Villas In Kendal

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Victoria - Verified booking

  The property really needs more attention to detail.

  This was not a cheap place to stay and I think perhaps because it was the busy summer period standards slipped. There were spiders everywhere. Every. Where. Infested. The cobwebs were so thick in places it was like candyfloss. We had to hoover up about 80 spiders in the first 4 days and they were still appearing after that. The place seems to be riddled with them. Even after hoovering we kept discovering webs. Spiders in every corner is not exactly relaxing. The wooden doors for each room don't help as the backs of them just seem to have webs in all the gaps. We also noticed a great deal of webs under the beds when we were checking around before leaving which was rather disconcerting! We also read in the guest book about welcome packs that previous guests had received and we had nothing like that. Again it could be due to the rush for turnover in the summer but standards should never slip. Upon arrival the dining room table had crumbs across it, the kitchen floor had bits on it and combined with the spiders in the corner of every room it wasn't the greatest start. First impressions count and we were on the back foot straight away. The curtains are ridiculously light, the sun was waking us all up and we had to try to hang throws over the curtains to try and block out the light. Who had the idea to get white curtains? Quite odd. The lower stairs are extremely noisy, good luck trying to go downstairs in the morning for a cup of tea without waking your family or friends. We have stayed in the Lake District many times and this is the most disappointed we have been with our accommodation. It did not meet expectations and it was nice to get home and not have to have eyes scanning the ceilings for spiders all the time!

  Read more less >

• 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.

  Read more less >

• 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.

  Read more less >

• Stephen - Verified booking

  We were very unhappy with the fact that on our first night, the lock on the only door jammed, and we were unable to get out of the property.

  The 24/7 Emergency number was not answered and it was the following day that we were able to get through to anyone and a maintenance man arrived in the afternoon. The only access was through a narrow window and even the thin maintenance guy had trouble getting in to fix the lock. He removed this, and then left us with only a Yale, rather than a 5 lever Chubb for the remainder of our stay. We were told someone would come to replace the lock but no-one did.We effectively lost a full day of our holiday, being unable to get out of the property. The ground floor was damp, with black mould in a number of places. We have contacted Sykes a number of times, but they are hiding behind a blanket, standard response that says they can do nothing, and neither they nor the owner would pay any compensation, as this is a Health and Safety issue!! We would like the owner, who we are unable to contact, to confirm that this problem, both the door and the lack of proper escape windows has been sorted, so we can feel comfortable that any other renters are safe in the property. There would appear to be no route to report this issue to Health and Safety Executive, only to Sykes and Lake Lovers. We feel there is no way we can give any positive recommendation for the property without confirmation that the issues are resolved. We are also very unhappy that Sykes have at no time made any direct contact to apologise for the problems we have had,

  Read more less >

• Melissa - Verified booking

  This was a last minute deal, I wouldn’t pay full price for this property.

  Although some good points, this cottage needs attention from the owners. Good points: Convenient parking close to front door. Nice well equipped kitchen overall . Good to have a dryer when it’s wet outside. Love the open plan space upstairs. Pleasant enclosed garden. Quiet spot in a pretty village. Beds comfortable Bad points: Sticky kitchen table. Bathrooms grotty, and need an update, new sealant needed on bath and extractor fan not working properly. Smell of damp downstairs. Missing light bulbs and fire alarm needing new battery. Basic maintenance is poor. No pint of milk or tea, which would have been appreciated after a long journey. Information pack was poor, no info on recycling or working the TV. A guest book would be helpful so folks can recommend places to visit. We really enjoyed visiting Ambleside and Blackwell the Arts & Crafts house. Tip: Take some DVDs and games with you, (the games we found were old) Note: Both toilets are downstairs (bedroom level), we have family members who have to take extra time negotiating stairs, so just a heads up! Note: When finding the property the bins were blocking the house name, luckily friendly neighbours helped us find it. Conclusion: A cottage of two halves, living area nice upstairs but downstairs needs an update. Maintenance needed.

  Read more less >