Holiday Cottages In Ambleside

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Michael - Verified booking

  Silver Howe is in a great location for an easy 10 minute walk into Ambleside town centre and set far enough away from the road to be quiet and peaceful.

  It’s spacious inside with outside seating overlooking a field and small wood at the back. The wi-fi and smart TV both worked well. We found the sofa and armchairs were too soft with little support for our liking - others may find them ok though. When we booked Silver How, it was listed by Sykes as a new holiday let, but it was clear when we arrived that it isn’t and is in need of some TLC. It’s a shame, because mostly the shortcomings are minor and easily fixable and if they were, I’d have given a 5 star rating. In no particular order, these were the shortcomings we found: * There was an Iron but no ironing board * There was a dustpan and brush but no broom for larger areas. * In the absence of a broom we tried the vacuum cleaner, but quickly switched it off due to the foul smell it gave out when running. * The provided clothes airer is unusable, due to worn clips, which causes it to collapse as soon a you hang anything on it. * There are no instructions for the washing machine. * Couldn’t use the ceiling lights in dining area as they flicker. * The washing machine door is hanging off due to a cracked hinge - it still closes with care though and works. * We were initially unable to lock the back door because the mechanism needed lubricating (a drop of WD40 sorted it out). * The bottom hinge on the back door is loose and broken. * The toilet seat downstairs is poorly fitted and won’t stay in the up position - just annoying really. * The cold tap lever in kitchen was very loose and hanging off (tightening with an Allen key improved it). * The door seal on the shower cubicle (bathroom off the landing) is hanging off. * The seal on the shower screen (in the en suite) is cracked and falls off if the screen is moved to access bath. * The double bed is badly stained. We discovered this when we had to rotate the mattress (one end seemed to have sunk). However the sheets and mattress protector were clean. * At the top of the stairs the roof seems to be leaking with a large damp stain on wall/ceiling. * General cleaning could be better - a lot of dust behind the beds, sofa and chairs, with cobwebs everywhere, including a large spider community in the en-suite extractor fan.

  Read more less >

• Rachel - Verified booking

  This was our first trip to the Lake District and we had a fantastic time.

  We have fallen in love with the stunning scenery and will definitely return. We appreciate the cottage is old but it does need a good clean. We never normally leave reviews but felt this one was important to the owner especially if they are employing a cleaning company. The hand mirror and towel rail in the second floor bathroom were covered in dust on arrival. Throughout the cottage there were cobwebs and spiders everywhere including in the bread bin, amongst the cutlery, pots, pans, dishes, plates, glasses, corners of the rooms, around the windows, between the bannisters etc. On the one occasion when we chose to cook something in the cottage we had to clean the baking trays before we used them as they were filthy. The shower head and shower lead in the bathroom on the top floor were mouldy and needed a bleach. When we removed hair from the shower plug we were horrified to see what else came out - it was clear this had not been cleaned for some time. The toothbrush holder in the bathroom on the top floor was mouldy. We even found toe nail clippings on the floor which wouldn’t have been there if the cottage had been hoovered. There were tea stains down the wall in the bedroom. The boiler kept making loud banging noises throughout the night which woke us all up. There was a wasp nest outside the window of the main top floor bedroom which meant we couldn’t open the window as the wasps were swarming. Penny Red was in a perfect spot with beautiful surrounding views and close to the centre of Ambleside. It was on a hill called The Struggle which was fine for us but some people might find this difficult. It was a bonus having a designated car parking space. The cottage was well equipped with everything you need for a break in the Lakes but it just needed a thorough proper clean.

  Read more less >

• Kathryn - Verified booking

  We had such a lovely week at Curlew Cottage and it immediately felt like a home from home.

  There was everything there to make this a very comfortable base and should the weather turn for the worst, spend time relaxing inside. There were even little things like hand soap, oil, salt and pepper, washing up liquid which were appreciated as some places don’t supply these. There’s also a little care pack of dishwasher tablets, sponge etc. It’s great to be so close to Hawkshead yet in a quiet spot and detached so no one to disturb you and with off road parking. The only thing I could think to improve was the garden wasn’t secure in order to let our little dogs loose, it would have been nice to have been able to do this in some way even with some temporary fencing available to use but that’s being very picky and we couldn’t seem to get the dryer to dry our clothes (that was probably us!) The views from the cottage and garden were delightful. We popped to Aldi in Ulverston on the way through to get some supplies and treated ourselves to a Booths shop in Windermere the one day it was very wet. The Co-op was open until 10pm this year and is a 5 min walk. You can get to Coniston and back in 20 mins for a take away pizza or curry and the Red Lion in Hawkshead also let you take their pizzas away. A few places to eat in Hawshead. Highly recommend the Nepalese take away van that does gorgeous food and is in the village on a Sunday (check this day at the cat cafe). Loads of walks and cycle routes from the door you needn’t drive anywhere if you didn’t want to and the bus routes get you to most of the main Lakeland villages on a regular Thee. We’ve already booked our next return visit whilst we were here and we’d quite happily of stayed a lot longer. Thank you for giving us such a lovely place to stay.

  Read more less >

• Willow - Verified booking

  We recently stayed at the penny red cottage, the cottage itself is described as being in the town.

  However it is not, it is a 5 minute walk from the town which for most that wouldn’t be a problem however the booking does not mention the massive hill you have to climb to reach the house. So a simple 5 minute walk into the town turns into a sweaty tired mess. So it would have been nice for a heads up in the description of the area on the booking. I was happy to find that the kitchen is decently stocked with kitchen equipment however the tap in the kitchen drips which is really annoying and there is no description on how to use the oven or washing machine so that took us 15 mins to work out. I was also very disappointed to find that the stunning double bedroom on the top floor with lovely views, the main light does not work so you have to rely on the bed side lamp to navigate yourself round the bedroom. The main disappointment of the house was the extractor fan in the first bathroom is broken. When the wind blows on the house it rattles and makes a ton of noise which is very distracting- sounds like a ping pong ball is bashing round inside. For a house that could comfortably house 4-5 people in the main seating area in the sitting room there is only 3 seats available a sofa and sofa chair, I didn’t quite understand this as there is enough space for a bigger sofa. But if 4 people turned up only 3 can sit down and watch some tv. Apart from that criticism the stay itself was lovely, it has private parking with a spacious gap, the bathroom and bedrooms are very clean and cosy with a nice view and the location is nice.

  Read more less >

• Elton - Verified booking

  Had a great week in Penny Red.

  It completely delivered on the cosiness the pictures suggested. The two large beds were super comfortable with quality mattresses and feather-down duvets, so we slept a lot and really well. And the main room was made up by the log burning fire. Overall the place just smacked of quality and some good attention to detail. The furniture - drawers, tables and side units - was all good quality, and the main bathroom was really stylish with underfloor heating and a towel rail that actually got hot. Both bathrooms had good showers, and having a bath was a treat. The kitchen was decent but there were issues with the toaster and main oven taking ages to cook things because they never really got hot enough. (Easy to replace a toaster but the oven is a slightly bigger problem.) Other little bugs were that, although it was really nice and cosy, the fire desperately needs serviced/repaired because the door and chimney seals are shot so we were tearing though fuel (Note: Dec/Jan booking). We ended up having to buy logs because the coal we took just wouldn't burn properly and didn't give off any heat. Not the end of the world but almost a disappointment. And one other bit of wear and tear that needs to be sorted out is that the shower head holder in the main bathroom is a bit loose and wobbly which meant the shower would sometimes drop down or flop around the place. Not a huge problem but was a bit annoying. Don't let any of this put you off though, because Penny Red is a really nice place and we would definitely go back.

  Read more less >