FAQs
FAQs
CAN I BRING MY DOG, OR OTHER PETS?
Yes, your dog is welcome! Please tell us if you are bringing more than one dog; the first dog is free of charge but we charge an additional £25 for each additional dogs to cover extra cleaning.
We provide dog bowls, but not a dog bed, so please bring your own.
Please do not leave your dog alone in the Cottage. Whilst your dog might be used to being alone at home, they will not want to be alone in a strange house. Pickering is very dog friendly and most bars and cafes accept dogs.
Our rear courtyard garden is secure, but has two gates. A small determined dog could get under one gate, but only into next door’s yard which is fully secure.
Our neighbours have right of access over our rear courtyard, which they use once a week to take their bins out.
We do not accept other pets, unless specifically agreed in advance.
ARE CHILDREN ALLOWED TO STAY?
Yes, your children are welcome! However, please note the Cottage is on three floors, and the stairs are fairly steep. We do not provide cots, highchairs, stairgates or safety locks on cupboards or plugs etc. You will need to decide if the Cottage is suitable for your children. By booking a stay with us you agree to ensure that your children are supervised particularly around the log burner, stairs, road etc.
WHAT ARE THE HOUSE RULES?
This is your home for your holiday. We really want you to have a good time. Our only rules are:
~ No smoking of anything, including e-cigarettes, inside the cottage. You can smoke in the garden.
~ No parties | events | using the cottage for commercial shoots without prior permission in writing.
~ No shoes in the house please!
~ Guests are very welcome to visit you during the day, but no more than the number of people who booked the cottage can sleep in it or use its facilities.
~ Please ensure you lock windows, doors and close all gates after entering and leaving.
WHAT AMENITIES ARE AT BLUEBIRD COTTAGE?
We want you to relax and enjoy your time at Bluebird Cottage. Your home from home includes the following features:
RELAX
~ Bath and hand towels
~ Luxurious high thread count bed linen
~ High quality Mattresses with protective covers and quality bedding
~ Hand soap
~ Shampoo and shower gel
~ Family bathroom with shower
~ Black out blinds / shutters in bedrooms
~ Excellent WIFI and Smart TVs
~ Google mini-speaker for listening to radio, podcasts and music
COOK & EAT
~ Kitchen textiles – tea towels, oven gloves and aprons
~ tea, coffee and sugar
~ All necessary cookware and utensils
~ Crockery, cutlery
~ Cafetiere, stove top espresso pot and coffee machine with pods
- Salt, pepper and cooking oil
- Refrigerator with ice box freezer at the top
~ Microwave
~ fan oven, induction hob with extractor fan
~ dishwasher
~ Kitchen table and chairs
~ Outdoor table and chairs
LUXURIES & ESSENTIALS
~ indoor log burner with starter kit of logs, lighters and matches supplied October - May
~ Central heating, controlled by Hive easy use Thermostat
~ Loo roll stock
~ Kitchen towels
~ Fire blanket
~ Smoke alarms
~ First Aid Kit
~ Carbon monoxide alarms
~ Smart TVs and smart speaker
~ Excellent WIFI and Smart TVs
~ Board games
~ washing machine, tumble dryer, clothes horse and garden retractable washing line and pegs. Some washing powder included.
WHAT TIME IS CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT?
Bluebird Cottage standard self check-in time is from 15:00 PM and check out time is 10:00 AM.
We can offer an early check in from 13.00 or a late check out to 12.00 IF we do not have guests arriving or leaving on the same day. Either extension is available at £25. If you wish to request either extension please let us know.
PARKING
There are 10 free parking bays directly in front of the cottage, including a couple of spaces sideways on. We usually park here. If they are full, they tend to become empty fairly quickly so you should be able to get a space. If you cannot park directly outside, there are a further 8 bays outside the pizza and Indian take-aways and these become available pretty quickly. If you can’t get parked here, then you can park for free on the street at Hallgarth (immediate left turn past the cottage) or you can pay to park at Eastgate car park which is straight across the roundabout and a 1 /2 min walk.
There are EV charge points at Eastgate car park, and Ropery car park, both of which are a 1/2 min walk.
ROAD NOISE
Bluebird Cottage is on the A70 which goes through Pickering. However, it is set back from the road with the parking bays in front.
We have never had a complaint about road noise. We have double glazed windows with acoustic glass and thick wooden shutters – you should not be able to hear the road in the cottage. You will hear road noise if you have the windows open in the front of the cottage.
STAIRS and ACCESSIBILTY
Bluebird Cottage is Grade II Listed, and is over 250 years old! Unfortunately it is not suitable for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility may find it challenging.
There is a small step at the front of the property. The loo and main bedroom are on the first floor, and the stairs are fairly steep. The attic bedroom is on the third floor, and again, the stairs are fairly steep. There are two steps out from the kitchen to the rear courtyard garden.
CEILING HEIGHTS
Whilst this is a period cottage, the beamed ceilings are reasonably high. John is 6’2” and has no issues when staying!
WORKING FROM THE COTTAGE
We have strong WiFi which should be suitable for someone working from the Cottage if you need to. There is a table and chair in the main bedroom or the kitchen table from which to work. But switch off if you can!
