Dog Friendly Villas In Bowness On Windermere

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Julian - Verified booking

  We have stayed at the Curious Orange before (Approx.

  5 years ago) and it was completely perfect in every way. So much so we thought when visiting the lakes, we would not go anywhere else. This time around however it was an incredibly disappointing stay. The day of our arrival at around lunchtime we received a call from the owner advising that there was a problem with the heating/hot water. We were already halfway to the Curious Orange by this time. The Owner advised that there is an immersion heater (for hot water), and he would arrange extra logs for the stove and ensure there were fan heaters. He advised that the plumber was waiting for a part, but it was due to be in and done on the Tuesday. As we were already halfway there, and that it would be sorted by Tuesday (Thus only really affecting Sunday & Monday) this would be ok. We arrived as planned after 4pm on Saturday. When we arrived, we tried to light the fire (it was pretty chilly as the central heating was not working). There were two fan heaters at the property, but they were noisy and intrusive so once the stove was warming up, they were switched off. On Sunday – Our first full day we did, as many would and went for a walk. We had booked into a nearby pub for evening meal and went for a shower upon our return. One of us had a shower, which went stone cold halfway through and there was not enough hot water for the second person to shower. We looked at the immersion tank and it is a half sized one – explaining the minimal amount of hot water available. We planned Monday around the inability for both of us to have a shower as we were led to believe it would be fixed by Tuesday. Sadly, Tuesday came and went with no word from a plumber or the owner. We contacted the owner on Wednesday to advise that the issues remain, and no plumber had been on Tuesday. At 5.30pm on Wednesday a plumber turned up unexpected and we had to postpone our table reservation for that evening to accommodate the plumber. Sadly, something else was wrong and he was unable to fix there and then – We explained that we could not both have a shower on the same day due to the tiny immersion tank and he tried a workaround however, this did not change anything. The plumber advised he would be back Thursday afternoon at around 12. Sadly, Thursday also came and went with no word from a plumber or the owner, and we were still unable to both have a shower on the same day. The plumber finally fixed the heating and hot water at around 5pm on Friday evening. We both showered and went for dinner for the first… and last time of our holiday as we were leaving the following morning. In summary, we could not both shower/bath each day for the entirety of our holiday, the fan heaters were awfully noisy so our choice for the week was either buying significant amounts of logs or listening to noisy fan heaters. Our stay became a frustrating, more costly than expected, un-showered/bathed stop, whilst attending unannounced tradesmen visits. Sadly, despite speaking to the owner on a few occasions, no offer of a reduction for our current stay or voucher toward our next stay was offered and due to the lack of care & concern from the owner regarding the significant inconvenience we experienced we will not return to the Curious Orange.

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• Darrell - Verified booking

  A nice well kept cottage.

  Size is smaller than our normal cottages, especially the kitchen area, but good use of the space was made by having an oven/microwave combo located under the stairs. The fridge was also under the stairs, however the freezer compartment was difficult to access. Made use of the included slow cooker. Frying pans could do with being replaced - Teflon going/gone. The smart TVs at the cottage are of the older generation and we could not get Netflix working on either, wifi connection on lounge tv constantly dropped out which was slightly annoying. Lovely super king size bed with nice bed linen and was very comfortable. Shower in the bathroom was good size with constant hot water. Weather was not our friend so was pleased the heating came on a couple of times even though it was July - airing cupboard was always warm and good place for drying our wet weather gear. Whist dogs are permitted at the cottage they are not allowed upstairs. Parking is at the bottom of a small hill and is shared with the adjoining cottage - turn your car around if you can so it’s ready to drive up the hill when leaving the property. The cottage is excellently located for exploring the surrounding Lake District area. Remember to plan your routes and allow extra time due to the narrower roads.10 minute drive to Windemere for a good supermarket and plenty of coffee shops. Similar to Ambleside - loads of sports equipment stores and restaurants. We had a very active week taking in Scafell Pike, Grizedale, Keswick, Rydal and Grasmere but the highlight was the Troutbeck Valley walk up to High Street, returning via Froswick and Ill Bell - a challenging 23k hike. We followed the route from a walk leaflet handed out at the Queens Head pub which along with the Mortal Man are both located very close to the cottage. Reservations are recommended for evening dining if you’re staying during peak season. Overall a great cottage in a great location. Thanks Rob for contacting us before and during our visit to make sure everything was OK.

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• David - Verified booking

  We very much enjoyed our holiday in the Lake District, staying at Low Brow Barn.

  The cottage is very well appointed and the owner has really thought about everything you might need. Furnishing and beds are comfortable, the lounge is spacious and the TV reception excellent. The underfloor heating is effective in the bathroom and bedrooms, less so in the lounge with its high ceiling. The kitchen lacks cupboards for groceries but has everything you need for cooking etc. We parked in the adjacent lay-by on the main road, the traffic noise wasn't a problem but you have to be careful crossing the road. There is not much of a view from the cottage windows, however, it is very well placed for the major sights and the towns and villages to visit in the area. Highlights of the week included exploring Ambleside and Keswick, visiting the Puzzle Museum and Castlerigg Stone Circle in Keswick, a combined boat trip from Bowness to Lakeside and then to the Lakeland Motor Museum (great cafe!) and a ride on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, the Ravenglass & Eskdale Steam Railway ( a bit of a trek but worth it) and nearby Muncaster Castle with its magnificent gardens. Blessed with mainly fine weather we absolutely loved the Lake District and Low Brow Barn.

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• Karen - Verified booking

  The cottage has everything you needed for a fantastic holiday.

  The property has been updated and modernised to a very high standard. The underfloor heating throughout makes your stay very cosy, especially when it is cold outside. Log burner helps too. Lovely modern bathroom and ensuite. The rain forest shower in the bathroom was lovely but some attention to the one in the ensuite is required as the flow was poor. (Maybe just needs adjustment by a plumber. ) Wifi excellent too. The location is superb. just a 5 minute walk to the lake and 10 minutes into Ambleside. Just be careful when crossing the road from the cottage during peak times as it can get busy. We would defiantly recommend this cottage as it is one of the nicest we have been too. One little gripe as every other cottage we have been to always have a small welcome pack which this didn`t. After our journey we couldn`t make a cuppa until we went into Ambleside to get milk, coffee and tea. We had a wonderful weeks holiday made all the better in this lovely cottage.

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• Lynne - Verified booking

  We had a lovely stay at Low Brow Barn which is close to all local facilities.

  The property has plenty of space and was furnished to a high standard. We took note from previous reviews and took extra bin bags, coffee, salt, pepper and milk. We also saw a coffee machine in the kitchen photo and asked Sykes for the make... it is an Nespresso so take coffee pods with you like we did. We did not have a problem with the heating because we have the same system at home and knew how it worked. It is just a shame that Sykes / the owners have not heeded to the advise from previous guests. There is still a problem with the TV remote and the flow for the ensuite shower was terrible. We also found that the main oven were filthy so we did not use. Never managed to get the smaller oven to heat up despite having instructions. We sent Sykes a message about these issues and they never responded. This is not acceptable. We have never had such issues with Sykes before.

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