Host & Stay | The Old Smokey — Guest Reviews

My wife and I spent 3 nights in early December at the cottage and felt very much at home. It is handy for shops and pubs by the harbour. We particularly liked the Olde Ship Inn for food and beers. It was good base for walking. It also has its own parking spot. Thanks for having us

We had such a lovely stay at the old Smokey! It was so cozy and all the amenities you need for a gorgeous few days away. We stayed as a couple and an 8 month old baby and we had plenty of room. 3 bathrooms was a definite plus! We would definitely recommend this property and would stay again. Also some recommendations if you’re visiting; Billy Sheils boat tours The Potted Lobster at Bamburgh (gorgeous fish, higher priced for the area but unbelievable) The spice house Indian takeaway.

Overall a lovely cottage, perfect location. Loved that the town and beach were walkable. Comfy beds and plenty of room for the two of us. Kitchen wasn’t particularly well stocked e.g only one dishwasher tablet was provided, no oil etc.

The instructions provided were clear and made finding the property very easy. The property having its own parking spot was great as parking in the area would have been difficult. The property was easy to access and was very cosy and had all the amenities for cooking although we could have done with a few more dishwasher tablets. If cooking isn’t your style there were multiple amazing pubs/ restaurants nearby with great food. The harbour was just around the corner and you can easily see Bamburgh Castle from the harbour. You can walk along the beach to the castle (1.5 hour walk) but you can easily drive and park there in about 10 minutes. Property was in a great location to see all the castles in the area and was great for myself, partner and small (well behaved) dog. I would highly recommend this property.

Wir hatten einen schönen Aufenthalt in der Unterkunft. Neue Möbel, gemütliche Betten und gute Bettwäsche, tolle Pubs in der Nähe und direkt an Wanderwegen gelegen. Allerdings sollte man wissen, dass der ‚Sitzbereich‘ draußen direkt neben den Mülltonnen und dem Parkplatz ist. Die Aussicht von der Küche ist eine 1m entferne Steinwand. Hierdurch ist es etwas dunkel. Trotzdem würden wir es wieder buchen.

Visit to seahouses Positive: The accommodation was very clean and tidy, and obviously, it had been refurbished at some point.the location was good, although we already knew where the cottage was situated. It was reasonably well equipped. Negative: The hot water tank isn't really large enough to accommodate 2 adults, let alone 4. The second bedroom has a bath in it. Once the bath was used, there was no hot water left, there is a booster switch situated on the landing. However, it took almost one hour for the water to heat up! ( I did ring up the number that had been left for any issues,just in case we had missed something? And was told, it is what it is!! There's no cloak room/ cupboard or somewhere to leave your walking gear other than the lounge? This would be really helpful, especially seeing as it's a beach/ walking destination. Whilst there is a toilet situated under the stairs in the lounge,in our opinion, this would be better used as a cloakroom and maybe instal a washing machine, which would be great for wet walking gear.( personally I didn't see the necessity for a third toilet?) The parking can be an issue with 4 adults, as there is only space for one vehicle, and seahouses can be a struggle for parking! Whilst the property was clean and tidy, but with the issues mentioned above, we didn't think that the property was good value for money,and therefore, we wouldn't return.

Gorgeous cottage, very peaceful with everything on the doorstep, great pubs, lovely early morning walks with the dog along the coast, we even saw dolphins one morning. Stunning location. Definitely worth a visit.

Positive: Nice place it had everything you would wish for Negative: IT WAS DIRTY DUST COBWEBS EVERY WHERE DOG HAIRS ALL OVER SOFAS THE SMELL OF WET DOG THE OVEN HAD TINFOIL OVER EVERY THING

Had a lovely stay at the cottage in Seahouses. One of our favourite places to visit! The cottage had everything we need and is in a nice private area literally a stone throw away from the beach. If you walk outside the properly to the left you have Seahouses harbour, village and shops etc only 5 minutes drive to Bamburgh castle. If you walk outside the property to the right you can watch through the Seahouses golf course to another lovely beach bay! Property was lovely inside and even gave us some inspo for our home, very pleasing on the eye. If you have a large SUV you may struggle to park as it’s very tight and awkward depending on how many cars are parked in the area (you almost always have to reverse into the bay) luckily one house is for sale so we parked in there bay but when the other three spaces were taken it’s almost impossible to get into the one of this place. This said; we managed fine all four days and would definitely come back here so don’t let this put you off

