Independent Review posted on Trip Advsor

"I don't usually have the motivation / time to write about my holidays for other people to read, but in this instance I've had to make an exception as the Hyning Estate was absolutely exceptional!"

Anthony R, Blackburn, UK

My family rented two cottages over the Christmas and New Year break for a fortnight. My wife Maria and I, along with our 2 children (Jacob, 9 and Lydia, 6) stayed in Hall Beck Cottage (3 bedrooms), whilst 'The Two Grannies' (Maria's Mum and my Mum) stayed in The Granary (2 bedrooms). 

The first comment that must be made was the cleanliness of the cottages. We go away every Christmas (often to 'luxury' cottages), and in almost every case spend the first day re-cleaning our pre-cleaned accommodation (especially kitchens and bathrooms) so that they're completely free of dust, marks and anything else. Yes - a bit OTT but usually necessary. Not this year! The cottages at the Hyning Estate were spotless, the surfaces almost gleamed, the duvet covers / pillow cases were pressed to high quality hotel standard, and the whole place felt almost like walking into a 'show' property.

Secondly, the furniture and units were also of a high standard. Many 'luxury' cottages aim for the antique feel by purchasing old, musty wardrobes that may well be expensive but usually smell their age. At the Hyning the tables, beds, wardrobes, suites and everything else were simply high quality. Just attempting to lift some of the furniture, especially the amazing full length table in the dining area, demonstrated the quality of wood that had been used to make them. The kitchen in particular, with superb wooden units, topped with a solid granite surface, was fantastic (and massive!)

Oh, I mustn't forget the beds either, which were ridiculously comfy, and made it very difficult to motivate yourself to get up in the morning!

Thirdly - electrical appliances. Very few cottages that we've visited, even the more expensive ones, pay too much attention to kettles, ovens etc. At the Hyning all appliances were Bosch, Neff and other makes of a very good standard.

Finally, the decoration and general feel of each room was ideal. The colours were neutral but classy. There were no garish feature walls or tacky statues; instead it seemed that every room had been very well decorated and then completed with very well chosen ornaments / nik-naks etc which blended in perfectly. The wall clocks (several of them) were amazing, in particular the one over the stairway in Hall Beck Cottage.

As we were staying for Christmas, there were also some equally well selected decorations and a 'real' Christmas tree, which was very pleasing!

Overall, this was accommodation where every last detail had been considered!

OK - that's the rooms, what else can be recommended? Well, the central heating system was fabulous. I've no idea how it actually worked, as there were no radiators (and although there was a fantastic looking wood burning unit we didn't actually use it), and the whole house was heated via a rather fancy underfloor heating system. We were initially a little dubious, wondering how we'd manage if the winter really kicked in, but the cottages were both permanently cosy. Even one of the Grannies, who usually lives indoors in her coat, was spotted sporting a T-shirt!

The bar area was equally lovely. It was only open for a few hours a night three or four times each week, but it was ideal for a quick drink in a gorgeous location. On New Year's Eve the owners, Richard and Jan, held a Fireworks display just outside the bar, which was a perfect way to bring the New Year in.

Which brings me to Richard & Jan themselves. Nothing was too much trouble. We needed a liquidiser to make soup and some baking trays for biscuits. Within the hour Richard turned up with a massive Kenwood blender and some trays which looked brand new. One of the cottages had a dodgy mop - again, the following day a brand new, very high quality mop 'arrived'! They were excellent 'hosts', being friendly and chatty without being intrusive, and maintaining a fantastic set of properties but without making you worried about accidents / breakages etc (within reason!) They also provided not only a lovely welcome 'hamper' (fresh bread, milk, red wine, biscuits!), but the most comprehensive guide to the property and surrounding area that I've ever seen - really well written and very useful if you needed to know where the nearest pubs / shops / walks / churches etc could be found.

Overall then, we had a really enjoyable fortnight. The weather, apart from a couple of decent days, was pretty much awful - howling winds battering the windows and sheets of rain at regular intervals, but this year it didn't matter as the cottages were so good that we weren't that bothered about getting out! We were really happy to stay in, watch Christmas DVDs and slob around!

So...thanks so much to Richard & Jan for putting together the first holiday complex that I've ever recommended. I'd love to say we'll be back next year, but they've already been booked for 2015, so we're seriously contemplating getting our deposit in early for 2016 - it was that good!