A quintessential chocolate box cottage

Recent guest reviews for The Old Sweet Shop
Take a look at our recent reviews for The Old Sweet Shop, which opened in February 2018.
The Old Sweet Shop: “…the sweetest of Old Sweet Shops!”
Natalie and the family, November 2023
“Thank you so much for a wonderful three-night break to celebrate my 60th birthday. We have all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in your beautiful cottage. It was a real treat and every detail was so well thought out. The lovely tea tray and biscuits on arrival made us feel so welcome. The only downside is the fact we have to go home! We have recommended to friends and are already planning our next stay here. We can’t wait to return.”
Erika, John and family, November 2023
“Another enjoyable week at The Old Sweet Shop – for some of this was our sixth stay here in just over two years. That’s how special this place is to us. Clean and comfortable as always, and even Storm Ciaran couldn’t stop it feeling cosy. We walked from the house to North Hill, coming close up to several of the wild Exmoor ponies. We rode by steam train from Dunster to Blue Anchor and walked back on the coast path. Lynmouth to Rockford via Watersmeet is a firm favourite walk too. This time we saw half a dozen Dippers, still quite a rare sight. The well-equipped kitchen allowed us to produce some great meals to round off the days. Thanks again to Lucy and the team for all you do to create an amazing holiday experience. We’ll be back!”
Andrew, Gill, Alex and Anoora, October 2023
“Thank you for a fantastic stay! We love the cottage, really clean and well-equipped. The children have loved it, we will stay again, thank you!”
Geraldine and family, October 2023
“Beautiful cottage and a wonderful place to stay! Lovely little touches throughout. Comfy beds and the showers are fab! Loved the hot tub and the fire. We recommend the Seafare Chippy in Alcombe. We enjoyed exploring Porlock and Dunster Castle, both highly recommended. Thank you for a great holiday.”
Emma, Matt, Beaux (aged 10), Melissa, Pops and Margot the dog, October 2023
“We loved our time here so much that we came back! It feels like our own special place. A few little extra surprises to add to our delight such as the Faith in Nature toiletries! We all went and brought some to take home – what a lovely way to remember our second stay! This time we explored Dunster using a Treasure Trail Detective Case File to be solved and would recommend it as a great way to find out about the village. We are now thinking of our next stay. Thank you Lucy and team.”
Barbara and friends, October 2023
“Lovely stay, beautiful setting, very clean and comfortable. This is our second visit and we will come again.”
Chris, Fiona and friends, October 2023
“Very good accommodation, we enjoyed the hot tub and good walks.”
The Walsall crew, September 2023
“Lovely cottage and well-equipped. Had a great time and our dogs really enjoyed it too. Thanks to Lucy for the restaurant recommendations. A very cosy stay as the weather wasn’t too great! Thank you.”
Bev, Chris, Jo, Ben, Elliot, Livy and Claude and Beau the dogs, September 2023
“Stayed only for a few days with our friends and love this beautiful place and look forward to coming back.”
Nadia and Lei, September 2023
“Super cottage! Spotlessly clean, comfy beds – a delight!”
Alex and friends, September 2023
“A lovely cottage and location. We’ve had a wonderful few days away. The cottage is sparkling clean with comfortable amenities. We couldn’t wish for more. Great hosts. Thank you.”
Alastair, Marinella, Janie and Gill, September 2023
“Jaws dropping on arrival! An amazing idyllic cottage with amazing décor. This gives a homely feel with enough space for everyone to find a place to chill and then later gather for dinner and board games at the big family table. Tea, coffee and biscuits consumed!! The tub was lovely – hot and relaxing and very much used during our stay. The beds let you just sink in for a lovely sleep, mornings waking up feeling refreshed! It’s gonna be hard going back to ‘real life’ again. We’ve had an amazing holiday and give you our many thanks for letting us stay. Until next time!”
The Cross family and the Poochinis, September 2023
“An absolutely cottage, we had a fantastic week! Lucy and the team were very welcoming and the biscuits were yummy. The cottage is very clean and everything has been thought of with lovely extras (shampoo etc). We all enjoyed the hot tub, it was fabulous! The toys and board games were very helpful when we didn’t have the best weather. This is the best cottage we have ever stayed in and we would absolutely come back again and recommend it to others. Thank you!”
