Rooftops Cottage

Sadly as soon as we arrived Saturday evening we had to thoroughly clean the property, it was incredibly dusty everywhere in the living room - surfaces, walls and lots of cobwebs.

There was a smell of damp in the games room we never used it, 2 of the 4 remotes didn’t work (lack of or dead batteries). The living room sofa had stains on it. The kitchen was very clean though other than the cobwebs on the walls, however the fridge had frost in it and there was some food remnants stuck inside the freezer shelves so we didn’t use this. The welcome package left in the kitchen was very gratefully received however and was a lovely touch! We slept on the second floor, the bedding was immaculate and the beds comfy, as were the towels however, both bedrooms had to be thoroughly hoovered - the dust was thick under the bed in the kiddy room and I could see old tissues and a remnants of a Kelloggs cereal box under there, I didn’t touch these. I had to wipe down the surfaces again in both bedrooms because of the dust (I’m asthmatic and it was making my little boy cough and sneeze a lot). The bathroom on the first floor was immaculate minus the dust round the extractor / vent, however the shower flooded so we’d have to mop the floor with towels when we used it that once. We didn’t use the upstairs bed but did use that shower because of the flooding of the other shower, however there was some mould in the sealant. I have stayed at Sykes cottages a number of times over the years and have always been over the moon with the properties we’ve stayed in but was left disappointed this time. However the location of the cottage is perfect and has amazing potential if it was deeply cleaned and upkeep/repairs were made - lots of cracks in the walls and looked incredibly tired, none of which is in the photos. The passes were really useful but found the car park was quite a trek with a little one but we had a stroller so it wasn’t a problem. We didn’t complain at the time because of how late we arrived and didn’t want to have to wait till the next day for it to be cleaned because of my asthma and because of it making my son sneeze and cough. I remained tight chested all week with my breathing sadly. Disappointed with the amount of cleaning and how much we paid overall. We are returning to Whitby next year with my parents as the location was lovely but sadly wouldn’t return to this property. I felt it only fair I be truthful.

Quirky little cottage , super clean and lovely decor, lovely outdoor space off the 3rd floor bedroom, only negative thing about it was it could’ve done with a fan in all the bedrooms , we had 29degree heat the weekend we were there and I’m glad I took my own fan, would definitely stay here again was fab.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Rooftops Cottage as three couples.

The location was ideal, right in the heart of the action, making it easy to explore the town and enjoy everything Whitby has to offer. The cottage itself was comfortable and well equipped, with everything we needed for our group holiday. One of the highlights was the rooftop terrace, which was a real treat in the lovely weather we had. It was a perfect spot for relaxing and taking in the views. There were a few minor drawbacks worth noting. The house could have done with a deep clean, as there was a lot of dust and cobwebs in places. Being in central Whitby, the seagulls were quite active at night, particularly noticeable in the attic bedroom, so ear plugs are a good idea if you are a light sleeper. Parking was a short walk away, but that is pretty standard for Whitby and something you will be aware of if you have visited before. The attic room also gets bright at sunrise, so an eye mask might help you sleep in. Just a note for future guests, to access the rooftop terrace, you will need to go through the attic bedroom and bathroom. Overall, we had a great time and found the cottage to be a convenient base for a group stay in Whitby, with the added bonus of a lovely rooftop area to enjoy.

great cottage, great location.

Lovely and clean on arrival with all you need. Would recommend and return

Great cottage in a great location.

Extremely warm during a very cold period. Cottage had all we could ask for. Really enjoyed our stay.

We had a December weekend as a family of five and my husbands Mum.

The Rooftops was perfect. Brilliant location, lovely property, had everything we needed. Our teenagers loved the games room (would be good if they could watch films etc but we couldn’t work that out). We could have settled in right over Christmas and are already looking to book again. Parking away from property but doesn’t matter for us as once in Whitby we don’t move to be car until we leave. Could be tricky for people with mobility problems as stairs down to to property but again not a problem for us. 5 stars.

The cottage was perfect and just as explained in the listing.

We made a bunk bed den for my 4 year old niece who was delighted and slept in the top bunk one night and in the den in the bottom bunk the night after. She loved her very own play room too. House was great. We will book it again.

Great cottage very clean in a great position, it would be even better if you could get into the property earlier or vacate later.

The games room is a great idea, you could even add a dart board and table football, would definitely recommend a stay here

A great stay with great hosts.

The property is very central in Whitby and is a lot bigger than we expected.

Very well equipped and clean. Quiet except from pesky seagulls! Would definitely stay again.

So convenient location for everything in Whitby.

