Host & Stay | Willow Cottage — Guest Reviews

Positive: Excellent location. Lovely cottage. Perfect with a dog. Would definitely go again. Negative: Nothing

Fantastic cottage, photos don’t do it justice. Comfortable and cosy lounge with log burner, very well equipped kitchen, comfortable bedrooms and spacious bathroom. Very clean and fully enclosed garden which was great for the dogs. Everything is on your doorstep, pubs, shops, coffee shops. Great location, great walks, great cottage highly recommend. Thank you

Beautiful , cosy , cottage Positive: Very cosy and clean cottage Lovely comfy beds The enclosed garden was great for the dogs Location excellent , Helmsley is beautiful Communication throughout our stay was excellent we will definitely book again Negative: Nothing to dislike

Helmsley is a great little town. Willow Cottage is the perfect place to stay. A really homely and smart 2 bed cottage. Everything has been thought through. A lovely little enclosed garden too. Perfect for dogs as well.

Welcoming & cosy cottage in a great location Positive: Great location in Helmsley, no parking at property but we managed to get close by. Lovely cottage, very homely & welcoming, decor excellent. Kitchen / dining area very light and plenty of crockery, cutlery etc & a dishwasher is a bonus. Outside space very secure & great for the dog Negative: Only downside is the parking, otherwise all great

really comfortable and cosy. warm enough without the fire. we loved the cottage and the outside area was perfect for our dog as it was private and secure.

Absolutely lovely, Plenty of places to walk on the doorstep. Lots of great pubs and places to eat. Positive: Lovely property, very cosy, everything we needed. Nice outside area. Great location, very close to the centre. Plenty of parking places on the street. Negative: Very small thing but the door catches a little bit stiff. Woke the dog up in the middle of the night when persons of a certain age are sneaking into the bathroom.

Location is good for the town centre and the surrounding area. It is a small cottage with a secure garden for our dog. A problem with the heating was reported and whilst we had a call back. Nobody came out to fix it. So cool I. the lounge at night and in the back bedroom. Good job the weather was mild. Disappointing nobody called back or came out. Would we use again no. The balance is own space and cleaning cooking etc or hotel and the care that comes with it. Hotel next time. Third time using air bnb Spain, England and in Wales and we have decided it’s not for us. Minimal basics left for cleaning etc but high end prices.

fantastic cottage in a wonderful part of the world - brilliant Positive: tremendous place - two minute walk from the shops, pubs and eateries so location absolutely perfect; similarly, it's a ten minute drive to be in the midst of the most amazing scenery; property itself was great - very well equipped kitchen, and everything else just fine - particularly good to be able to get the woodburner fired up of an evening for additional festive glee - loved it Negative: no complaints at all

Had a lovely short stay to enjoy Helmsley and York Christmas market Positive: Everything. The cottage was very comfortable and welcoming. Negative: Nothing

We have stayed at many of these places over the years, and this one was a disappointment indeed. Location was great. Had some charm within the place, but it was very run down. Couch and pillows were very uncomfortable. Beds were also very uncomfortable. The cleaners also did not clean it up very well. We were also traveling all day and got there an hour early, and they told us we couldn’t go in. No one was there. It was so very rude and unaccompanied. We left a day early. Going to let my wife give her detailed review later.

We enjoyed a fantastic couple of days. The Cottage is clean cosy and very comfortable. It well situated with an easy walk into the Town. We would highly recommend a visit and will be revisiting. Thanks

Lovely staff with family Positive: Good location very close to the centre of Helmsley. Lovely cottage, well furnished and warm. The garden space was also nice although not much chance to use in damp November!

The description suggests business owner. There was an impoverished amount of toiletries which given 2 night stay was inadequate. I body wash sachet and 1 shampoo for 2 people for 2 nights - in summer!!! Felt like a token gesture/statutory amount. I contacted host as maybe an error. Apparently not “starter amount” - but given no more was supplied I would have preferred no suggestions in the advertised brief for toiletries as I based my packing around the photograph. I would have brought my own. Description also suggested tea and coffee but again a minimum amount. Again had I known I would have packed accordingly. I felt v underwhelmed for more than £190 a night. I understand making a profit but in doing so there may be an element of missing the brief on delighting the customer. We have never stayed anywhere before that was so obviously budget focused

Great location in a comfortable well appointed house - beds very comfy and nice bedding Positive: Comfortable and a great location Negative: Nothing to dislike

Positive: Location location, location Negative: Nothing

Had a very enjoyable few days. The house was an excellent location for the town and amenities.

