“The cottage itself was generally unwelcoming, dark, drab and felt unclean.”
The furniture and fittings were all very old and well worn, one would have found much better in a charity shop, or house clearance sale! The towels were threadbare; those that we brought to wipe down the dog were far superior. The patio was representative of the cottage, with an abundance of weeds, with the aroma of stale cooking oil from the adjoining cafe.
We remained in the cottage for about two hours,only sufficient time to find other more suitable accommodation. Had we stayed longer then our comments would have been more detailed.
On reviewing the Sykes web site, the photos you have included are obviously selective, and must have been taken some years ago, enhanced for brightness, but they are not truly representative.
Furthermore, it is noted that whilst the cottage was given a 3 ticks rating, this is somewhat misleading, for this would appear to be your minimum rating.