No good for people with disabilities. Lovely inside makes you smile when you first go in Unexpected sight. Maybe could do with double glazing if it has, maybe secondary needed, quite noisy at night Gulls etc can't be helped but if your not used to it Not a Lot of

Rooftops cottage exceeded our expectations.

It is roomy and comfortable and has clearly been recently refurbished to a high standard and was spotlessly clean. It is centrally situated and handy for all that Whitby has to offer. The views of the Abbey and the harbour from the bedrooms are amazing. We were not blessed with good weather and the log burner was very welcome although we did have to purchase our own logs and kindling, also the previous guests had mislaid the parking permit but we were given on-street passes provided by the local office which is a 2 minute walk away. We would not recommend the cottage for anyone with mobility issues as it is tucked away down some steps and the paving is very uneven. We travelled with our 2 dogs and the lack of outdoor space meant multiple comfort trips to the nearby park which was not a problem. All in all we were really impressed with the property , having stayed in lots of holiday rentals we were of the opinion that it rated amongst one of the best .

This property was fantastic!

The house itself is much larger than we expected. Everything you need is in the property with the exception of a mop. Beds are really comfortable and towels provided were quality. Shower in the en-suite and main bathroom were both powerful which is always a bonus. Upon arrival we did have issues finding our parking permit due to previous guests not leaving it behind ( not the owners fault) but we contacted the owner who had a parking scratchcard delivered to the door within 20 minutes of first contact so we were really impressed. We couldn't find any info about bin collection days in the information folder but it was emptied on Thursday morning I believe. The house is literally a few minutes walk away from the harbour and there's a Herons and poundland within a few minutes walk which is ideal for supplies. We tried most takeaways within the local area and all were really nice. The pub is literally over the road and I believe dogs are welcome although we never went in ourselves, it always sounded busy when passing. We took two dogs with us and took them everywhere with us so the lack of any outside space wasn't too much of an issue until one day it rained all day and we were really mindful that we were in someone else's home that they clearly love and spent most of our day trying to stop them wandering anywhere that might get marked from wet paws and coats when returning to the property. My only issue with this property was that the doors to outside areas can be difficult to lock/unlock at times but considering they are all natural wood it is to be expected. Overall I would recommend this property to anyone that wants a clean, comfortable and well maintained property to relax in when not making the most of the local area. We hope to return some time in the not too distant future.

Great location and easy access to Whitby.

Beds, bedding and towels were all good quality. Kitchen was well equipped and had everything you needed. We had a lovely stay and would recommend this cottage for people with no disabilities as there are a lot of stairs and uneven payments to the property. An issue for us was the lack of outside space for our dogs. There was a little square walled area outside kitchen which was a bit grim and a bigger outside seating area through the en-suite which I’m sure will be lovely in the warmer months. As this was the only proper outside space to open the doors to let the dogs out and for them then to come back through the en-suite and in to the bedroom, I was very aware of wet paws and looking after carpets etc. The cottage is perfect if you don’t have dogs. Overall I would recommend this cottage.

A very good house in a great area of Whitby.

The general accommodation is good if a little tired. The rooftop terrace was great for a sundowner in the week of sunny weather we had. Several bits of maintenance should be carried out over the quiet period and a redecoration would bring it up a lot. Nonetheless we enjoyed our stay in Rooftops. Clarification of bin collection would also help, but otherwise we had most things we needed and the location is close to a variety of shops, cafes and pubs.

I'd struggle to find a better located cottage of this size in Whitby.

There aren't many that can sleep 4 adults in king-size beds with three decent single beds. I've thought hard before leaving this review. We've had a good holiday. But given the cost of renting the property I'm not happy with our stay. Full admission that I didn't try to work out minor niggles with YCC or the owner. I only dealt with one issue that was dealt with by YCC, I didn't want to spend any time on a holiday trying to sort out small things. Like many people, time is a precious commodity. First impressions weren't great. Outdoor access to property slippy and strewn with litter from neighbouring cottage. When we arrived, we could not turn any lights on, as the power to all off them was off, so the first thing we had to do was find the fuse box to get the power for them back on. The property smelt strongly of wet dog. Photos in listing need updating as some areas looking very tired. Because there must have been a power cut, the electric oven would not work, so we could not cook anything. The guidebook helpfully explained that if this happened you had to reset the oven by pressing the plus and minus buttons together. However, there was no plus button - presumably broken off by a previous guest and not replaced. One of the blankets on the beds should not have been placed back on - it stank and was covered in fur. At least one chipped knife and several cracked or chipped glasses. Windows need a clean, shower seals hanging off, missing tooth brush holders, chipped plaster. Outside area on roof has changed from photos and is looking really tired, awning didn't or doesn't work (and is filthy). The coffee maker listed was a cafetiere. So far, so minor, and all things I was happy to overlook. It is a good property. Some issues have been caused by previous visitors, but unusual for them not to be addressed. The reason for the low rating is that we found evidence of mouse activity our first evening. In several locations. It was confirmed on the second evening when we caught one. We actually saw several in and out of the large laurel in the neighbouring property. It's an old property. It's not an easy one to resolve given where they're coming from. Mice will get in, and heavy rain will drive them in, I'm not unsympathetic to that. YCC/sykes dealt with this very quickly (especially grateful for this at the start of a two week stay with three under 4s) but the general maintainence and cleanliness would help with this (air brick in patio area maybe needs a mesh cover which we didn't spot until our last few days). This is my first disappointing experience with sykes, so while I would consider using them again, I'll be a lot more cautious in the future. I wouldn't stay in this property again, sadly.