Good location for access to Helmsley centre however road outside was quite busy so be cautious with dogs/children. Quite expensive for the quality of the accommodation - limited coffee pods (4 for 2 nights), broken cafetière, no hand soap downstairs but comfortable bed and easy check in. Would have given a higher rating if less pricey.

Very lovely cottage and spotlessly clean. Brilliant location. The cottage is thoughtfully laid out and the dishwasher was a real bonus.

Our stay was spoilt by intrusive warning and sales messages and a lack of care and personal touch. Positive: Location is excellent - only a 2 min walk to the village centre. A decent sized and relatively comfortable property. Negative: The property wasn’t as clean as expected. Cutlery needed to be washed before use, kitchen table was sticky, dust on shelves and other surfaces. Only one tea towel, which was worn and had holes in it. Only one hand towel between three adults. Only one toilet roll left for three days. The bathroom door was incredibly difficult to open, particularly from the inside. This, potentially, could be very worrying for younger children or older guests. One of the main issues, however, was the intrusive bombardment of messages from Host & Stay. Some messages arrived in the early hours in the days leading up to our visit and one message, warning us about damage to the property and rules for leaving, arrived at 8.15 on our final evening, which took the shine off things somewhat.

An absolutely gorgeous cottage. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Great stay in a comfortable cottage in the middle of lovely Yorkshire town. Positive: Comfortable cottage in a excellent location.

Very comfortable, tastefully decorated and fully loaded with everything you could possibly need.. Lovely touches with family games included.

Great stay in a fab location. Will be back to stay there again. Sleeps four comfortably and enough room downstairs to relax

Very good cottage, superb location Positive: Great little cottage, two minutes walk from the market square. Very well appointed and met all our needs - including our Cocker Spaniel's needs. Lovely little garden area and good-sized kitchen. Only one toilet roll and no kitchen roll provided so take your own. Parking can be tricky, but you're on the main road and can see when spaces become available so it's not an issue to move your car near to/outside the cottage. Negative: A couple of minor gripes - which don't detract from our overall score; no recycling facilities. It's 2026, so why is this not in place, especially when the neighbours at 32 have recycling bins? The door latches on the main bedroom and especially the bathroom are unbelievably stiff and very noisy to use at night. They look great, don't work great.

Nice cottage in a great location

Positive: Beau logement spacieux. Jardin. Negative: Le ménage non fait. Le ckek in en retard.

The property was well equipped except for coffee making facilities. We located the cafetière on the top shelf and found it had no glass in it. The rest of the property was good although we weren’t keen on the Astro turf in the garden.

Super well modernised cottage in a delightful town, would thoroughly recommend Positive: Delightful, clean and very well equipped cottage with a nice garden, comfortable beds and in a convenient location within a couple of minutes walk of Helmsley centre Negative: The lounge settee and armchair were a bit uncomfortable!

We really enjoyed our stay and will return - just attention to detail makes all the difference Positive: Location Garden Good quality bed linen Negative: Cleaning- bathroom skirting boards really dusty. Water marks on shower cubicle. Lantern by fire dusty Oven not clean

Very enjoyable stay in a beautiful cottage. Positive: Fabulous location- perfect if you want / need to be in the centre of Helmsley. Very well kept and appointed cottage. Loved the fact there were Google home speakers in the rooms, and all the lovely and well placed lamps. Also loved the emergency torches. We really enjoyed our stay, would go again and will recommend to others. Negative: Hand towel in the kitchen please. Lack of recycling facilities. Fans would have been a bonus but no-one could have predicted the heat we've had this week!!

Positive: Good clean comfortable dog friendly place to stay. Nice garden area to rear and on street free parking available outside the property. Brilliant location for exploring Helmsley and walking the surrounding areas. Negative: Bedrooms were very bright from 0530 due to time of the year. Advertises coffee machine. No pods provided.

Very lovely place to stay! Nice beds, good shower, cute garden.

Very comfortable accommodation in perfect central location. Positive: Well equipped, tastefully decorated, nice outside seating area, excellent location Negative: Not really. Suited us very well for a 3 night stay. Very minor moans re internal door latches and bathroom fan which stayed on a long time. Plants in garden looked a bit sad.

