Cornish Gems Reviews 

The cottage was fine but not happy with Cornish Gems policy on departing by 9am & having to strip the beds & put out rubbish before leaving. Thats not what I call a holiday. It was so rushed on the morning of departure that we forgot to take several items home with us. I know they will quote covid but most of the UK is trying to return to normal as per the government guidelines. A lovely holiday spoilt at the end. We also asked other holiday makers we met who were not with cornish gems and they were astounded when we told them what we had to do before leaving

Stonesthrow cottage is very beautiful iand located in a sepcial location. The cottage has been very tastefully restored to a high standard. Our only complaint would be that some aspects felt a little tired - maybe the end of season blues? There were a few things that seemd a bit worn out - the hot tub cover was broken, the main dishwasher didn't work and there was a bit of a mish mash of glasses and cutlery. This didn't spoil out week away as the property location is amazing in a very quiet rural location close to a stunning secluded sandy cove. There are lots of lovely walks from the door. It is also very convenient for other attractions in that part of Cornwall. I can highly recommend Stonesthrow Cottage.

The property is a delight. Suited our purposes exactly and what a stunning location. Waking up and looking over the bay to St Ives was brilliant. The location is also ideal for exploring the west end of Cornwall. Everywhere seem so close. It's a shame the local pub is not up to the same standard but there is the Bucket of Blood about a mile away for real cornish ale and good pub food. One downside is that the sky on the Padstow Jigsaw is really difficult to do. We failed. The Cornish Gem's team were a great support and really wanted to make sure we had a good time.

I stayed at Alta near Falmouth fantastic house and location. I would definitely recommend it.

What a great apartment with 180 degree views over St Ives.
The apartment was spotlessly clean, the kitchen, diner, lounge were bright and airy and had great views over St Ives.

We recently stayed at The Porthminster Mews 3 in St Ives. On returning home we logged an official complaint. Our main reason for complaint was in regards to the cleanliness of property. However the general poor condition and appearance of the property was unacceptable as was the lack of support from Cornish Gems in resolving our issues! On arrival it was obviously that very little if any cleaning had taken place:
* The bathrooms were disgusting with urine and faeces stains on all the toilets. The bath in the main bedroom was covered with pubic hairs and there was lots of stubble on the rim of the bath where a used razor had been. The bath in the second bedroom also had a number of pubic hairs and was just generally grimy!  
* The floors in the property were filthy with random bits of rubbish everywhere.
* The bed duvets were dirty. The one in the second bedroom had a horrible blood stain on it.
* All of the surfaces were covered in dust, the kitchen work top was splashed with food stains as was the dining table and dining table mats.
* There were bits of food in the kitchen cupboard handles
* The oven tray had the remains of what looked like fish fingers, with the rest of the fish fingers being on the floor and under the kitchen table!
* The kitchen sink area had obviously not been cleaned as there was food in the plug hole and a dirty wet sponge on it!
 
I could continue, but you get the idea. With the extra level of cleaning that is supposed to be taking place due to COVID it is all the worse! 

To try and get the issues resolved I immediately rang the property manager and Cornish Gems. To cut a long story short after many calls and emails over two days the only issue that was resolved was the dirty oven!

In terms of the general poor condition of the property it is desperate need of maintenance and a deep clean:
* The carpets are stained and there are bits of the wooden floor missing. My daughter cut her foot on an exposed carpet grip on the stairs.
* The bathrooms are very tired, with discoloured grout and yellow sealant. In the main bathroom three of the spotlights were broken as was the extractor fan. This made it almost unusable as it was so dark as there is no window. (We did ask the hotel if they could replace the bulbs, but obviously they didn’t)
* When the taps are used all the pipes squeak.
* The rooms need re-painting. It is obvious that some random bits of the rooms have been repainted badly.
* The mattresses on the beds are old you can feel the springs. The pillows are pointless.
* The curtains are filthy and the blind in the kitchen was failing down.
* The carpark is a rubbish tip and is generally unkept.
* I was also very concerned that the safety check on the boiler was out of date.
* The property is very different to how it appears on the website.

Cornish Gems have acknowledged our complaint, but after almost seven weeks after sending our complaint we have heard no more from them. Great customer service!

We have previously stayed with Classic cottages in St Ives and on all occasions the properties were spotless and luxurious. We will never use Cornish Gems again!

