Christmas Cottages in the Lake District

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Selina - Verified booking

  I would of really liked to put a good review.

  But the first few days were disastrous The first day we got there it was cold the house was freezing with no heating or hot water and the house smelled like oil Red flag number 1 We unpacked and located the boiler room to smelt so strongly of oil to find a note saying the boiler goes into lock mode and needs reseting flag 2 We reset it thinking it most do so when not used after awhile Not knowing that even with doing so we'd still have hardly any heat or hot water for a shower or bath because it went to lock mode again that evening We reset it again. Flag 3 After a slightly stressful day we went to bed only to find left over belongings of previous guests, cleaning solution still in the bath, the kitchen door having more dust on it i could collect it and the bedding smelling awful Flag 4 Safe to say we tidied up and washed all the bedding sleeping in our thick clothes and travel blanket We woke to a freezing wet morning No heat. No hot water. Reset the boiler again and got on with our day after contacting the owners about the oil smell creeping through the house Only to be told "it's normal and they've been contacted about it before" 5 We came home and decided to have a nice hot meal to then discover the greasy mess which the oven was So I cleaned it and all the pans left in it 6 We came home late and damp from a long rainy walk and had to reset it again! I had to boil water on the stove just so we could have a hot bath that night It was too late in the night to contact anyone so we went to bed 7 By some chance the boiler stayed on that night but we couldn't go into the living room because the smell made you feel sick We came home late to the full house smelling of oil and the boiler had gone off again We opened every door and window and contacted to owners To be told they'll send someone out the next day We waited well into the evening while discussing if we should put in a complaint and cancel the rest of our stay/ ask to be relocated The service man ran late because of a difficult job that morning But he was so nice and understanding and could smell the oil smell spreading through the house again Told me the valve had come lose and to leave the cover off of the boiler He fixed everything Putting some glue on the valve and reset it He then waited with us to make sure it stayed on and told me it had been servised recently Then proceeding to tell us renters around the area had been meddling with boilers in a lot of holiday rents he's been to Which made an alarm go off in my head If its been common why wasn't our boiler checked before we got there just to make sure? Surely if its been smelling like that awhile it's been a problem Why didn't they cleaner tell the owners how bad the smell gets? So it did get rechecked? After that we got on with the rest of our holiday deciding it would be too much stress and time to be relocted and would leave a well needed honest review We still had to reset the boiler again once the day before we left

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• Anne - Verified booking

  There is no doubt that Lakeside at Louper Weir is a prestige rental.

  It is a beautifully built modern house with the most spectacular views of Lake Windermere. However it is not without faults - there were a number of things broken, not working or not up to the standard you would expect from a house of this quality and resulting price bracket. To name a few - the barbecue ignition wasn’t working, the tv in the second bedroom had no signal, the toilet seats are quite old and discoloured and need replacing, there was regular interference to the main tv signal. Also, the WiFi in the home is quite dated and is one of those systems that constantly kicks you out and you have to reconnect to. The equipment in the kitchen is fairly hi-tech but the instructions left by the owner are not helpful or comprehensive enough. They assume you know that you have to lift the glass off of the Tepan Yaki grill in order to use it - I stumbled across this by accident. Also the microwave was within one of the ovens and completely frustrating to use because of the complex menu system. The hob is too small for a home meant to cater for 8 persons. You can barely fit 2 pans on it. I was aware on booking that building work was taking place next door but was not aware how very intrusive it would be. The building project is vast and has been ongoing for 3 years. It involves the entire site to the right side of the building and the builders have a lovely view into all of the big glass windows on that side of the property. I feel the owners are not being open enough with customers about the privacy issues that this creates. The bedroom blinds are automated and if you want to enjoy the stunning views from the master bedroom, you have to have BOTH blinds open, which gives the builders a very clear view of the master bedroom and bed! This could be rectified by the owner but they have chosen not to do so. Also, our last day (Friday) we had 3 landscape gardeners at the property for the entire day when we wanted to enjoy the outside space and hot tub but felt awkward doing so. Finally, a couple of days after leaving the property we were emailed and asked about a missing soap dish as if we had taken it. We hadn’t and had treated the house with care and respect and to receive this email was a surprise and a disappointment In summary, we had a wonderful stay but the house needs some basic maintenance and the owners need to think more about their guest’s experience rather than their bottom line.

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• Alissa - Verified booking

  We booked the stay for much needed recuperation after my husband’s recent chemotherapy.

