The Old Smokery & Quay View, Rye, East Sussex

Lovely cottage spotlessly clean and decorated Beautifully. The owner was really accommodating and the bed were comfortable didn't want for anything really enjoyed our stay
Feb 17th, 2023

We have come to stay at this cottage on numerous occasions at different times of the year. We have always thoroughly enjoyed our stay, felt very welcome and cosy and all our needs catered for. Helen, the owner is very responsive when we need to contact her and couldnt ask for anything more.
Nov 16th, 2021

Oct 28th, 2021

Aug 17th, 2020

A parking space in Rye is a rare thing. So when we headed out on our first family holiday after eighteen months of lockdown we felt we could relax knowing we wouldnt need to battle for parking after trips to Camber or Dungeness. But, in the Old Smokery that parking spot, and the house it's attached to, sits inches from the A259. A feature handily omitted in all the advertising. The A259 is busy. Really, really busy. And the living room of the Old Smokery sits next to the double yellows. You could comfortably high five passengers of the endless stream of cars from the living room window. Especially those cars that are regularly stuck idling there during the day while two articulated lorries try to pass each other by using the sidewalk as an extra lane. And when those lorries have finally passed each other, you could high five the drivers from the bedroom window above the living room. The location would be ideal if you could actually cross the road without being shouted or hooted at by the trucks presumably driving between Folkestone, Dover and the rest of the South Coast. HGVs regularly mount the curb and to avoid being flattened you are required to step into the entry ways of houses en route to the excellent playground at one end of the road or to the pubs and restaurants at the other. Yes, the Old Smokery is clean and close to the Town Centre but then so is every other listing for holiday lets in Rye. The only difference between these lets and the Old Smokery is that at least the majority of the others are owned by local residents and not by a property investor living an hour away who takes 3 hours to return a call to say you can't find the place. This absent investor also claims no knowledge whatsoever of things like the highway running past the front door or the roadworks that had been running for two months prior to check in, being carried out in the middle of the night, right outside the bedrooms. The road works were the final straw for us. After we were forced to pack up our kids, dog, and belongings and drive home at midnight because the noise was so bad that no-one could sleep, all we got from the owner was well, its not my fault and I cant do anything about the noiseno I wont give you a refund and why didnt you complain earlier The Old Smokery has the obligatory driftwood plaque on the wall about arriving as guests and leaving as friends. But, lets be honest, we all have that old friend who constantly takes the mick and gets upset when you call them out on it - and who needs more of those? We love Rye, well be back. Next time, well be renting from someone local as we were welcomed at every turn everywhere else by the people who actually live there and care about the town. Avoid this place.
May 15th, 2021