropping out, Netflix did not work as we needed log in details from owner and he only provided his password not the email address so we signed up for our own account having just got fed up with the constant problems, front of TV removed in a kids bedroom so fingers can be put in the speakers!!! When the fuses blow there are no stepladders to reach the fuse book so presumably this was why the toilet seat was hung off because people were having to climb on it to reach the fuse box, the plumber fixed the toilet seat but no doubt it will break again. Instead of repairing the fuse box I have been told by Sykes the owner has instructed them to notify tenants that the fuse box is in the downstairs bathroom and how to reset. No repairs in 4 years - we have had enough and booked elsewhere in Hunstanton with a local firm. Owner not interested in doing any maintenance - after speaking to him ourselves two years running he says "he will get around to it" but obviously he is not intending to. With vacating at 9.00 am and the next person not going in until 5.00 pm this is more than enough time to carry out a maintenance check and make any repairs even more so when the owner says he has a Property Manager, not Sykes who are the booking agents, to carry out the work. Such a shame.

Tilly’s Retreat is one of the nicest houses we’ve stayed in.

Everything you need is provided and there is plenty of room inside the house and outside in the lovely well-kept garden. It’s only a few minutes walk from the centre of Hunstanton and the beach so ideal for us. We wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again and hope to do so quite soon. A very enjoyable holiday all round. (The kitchen tap needs tightening up sooner rather than later as it’s very loose and wobbly but we had no problems with the cooker which was used every day).

Safety issues: The doorknob on the door to the Children's room was not screwed to the door.

It fell off along with the spindle and left the Children trapped inside. The adults heard screaming from downstairs and rushed up. The doorknob and spindle were inside the room leaving the Children trapped. with no way of being able to gain access the youngest of the 3 Children was now panicking and crying. With no tools available, I rushed downstairs, grabbed a pair of scissors and managed to insert them into the hole where the spindle should be and turned. Lucky I was able to get it the room to our 3 traumatised Children. Our youngest one was panic stricken and very frightened and left us all traumatised. This bedroom was on the second floor with fixed pane windows with a small opening at the top only. If there was a fire there would be no means of escape! This has left our youngest very distressed and has had issues after this event with nightmares and panics if his bedroom door is closed. The other two trapped inside with him have found the whole experience very troubling and has definitely had an effect on them. Other issues: Used tissues left in the woodburning stove. badly stained mattress in the lower bunkbed , upper mattress on the bunkbed extremely uncomfortable with sparse surface padding. Toilet on the top floor had nails sticking out of a collapsed sewage pipe cover and had a smell of urine. No DVD player as stated in property description and in instruction folder in the property. No batteries in two of the tv remote controls. No Netflix as stated in property description. Dirty placemats. Coffee machine tray dirty. General Standard of cleanliness low. On a lesser note: no welcome pack (pint of milk etc) Unusually late arrival times 5pm and surprisingly early departure times 9am. I am willing to send photos and to elaborate on all of the above if necessary. I will await your response to my complaints within 14 days of receipt. Sincerely Mr B Keating

This is the first time staying at Tilly's retreat and our second trip to Hunstanton.

The house is a great size, we had 4 adults / 2 children and there was plenty of space. The garden is a great bonus and the kids loved it. The check in is quite late so it feels like you lose a day, check out is 9am and again seems very early especially with a check in of 5pm. There were some maintenance issues with the house. One of which I think someone had mentioned already in a previous comment: 1. A loose toilet seat in the downstairs toilet and this is very loose to the point it slips to one side. 2. The kitchen tap is super wobbly 3. The oven kept tripping the fuse box. I did get hold of the owners and they replied very quickly explaining where the fuse box was but this would happen on a number of occasions and should probably need to have someone look at why it's doing it. 4. The kettle has no filter so sometimes you'd get bits in your tea. Overall cleanliness was okay, the towels had abit of a musty smell to them. Hunstanton itself is great, we had a trip to the sea life centre and the swimming pool is a lovely pool if you fancy a change to the beach/sea. This house is in the perfect location for being close to the shops/amusements and beach.

We loved staying so close to Hunstanton and the location of the house is great.

Rooms were really spacious and great garden for the kids. It was clear the house had been cleaned in the main areas however we felt that it wasn't as clean as it could be especially given that check in is 5pm and check out is 9am. There were cobwebs around the furniture, hairs in drawers, some kitchen utensils were dirty and the patio hadn't been swept. There was a fly trap that was full of dead flies in the kitchen near patio doors. Facilities in the house were good but downstairs toilet seat was loose on one side. Some of the pillows need replacing because they smelt but bedding was ok. The kids loved the extra toys that were available and there was plenty of space for them to crawl around. The kitchen is a great size and good facilities with dryer being available. We would stay here again if the property was freshened up a bit and if check in was 3pm and check out 10am. Getting ready for 9 with 2 kids is a challenge but we were grateful to be allowed in to the property at 4. Thanks

We loved our stay at Tilley's retreat.