REAR COURTYARD
Our rear courtyard has a small covered area with a table and chairs. Further chairs are in the laundry room. Feel free to move these to enjoy the sun if it makes an appearance, but please return them when you leave.
Our neighbours have a right of access over the yard, which in practise they tend to use once a week to put the bins out.
BOOKINGS
The Guest who makes the booking agrees to these Terms and Conditions and House Rules on behalf of all members of their party, binding them jointly and severally to the terms herein.
Any payment made by the Guest is deemed confirmation of the acceptance of these Booking Terms & Conditions. Once a booking is confirmed the Guest is liable for the total cost of the booking, along with any additional charges incurred during their stay.
OCCUPANCY
The accommodation is as follows:
~ The Cottage sleeps 4 persons maximum (children over the age of 5 are counted as 1 person)
~ No additional overnight Guests are allowed due to safety and insurance conditions
~ Sub-letting or assignation of the let to others without prior agreement is prohibited by Bluebird Cottage
~ During their stay at Bluebird Cottage, Guests will not commit any act which breaks the law - this includes not using the accommodation for any illegal purpose
DAMAGE / LOSS / CLEANING
~ Guests are advised to check their accommodation for any damage or breakages at the beginning of their stay, and to notify us of any that they find therein
~ Guests will notify us immediately of any damages / breakages which occur during their stay
~ Please note a £150 damage deposit will be taken when the balance is due
~ If any part of Bluebird Cottage is found to be broken, badly damaged, irreplaceable, or missing as a result of the Guest’s stay, an additional amount – subject to the extent of the replacement / repair – will be taken from the Guest’s account to cover replacement / repair
~ Upon vacating the accommodation, the Guest is responsible for leaving it in the same good, clean and tidy condition as they found it on their arrival
~ The Guest must remove all food items and belongings when they leave. Any food items found to be left within the accommodation after the Guest’s stay will be disposed of immediately
~ Any belongings found to be left behind in the accommodation after the Guest’s stay must be claimed within 10 days of departure. In such cases the Guest will be charged the cost of postage and packing plus a minimum £5 administrative fee to have them returned. After 10 days, any such unclaimed items will be disposed of
~ The Guest must follow Bluebird Cottage’s instructions about waste and recycling and return any moved inventory items to their accommodation or they may be liable for extra replacement and / or cleaning costs
~ Sun cream, fake tan, make-up and hair dye can all cause permanent damage to bedding, bed linens, towels and other household textiles. We recommend that Guests planning to use such products during their stay bring their own spare bed linen and towels to prevent damage to items within the property. If damage / staining does occur and the items cannot be cleaned, an extra charge will be levied to replace these items in addition to any other extra costs incurred.
~ If the accommodation is not left in an acceptable condition, incurring extra cleaning above and beyond the level which is expected, this will be charged at £15 per individual staff hour. Bluebird Cottage reserves the right to deduct this payment using the Guest’s payment details or to invoice the Guest following their stay.
LIABILITY
~ During their stay, it is the Guest’s responsibility to close windows and lock the cottage when they are not on site
~ Bluebird Cottage is not responsible for any damage to, the safety of or the loss of the Guest’s personal property while at the cottage
~ Bluebird Cottage is not responsible for any damage, illness or injury caused by use of the accommodation and any amenities; such use is at the Guest’s own risk
~ Bluebird Cottage is not responsible for any issues outside our reasonable control such as noise and disturbance resulting from site maintenance, nearby building works, noisy neighbours, local events, loss of WiFi, loss of electricity etc
~ Bicycles are not permitted inside the accommodation - guests bringing their own bicycles should ensure these are locked using the Guest’s own bicycle locks and left outside the accommodation in the rear garden
~ Bluebird Cottage has no liability for any death or personal injury to Guest/s on site
PAYMENTS
~ Bookings are paid for online via the booking pages on Bluebird Cottage website
~ All payments are made in £ Sterling
~ Any charges incurred by Bluebird Cottage receiving payments from overseas will be passed to the Guest making the booking
~ V.A.T. is included in the cost of the accommodation
COMPLAINTS
~ We endeavour to ensure that guests at Bluebird Cottage are given the best positive experience, as evidenced by our Guests’ good reviews
~ In the unlikely event that something goes wrong - it is the responsibility of the Guest to make any such problem known to us immediately it becomes apparent, thereby giving us the opportunity to correct the situation
~ We will make every endeavour to rectify any identified problems as soon as is reasonably possible
~ Please note that essential maintenance activities may be carried out on or in the accommodation during your stay
~ We reserve the right to enter the accommodation in the event of an emergency, or to investigate any concerns by Guests as to disturbances or care of the property
~ If Guests deny us the opportunity to investigate complaints during their stay, the Guest will waive all rights in this matter
IS YORKSHIRE GREAT?
Yes. Yorkshire is the greatest county in the country, and North Yorkshire is the best part of Yorkshire. Fact.
THANK YOU!
Gold star to you if you read all these! We hate setting out rules, and we want everyone to have a brilliant stay with us. If you need to know anything that hasn’t been covered, please get in touch!