We loved the cottage and its location, our only issue was there was no garden for the dogs, but that was my fault for not realising.

The dogs would never use a terrace as a toilet so it meant running to the little park late at night and early morning for toileting! The children enjoyed the games room during the rainy days, which they loved. We visited many beaches and even though the weather wasn't great we loved our time in whitby and wouldnt hesitate in returning.

The cottage was lovely, brilliant location and equipped well.

Super clean and well equipped. Bedding was superb and the Balcony views were wonderful! The pictures of the cottage gives the impression there is a garden but sadly there isn’t any green space. Many steps to the property make it a challenge for anyone with mobility issues. I was expecting a garden but that was our only disappointment.

Lovely cottage, excellent beds, very well equipped.

Parking permits are a great idea and helped a lot.

The house and stay was great.

However.. The owner needs to have a word with the neighbour. The "effing and blinding" as he walks past the window we can cope with. The tip-tip tapping at 2am is another matter. Imagine someone hanging 50 pictures on the partition wall every night between 1am and 2am and that's the sound. It instantly wakes you up and then keeps you awake. Perhaps an additional key would also be welcome.

Beautiful cottage.

The only downside is it is quite difficult at night to see your way down the access entry. The cottage light only comes on when you get to the door so could do with better lighting as several trip hazards

Excellent cottage, great location and facilities will be back again, thank you

Fantastic location a beautiful cottage with everything you needed for your stay great views of the abbey from the main bedroom and the second bedroom lovely clean rooms and fantastic rooftop views of Whitby we are most definitely staying again in the future.

couldnt recommend highly enough.

Lovely cottage and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

The welcome pack was an unexpected nice touch will some local treats. The location is central, but off the main high street which made unloading near the cottage a little tricky at times. There are parking restrictions but no one bothered us in the short time it took to off load and load the car. The West Cliff car park is about a ten minute walk but everything in Whitby is really close and as the cottage is so central, the car was only needed on days out. There are limited areas to let you dog run in Whitby. We managed to find the Cinder track, an old revamped Whitby to Scarborough rail line, which does allow some escape from roaming streets and grass verges, the viaduct at Ruswarp is stunning. Some of the bushes around the cottage from neighbouring gardens could do with a good trim as it does take out some of the window views. The Laurel berries that overhung the small back yard had to be cleaned up regularly as they can be toxic to dogs. Some of the fixtures in the cottage were a little tired which prevents us giving the cottage five stars. The oven was tricky to operate as it had a button missing which was used to reset it. Overall would definitely recommend and we would stay again as the cottage came with everything we needed.

Great stay at rooftops, the cottage comfortably accommodated myself, wife, 2x children and 2 x grandparents across the 2 weeks.

We have no issues with the cottage. Good quality cottage. It's a shame that this cottage has feedback that isn't so positive. Cottage and whitby make an ideal family summer break.

Lovely holiday home with ample space, much more than expected!

Great for kids. The balcony was a great extra but we didn't use that much, I wouldn't base your choice around this. Excellent location

Lovely cottage well situated although walking to the car park was a pain including unloading and loading luggage on arrival and departure, no space available so a good walk and several to get into cottage .

Loved the facilities although took ground coffee and filters for the coffee machine which was pictured in adverts , but no machine just a cafetière. Didn’t use the balcony as seagulls were nesting , bit dirty on the roof including on the table. , I think if we had taken food up we would of been bombarded and the seagulls don’t like people close to their chicks. The beds were very comfortable and we both slept well in our respective rooms. I hooked my iPad to the TV and could play Netflix etc through this ,which was great . I didn’t understand the bins and couldn’t find reference in the cottage as to what day was bin day , no green bag for recycling? Nothing in the manual ,which needs updating BTW . Callum pointed out some cobwebs on the ceilings but overall the cottage was clean. Good hot water system and shower very efficient.