We have just come back from a wonderful week in St Ives staying at Sea Air. The accommodation was fantastic and literally a stones throw from the harbour. The bedroom window had the most fantastic view that I am missing already. I would definitely recommend staying here and would love to return to such a lovely cottage...definitely a Cornish Gem x

Just returned from a week in Carbis Bay. This is the first time using Cornish Gems and really pleased with property and service. Couldnt ask for better. Sandsifters Retreat was excellent, the property was immaculate. Cornish Gems kept in touch with us regularly before and during holiday to check everything was satisfactory. Would have no hesitation in booking with them again. Enjoyable holiday in a lovely property. Thank you.

Ignored our complaint and poor service generally. Booked an apartment via them for a week in St Ives.- having paid a premium, one would expect the property and standards generally to match- they didn't..The accommodation deep clean (meaning we could access the accommodation at 6pm) was non existent- dirty plates and tables amongst other things

We only found out a few days ahead of travelling (once we received the literature) that the parking was useless- it was only for a medium sized car...no mention on the site.

Would steer clear... their veneer of offering excellent service is just that- lacking depth and is nothing other than superficial marketing.

Read the reviews (Trustpilot) - this is not an isolated experience

Book elsewhere

This is the first time we have booked through Cornish Gems and we were really pleased with our stay at “The Wolery”.
A beautiful cottage in a quiet and peaceful location surrounded by fields and woodland. It was clean, well equipped and attention to detail was excellent. On arrival we were greeted with fresh flowers and treats including a home baked cake which was a nice touch. Unfortunately due to the weather we were unable to use the Dutch hot tub, which was a shame.
We will definitely return at some point in the future.

Amazing house. Very modern.
Exceptionally clean and furnished.
Everything you could need has been thought of.
If you wished to cook rather than eat out everything was to hand. Amazing views.

This is the first time booking with Cornish Gems, and can honestly say they are outstanding. Samantha rang us on the day of arrival and again a couple of days later to check everything was ok, which we thought was lovely, she was very friendly and helpful. The welcome pack, of which we had a choice, was amazing. The apartment itself is awesome, so well stocked and to a high quality, if all Cornish Gems properties are like this, you won’t be disappointed. Thank you Cornish Gems and Samantha, we had a fantastic time.

We have stayed at Cornish Gems properties 3 times in the past year and on each occasion we have had a wonderful vacation.
The houses have been as advertised, immaculate and exceeded our expectations.

Extremely good communication from Cornish Gems from start to finish. We would not hesitate to recommend to family & friends & look forward to booking with them again.

Customer Service appalling. Booking was easy and straightforward but everything else was unsatisfactory. I could not log into my account despite changing the password several times. Phone calls to customer services were unanswered, call back requests did not happen. Eventually I was given an emergency log in which worked but the next time I tried to log in the same thing happened. I eventually got through by calling reservations (who always answer) and asking to be transferred to customer service. I then had to ask them to email the information I was trying to access on my account. I was told I would be sent the door code to enter the property as soon as it was cleaned. I finally got the code at 5.45 although the neighbours told me it had been cleaned by midday. There was an issue with the toaster which tripped the fuses, I reported this but then had difficulty getting my deposit back as I was told there was water under the toaster which caused the problem! (No I did not water the toaster, the problem was there on day of arrival) several more emails before my deposit was finally returned.
Don’t use this company, it involved me in a lot of stress and effort although the property itself was nice enough it was not worth the effort and having to put up with the inefficiency of the company.

My wife and I were looking for a high quality boutique dog friendly cottage for two in a quiet location within easy walking distance into Padstow.
The Cornish Gems website was easy to use and we were able to quickly identify a super cottage that fulfilled all our requirements. Booking online was simple and efficient and the supporting information provided was invaluable.
The team at Cornish Gems was friendly and professional and always appeared to be available if and when required.
Overall, a great experience.