The Ribbens family, August 2023
“At lovely cosy cottage was an ‘at home’ feel. Even on the days when we didn’t have the best weather we stayed in and played board games and made use of Netflix. The house was spotless and the beds were comfortable and the hot tub was fantastic! A special mention for the complimentary biscuits which went down an absolute treat!
We spent our week here visiting Porlock and having a roast at the ‘Top’ Ship pub; running in the Minehead park run on Saturday morning; visiting Lynton and Lynmouth and having pasties by the harbour. On our best weather day we took a walk all the way to Dunster and Blue Anchor before getting the steam train into Watchet and back to Minehead. We also visited Ilfracombe where we enjoyed the beautiful beach. Some of our favourite places however were here in Minehead. Dana’s fish and chips were the best we’ve had in a long time, the food at the Wheelhouse was so delicious we ended up going twice and the staff were so welcoming and lovely to chat to. And the food at Fausto’s was delicious (especially the tiramisu!)
Thank you so much for having us for the week in the wonderful Old Sweet Shop!
The Venables, August 2023
“Wonderful cottage and really enjoyed our stay. Each of the rooms had a lovely cosy feel. Thank you.”
Jayesh, Jigna, and the Sheth family, July 2023
“Fantastic cottage and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Would love to visit again, thank you.”
Lesley, Ken, Lisa and Terry, July 2023
“Thank you so much for this house and your hospitality. We had a wonderful week. The kitchen is perfectly equipped, the towels are so fluffy, and the mattresses are from heaven. Because of the not-so-summery weather we spent quite some time in the hot tub – for the kids (6, 11, 14) this was the best feature of the house. It’s a short stroll to Minehead and after a 20-minute drive you are in the middle of beautiful Exmoor. We visited Porlock and Porlock Weir, Dunster and the Castle, Lynton and Lynmouth. The highlight was an evening walk to Dunkery Beacon, where a herd of ponies crossed a very short way from us. In only one sentence: we had a perfect week at The Old Sweet Shop! Thank you so much.”
Jutta, Annie, Sophie, Sam, Joy, Mascha, July 2023
“Thank you for a super time! 10/10. Would come again.”
The Fisher Party, July 2023
Terri, Dave and Miles, July 2023
“The cottage is gorgeous! We love it! We’ve had such a relaxing few days here and to finish each day in the hot tub was bliss. My three-year-old grandson enjoyed the toy box – you have thought of everything to make the cottage a wonderful holiday home. Minehead never disappoints. I grew up here and couldn’t wait to leave when I was 18 but I have enjoyed coming back regularly over the last 50 years. Thank you so much for a lovely visit. We will be back for sure!”
Sue, Anna, Jack and Oscar, June 2023
“Thank you Lucy for a wonderful stay at The Old Sweet Shop. The cottage is very well-equipped – it really felt like a home-from-home. The garden, in particular, is very impressive and was much enjoyed by us all. We took great advantage of the hot tub which we found very relaxing. We visited Dunster and Watchet – we even travelled by steam train! The pooches enjoyed their walks around North Hill and along the promenade at Minehead. The proximity of the cottage to the seafront was ideal. We took great advantage of the well-equipped kitchen – we even hosted a ‘Come Dine With Me’ night which was great fun (if a little competitive). Thanks again.”
Rosie, Nigel, Becky, Ben, Rosie, Tom, baby Grace and Minnie and Cesar the dogs, June 2023
“Another fabulous family get-together, this time at The Old Sweet Shop rather than our annual stay at Pilgrim Corner next door. Such a charming cottage with exactly the same attention to detail that we always find at Lucy’s cottages. This year we explore the steam railway, England’s tallest tree and Selworthy village. Thank you so much Lucy and team – see you next year!”
Vicky, Charles, Emma, Dave, Lucas and Maisie and Henry, Yoshi and Aubrey the pooches, April 2023
“We booked a last-minute break at The Old Sweet Shop and have not been disappointed! Lucy has been very helpful, the whole cottage is charming, very clean and today and well-equipped. We enjoyed a steam train ride, local beaches, Dunster Castle, and the Minehead arcades, cafes and pubs. We want to thank Lucy for accommodating our needs, always being quick to reply to any questions and maintaining this beautiful property for us to enjoy. Thank you to Gail for sorting out the hot tub every morning and to the cleaning crew for keeping the cottage so lovely and tidy for guests to enjoy. Our little girls loved playing with all the toys and teddies and games of hide and seek around the cottage. Thank you!”