Beautiful Cottage, ideally located in the town. We had Christmas here and it felt like home from home. Will be returning

Absolutely lovely cottage, had everything we needed. The only comment I would also make is it would be useful to have a cupboard available to keep your own food in. Would recommend eating at the Craster Arms, Beadnell and the Beadnell Towers, both excellent meals.

Wondeful stay in a well presented house. Great locstion with off street parking. Good facilities inside, all you could need in the kitchen and 2 good sized en suite bedrooms, plus downstairs toilet. Comfy beds and loved the blackout shutters. Was quiet and warm, walking distance to the harbour in 2 minutes and surrounded by the endless walking and tourist options nearby. Loved our stay as a family of 4.

Fabulous accommodation & great location. Exactly as the images suggested, clean, responsive host. Would highly recommend and we will likely stay again. Thanks

I had a wonderful stay at The Old Smokey! The location was great, just a short distance from the harbour and only a five-minute walk into town, where you can find everything you need. The only thing to be aware of is the parking. If you have a larger car, you may need to do a bit of manoeuvring, as getting in and out can be a little tight. However, don’t let that put you off, as it’s a lovely place to stay! There are plenty of other attractions nearby too, including Bamburgh, Beadnell and Holy Island, with Alnwick also within easy reach. The house itself was lovely, peaceful and clean, with all the amenities you could need for a comfortable stay. Thank you for a lovely stay — we would happily recommend it!

Fantastic location right in the middle of Seahouses. Plenty of fabulous beaches, pubs and cafes within walking distance. The kipper baps from the smokehouse next door made for a perfect breakfast before a beach walk, boat trip etc. As others have said, the parking is tricky. Four cottages share a small gravel courtyard, accessed through a narrow archway.

Positive: Lovely quiet location. Accommodation is comfortable for 3 people. Decoration and level of fittings were good (2 en-suites). Perfectly situated for touring. Bright, clean and cosy, good attention to detail in most cases. Negative: Bare minimum of toiletries provided. Kitchen utensils plentiful but lacking a sharp knife, and a kitchen roll would have been helpful.

Great property in very good location. Everything you need is within walking distance (restaurants, bars, shopping etc.), and the property is well looked after and very clean. The car parking is a bit tight (especially if the other properties in the shared courtyard have cars parked). However it's perfectly manageable if you take your time and are willing to make several manoeuvres! Our car was a medium sized SUV which was no problem. If you have a really big car (e.g. an estate) then you might find it a bit more difficult. Overall we would rate The Old Smokey as excellent as the location is perfect and it's lovely and quiet to relax in after a day's sight seeing along the Northumberland coast. We were there for 3 nights/4 days and took in Lindisfarne, Bamburgh Castle, Alnwick Castle and Alnmouth Beach.

Lovely property, thoughtfully decorated. Local and easy to walk into seahouses. Difficult to get into parking due to tight spaces. Surface cleaned but bathroom was a bit mouldy. Overall though I would recommend and would give a 4 star, only lost 1 star due to cleanliness.

The cottage is beautifully presented and practical and on arriving we immediately felt at home. We loved the location close to the harbour with shops and restaurants all walkable. We discovered some coastal path walks and enjoyed playing golf at Seahouses and Bamburgh Castle. Parking was helpful for us too in this little fishing village. Thank you for a wonderful stay and would recommend to others.

Disappointing as the issue with the radiator somewhat ruined out holiday and very frustrating experience dealing with Ho Positive: Location good. Beds comfortable. Negative: Major issue with the radiator in master bedroom which had a fault resulting in a loud intermittent beep that ruined our first night as we couldn’t sleep. An engineer came the next day and couldn’t fix the issue so advised us to cut the power from the upstairs of the apartment when we went to bed so we could sleep. Not ideal e.g. no power to charge phones and read my book in bed. Host and Stay customer service to deal with the issue has been appalling and weeks after our stay I’m still yet to hear back from them on my request for compensation - seems to be an AI response designed to fob me off.

