A delightful cottage in a peaceful location just a minute's stroll from the stunningly beautiful 800 acre nature reserve and unspoilt beach, and a short drive from Camber Sands and the historic town of Rye.
The designer owners have decorated the house beautifully and it is full of natural seaside light. Children love to go crabbing in the harbour at high tide.
There is a waterfront village pub within walking distance where you can sit and watch the boats go by. A perfect location for summer beach holidays or wonderful winter walks when you can return to a roaring log fire.
Size:
Sleeps up to 6, 3 bedrooms
Will consider:
Short breaks
Access:
Car advised
Family friendly?
Suitable for children of all ages Unsuitable for people with restricted mobility
East Sussex is a beautiful and varied county to visit. It offers a wide range of outdoor activities from rambling to extreme water sports.
Perhaps you would like to visit some of the local historic towns in this 1066 area such as Winchelsea, Hastings with its sustainable fishing fleet or The Abbey in Battle.
It's a short trip by car or rail to the cosmopolitan town of Brighton and London is just as easy to get to. The beaches are some of the best and cleanest in the country with Camber Sands being a firm favourite for families.
The Rye / Rye Harbour area
Rye Harbour is a working fishing village and it's seafaring past gives it a strong sense of community. In the harbour itself there is a sailing club and kite surfing school for the more active or you can take a leisurely stroll down the path through the Nature Reserve to the unspoilt beach and return to the Harbourside pub for a well deserved pint and a crab sandwich.
The local area is steeped in history with castles and medieval architecture to capture every imagination. Camber Sands is a huge expanse of sand perfect for families and sports people alike. It has some of the best golf links in the World. Artists are attracted to the area by it's endless sky so there are many open studios to visit. The brand new sports centre in Rye offers a spotless swimming pool, squash and a gym.
If you like good junk shops and quality antiques then you will do well to spend a few hours in Rye town. There's always some kind of festival going on or you could get some food at one of the many restaurants in town. If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, Le Touquet in France is just a short flight from Lydd airport, a ferry or Eurotunnel from Folkestone or Eurostar trip from Ashford.
How to get there
What's nearby:
Attractions
Restaurants
Click map icons for more information
Nearest Travel Links
Airport:
Gatwick: 100 km
Railway:
Rye: 1.5 km
Ferry:
Folkestone: 40 km
By car either : M20 to J10 at Ashford, A2070 to Rye, A259 towards Hastings, through Rye town to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, Coastguard Square; or A21, B2089 to Rye, A259 towards Hastings, through Rye town to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, Coastguard Square.
By train: either to Ashford International, change to local service to Rye and then taxi or bus; or to Robertsbridge (Hastings line) and then taxi or bus; or to Hastings, then change to local service to Rye and then taxi or bus.
Activities near Rye
Sports: Tennis in town Watersports Horse Riding Golf within 30 mins drive Fishing
Great for: Walking holidays Rural / countryside retreats Beach or lakeside relaxation Cycling holidays
We had a very enjoyable week staying at this cottage. The interior was beautiful. Shabby chic would be the best way to describe it, and with comfortable beds, luxurious bed linen and towels, and a... more
01 Aug 2012
“above our expectations”
We had a relaxing and exploring two weeks holiday at this cottage, 3 adults and 3 children (9-14 yrs). We really liked the interior and we felt welcome and "home" - the owner was very friendly and helpful. The cottage was a great base for us to explore south east England (Brighton, Dover, London area). We will recommend a stay here to our friends and family.
27 Jun 2012
“Beautiful Cottage - what a relaxing weekend”
We had a relaxing weekend away here at Rye Harbour with our baby daugther and our friends with their 1 yr old son. The Cottage is stylish and tastfully decorated and a perfect base for exploring the local area. The owners were very accommodating with us and our travel arrangements and provided us with some lovely treats to enjoy for our weekend.
“Perfect! Surpassed our expectations - everything we'd wanted and more.”
What a find! This really is a special haven; just what we were looking for and more besides. Such a beautifully styled and tranquil interior, magic garden, idyllic location, and close to everything we wanted to see and do. Rye is a gem of town, and this cottage offered a 5 star base to explore it from. From the first point of contact Wendy went our of her way to answer all our questions and help us to get the most from our holiday: from helping us to hire bikes for the kids to the beautiful flowers, homemade(!) cake and Cava that more than welcomed us when we arrived. There was even a personal welcome note! Not something we've had before and epitomised the care and attention that has been poured into this perfect little hideaway. Can't recommend highly enough - we'll definitely be back for more!
27 Apr 2012
“a tranquill retreat in a charming hidden harbour retreat”
A cosy cottage thats charmingly apointed with unique vintage finds - The weather was wet & windy but the cottage warm and snug. The situation is stunning for costal walks whatever the weather and the nearby antique shops a great place to while away hours. When the sun did come out we found the garden the perfect sun trap.
We took three cottages in the square for a 50th birthday celebration at Easter 2011. The other two cottages were fine but this one was awful. It was filthy dirty. The sole of the children's feet... more
Response: We can only repeat the comments we made after your stay over a year ago. We are truly sorry that you didn't find your stay as pleasurable as the vast majority of our guests. To reassure you, as... more
I had a lovely stay with my family at Coastguard Cottages. It was comfortable and cosy and the stripped floorboards were perfect for a family as I didn't have to worry about the children messing up a carpet! The kitchen was well equipped for our needs and the bathroom was perfect for relaxing in. There was central heating but the log burner was just great for when it was a little chilly. The cottage is in a great location for walking or cycling along the beach and just around the corner is a friendly pub. The owners were very helpful and all in all we had a lovely stay.