Lovely when I started ignoring all the messages Positive: Very close to the centre Negative: Way too many messages from host and stay who managed the property which became overwhelming

We really enjoyed our stay, the location was great and the cottage had everything we needed. Thank you. Positive: The location was great.The cottage had good facilities and plenty of equipment. Spacious kitchen, very comfortable bed, very good shower. We really enjoyed our stay. Thank you. Negative: It was cold when we were there so pleased there was a wood burner but no instructions on how to use it. Thanks to Google and a trip to the shop for firefighters we managed. Bedside cabinets and bedroom mirror was dusty and shower glass in the bathroom was streaky. This may sound a bit negative but when we had paid £60 for cleaning then maybe we have a point? Sorry!

Positive: Great location to explore Hawnsley and surrounding area. Clan well equipped house with nice enclosed outdoor area. Dog friendly. Negative: Parking a bit tricky on a busy Saturday. Bedroom door handles are latches and are noisy if getting up in the night - minor issue!

Perfect in every way Positive: This was our second visit and once again we loved it. Perfect location amazing quality and well equipped. We will be back again x

Ubicación excelente Positive: Ubicación excelente

Positive: Pictures dont do the cottage justice ,its quaint comfy and very clean good value for money will be back.

We both had a great time. Positive: Location Negative: Shared entrance

Enjoyed our stay in this lovely little terrace house. Walkable to town and close to all areas we wanted to visit.

Relaxing, charming, exactly what we needed Positive: Fantastic size. Pictures don’t do it justice. Charming & full of character. Great location, walking distance to all amenities Negative: Couldn’t fault the property

what a gorgeous little cottage!!! the photos do not do it justice x beds so incredibly comfy and lounge super homely x my friend is going to rebook shortly and bring her sister x thank you x loved it!

Perfect little cottage in helmsley Positive: The facility was perfect 100 yards from ships restaurant and bars. Loved it never staying hotel there again Negative: All Was great

Lovely spacious cottage in the heart of Helmsley. Well equipped, would definitely book again.

Lovely cottage Positive: Location was excellent, the cottage was homely, very clean & had all the equipment we needed. Negative: It would have been nice to have firelighters or paper. The pillows are Horrendous! The most uncomfortable we have ever had, really need replacing. We could not find clear instructions regarding the house so we're unsure what leaving instructions were.

A cosy house right in the centre of Helmsley. It was comfortable and easy to access. But it's due a proper clean. There are quite a lot of unclean items in the kitchen and the limestone in the kettle made it unusable. Also, it's a shame they don't provide anything to light the fire with. I couldn't find anywhere in town selling kindling and wood so couldn't use in fire.

Perfect stay , it was a second visit and would return Positive: Perfect location , just a short walk to the centre , lovely log burner for the cold nights , cosy little cottage Negative: Got cold during the night , perhaps a thicker quilt for the winter months may be needed, but when heating came on later it was cosy.

Fantastic location to explore beautiful Helmsley and surrounding villages. Positive: Location, comfortable beds, nice shower. Negative: Dirty glasses and cutlery on arrival. Coffee machine water storage hadn’t been cleaned. The log burner hadn’t been emptied from previous guests. Dust on several ledges.

A great place to stay for the start of the Cleveland way. Very good kitchen with lots of equipment for cooking. Easy to walk into the centre and to visit shops and the two lovely bakeries.

Great location, just around the corner from the shops and restaurants in Helmsley. Lovely well equipped cottage.

Smaller than expected

A comfortable cottage in a lovely little town. Positive: A cosy, comfortable cottage with a great enclosed garden. Negative: It would have been better with a decent cleaning cloth, some floor cleaner and if it was clear in the arrival instructions that the keys in the key safe on the outside were for the door inside - not the door on the street.

When we arrived on 4th Aug there was a disgusting smell in the main bedroom and on the landing. We had to sleep in the smaller bedroom. We rang the host team on Tuesday am, they said they would send a maintenance team out. Nobody came Tuesday, messaged them again, same answer. After messaging them several times with no result we left the property early. They say they are investigating , we are still waithing. We want compensating for a holiday ruined . I would not recommend this house to anyone.

Great cottage in perfect location

Cottage retreat Positive: Cute little cottage in the beautiful town of Helmsley. All you need for a weekend away!

Positive: everything about the place was excellent

A great base for starting the Cleveland Way. House was great for us three. Everything we needed and local shops and restaurants nearby.