Lovely cottage, great location

This is our second year visits the Old Smokey and we have some lovely memories here. Fab location with a private parking space. However we don’t plan to come back. The cost of our stay has pretty much doubled since last year! I almost didn’t book it this time due to this uplift but had left it late and didn’t have many other good options available. As a repeating customer they offer you 10% off but I’d forgotten to do this on payment and they were unwilling to give me the discount. Which I feel is bad service especially as we are repeat guests. Everything seemed as it was the previous year, lovely little cosy cottage. But once we needed to use the en suite shower we discovered that it hadn’t been maintained. Grout was mouldy, the chain from the shower head dirty and black, the floor boards lifting at the foot of the shower and grotty mould under the sink basin. Very disappointing considering the price hike! We are quite sad as thought we would repeat stay for years to come.

This is a lovely cottage in a beautiful location. However, it could do with a deep clean and the en-suite in the double bedroom could do with some attention. A couple of issues were reported and acknowledged and the hosts did offer assistance, but we preferred to wait until our departure.

Lovely cottage in a great location - would go again. Positive: Great little cottage, beautifully decorated, great location and good to have parking (in a tight little courtyard but fine for our mini countryman). 30 seconds walk to the beach and cliff path. Negative: Kitchen wasn’t particularly well stocked (eg. The only 2 knives were both bread knives, only 6 teaspoons etc). And water pressure not the best (takes ages to fill a bath, and the shower can’t be used at the same time). But that doesn’t detract from a great place to stay.

The Old Smokey is a very pleasant and convenient Seahouses stay. Really good for our short 3 day stay, and right on the doorstep for any Farne Islands trips. The cottage is beautifully decorated, clean and tidy. And correspondence with the hosts was good, and when the WiFi wasn’t working on arrival, this was soon fixed. It is however very proximate to other properties and the outside seating is overlooked and lacks any privacy. The cottage lacks for a washing machine and any sharp knives (the latter important if self catering).

Positive: A lovely, cosy cottage in a great location. Negative: We were aware the parking my be tight after reading previous reviews and it certainly was!! It took quite a bit of navigating to get into our space. The cottage itself was lovely. Just needed a wee bit of tlc. Weeds growing around the small areas.

A very cosy cottage in a great spot minutes from the harbour. Communication from the hosts was excellent, the instructions to get in were easy to follow. Being a small cottage, storage in the bedrooms is limited but we were only there for 4 nights so between the hangers provided and putting suitcases under the beds,we were fine. Beds were comfortable. Shower was adequate, water pressure could be variable upstairs, do not flush a toilet or run taps when someone is having a shower though. Well specced kitchen, huge fridge and freezer, Wi-Fi is good and tv has all the channels. The location is quiet, no noise at night. For us, the main (and only) negative was the access to the courtyard and ease of parking. We had a Kia Sportage, so not huge, but getting in and out was tricky due to vans parked by the arch and other cars in the courtyard. Luckily courtyard always had one space free to help with manoeuvring but if all were taken, would have been nearly impossible to get out.

very nice accomodation clean and tidy, Host very provides clear instructions on how to enter the property. well located for local shops, pubs and harbour although it is very expensive and early check out at 10.00

Great stay! Positive: Location, parking space, comfortable beds, roll top bath, good shower,.spacious,.clean. Negative: Nothing

Lovely 2 bed cottage in perfect location to explore this beautiful part of the UK Positive: Great location, tucked away in a communal courtyard, with safe parking facilities. A short walk to all the local shops, restaurants and bars. A healthy walk or very short drive to the beautiful sandy beaches, which are perfect for walking your dog. Negative: The mattress in the main bedroom was a little soft for our own preference but not so much as to affect our overall comfort. Instructions on how to use the induction hob would have been useful. Got there in the end but a simple guide would have saved us a good 10 minutes.

