Last Minute Cottages in Grasmere

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Fiona - Verified booking

  We loved the apartment, especially the stunning view over Fairfield Horseshoe with Rydal Hall in the distance.

  It was lovely to relax and look at the view. The apartment was very comfortable. The bed was comfortable and we slept well. It was quite firm but we prefer that to a too soft and squishy bed. The apartment was well equipped with everything we needed. The Wi-Fi was good and my teenage son was very happy. In fact he said it was the best holiday accommodation he has stayed in. It was well located and within easy walking distance to Ambleside across the park. A very quiet and peaceful location. The garden was lovely with a lake view from some areas. It was very hot for our first few days - 30 degrees, very unexpected in the Lakes! As it’s a top floor apartment it did get hot but there were plenty of windows to open, remote controlled velux and a fan. I expect it will be cosy in winter. We had no problems with the arrival instructions or the gate button and door codes as mentioned in another review, it was all straightforward. The hairdryer was in the bedroom drawer. There were signs there had been a leak and there was scaffolding on the roof. It rained while we were there and there was no leak. There had been some storm damage to a couple of trees in the grounds probably from Storm Arwen which was still being repaired. They have sadly lost a very large tree. I agree with previous reviews on the unavailable lift. It had a code lock on it and we couldn’t work out whether it actually worked. Nobody from any apartment used it. It is hard work on arrival and departure getting luggage up and down the stairs. There also needs to be a light immediately outside the apartment door as the switch for it is inside and it can be hard to see the lock. There also needs to be recycling facilities, particularly as this is a national park. We are very green and recycle absolutely everything at home but still draw the line at looking for the council recycling facility while on holiday. Also be aware that the road Under Loughrigg is no motor vehicles and access only through to Rydal if you turn left out of the property gate but some less reliable satnavs (like our car one) may try to direct you down there from either direction!

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• Lesley - Verified booking

  We have several complaints to make about Loughrigg Suite, which may help future visitors.

  In chronological order: in the email that you send with arrival instructions, the ordering of information is extremely poor for this particular property. The key code for the flat and the assistance phone numbers are right at the top - where guests will be looking. The details for the entry gates and the front door lock are way down BELOW the travel details where few will be looking as they arrive. The entry details should all be together. As you must be well aware the Velux window high in the living room ceiling leaks -and has been for some time. I know that you warned us that ‘work is going on’ (though nothing happened this week) and it is clearly difficult to find out where the leak is because the ceiling all around around the window is blistered and stained. This meant we lost use of a quarter of the living room - we had to keep our belongings away from that area, leave a towel on the table and a bucket on the floor to avoid damage to the carpet and furniture. There are problems with the washing machine, again we assume long-standing as the door matching the other cupboards has been removed. The machine makes noises as if it is running a cycle but the drum did not rotate. In addition, the model installed is not the model for which instructions are provided so we had to waste time looking it up on-line to try to resolve the problem. We were left with an unwash load, the garments at the top were still dry but the bottom half were soaking wet and again we had to waste time moving them around the drying horse and oil radiator to get them dry- not easy with unspun washing. The items on the upper shelves in the kitchen were out of my reach and there are no steps, so I had to climb on a stool – not ideal. AND the lift which would have been very useful to bring our luggage up to the 2nd floor is out or order - it clearly should be available as there is an apology stuck on the door. I think some recompense is required for these detriments to our stay here

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• A - Verified booking

  This was our third stay in this lovely old building, each time in a different apartment.

  We love the location, with a 10 minute walk into Ambleside across the park. It is also brilliant having parking, so avoiding the need to park in Ambleside which can be a nightmare. The steep lane from and to the building will not be for everyone, but it is possible to drive down to the main gates and leave your car there for the ascent back up the long drive. There are lovely walks to Grassmere, Skelwith Bridge (and on to Elterwater), Rydal and Loughrigg Fell from the lane outside the house and many more from other parts of Ambleside. The apartment was generally well equipped and very clean. A decent TV and streaming services, plus a little Bose bluetooth speaker were much apprciated. It was nice to be able to control the hot water and heating (only used to warm up the towel rail as we had beautiful weather). A few tips for the owner: 1) the seal under the glass shower screen over the bath is perished and water leaks onto the floor 2) we were surprised to find a plain sheet on the double bed rather than a fitted sheet, though the bed was very comfortable 3) we stayed in two other places on this holiday and both provided welcome packs with a few basics (nice if you arrive late) 4) a second bath mat would be helpful as there are two showers. But these are just minor niggles. It was a lovely apartment and the views were spectacular. We did not want to leave.

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• Sarah - Verified booking

  This was the second time I have stayed at the cottage and both stays were excellent.

  The cottage is small but beautiful and well equipped, comfortable and peaceful. I am disabled with arthritis and rather limited mobility. My husband drove me up to Grasmere but I stayed on my own, and I made my own way home on public transport using railway assistance. Everything worked well. The one thing which might be a bit daunting for someone with mobility problems is the steep staircase, but I found it quite manageable if I took my time. I was on holiday. The slow and thoughtful ascent and descent was all part of the zen like quality of the stay! The setting suited me perfectly. I don’t drive but excellent buses stop very near the cottage, linking Keswick and Kendal. Other bus links and tours are easily available. Grasmere itself is lovely, of course. I found everything I needed locally in easy walking distance and was never short of a place to sit and have a cuppa. My son came to visit one day and was impressed by all the vegan offerings available in the village. I even managed to walk up to Allen Bank one day, which was a beautiful experience. Sitting where Wordsworth once sat and seeing my first red squirrel was something I’ll never forget. I thoroughly recommend Beck Steps for a couple or anyone wanting a solo holiday. It is a cottage with charm and comfort which does wonders for the soul!

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• Katherine - Verified booking

  We had a nice stay but we did find a few things that assisted in our decision to come home a day early.

  The open plan nature of the property means noise travels a lot, the fridge made a noise all night which is heard in the main bedroom. This was also the case for traffic, which went on till early hours and the boiler coming on and off, which we couldn’t change on the hive system. The open plan nature also doesn’t help rain noise on the velux windows, (which in the lakes is obviously frequent) not sure anything could be done about this though This bedroom has a very firm mattress also which wasn’t to our taste. The shower screen needs attention as after use it allows water to collect on the wooden floor and bath mat which ended up sodden. As per other reviews, sofa very uncomfortable for any period of time. The cottage was really nice, but I don’t think we would stay again bearing in mind the quality of sleep we got. The parking is also a slight issue, we couldn’t get out the car once parked when the neighbouring property had a car parked, had to climb in from the passenger side. We used the public car park in the end. Much easier and less risk of damaging the car. If you go with these things in mind, you will enjoy your stay, but they did impact on ours.

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