Izabela, Wayne, Georgina, Jessica, Liliana and Buddy the pooch, April 2023
“Thank you so much for a wonderful stay in The Old Sweet Shop! The cottage is well-equipped and everyone loved the garden and hot tub. Dunster, Lynton and Lynmouth are beautiful places to visit, and we recommend Reeves in Dunster for a meal, and The Luttrell Arms for the beer garden. Arlo loved the steam train ride to Blue Anchor where we had breakfast at the Driftwood Café. Hopefully we will be back.”
Nick, Jayne, Ali, Jax, Dave, Julie, Arlo and Georgie the dog, April 2023
“We enjoyed a wonderful break in this beautifully maintained comfortable cottage. The location is ideal, both as a base for walks and for trips into Minehead, Dunster and further afield. The hot tub is excellent and the garden is very relaxing. All the facilities in the cottage were in good working order. Very many thanks.”
Rob, Pam, Andrew, Jayne, Evie, Isla, Xensa and Willow the dog, April 2023
“We enjoyed our second stay in The Old Sweet Shop, this time to celebrate my 60th birthday and I couldn’t have picked a better cottage to enjoy the occasion with my family! We visited Dunster Castle and Tarr Steps and my grandchildren enjoyed their day at Butlins with their parents. We enjoyed our usual walks around North Hill and Bossington Hill and were lucky with the weather! Thanks to Lucy and the team for your personalised attention and for the special touches for my birthday. We can’t wait to return to The Old Sweet Shop for more family fun!”
Hilary, Graham, Laura, Allan, Alice, Jess, Will, Harry and Jacko the cocker spaniel, March 2023
“A wonderful stay in a beautiful well-equipped cottage with such attention to detail. The house was spotless and we were very touched by the personal welcoming touches for my birthday. We loved the hot tub especially. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Berni, Phil, Emma, Nick, Charlotte, Harry and Aryel, March 2023
“Thank you for a lovely stay. We have a great time in The Old Sweet Shop – so relaxing! Everything was absolutely perfect! I don’t think any of us have had such a good night’s sleep in years. So much so, I have been asked to find where the mattresses and pillows are from?! We will make sure to book again.”
Ffion and friends, February 2023
“What a quintessential romantic cottage. Everything is perfect and nothing is missing – you have thought of everything. We had a fantastic stay for Lisa’s 50th. We recommend you eat at Reeves in Dunster, walk the Tarr Steps and see the snowdrops in February. Lucy went to a great deal of effort getting the balloons for our arrival! In Minehead we recommend Café 21 for a drink and Vladi’s for pizza. The log fire is perfect, the hot tub fantastic, beds bloss and the place is spotless. Thanks for the memories.”
Phil and Lisa, February 2023
“Wonderful cottage, spotlessly clean. Shame about the weather but we enjoyed the cosy fire and relaxing lounge. A great place to see in the New Year!”
The Hazeldine family, January 2023
“Such a beautiful cottage! We had so much fun here and the hot tub was our favourite part. So clean and tidy! The photo walls are such a nice feature and we have so much fun playing ‘just dance’ in the evenings. The beds were so comfortable! The location was perfect and everything we needed was in walking distance. You have been such great hosts.”
The Warmington-Holders and Bosleys, December 2022
“What a beautiful stay in this magical home. I have never stayed in a place so clean and so tidy with all the beautiful touches. From the thoughtful sign on the armchair for my dad to the cuddly toys on each of the beds. The kitchen had everything we needed to cook the Christmas dinner and we enjoyed the open fire and Christmas tree to make it feel so homely. Thank you for the mince pies and milk in the fridge, such a lovely touch. This has been such a lovely stay for eight of us with the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in! We will most definitely be back in the future. Thank you so much. What amazing hosts you have been!”
Lucy and the Keith family, December 2022
“Our holiday here was such a wonderful experience, in a cosy and beautiful house with a warm welcome to start our stay. We felt it was a home-from-home and we loved the hot tub! We will definitely return in the summer and will recommend The Old Sweet Shop to our friends and family. Once again, thank you ever so much for your hospitality.”
From Hiran and family and Amrut and family, December 2022
“Such a beautiful, cost cottage! The location is perfect with everything we could need in a walkable distance. We had a lovely weekend as a family with the hot tub and our annual visit to Dunster by Candlelight (finally after three years). This cottage made the weekend perfect – we will definitely be booking here for next year. All the little touches were really thoughtful. Thank you.”
The Ponsfords, Lanes and Bunns, December 2022
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