The cottage was lovely, very clean and comfortable; it was just as described. As it was quite cool outside we appreciated the heating in the cottage. The decor was very tasteful and apt. The only downside was the state of the surrounding roads; the fact that they were not actually made up roads, just rubble. Not good for car tyres or as in our case, a wheelchair.

Great location / great house. Easy to get to everywhere. Walking to lots of restaurants/ pubs of all levels . Boats trips a few mins walk ( we saw Orcas ! ) Good place :-)

We loved our stay here. We stayed as a couple for four nights in April. It was perfect. Really close to the harbour and a beautiful footpath along the coast. The cottage was cosy and comfortable. We didn't cook but the kitchen had all the basics we needed. The cottage was easy to find and parking was convenient. The hosts were very communicative and responsive. Seahouses was really lovely and we had a great meal at the Black Swan Inn. We also loved The Potted Lobster in Bamburgh. We will definitely be back.

The place would be lovely with more attention to detail by owners or agents. Positive: Good location, a short 5 minute walk to the harbour and town Clean - could not find any fault with cleanliness Comfortable beds ***Not enough room in “what didn’t you like” form so here are the rest of those comments (read lower comments before these) 6. Bedroom storage was minimal. Limited to a few hooks in the twin room and a single storage rack in the double. 7. Parking is extremely tight for an SUV. 8. When leaving the property we had the same issue with the key safe, ie it would not open. As we had to get home we had to leave the property unlocked. 9. Every time we contacted the agency by phone, it seemed they had very little knowledge of the property. We would be met with “We’ll have to contact the owner and get back to you”. 10. When contacting the agency by message, we would initially have to get past a standard AI answering process, which would just cough up standard boiler plate text from the cottage FAQ, and rarely answer the particular question we were posing. While this may save time for the agency, it is frustrating for the customer. 11. The issuing of an “app” for the property is little more than a gimmick, and hopeless if you’re in an area with poor phone coverage. There is endless information on WHAT you should be doing rather than HOW you should be doing it. Some proper information actually left in the property relating to correct usage of appliances would have been infinitely more useful to the customer. Negative: 1. Before setting off to Seahouses, we found the information on parking ambiguous - especially when looking at Google Street View. We asked the agency for clarification. We never received an answer. 2. A £15 surcharge to arrive at 3pm instead of 4pm seems cheese paring and mean. We have never come across this before. 3. Upon arrival the key safe was jammed, and we were unable to open it with the supplied code. We were keen to get in as our youngest needed the loo. We rang the agency who asked for our booking code - buried somewhere within the emails on my phone. Surely the agency has a database of bookings which can also be searched on customer name, property name etc ? Eventually I managed to coax open the key safe after about 30 minutes without any meaningful help received from the agency. 4. Once inside the property it was cold and all electric heaters were off. No instructions anywhere on heater operation, so another call to the agency. We were told that all heating would start automatically and we shouldn’t need to touch the radiator controls. (This contradicted the instructions on the property “app” which told us we had to reduce the radiator temperature to 15° every time we left the property - neither did it address the fact that we were cold NOW). After much trial and error we eventually found a way to manually set the heaters - we should not have to spend our holiday time doing this. Just a few basic instructions would have solved the issue. 5. Similarly there were no instructions for the dishwasher or the electric hob. There was no way to open the french doors (pictured attractively wide open on the cottage advert and app). We eventually figured out the dishwasher, but the hob remained a mystery (so a planned meal was aborted and we had to eat out) and the french doors remained locked firmly shut. To be fair we did receive a message telling us where we could find a key for the doors - unfortunately this message arrived several hours after we checked out

Great location for exploring northumberland. Lovely cosy cottage - worth knowing it is through the archway - parking is a bit tight! Lots of communication from host company regarding breakages / insurance etc. but actually lots of the kitchenware was chipped and there were no kitchen knives! Other than that - well equipped and lots of nice touches in the cottage.

We had a great stay, really clean and perfect position close to the centre of Seahouses. We will be back to visit soon.