04 Nov 2011
“Perfect family seaside break”
My husband and 2 children (5 & 7) were delighted to find this cosy and pretty cottage. The cottage was spotlessly clean with lovely fresh decor. The kitchen was well equiped including salt and sugar etc which makes a nice change. The beds were comfortable and bedrooms quiet so we all enjoyed good night sleeps. Although the weather wasn't great there was still plenty to do. The walks from the cottage are beautiful and Rye is a treasure for shops and child friendly places to eat. Brisk walks on Camber followed by an evening playing games in front of the wood burner did us all the power of good. Looking forward to our next visit.
17 Oct 2011
“Stylish cottage in a good location”
Fans of Rachel Ashwell would appreciate the comfortable 'shabby chic' interiors. Our 3 year old was fasinated with the roll top bath and the high level toilet cistern! The photographs do the cottage justice. Rye Harbour itself can feel slightly run down, but is an excellent location for exploring the surrounding area. Particular highlights include Winchelsea, Rye itself, Battle Abbey and the extensive choice of National Trust properties nearby.
Response: How lovely to know that our guests love the cottage as much as we do. Our children have always enjoyed the house too so pleased to hear that your 3 year old had fun as well. So glad that you had a good holiday and I hope we will see you again another time.
“Lovely cottage close to Rye and within easy distance of many attractions.”
Comfortable accommodation close to picturesque town of Rye and within reasonable distance of other attractions such as Hastings, Batttle, Eastbourne and small Sussex villages. The cottage was very attractive and well provided with all necessary items to a high standard. Beach not as easily accessible as we thought.
18 Sep 2011
“Needs a revamp - things to be added and things to be taken away”
Rye Harbour is a lovely little village, but if you are looking for a place to stay with children I don't think this is it. It is advertised as sleeps 6, but it is a very small 3 bed house and we were cramped with 4 of us. The front door opens into the lounge, where there are two 2-seater sofas (I'm not sure how these seat 6), and a table against the wall with 4 chairs and two fold up garden chairs. The whole house is bare wooden floor boards.
All the bedrooms contain just a bed and a drawer unit with a lamp, I'm not even sure how they squeezed a double bed into the back bedroom. The mattress on this bed had springs sticking everywhere, that room really should just have a single bed in it. There are no clocks in the house (including no bedside alarm clock) and no curtains; thin blinds in the back bedroom and lounge and both the front bedrooms and bathroom have a piece of thin cotton cloth hung over a wire or piece of bamboo. I know the owner was attempting a cottage feel, but it was advertised as family friendly and something to block out the light is essential for getting children to sleep! We paid £30 extra for towels and bedding but there were no flannels, so we had to go and buy some.
There has obviously been an attempt downstairs to make it family friendly, I was delighted to find do much plastic crockery, but as this wasn't advertised we had taken ours with us. The kitchen was nice and modern looking but it seems like it had accumulated stuff over the years and no one has bothered to check what it actually has what is needed. There are no scissors, draining rack or washing up liquid (actually there was a bottle but it was watered down to about 1% strength so useless), and there was a lack of decent pots and pans. There were however cupboards full of random crockery and surfaces covered with various containers and things. There were also no instruction manuals for anything (except the TV) and with the most complicated microwave ever, (we couldn't work out how to just put a time in and start it!)
The "sunny secluded private garden" was an overgrown wilderness, it was a battle to get to the front door and the back garden was tiny and had obviously been abandoned for a long time. The children were delighted to find a large cupboard in the lounge full of games, but they ended up very disappointed when it turned out that every one was broken or with so many pieces missing they were unplayable. There were however a number of childrens videos.
We also had problems with the house being damp all the time. There is no extractor fan in the bathroom and with difficult to open single glazed sash windows the damp and condensation builds up.
In summary I think the property has potential but it needs a good clear out and there are some basics you would expect that need to be added. (Perhaps if the owner stayed there a week these things would become obvious?)
Response: We are sorry that your experience of the cottage spoilt your enjoyment of Rye Harbour. We have taken on board your useful comments and will endeavour to rectify as much as possible. We have had many families staying with children who have had a wonderful time. We also often stay with our children who love it so we are truly sorry that this wasn't your experience too. The sofas are both 3 seaters and the cottage regularly accommodates 6 comfortably. The mattresses are all new this year and have toppers so I am baffled by the springs but I will of course investigate. We have now added blackout blinds to all the rooms as well as the curtains. We do not supply flannels and will now make that clear in our advert. The kitchen is checked every week but thank you for pointing out that the scissors have gone missing. The microwave instructions are in the cupboard next to the microwave but I will now make them more visible. The cottage gardens are regularly maintained. We make it clear on arrival that the back garden houses the oil tank and boiler and suggest that small children just use the front garden. I will certainly check the games cupboard and replace any broken games. The house does not have damp. We are not allowed to have fully opening windows in the bathroom due to health and safety laws. We will investigate the condensation and install an extractor fan if necessary. Once again we are very sorry and are grateful for your feedback. We are glad that you enjoyed the village. Kind Regards Wendy
The owner is based in the United Kingdom and has advertised with Holiday Lettings since 2013. This cottage has received 11 reviews from previous guests.
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