We arrived at Sea Song, in the new The Liner, development in Falmouth on Friday last 17th September. This is an apartment in a new and very impressive looking building; so new that building works are still being carried out. We booked this apartment through Cornish Gems, and paid £2,000 for this week. This seemed high for a 2 bedded flat, but we expected something very special, as we have previously rented some excellent 3 bedded properties in a gated community in the town at 1/2 that amount at this time of year. When we entered the flat, our first thought was "Yes, it's very attractive, although small" ; our second thought was "Wow, it's like a sauna in here. How do we turn the heating off" Imagine our surprise when we realised the heating was not on, and the temperature as shown on the individual room thermostats varied from 27.5 in the living room to 28.5 in the master bedroom. There are no windows, only doors to the large balcony from all 3 rooms. We opened those doors fully, but this had no effect on the temperature. We spent the entire evening outside on the balcony, as this was the only part of the flat where the heat was bearable! The heat did not diminish to any marked extent during the night. I woke at 4am wheezing as I tried to breathe, and with a very sore throat. The bedroom temperature was over 25 degrees. I opened the door to the balcony and stood outside breathing in fresh air,and then left the balcony door open all night. The room temperature at 8am was still over 25.In conversation with the "out of hours" representative of Cornish Gems, and also with the lady who manages the flat, we discovered that the apartments in "The Liner" are known to be very hot, and owners provide fans. The only fan provided in Sea Song was one small round fan, which was totally ineffective at reducing the oppressive heat. At the very least, "tower" type fans should be provided for each room. All that was suggested was that we should leave "windows" open (there are none, only doors) , and we had those doors open since 4am.
We found the whole experience deeply unpleasant, and returned home after that one night, thus forfeiting our entire holiday week's holiday and the £2,000 we had paid. So, be aware. Do not book to stay at Sea Song, unless you are happy to spend your time in the property with temperatures of 28 degrees. We were not!

Customer services are dispicable, claiming to have ‘no complaints policy’ explaining ‘you can write in but nothing else will happen’ & refusing to let us speak with owners of Arcus 3 at Ives (who according to cleaners are lovely and would help us if they knew) disgusting attitude. Don’t book with them and don’t let them act as your agent. Private parking / broken post didn’t lock, flicked up damaged car was told “you knew it was broken you should of driven with more care” just plain insulting Jim you have robbed us

Following my review of Lantic Barn as below, I was amazed at the response from Cornish Gems Cutomer Service Manager, stating that they can do no more following our complaints as the property is not managed by them, but that it has now been prioritised for property standards checks to take place to ensure that they and their guests expectations are met in the future.
This property is advertised by Cornish Gems as one of their portfolio of "Luxury Large Houses" with "the highest quality, cleanliness and safety standards". Their properties are advertised to "exceed safety standards so you can rest and relax easy".All of the properties also have "exacting standards and quality at the highest level" and that it is important to Cornish Gems "that the holiday home is sparkling clean and reassuringly safe."
Lantic Barn boasts that visitors will enjoy a "holiday highlife."
Surely, if Cornish Gems is advertising all properties on their portfolio with these glowing terms, all properties on their portfolio should be regularly checked that they meet them?
If you do book with Cornish Gems in the future - which we won't be again, or recommending them to others - ensure you check if they actually manage the property.
If they don't, they will not deal with any complaints!!

Customer services is obviously well trained by the Company's 2 Managing Directors. I sent a recorded delivery letter outlining our poor experiences both with the property and Customer services team. What a surprise - we didn't even receive an acknowledgement to my letter, let alone any offer to resolve our very disappointing holiday at Lantic Barn

We had an appalling stay with Cornish Gems. Having spent over £5,000 for a week in a property we expected the good things that were advertised. We couldn't check in until 6pm (''due to Covid-19'') and when we did the property was filthy (dirty dishes in the cupboard, dirty shower, a dishwasher that was so dirty the smell emanated throughout the downstairs when the door was opened). There were no tea towels or oven gloves, part of the cooker was broken, the coffee machine had died, a shower and two toilets did not work.

It took multiple attempts to contact Cornish Gems to try and resolve this. No-one responded to calls or emails initially. They then sent out a maintenance person who said the toilet needed replacing and there was not much he could do. He 'reported back' on the other items but again, nothing was done.

Eventually spoke to someone in customer services who replaced the coffee machine (with a cheap version) - at this point we had only 2 days left of the holiday. He instructed us to 'give the toilet a good yank' and claimed 'appliances do break'. Incidentally, yanking the toilet did not work and if the shower was turned on the drains smell that came from the toilet and shower was appalling. Despite giving it a 'good yank' it still didn't flush.

Cornish Gems still totally unresponsive. Since we checked out I have had no reply to 5 emails. I have communicated with the online chat person who told me customer services would call me. I'm still waiting. it's now 12 days since we left.

Cornish Gems are horribly expensive and utter rubbish. Totally complacent with the current influx of people holidaying in the UK. Use them at your peril.