Christmas Villas In The Lake District

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Sarah - Verified booking

  Before reading this review, please note, we are not people who complain often and like to give fair and honesy reviews.

  We want to provide honest feedback to the owner, so that guests can continue staying in this beautiful location. The owner has a pure gem of a property to rent out and we would love for them to continue to benefit from this. Winster Fields is set in a beautiful and peaceful location. It is a spacious, and has all the amenities you will need for a comfortable stay. We stayed in this accommodation 4 years ago and were really looking forward to returning for our holiday this year. Unfortunately, when we entered the property, it smelt 'fusty', like it had been shut up for weeks. There were wasps and flies all over the surfaces and the kitchen was filthy! The cutlery and crockery were dirty in the cupboards, the bin smelt, there were food stains up the walls, the cooker hood and tiles were covered in grease, as well as the lights in the kitchen. It was clear that the property had not been cleaned properly before our arrival. If cleaners had been in, then they really didn't clean it properly. There were public hairs in the bathroom sinks, and urine splattered on the toilet brushes. We were less that impressed in arrival. Such a shame as we couldn't fault the property four years ago. We contacted Sykes straight away, who were very apologetic and contacted the owner in a timely fashion. We were informed that the cleaners would be in the day after our arrival, but nobody appeared. I then contacted sykes again and they arranged cleaners for the following day. They did come this time, but again, it was clear they only did the bare minimum and only dealt with the issues I had provided pictorial evidence for. In my opinion, the owner needs to liaise with the cleaning company regularly and discuss non negotiatiables for weekly, fortnightly and monthly cleans to ensure everything is cleaned regularly. In addition to this, there are maintenance jobs that need to be reported to the owner, who lives away. Light bulbs were out, damp patches on the ceiling and a broken chair. These all should be addressed quickly to ensure a comfortable stay. There needs to be some investment into thsi property now, as it is looking worn. Decorating needs to be done, new frying pans and utensils in th kitchens and new sofas and cushions as they are worn and smell. I am disappointed to be writing such a negative review as we love the location and had such a lovely stay 4 years ago. We enjoyed our holiday in the lakes, however didn't feel as comfortable as we should have done in our accommodation, due to the cleanliness.

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• Vicki - Verified booking

  When we arrived the cleaning lady was still there finishing up next door, just as well she was as we couldn't gain entry as the key was not in the lockbox but in the door on the inside of cottage.

  She had no knowledge of us arriving as said it had not been cleaned! When she gained entry with her keys it was a left in right mess by previous customers. She told us to come back in couple hours (by this time it would be 6pm+) not her fault but a break down communication either with booking agent & owner. When we finally get in on first glances the ladies did a fab job in a short space of time to clean and prepair it for our stay. It was during the stay we started to find little bits not so perfect, the cottage could do with a little TLC and money being put back into it and bring up to date with current times. The kettle could do with replacing as has rather alot scalling init. The TV Ariel is no use at all, everytime you want watch TV you have to retune and lucky dip what channels you pick up. There is an outdoor ariel socket on wall why there's no extension into this instead the crappy plug in ariel?? Luckily the TV is a smart TV so can use your Netflix/prime accounts if you have these. The WiFi is shocking slow, the router is next door and you piggy back off that, it was hit and miss alot the times. The bathroom door handle needs attention, no one dared locked the door incase it came off and you got stuck in there! The shower in main bathroom is a cheap of the cheapest ones going and pointless for double shower that size, plus there's not alot hot water it runs cold and tepid, so don't think if having a bath. Cheap plastic toilet seats. The hottub man comes Friday & Mondays. We noticed He doesn't empty them at each change over but simply wipes the seats, fish out the bugs, cleans the filters and replaces the chlorine tabs. So not sure how many guests have used same water before us? (He was there just finishing when we arrived Friday- the tub was 40° so obviously not been emptied and refilled) These may seem little things but when your paying £1200++ these little things do go a long way to making your stay more comfortable. The garden is good size, enclosed so dog friendly. Overall its a lovely cottage, ideal place as base while you explore the beautiful lakes have to offer.

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• Leah - Verified booking

  Our stay at Blencathra barn was good.

  The place is spacious and the area is perfect for exploring Lake District. The beds were comfy and the rooms were clean. The area is lovely and quiet and the pub close by is perfect for a drink and a bite to eat. The only problem we faced was more with the facilities which really should have been sorted. The bathroom handle door upstairs was broken upon arrival and we were unable to close the door, which isn’t ideal when you’re staying with 5 other people. This issue was resolved quickly when we contacted the owner but it shouldn’t have been that broken in the first place. The en-suite bathroom taps were also leaky and very weak, not being fitted to the sink properly and making a noise all night. The heating rail in the en-suite bathroom also wasn’t working. The hot tub stopped heating on the last full day we were there, which was gutting as we all couldn’t have our final time in the hot tub and we had been looking forward to it all day. A man had came earlier that morning to clean it and unfortunately must have made the hot tub go awfully cold, making it unusable. All in all a lovely holiday that would have been perfect if it weren’t for the facilities of the home.

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• Andy - Verified booking

  Nice cottage in general but misses the mark with maintenance.

  The oven was broken and wouldn’t switch off so we had to switch it off at the main socket. Very dangerous if you forget to do that. When we arrived the top floor bath was wobbling and leaking. To be fair to the owners the maintenance guys were out the same day and patched that up. The TV was basically useless as it runs off an indoor aerial with no signal. The WiFi was patchy at best and not secure as it was shared with next door. The taps in the main bathroom seem be plumbed in back to front and the hot one was loose and went from cold to scolding in 2 seconds to the point my mother in law burnt her hand. The beds aren’t the best and mattress on one or the single beds had springs poking through. The bed on the top floor seems have sunk a bit as well. One of the chairs in the garden also has a loose leg which again nearly caused and accident. Not all negative though. The hot tub, garden and location were all great and the local pub is brilliant. It wouldn’t take much to get this place to the right standard but there were just too many small things which put a cloud over the holiday. Wouldn’t recommend unless these maintenance of the place is massively improved.

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• Vera - Verified booking

  Negative stuff: Some issues with the ground floor shower - lack of pressure/cold water - which we think might have been to both showers being in use at the same time.

  Fridge could have been bigger. Noisy cooker fan and first floor bathroom extraction fan. Place didn’t have any signs of damp but there was a slight humidity/dampness that made it impossible to dry any washing and we couldn’t get the drier to work (might have been user error didn’t check instructions and managed to dry most stuff outside). Outdoor furniture was old greyed teak passed its best but useable. 6 chairs - one broken chair (unuseable) and one broken, but repaired. We did sit out a lot as there was a great view. BBQ looked new, but wasn’t clean so didn’t use it. Positive stuff: Lovely quiet location and possible to walk along footpath (1 mile) to Mason’s Arms pub for a pint. Everything work (except for intermittent water issues in shower). Lots of kitchen equipment, pans, crockery etc. Place was clean and all beds made with fresh linen and towels available. Good location for south Lakes - off the beaten track but all the better for it if you want to avoid the crowds at Bowness etc. and have walks that aren’t full of other people.

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