The Bay Colwell - Totland Bay

Eric B.

One star as we can't give less. Don't take any notice of the reviews giving higher star ratings on face value, but read the details in the reviews. Please, please DO NOT think about staying at this godforsaken dump.
We booked a 14 night stay in a "luxury cottage" and actually made it through the first 3 nights before booking a ferry crossing home.
The "luxury cottage" is actually a semi chalet amongst rows of others. Its very cramped with cars parked everywhere.
Pros......The chalet itself was clean with a comfy bed but that's the good news.
Cons......No welcome pack of tea, coffee, milk etc. Just a minute tube of washing up liquid, a tiny, squashed up scouring pad wrapped in a fusty, smokey, stinky very thin tea towel. No menu for the coffee lounge as stated and no nice slices of cake as shown in the photo, just pre packed cakes.
TV in lounge kept breaking up, no wifi except in reception, swimming pool closed due to a problem, boiler/heating failed one morning, stinking dog waste bin full and overflowing for the whole 3 night stay. No privacy from neighbours ie man in chalet opposite which is higher than ours repeatedly stood behind his hedge, smoking and staring down at us through our lounge french doors.
Other trivial items we won't mention as we aren't nit picking.
This was booked as a birthday treat for my wifes special birthday but it was a disaster. We thought a "luxury cottage" would be as it says on the tin but no it wasn't as described in the literature or as depicted in the photos.
We wouldn't have been surprised if we were woken in the morning by Ruth Madoc on the tannoy shouting "hello campers, Hi-de-Hi" however Maplins did have entertainment.
Avoid at all costs.

Sonia F.

Stayed here for 2 nights - 2 adults, 2 children and 2 dogs. We were really impressed! Everything was so clean, the chalet was very warm and well equipped - beds made up, good quality towels, washing machine and dishwasher etc. Even had a hot tub! Very quiet site which was perfect for us. There is a small indoor pool, soft play and it's really close to a beach. Highly recommend! We will return.

Gary D.

Great trip would very recommend to anyone.. Best stay I've bin on... And my wife makes me go lol

Nik W.

It's a three on here, but it's mostly that I can't give a 3.5.

They're nice places. My wife and I spent a week in a cottage and it was just what was needed.

Convienient and quite cozy. But it's the attention to detail that brings the score right down.

The floors just aren't cleaned properly. You'll get there and need to give it a brush and mop to a good standard. This includes behind the beds when you want to move them round.

Stingy behaviour on cleaning materials mean you'll need to snag washing up liquid, sponge, anti bac spray and the ilk from a store beforehand.

But the bedroom furniture needs looking at really importantly. The beds are poorly put together and not designed for anyone who is even slightly bigger than average (my wife and I are both 6ft+ and felt like we had to stay in seperate beds as the main one nearly collapsed due to poor construction. The other beds could be pushed together, but the baseboard under the mattress was damaged and so was as comfy as sleeping on a brick.

It's a lovely place. But just let down by poor maintanence and sloppy attention to detail.

Kim F.

Stayed here for a girls long weekend recently, the room wasn’t ready on arrival at 4pm but was long after however when we arrived we went straight out to explore, came back later and there was a strange mouldy smell, the washing machine had been left filled with wet towels (from the previous people I’m guessing). The tea towel also smelt unwashed musty so we washed this ourselves, the floor was very dirty throughout. The dishwasher also smelly and need a clean as cups after smelt awful. Also 1 toilet roll for 6 people then you had to pay £2 if you wanted more. Luckily co-op not far down the road, the hot tub lovely but no outside lighting near it so we had to leave bedroom lights on to see in the evening as the outside light only did the side of the property. Also no wifi and signal is poor.
The location is great though, just a short walk from lovely beaches, bus stop and village not far away with a nice pub and shops
We would come back but hope the cleaning standard is improved for our next girls adventure to the island.

Cassandra G.

Lovely cottage which provided a welcome alternative to the size limitations of a caravan. As an adult in the group who doesn't get the double bed, having full size single beds is a huge plus in my book. The hot tub was lovely but the lid was old, not in great condition and extremely heavy as the internal polystyrene has become fully waterlogged. We were only able to use half the hot tub as we couldn't have lowered the lid fully off onto the ground; if we had we certainly couldn't have lifted it back on. The lid also deposited debris into the water - pieces of polystyrene, pieces of blue plastic film and a gritty substance I can't really identify. New lids are definitely needed. The swimming pool is also lovely but the showers in the changing rooms are about as useless as a chocolate fire guard and seriously need replacing. Also, just a note - check the opening times of the pool as the notice on the pool door, the information on the welcome sheet given at check in and the Away Resorts app all give different versions of opening times. This attention to detail and things like official paperwork saying for example "there parking space" instead of "their parking space" really don't give a very polished and professional impression.

Overall, we really enjoyed it and would recommend it if you are looking for a quiet location near a lovely beach and within easy reach of a nice little town and bus links.

Johanna T.

A lovely apartment for a long weekend. Really well equipped and very clean. Nice little touches such as a couple of dishwasher tablets etc. beds were comfy, sofa great to flop onto after a day exploring the Island. Liked ‘Away’ so much, looking to book again next year in Cornwall!

Harriet L.

Cons
Floor filthy (had to mop on arrival as our feet were black with dirt)
No hoover (not ideal when you have a child)
Brush but no pan
Sofa very uncomfortable
Outdoor table broken
Condom in bathroom bin on arrival
Long hairs all over floor
Bathroom dirty
Iron but no ironing board
Front door wouldn’t lock from the outside
Back door also needs replacing
Pictures are very misleading
Patio also hazardous for kids
No wifi

Pros
Hot tub was very clean and nice
Receptionist was lovely
Amenities were clean and nice for a toddler

we have pictures but you get the idea, AVOID Don't waste your money like us. Would give zero stars but not possible