Dog Friendly Cottages in Ambleside

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Mr John Forster - Verified booking

  The location just a short distance from Ambleside was perfect with a safe walk into the town which had plenty of amenities. We all had a wonderful time as the lakes are stunning and the weather was very kind and dry. The equipment at the property was plentiful, no real need for an iron, ironing board, who irons when on holiday and a dishwasher as there’s only the two of us. The log fire is also OTT as you have underfloor heating. There’s no permanent place to put clothes or towels in the bathroom so everything has be hung on either the shower stall or the clothes airer which takes up half the bathroom. The sink outlet pipe is obviously blocked as the note above the sink testifies to other stayers having similar issues. A number of the wall unit doors were sticking especially the end cupboard door and the dishwasher unit was badly fitted so the door was 2” out at the top. 3 of the plates were chipped. We were asked to remove the bedding which revealed large stains on the Mattress, mattress cover and duvet cover. The storage cupboard had a freezer an iron, an ironing board which reduced its capacity and wasn’t needed. Overall the-feel of the property was a little cramped and that it needed a good clean especially to the outside of the property which let it down. We’ve become accustomed to having a few treats on arrival with all the properties i.e. milk tea coffee or a bottle of wine etc so was disappointed with not even a welcome card. The property was very comfortable the bed the sofa etc, apart from the 2 pillows which were rock hard, but as I said difficult to move around the bed with the TV on the wall next to the bed end, next to the fire base, the stools as well as 2 large dogs and their beds. Value of the property was ok but never sure what the accidental damage charge and the £20 per dog goes to as the property had all wooden floors. We booked a midweek break but the 4pm arrival and the 9am departure time for the soul purpose of cleaning left me with the feeling it was more like 3 days and the regular reminders of the arrival and departure times x6 were tedious and excessive. We would have no issue with booking with your company apart from the additional charges, admin dogs etc if we found a property but not The Hideaway. I Never recommended companies or products. Just to say we did have a pleasant stay but due to issues raised above it felt short of our usual experience and expectations

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• Valerie - Verified booking

  The cottage is cosy and charming, and the courtyard garden is beautiful, especially in afternoon sunshine.

  However, there were a few surprises/shocks not mentioned in the listing... and I am detailing ALL these, even though they may seem a bit nit-picky, because for anyone with compromised mobility like myself they present huge challenges, which I wasn't expecting. Firstly - car access from the road requires reversing up a very steep and narrow driveway from a one-way street. The only way to manage this is to put your hazards on as you reach the Temperance Hotel right opposite, and for your passenger to jump out and hold up traffic whilst you negotiate the awkward tight angle into the driveway. The allocated parking space is immediately at the top of the steep slope, with a yellow bollard close to the wall which you need care to avoid! Several pieces of smashed rear lights (not mine!) on the ground show how tricky this is! Next, there is yet another equally steep slope up, not mention in the listing, to reach the VERY steep slate staircase of 11 high steps, before reaching the access to the cottage. Once inside, we didn't notice a damp smell (as mentioned in several reviews) but it was mid June when we stayed. There are numerous moisture traps dotted around though, and the vent fans in bathroom and kitchen are on permanently, independent of lights, suggesting that this is a problem. Cottage layout is simple, but there are a couple of steep steps down to bathroom and master bedroom, which are also not mentioned, and no handrail. 2 leather sofas look very comfy, but are so low that I couldn't get up from them, so after one mistake of getting comfy on our first evening, I had to resort to bringing a garden chair in from outside for my evening "comfort" this being marginally less uncomfortable than a dining chair! In the slightly tired-looking bathroom I was aware the shower was over the bath. However no non-slip safety mat is provided to stand on, and the one grab rail is at the other end of the bath, so I was unable to have a shower during our stay. Nevertheless, my friend and I have had a lovely holiday. The cottage is right in the heart of Ambleside so provided you don't have mobility issues it's ideally situated for exploring the town and for visiting other parts of the glorious Lake District!

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• Chris - Verified booking

  The key question is always "would I stay here again?

  " and this time the answer is unfortunately no. On the plus side the property has an absolutely fantastic location, 60 secs walk from town, a pretty (but not enclosed) garden and a nice wood burner. The negatives far outweigh these positives though. There is a very bad smell in the kitchen, like years of grease are ingrained in it and a strong smell of drains from the down stairs toilet. Try as we might with candles etc we could not cover it and it returns very quickly, it's really unpleasant. The next main issue is that the boiler is very noisy and it's in a cupboard in your bedroom, we had to turn it off each night to be able to sleep which results in a freezing cold house in the morning. The shower is also a really, really old design with very bad water pressure so no refreshing hot shower after a day on the hills. Finally the place is just in dire need of upgrade, very tired decor throughout and comes with the absolute bare minimum essentials when you arrive, every other cottage we've ever stayed in had more. The "welcome pack" for this cottage is just a book of equipment manuals and risk assessments rather than the usual personalised book about the cottage and how to make the best of it. Seems like it is being run with minimal effort and investment. We enjoyed our week in Ambleside as always but compared to other similar priced properties we've stayed in before this one was a let down.

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• Mr Mark Visser - Verified booking

  The cottage was lovely, well appointed, had good quality equipment, and was very easily accessible. The parking provided was good, but not clearly stated in the information sent out before our arrival, but I did find the information in the file in the cottage. We had a struggle with the underfloor heating in the bathroom which kept on going off, and the instructions were not the easiest to follow to set the heating. There was no remote for the tv, and when I phoned your office I was told someone would look into it and provide us with a remote, but it never materialised and I never received a follow-up call from your office - I know it was the festive season, but that is poor customer support. We struggled to find the cutting board in the kitchen, finally locating it stored under the microwave, not a very visible place to store it. The glass pot of the cafitier (French Press) has a crack in it near the spout & one of the side plates had a chip in it. Neither of these issues prevented us from using the items, but they should be replaced. The one negative about the property is that there is only 1 small hanging place for clothes and no chest of drawers, or even shelves for your clothes to be stored, they had to remain in our suitcases.

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• Stephen - Verified booking

  This could be a fantastic property but unfortunately the issue with the damp does let the whole property down.

  The cottage itself is lovely, very roomy and well set up with everything you could need and a lovely private courtyard. It is in a great location, 2 minutes from the centre of Ambleside, and has its own parking spot which is a huge bonus as trying to get a space in any of the car parks is virtually impossible until quite late in the evening. The parking is not for the faint hearted or for a large car. It is a bit of a trial the first time as it does require reversing up a fairly steep slope into a fairly tight parking bay but once you have done it once it is actually fairly straightforward. The remainder of the slope to the cottage is quite steep and uneven in places and there is then the final flight of stone steps up to the property itself so definitely not for those with any mobility issues. The biggest issue with the property is unfortunately the damp. As soon as you walk the first thing you notice is the damp smell. It is really noticeable in the larger bedroom where you can see the damp on the plaster. We brought a couple of plugin air fresheners which certainly covered the smell but every time we came back it was noticeable. If the issue could be addressed this would be a really fantastic property.

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