Excellent place to base for tripping around north yorks Positive: Cosy, clean and very well equipped Negative: Too much pre correspondence from host and stay

Cosy, comfortable and clean. A lovely location too with everything on your doorstep. Would highly recommend! Thank you for a fabulous stay.

Fabulous cottage, everything you could need for a break away. Well kept garden to sit in, really comfortable beds and bed linen. Only few minutes walk to center of Helmsley with great choice of coffee shops, bars and restaurants. Shops selling lovely, different from usual things.

Excellent property , definitely returning Positive: The location was excellent , loved the facilities , lovely garden to sit out , good size bedrooms and excellent shower , will definitely be returning . Negative: Threw us when it didn’t have an external door but the main door to the property was safe and secure with no issues

Comfortable, clean and easy to get to Helmsley market square and amenities within a 2 minute walk. Positive: The location to Helmesley Square to the property was exceptional and easy to reach (and a flat walk) within 2 minutes. Parking wasn't an issue. Negative: One toilet roll. Limited kitchen utensils. Garden beds were untidy.

Top draw location and facilities Positive: Excellent location and exceptional cleanliness Negative: Outside areas could do with a brush up

Had a great stay, in a cozy clean cottage. Conveniently situated in the middle of Helmsley. Plenty of nice bakeries and coffee shop. Good base for exploring North York Moors

Positive: This cottage had everything i could have wanted for our Short break, beautifully furnished, spotless and clean and in a perfect location but there was one thing that could be improved and that is the front door which is shared between two properties and we found it would benefit from having locks fitted, other than that this cottage is perfect and we would definitely come again.

Great location within easy walking distance to the shops, bars and restaurants in Helmsley, all just a couple of minutes down the road. It was spotlessly clean with a lovely lounge, kitchen and decent sized bedrooms and bathroom, we even managed to enjoy breakfast in the garden which gets the sun. Great communication from the host and would recommend

Absolutely perfect Positive: Perfect very central and everything we wanted there Negative: Nothing it was perfect but couldn’t understand all the messages and never been asked for my passport before and £30 for early check in thought was a little steep

Lovely cottage in a great location. Easy to check in. We were able to park outside the cottage everyday but there’s a large car park round the corner if you can’t park on the street.

Beautiful cottage with only a short walk into the town centre. Parking was easy with free spots outside. Really enjoyed the stay many thanks.

A really lovely cottage with everything you could possibly need. Positive: Exceptionally clean with everything you need in the heart of the village. Negative: Na

If you want the depostit back do not book with Host & Stay!!! Positive: clean property Negative: I have paid depostit of £200 on 26.12.2024, this has not been returned yet and it is 34.2.2025!!! Would never book with Host & Stay again

Lovely cottage perfect for a few nights away, walking distance to everything, pubs and eateries on the doorstep

Wonderful!😀

Negative: Leider war check out schon um 10 u trotz Bitten keine Option das Gepäck länger in der Wohnung zu lassen

Lovely cottage in the middle of Helmsley, all the shops, pubs and restaurants are very accessible. The cottage is very cosy and the facilities are excellent. Would definitely visit again.

October break Positive: Well equipped, excellent location. Negative: tricky on street parking, spaces became available after 5.30pm

Fabulous cottage, great location. Positive: Great location, easy walking distance to restaurants, shops and attractions. Cottage had everything to make it a home from home. It was cosy, welcoming and spotlessly clean throughout. We would thoroughly recommend the cottage as a lovely place to stay. Negative: Nothing negative to say.

Great location, lovely house. Would highly recommend Helmsley and this is a great place to stay when you go.

A really love clean cottage in an excellent location right in the heart of Helmsley. Would highly recommend

Great, although Host and Stay appeared to be back footed by my booking through booking.com Negative: The cafetière was broken on arrival, so no way to make coffee other than buying expensive pods A spare loo roll would have been nice.

Top notch in every way Positive: Absolutely everything Negative: Nothing it was perfect

Great spot to stay, perfect central location & beautifully done

Short stay Positive: It was close to the Pubs, Restaurants and shopping. Close by, was the Castle and Falconry Centre. You are able to leave the car, parked up and walk. Negative: A bad smelling kitchen sink! Not one drop of bleach in the cottage. On one of the single beds, there was no mattress protector! Supply of the minimum amount of towels possible. The lounge radiator, wasn't even working. Continued reminder of damages, is a complete nuisance!