Everything you could possibly need is provided and a beautiful relaxing garden.The house is in a good position for the town and local supermarkets.

The front door took so much effort to attempt to relock after arrival that we decided to use the side door instead.

We saw that a comment had been made in visitors book about it. We also couldn’t get any programmes on television apart from Netflix. Everything else was fine and we would definitely go back there again.

Lovely house near town centre.

Plenty of space and enjoyed time in walled garden which was perfect for the dog. Would definitely come again.

Tilly's Retreat provides a comfortable, home from home stay in a central location very close to Hunstanton sea front.

Very spacious property with lovely garden. We suffered from piles of black ants in lounge, kitchen and especially dining table - suggest old food crumbs are cleared from table crevices. Also, the oven tripped the fuse box a few times, so we had to correct that. There is no child stair or door gate provided so we had to take our own. This was necessary as we used the bunk bed room which has no door catch fitted, and the twin bed room has an unprotected flight of 5 steps for a young child to fall down. The above points did not ruin an otherwise fabulous stay. We would recommend the property and would consider staying again if we were visiting the area.

We had a great time in a lovely house loads of room.

arriving on late Saturday was almost waste of a day and leaving early on Saturday the same. But I suppose it’s a large house to clean! Also we would have loved a DVD player. We will be back next year.

This is a lovely house in a great location.

We noted that the owners wanted us to treat it as our own, which is nice. The house was great and overall would book again, but I can't help think spending a few hundred quid or so would be money well spent. The tvs are either a bit broken or vintage and can be replaced for basic modern models. The bunk beds maybe could do with a new mattress etc. The kitchen is very well equipped but matching plates etc might be nice. And the glasses were quite dirty when we arrived. Nothing major though and the house was lovely and warm and we certainly felt at home in it. Was good to have a dining table that accommodated all 8 of us too which was fab for Christmas. And the WiFi was good too. So would we book Tillys retreat again? Yes! But would be nice to see a couple of minor updates to the property. The garden looked great but we couldn't go out due to the weather but I'm sure it would be great in the summer. But thanks for a lovely stay - we all had a great Christmas with the whole family, thank you!

We loved the house ideal location for all our needs

The heating did not work at all so the property was so cold, that 1 of our party had to go home early because they became ill.

A lot of the crockery was chipped which is a health hazard, 1 wine glass was cracked, the oven was so dirty that we dared not to use it, the only thing we could watch on the tv was netflix, no BBC, ITV, Channel 4 or 5. I would not recommend using this property.

Tilly’s Retreat was a lovely house and well equipped.

The garden was ideal, secure and far larger than we expected. All the shops and the sea front are within walking distance and some days we didn’t use the car.

We really enjoyed the holiday and would certainly think about visiting again.

The garden was a real asset and the house was very spacious for the 6 of us. It was good to have Netflix – many don’t. Some minor points: - Could do with a bigger toaster Perhaps more modern bedding Bigger bath towels

We love this property for it's flexible accommodation, proximity to all amenities and enclosed garden so small children are safe to play.

Very nice, spacious house in a great location which met our requirements very well.

We found pretty much everything we needed. We did feel cold over the weekend - particularly on Sunday when the heating went off and we couldn't override the thermostat. There was a draught coming under the kitchen door which didn't help. No heating in kitchen. That said, the weather did improve throughout the week which helped. Plenty to do in Hunstanton and the beach at Old Hunstanton was great for small children. Sea Life Centre a big hit as was adventure golf. Definitely somewhere we will visit again. We only used the car once - walked everywhere. Park across the road a big plus.

Good Family Property, located very close to Town & Beach Tilleys Retreat is a very good family size property within east reach of Town and Beach.