  However, although we were very much looking forward to the stay, we were very disappointed and would not book the property again for the following reasons: - weeks after our visit and without our knowledge we were charged £192 for a faint lipstick mark on a duvet (I’m sure a bit of Vanish would have done the trick!) and £4.50 for a supposed broken Prosecco glass that we didn’t smash. They also ‘waived’ a £45 fee for a broken tripod, again we have no idea about. We have stayed in many beautiful properties over the years and have never had this happen to us before. We left the property clean, tidy and respected it during our stay. - the building works next door were very imposing. The master bedroom has two sided glass walls, with beautiful views of the lake… and the building works next door! from 8am - 4:30pm the workmen could see right into the bedroom. I was caught in my underwear the first morning which was very embarrassing. The blinds are electronic and you cannot close just one side, so we had to keep all of the master bedroom blinds closed throughout our stay. - the noise of the works was very loud from 8am - 4:30pm so we could not relax outside in the day. Also, there was a lot of foul language from the workmen - we have a 3 year old. - I love to cook, but the size of the oven and hob was caravan sized so I struggled to make a big family meal. - we had good weather but with all of the glass the property was exceptionally hot and we only had 2 fans for 2 bedrooms. It was unbearably hot at night, the couples in the hot rooms didn’t sleep a wink. (We tried to rotate the fans). We did try to get more fans for the property but were told we were lucky to have 2. - the main sliding concertina doors to the patio / dining area were out of order - there are a lot of cameras outside the property so we felt a little ‘watched’. There is one on the master bedroom balcony so it didn’t feel very private when we were sat taking in the the views at night. We use lakelovers a lot and spend a lot of money on stays, regrettably this is our most disappointing stay to date. Which given the reason for our stay, was very unfortunate for my husband.

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• Eric - Verified booking

  It gives me no pleasure to give such a review, but I feel obligated to warn potential future guests that this property is not what it appears when looking at the photographs provided.

  What no photograph can convey, is the terrible and overpowering smell of damp that hits you the moment you enter this property. Like a musty cave or old damp cellar, the air is thick with damp. Quite frankly, it is a health hazard. I booked for three nights with my family, and everyone was shocked by the state of the place. Apart from the smell, the bedsheets were unchanged, damp to the touch and even had pubic hairs on the base sheet. My room was worst affected by the damp. ( Left of the entrance ) and it was impossible to sleep there. I was forced to sleep upstairs on the couch but that brought it’s own problems as it was full of dog hairs, this being a ‘pet friendly’ establishment. My eldest son, daughter and son in law were forced to leave early as the damp in their rooms were causing them breathing problems. Cobwebs and spiders were everywhere, and the whole place was in desperate need of a deep clean. All surfaces were sticky to the touch and the shower drainage was blocked causing the base to fill with foul water when showering. Nobody should be sleeping there until these problems are fixed. It is a sad state of affairs, because the potential this converted barn has, is clear from the photos they provide. The upstairs is spacious and appealing to the eye, but it is totally spoiled by uncleanliness, neglect and above all, a very serious damp issue. These concerns were raised in private with Sykes cottages who promised to speak to the owner and get back to us but unfortunately after chasing them for a week there has been only silence in return.

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• Eric - Verified booking

  It gives me no pleasure to give such a review, but I feel obligated to warn potential future guests that this property is not what it appears when looking at the photographs provided.

  What no photograph can convey, is the terrible and overpowering smell of damp that hits you the moment you enter this property. Like a musty cave or old damp cellar, the air is thick with damp. Quite frankly, it is a health hazard. I booked for three nights with my family, and everyone was shocked by the state of the place. Apart from the smell, the bedsheets were unchanged, damp to the touch and even had pubic hairs on the base sheet. My room was worst affected by the damp. ( Left of the entrance ) and it was impossible to sleep there. I was forced to sleep upstairs on the couch but that brought it’s own problems as it was full of dog hairs, this being a ‘pet friendly’ establishment. My eldest son, daughter and son in law were forced to leave early as the damp in their rooms were causing them breathing problems. Cobwebs and spiders were everywhere, and the whole place was in desperate need of a deep clean. All surfaces were sticky to the touch and the shower drainage was blocked causing the base to fill with foul water when showering. Nobody should be sleeping there until these problems are fixed. It is a sad state of affairs, because the potential this converted barn has, is clear from the photos they provide. The upstairs is spacious and appealing to the eye, but it is totally spoiled by uncleanliness, neglect and above all, a very serious damp issue. These concerns were raised in private with Sykes cottages who promised to speak to the owner and get back to us but unfortunately after chasing them for a week there has been only silence in return.

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