Great place to stay in Seahouses. Central close to the harbour and places to eat and drink. Very quiet, next door to the smokehouse, access is through an archway to the parking area we had an average size car easy enough to get in, getting out needed a little manoeuvring due to the cars parked outside the arch on the lane not a big issue but larger suv owners may struggle a little more. Really great stay thanks

We very much enjoyed our stay. It was our first time in Seahouses and lovely to be staying in the old part of town. The property was well decorated clean and comfortable. We would thoroughly recommend it.

Lovely cottage in beautiful location. Well equipped, modern and clean. The designated parking spot an added bonus. The only negative was lack of storage in the bedrooms, in particular the back room with no wardrobes at all. Other than that we had a great few days away.

Lovely cosy cottage within walking distance of everything you need in Seahouses and perfectly placed to explore the northeast coast.

Lovely property, great location to visit lots of Northumberland's attractions. Really handy to have a private parking place connected to the property.

Lovely stay. Excellent location and parking onsite which is a real bonus. Cottage was comfortable and clean.

Very very good Positive: The location and private parking Negative: The hot water switch should be labelled to tell you what setting it should be on Also the switch on the landing should be labelled You should be aware that you can’t run a bath and someone have a shower at the same time

The cottage was excellent. It was exactly as described. The location was within walking distance to the town centre, all the amenities and the beaches. We will definitely be going back.

Fabulous little cottage tucked away in a quiet courtyard, yet less than a 5 minute walk into the centre, and a lovely pub/restaurant at one the end of the street, and the harbour at the other end. The cottage itself is warm, cozy, and welcoming.

Great clean and cosy cottage, perfect location, will definitely stay again.

Fantastic! Positive: Cosy, clean, warm, welcoming, and the Beds are lovely. Close to amenities, restaurants, and bars. Perfect. Negative: There wasn't much that I could say I didn't like about this stay. It was all just what we wanted.

Fantastic property in a great location. Just a stones throw from all amenities yet in a quiet and private location. we loved our stay and will definitely return. 5 stars.

This is a lovely cottage in a very handy location. Not far to the harbour so I could take my breakfast coffee out and drink it while looking at the boats. There is a small supermarket nearby and a choice of pubs and restaurants. Boat trips from the harbour easy to get to. The cottage was in superb condition. We had a great time.

Had a lovely stay at ‘The Old Smokey’. The cottage was in a great location and easy walking distance to all amenities in Seahouses.

Fantastic place. Perfect location - walkable to everything! Lovely touches throughout and super clean. High recommend! Will absolutely book again. Thanks x

Super location - really enjoyed it.

Nice place in a great location. We had a lovely time.

We had a great few days at the old Smokey - it’s walkable to the beaches, coastal path and town but is private and not overlooked. The decor is lovely and beds super comfy, makes a great base to explore seahouses and the surrounding area.

Great little cottage, great location, lovely and clean. Thank you

beautiful cottage with parking. Walkable to everything we needed.

Exceptional, convenient location, close to restaurants and dock. Charlie was very responsive to resolve a hot water issue. Using Alexa to manage controls was a challenge. Perhaps written instructions on Alexa commands would be helpful. Thank you for a memorable week in Seahouses.

We had a wonderful stay. The cottage was in a fantastic location and very well presented. We felt right at home from the moment we walked in. With a private parking space which is fab as it’s was very busy on the surrounding streets. The down side is that communication was all via an app. On arrival I struggled to connect to the WiFi meaning the app wasn’t loading so I was unable to read the information. This ment we ended up with cold showers on the first day as only when we then could get onto the app while out of the cottage we saw that a switch had to be on next to the microwave for the hot water. Which had been off. In the guest book almost all the people complained that they need a printed set off instructions not just the app. I hope the host takes this on board as otherwise the place is perfect and we will definitely be back.

Lovely cottage, every thing was perfect and as expected. We had a problem working out how to use the electric hob. No instructions available- had to make a phone call. We only had two large towels and there were three of us staying. We had been there two days before more arrived. A bit disappointing but it didn’t ruin our stay.

We had a lovely time at the cottage! Was in a great location and we walked everywhere. Nicely decorated and super clean and tidy.