Needs a good clean,shower leaks and little things need doing(tooth brush holder missing off wall,cracks and plaster blown in places.

a lick of paint wouldn’t go a miss.don’t get me wrong the house is great but that would take it to 5 star

We had a really wonderful stay here.

It was surprisingly spacious and the kitchen was really well stocked. Rooms were clean with amazing views, terrace gorgeous but sadly a bit too stormy for us to enjoy it this time. We added to the crab buckets and the nets were a bonus. We enjoyed the games room, a nice fun space. Thank you so much.

Can not fault the Rooftop Cottage, it was clean, comfy, games room was great, beds comfy.

Luckily we had great weather for November so was great to sit on the rooftop terrace and take in the fantastic views of Whitby and brilliant location we couldn’t have asked for more. Going to book again for same time next year

The description and photos of the cottage were grossly misleading and, I later learned, the photos were taken 11 years ago!

The cottage was very dirty and shabby. All the furniture was stained and worn. It is nothing like 5* standard. Appalling.

Have rang and emailed you several times and heard nothing cannot believe the service.

The property was very dirty and especially in the current situation is not acceptable

The cottage is perfectly located for access to the town.

We would use Sykes cottages again. The only thing I would recommend you consider, is to ask the owners to not use the terrace as a USP. They will struggle to do anything about the seagulls breeding above the terrace; but because of this the terrace is not useable. Even if the awning worked (it doesn’t) it wouldn’t be pleasant to sit on there. Personally I would remove this from the advertisement. The cottage will sell itself without use of the terrace.

Rooftops is a lovely cottage in a good location.

It was clean and comfortable with everything we needed for a lovely family holiday. Parking is a lottery when unloading and loading the car but you know that about Whitby and we managed fine. We were blessed with good weather and were able to enjoy the terrace and views. We love Whitby and will be back again.

This was a last minute swap from our original booking which did work in our favour, facilities and standard of equipment was excellent.

The only downside unfortunately was lack of parking especially as we had one member who has a disability and trying to unload was difficult as buses were blasting their horns inspite of us pulling up half on pavement to allow them to pass and pedestrian access, we had 2 cars but only 1 permit for the car park and a visitor scratch card which was impossible to find a place so ended up paying to park in the carpark for 24 hrs.We appreciate parking is difficult but we feel it would be helpful to let people know more details.

We stayed in this cottage last year.

Sadly we found cleanliness to be lacking, which is a concern in the current conditions. The tiled floors in the kitchen but especially the top shower room were dirty, there was a chipped mug and champagne glass cracked, which made us wonder if they had been checked. The top bedroom mattress needs replacing, I Think the owners know this as they have add3d a mattress topper. Location, views, roof top terrace amazing. We would book again if the cleaning was addressed.

The cottage is perfect.

We’ve stayed here before and will definitely book again. The terrace is wonderful and the accommodation is spacious and comfortable. Great location too - off a main street but very quiet. The helpline was answered quickly and the gentleman was very genuine and helpful.

A fabulous cottage, very well equipped.

Nothing too much trouble for the owners. Really enjoyed a very happy holiday. Would definitely recommend.

The cottage was very comfortable and in a convenient position for all the attractions of Whitby as well as being near the co-op for our shopping.

The terrace on the roof was a lovely place to sit with a drink and admire the views of Whitby. Staff at Coastal Cottages were always friendly and helpful. This is our second visit to Rooftops and we hope to stay there again in the future. Thank you!

Excellent location. Lovely house and decor. Perfect space for a family of four plus dog.

The property was in a nice location. The decor/furnishings, equipment and cleaning were all highly satisfactory. I found the booking process easy and the ehlpfulness/courtesy of staff and overall customer service was highly satisfactory. I hope to book again.

Ideal location with easy access to shops and facilities. The welcome pack was very welcome! Property clean and tidy andcrockery, glasses and cutlery were all very clean. Lovely bedrooms and beds very comfortable. Great to have a games room. Thanks to all involved in making our stay at Rooftops Cottage so special.

We have really enjoyed our stay in Whitby and the cottage has become our home from home. All the little things have made the difference to us - from the welcome pack to the toilet roll, towels and super comfy bed! We will definitely be returning. Facilities, extra bits and immediate customer service have been wonderful!

We were delighted with the cottage, its location, decor and amenities. We did experience a couple of issues but YCC were very helpful in sorting out our issues so many thanks for that. Both issues resolved during our stay. Many thanks.

Lovely cottage. Shame about the weather. Still had a lovely time as we always do in Whitby. It was great to have a nice place to spend time in when the rain was torrential! All aspects highly satisfactory.