Last Minute Cottages in Hawkshead

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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• Paul - Verified booking

  My wife and I had a wonderful stay in this suite.

  Absolutely great views of the surrounding hills from our room and from the huge garden (even seeing Lake Windermere through the trees). One morning there were a few sheep on our lawns! Entry instructions on our arrival were very clear (a spare front door key to the suite would have been useful - 'just in case'). A clean, well maintained property. The split level to the kitchen gave the suite added character. Well furnished with comfortable seating in the main room. The suite is on the top (second floor) of the large house - only drawback was carrying our cases up all the stairs (quite a task) - there is a small lift but it was key coded and we never knew the code (nor did others in the building). A really steep drive/walk up to the property either via main driveway or a paved bridleway, although our car could be left at the gated drive entrance if the walking up was 'too much'. Central Ambleside is a 10 minute walk across a park and it is only a 30 minute walk to Waterhead (Ambleside pier on Lake Windermere). Ambleside is a really good 'central' location in the Lake District - quaint with lots of places to eat and drink. A highly recommended stay.

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• Joanne - Verified booking

  The dishwasher was not very effective and as there was no plug for the kitchen sink, this presented a challenge for washing up!

  There were items in the kitchen that had to be washed before use as they were not clean, including the oven baking trays. There appears to be an issue with ants in the main bathroom and some were also found in the twin bedroom. The cottage overall was not particularly clean, lots of cobwebs which had clearly been there for some time. The sleigh bed creaked every time you moved on it so was not conducive to a good nights sleep. Parking was difficult and would be better if there was a marked bay in front of each cottage. Also in this cottage as it is the first as you go into the courtyard, you can't park a family size car in front of it and leave enough room to open the stable doors to the kitchen, whilst allowing space for other cars to safely pass. On a positive note, the location was good and the garden was (over the main road) was very nice. I would have no issue with booking through Heart of the Lakes again in future, however I would not return to this particular cottage unless there were improvements made - it really needs some TLC.

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