What a quaint little cottage... tucked away down a quiet lane but yet a short walk to the main high street. Shared parking was a little tight but manageable with a small suv, I would recommend to reverse in. Kitchen was clean and well equipped just lacking some cleaning products. I would stay here again...

Great location for local beach and harbour walks. Amazing surroundings. A great little apartment. Everything you will need is here. Instructions to get to the property were not clear & could do with some street view photos. Also some instructions on how to use appliances in the property. But this didn’t spoil our stay. Would recommend

Really lovely cottage in the middle of Seahouses. {right next to the Old Smokey smokehouse that is well known and does fabulous fish). Excellent quality throughout the cottage, comfortable , beds were great, beautifully decorated. Could have just done with instructions for the hob!!. Would recommend.

Our second visit to the property which speaks volumes in itself . Very clean and welcoming in a quiet location with great parking outside the door . Close to all the amenities that Seahouses has to offer . Would recommend .

Lovely stay in Seahouses. House has everything you need for a comfortable stay. Well stocked kitchen with plenty of quality kitchenware. V cosy and great bath! Perfectly located in quiet courtyard but just steps away from harbour, great pubs, shops, and amazing fish smokery next door.

Just a few bits! Need a slip mat in shower as very slippy! Struggled with heating as had a bit of mind of its own Patio door windows v dirty

Wonderful cottage in a wonderful location - the cottage had such a homely feeling and had everything we needed and more - about 50 yards to the harbour and it was so quiet on a morning - everyone greeted us with a smile - I can honestly say this is the best cottage we have been in - only issue - its too far from us to go every weekend cos we would - well done Dale - you have an amazing cottage!!

Great place, nice feel, good off road parking so close to the harbour. disappointed with WiFi heating controls that needs and alexa to control. alexa wasn't connected and after asking for support I got a generic chat bot response

Perfect little cottage in an ideal location. Strongly recommend the seafood sandwiches from the Smokery next door. We had some issues with the hot water but the team were able to help us with. The wifi didn’t work for the whole time we were there, which was disappointing. We did have some phone signal and books so wasn’t too hard to deal with. Overall a great stay in a lovely village ☺️

Beautiful place, excellent location and very peaceful too. Super clean and we loved the decor. Really cosy in the living room with the electric fire! We had a couple of small issues when we arrived (not enough towels) but they were resolved and the host was very quick to respond to our messages. Would definitely stay again!

Great location, in the centre of Seahouses and within walking distance of all local amenities. The Black Swan is well worth a visit. Parking could be a problem if all the parking bays are in use, we found it difficult to manoeuvre around with just one other car present. Easy check in and details were correct and key present. Home is clean and tidy. Parts of the kitchen looking a little jaded. There was a lack of cleaning products, only one dishwasher tablet left and one tea towel and nothing to clean the sides or table with. On our arrival at 4pm, the home was freezing. It was clear the heaters had only just been switched on. With only one heater downstairs, plus the fire which is rather noisy, and the temperature being near freezing it meant an unpleasant start to the stay as it took some considerable time to warm up to an acceptable level. There was a few bits and bobs left in the home (coffee sachets, tea bags and small milk pots). Overall a positive stat with some issues.

Fabulous break in a great location. Nice cottage and handy for beach and eating out.

Cosy comfortable cottage in the centre Compact but comfortable cottage. Well furnished and designed. Parking and outside space. Cooking utensils/equipment rather limited for preparation of main meals.

We had a lovely few days at the old Smoky cottage. It was very comfortable and perfectly located just minutes from the harbour, beach and great restaurants. The bed was so comfy! Would definitely recommend and would love to return.

Just wow, the cottage was beautiful everything u needed for a short break, great area lots of things to do visit amazing places to eat. Would definitely stay here again. Storm Darrah did definitely make an appearance but it didn’t stop us doing anything

Positive: Position, comfortable beds, cosyness of upstairs Negative: No extracta fan in shower room which made the tiles discoloured, attachment hose was all black, front door was very shaby bedroom round window was unsightly.