Very well equipped with all appliance's and wood burner. Disappointing that there was no starter pack for the woodburner, which generally most properties with a wood burner supply. Also unusual not to receive a welcome pack, all properties we have rented in the past had supplied one, even during the later stages of the pandemic. Our arrival did not get off to a good start, arrived in the dark as arrival time had to be after 5pm (later than most holiday cottages), the entrance hall was in darkness as the LED light fitting was not working properly, so had to go upstairs with a torch to find a bedside lamp to move to the hall. In the first lamp I found in the main bedroom the bulb was dead, so had to located another. This lack of very basic maintenance we found with other items: none of the three outside lights were working, loose drawer and door knobs that seem to come off in your hands. One knob on the bedside cabinet in the first bedroom was missing and was found in a drawer, so quick bit of DIY re fixed it. The cloakroom on the top floor door would not latch close. When stripping the beds there were very noticeable staining to the quilts and one mattress had spring showing. We discovered the three saucepans in the kitchen had food left stuck to them, so checked all crockery etc carefully before using and was surprised at the number of items chipped and we sorted out and washed items before we used them. Despite there being bookshelves of DVD's there was no DVD player We left on the Friday due to being required to leave by 9am on the Saturday to allow for a leisurely departure. Cannot understand why Tilley's Retreat has an arrival time of 5pm and departure time of 9am. We used five holiday cottages during 2021 and all had arrival times of 3 pm or 4pm and departure time of 10am. The minor negative items are very easily and cheaply rectified and you would not expect in a property of this rental value. However they did not spoil our holiday in this lovely property which has a very efficient heating and hot water system. The property also benefits from a large family Garden.

A short walk from the centre of town and beach but far enough away to be quiet.

A well appointed, very clean house with a friendly family feel. We did find the 9am check out time a pain so most of us left the day before so that we could leave at leisure. All in all a great Christmas stay that we would recommend. ps If you are looking at a Summer stay a nice big garden.

Excellent location.

Safe fenced/walled garden.

Lovely family house with secure private garden for children and dogs to play safely.

Ideal location in few mins walk to beach and town.

We had a wonderful stay at Tilly’s Retreat.

The house was well equipped for a large family group and we wanted for nothing. The back garden was an especially lovely area. Very safe and accessible for the children and our family dog. The house is perfectly situated as there is a park for exercising the dog and play area for children that is virtually on the doorstep and the seafront and activities are a short stroll away. This property is absolutely perfect for an all ages group holiday. Would highly recommend.

We were very disappointed with this holiday let.

We have been renting cottages / houses for over twenty years with different companies and this has to be one of the most disappointing! Every other rental we have had provided a welcome pack, even if it was just a pint of milk in the fridge but there was nothing here. The main reason for booking this house is the wood burning stove, again, every other rental has provided a basket of logs to start you off but no logs, no newspapers, not even a companion set to use with the fire so heaven knows how we were meant to use it or clean it out ! Please don't advertise a wood burner / fire if the owners don't want to encourage the use of it! Considering we had to check in late due to the "extra cleaning" required due to Covid we found the house to be dusty, not cleaned properly and the cutlery had been put back in the drawers with food stuck to it. The bedside lamp in the main bedroom had no bulb so we had to find one elsewhere and the general standard of hygiene left a lot to be desired. The instructions said that there were spare keys just inside the door but these didn't exist and the shed where we had to initially collect the key from (in the safe) was filthy and bin bags full of rubbish left in there. Instructions said to leave the bedding in the laundry basket provided but these didn't exist either - I must say if we had known the state of the bedding before stripping it on our departure we definitely would not have used it, stained pillows and duvets, not what I would expect from a house that demands such a high price for a stay. In fact we were so disappointed with the overall lack of cleanliness, use of the fire and the general feeling we got that we packed up our belongings on Tuesday morning and came home, cutting our stay short by 4 nights. Would I recommend Tilly's Retreat? No. Would I recommend Sykes Holiday Cottages? Not based on this experience!

A lovely house close to sea and shops,ideal size for a family,great garden.

We had a great stay, location was ideal!

This was the best holiday we’ve had for a UK holiday for a long time.

We liked it so much we’ve booked again. Well located and great house.

Tall people might find the third floor bedroom a bit difficult owing to the ceiling height.

Also the bathroom on the third floor is just a toilet and very small hand basin. There isn’t a towel rail up there so a couple of hooks to hang towels would be useful. However it’s overall a lovely comfortable house and well furnished. Lovely spacious hall. Plenty of cooking equipment. Some toys and equipment for small children and babies. The beach is 5 minutes walk away. Good bus services from Hunstanton to other venues along the north Norfolk coast.

Mattress on double bed front first floor sags considerably in the middle could probably do with replacing.

All in all an absolutely great week was had by all many thanks.

The house is very spacious and has every thing you need for a lovely holiday.

Location to the town centre, beach and park within few minutes. The garden was being re landscaped with a new large patio, and unfortunately, virtually all shrubs/trees had been removed and bare earth where the lawn had been. Completely different to the pictures on the web site. Not ideal for us with a dog, The park compensated for us being unable to use the garden. For future bookings, once the landscaping has been finished the garden will not be a problem. i felt we should have have been made aware the garden could not be used.

Wood burning stove has no brush or poker.

The property needs more than one TV.because it caters for upto ten people and the garden could do with some loving care.

Good location and no complaints with the property itself which was spacious and very well presented