Portinscale Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Bryce - Verified booking

  It’s taken me almost a week to be able to reply to be honest .

  We were looking forward to our Christmas break at the Haven after a five hour drive and were disappointed to arrive at a place which was bitterly cold , unwelcoming and outdated .. The first thing I noticed was the tatty little bit of coir matting trodden into the ground near the front door . Then the only way to open the front door was by my husband putting a hand through the letterbox , and pulling the door towards him and quickly turning the key. ( I couldn’t get it to work at all ) It didn’t improve during the ten days we were there . It was bitterly cold if the heating wasn’t on so through night it was actually terrible . The duvets and pillows should be replaced as they are all so thin that we used every duvet in the place with my padded coat on top because there were no blankets . We are Cumbrian so know how the weather can be esp in December . The main light in the back bedroom didn’t work .. the standard lamp in the sitting room didn’t work . , the end fell off the shower .. Cream cleaning product had dropped down the oven door and looked a real mess . Luckily only two of us stayed so we could use all the bedding in the house on the single beds . However we had hot water and a long bath and the oven and dishwasher worked well . Walking into Keswick was easy and very pleasant but it was such a pity that the Haven itself wasn’t a comfortable or welcoming place to stay in winter We found that people living near by were friendly .. we paid over £1100 pounds and it definitely wasn’t worth it . We knew there was no wifi but we couldn’t even watch much Christmas tv as the freeview was so limited . Such a pity because it has the potential to be a lovely place . L Murray

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• Brigid - Verified booking

  We found this property to be spacious, filled with light and well laid out.

  There was plenty of parking and a fantastic garden accessorised with lots of seating. The large garden isnt completely secure for dogs, having a gate that the postman leaves open, and no gate on the drive, but easy to watch them from the many kitchen windows, and I didnt feel worried that he would wander out. If you are that worried just go out with them (as you have to clean up anything nasty anyway).The kitchen was well stocked with a comfortable dining area (looking out to the hills and the lake), the sittiing room warm and toasty with great views out to the fells again. We always take our own firestick on holiday and hot spot it to our mobile phones, but there were plenty enough channels on the freeview TV. Had no issues with hot water, with good bath and shower facilities. Boiler and temperature was easy to alter on the digital interface behind the fold down flap, and we didnt get cold despite the heavy snow outside. Loads of radiators to dry wet coats on.The front door latch was a little tricky so we just used the back door all of the time, no problem, and in fact it gave us easier access to the car. Information pack (page) lacked any helpful info but found out that general bin day was Tuesday and recycle bin Thurday by the neighbours activities. Easy to fathom out. There is a number for the local GP in the info page, should anything happen, but they dont see tourists. The walk into town was easy, short and didnt involve any steep hills. The area itself very peaceful, giving instant access to some of Keswick's great walks. Would definately come back again, and recommend it to friends.

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• Helen - Verified booking

  This cottage is described as dog friendly, which is why we booked it.

  We were told right from the start that dogs were NOT allowed on the beds, or indeed any of the furniture, and were not to be left alone in the property. These are usual requirements, and perfectly reasonable, and we would do this anyway, without being told to. What we were NOT TOLD until we arrived there and found the notice on the table, is that dogs must be confined to the "ground floor". At first glance, this doesn`t seem unreasonable, however in practice, due to the layout, it means that we had to shut our dog in the kitchen at all times, and only the kitchen. If we wanted to relax in the lounge, watch TV, have a drink in a comfortable chair instead of a hard kitchen chair, we couldn`t have our dog with us.A " dog friendly" property where the dog can`t be in the lounge?We paid to hire the whole property, but in practice, could not use the lounge area, or have the enjoyment of it.This put something of a damper on our holiday.We are not happy, and feel deceived. We realise that this is the owners choice, it is his property, and it may suit some people, who wouldn`t mind. However, prospective hirers should be told the terms on the write up, so that they know what to expect, and can make an informed choice. We had these terms, previously not mentioned, forced on us on arrival. We holiday with our dog because we want her with us. Had we known from the start that she had to stay shut in the kitchen, and not join us in the evenings, we would never have booked this particular property.

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• Sarah - Verified booking

  The owners are clearly doing what they can with the layout of this property and we acknowledge that some things can’t be improved due to the sloped ceilings etc.

  The positives: Overall very clean, quirky accommodation with ample goods such as toilet rolls, cloths, washing up liquid, hand wash etc. Great location. Good instructions and no issues getting into the property. Negatives: We couldn’t find anywhere to park to unload on arrival late at night. This was up and down all week, sometimes it was easy to park outside and other times we were way up the road. Needing to kneel in the bath for a shower. We accept that this is the only likely option in this property. The crockery and glasses looked like they’d been hand washed by the previous guests and put away. Some weren’t clean. We ended up leaving a day early as the beds were crippling us. We like a firm mattress but these were beyond a joke. I ended the holiday exhausted with a sore back, hips and shoulder. My partner really struggled with his back after the first night but by day 3 was in agony with his shoulder to the point he couldn’t lift his arm or drive by the end of the week, which has righted itself since we got home. We tried putting blankets under the sheet for him which didn’t do much, but a padded mattress topper may have resolved this. It really took the shine off our trip. The house feels like a compromise due to the parking and shower. We’d have accepted this for the price if the beds were comfortable but sadly it’s unlikely that we will return here again.

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• Tracey - Verified booking

  On arrival there wasn’t even a pint of milk for a coffee.

  When we went upstairs on the first corner step it threw you off balance and into the corner- we think the step is broken. The bed nearest the window was like sleeping in a crisp packet because of the mattress protector it crackled every time you moved and there’s black mould and torn paper underneath the window in the bedroom. Polystyrene tiles on the ceiling in the downstairs loo and boiler room, the door to the boiler room would not close so this could not contain a fire. There’s no warning sign in place to for the boiler room because as you go through you step up and my husband who is only 5’7” banged his head with some force the first time he went through. The extractor in the bathroom didn’t work and only one light worked in there. There were 6 empty air fresheners doted around the property 4 of which were placed like ornaments on the shelving in the dining area. We know it’s an old property but it could be beautiful and there’s so much wasted space, it’s all worn and very dated. We love the area and as you are aware normally love where we stay but we will be much more careful picking our next accommodation. We are aware that we could have contacted the Keswick office regarding these issues but we did not want to wait in for someone to come and we did not want a stranger in while we were out. The property should have been checked thoroughly before we arrived.

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