Dog Friendly Cottages in Staveley

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Linda - Verified booking

  My husband and dog Bonnie had a lovely stay at Blithe Hare Cottage last week I think the price reflects the minus points.

  Lounge was small with a comfy 2 seater settee, it would not be suitable for a 3rd person as there is only a hard chair to sit on. Wi-Fi didn’t work but that didn’t bother us, central heating is great we only needed to use it a couple of times, would have loved to have had a fire but it would have been too hot I think it would be wonderful in the winter months, bring or buy everything needed for a fire though except matches. Kitchen had just about everything one would need, I think at some point maybe the owner had 2 cottages as there was about 12 of everything plates glasses etc, no pint glasses for anyone that likes a pint, 6 saucepans 3 frying pans and numerous bowls and tins, as previously mentioned by others there is no cupboard space whatsoever for any food, I can’t think why the owner doesn’t address this, I decanted some of it into a drawer in the lounge and put some under the stairs so we had room to put some food in the cupboards then returned it to its place when we left, it wouldn’t be a problem if you don’t mind everything on the worksurfaces personally I like things put away. No little treats like other places we’ve stayed at like a pint of milk and a couple of scones etc, no tea coffee salt pepper etc you need to bring everything, there is a well stocked Spar over the road though. The smell coming from the drains was really bad at times we bought a fresh air spray which helped. Very steep stairs to bedrooms and bathroom gave me a good workout every time I went upstairs! The bedrooms and bathroom were lovely, great shower plenty of cupboard space, my hubby said the lighting in bathroom was not good for shaving 2 light bulbs missing. The jury is out on the bed, I found it quite uncomfortable but my husband likes a firm bed so he thought it was fine. The garden is tiny and needs sorting its quite overgrown with lots of weeds. It’s a bit of a trek to and from the car to the house but it didn’t phase us, possibly wouldn’t be suitable for anyone with mobility problems. There is a great Brooks supermarket just as you get into Windermere, also a Lakeland which was dog friendly as were most of the shops and cafes we visited were wonderfully dog friendly. Good base for exploring the lakes, our dog is very elderly so we didn’t walk as much as we would have liked. All in all we had a lovely time thank you

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• D - Verified booking

  In short: Arrival: Hard to get in with luggage (people parked blocking pathway in and had to force a way between car and bush / house steps).

  House instruction folder has little in it - eventually found some instructions spread throughout the drawers loosely. General stay: Good point is - a great big refrigerator with lots of room. Bad experiences: Shower cold. Shared bathroom doesn’t have lock on one of the doors - which caused issues The main bed has a mattress that is like sleeping on concrete - other bed was exact opposite and luxurious (unfortunately not big enough for us all to share). Washing machine did not work so we could not do laundry at all except smalls by hand Could not get heating to work efficiently Maintenance said they changed boiler setting ‘so should make the shower hotter’ - it didn’t really. Maintenance said they put a temporary fix on washer door ‘so it should be ok - it wasn’t tested to see if it did work for us - and it didn’t! Maintenance said they’d come back when they had a part to fix - we didn’t see them back while we were there. After maintenance had been we started getting power cut outs (fuse tripping) this was especially when using toaster - but also kettle and cooker). These are basic items needed regularly. There was no bin to be found (the instructions where it should be was incorrect - it was not there and we could not find it. We were forced to use others bins and felt embarrassed doing it so sneakily. Unfortunately - we were so disappointed that we pulled out two days early and went home - because of this as we’d had dreadful sleep. Which exacerbated the situation. Suggestion: Starting at basics you should sort out the house file and make sure all necessary instructions are in, together, accessible and clear. You should not have to search fior these or google advice. Police the parking in the street - instruction clearly states no parking but selfish people do exist. Alternatively - provide a park space (there are some available to rent at the bottom of the lane near the house). Have the heating on a sensible setting (not 5 degrees auto!) Have the water temperature on sensible setting for shower / hot water etc. Fix the power cuts issue Fix the washing machine Definitely change the main bed mattress. Ckear some cupboard space (far too many pots/ pans / dishes etc and absolutely no room to put any provisions.

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• Petula - Verified booking

  This is an absolutely fabulous location.

  However, we were very disappointed with the cottage itself. After looking back on the website listing, we now realise that the photographs taken inside were taken with every light being on downstairs. On arrival, we walked into a dark and dingy room with no natural light save that from the one small window. This meant that lights had to constantly be on and althougn the weather was gloriously warm outside, the cottage itself was quite cold. This in turn meant that we needed to put some heating on. Working the central heating was no minor feat and the electric fire had a mind of its own. Putting one vent on low was giving some heat off but trying to turn it up and putting two vents on, switched the whole thing off. We couldn't get the cooker hood to work therefore, there was no ventilation or direct light over the cooker therefore, door and window needed to be open to get rid of the steam from cooking. Upstairs, both in the bathroom and the second bedroom, the skylight was difficult to reach, even with the window pole, and the double bed dipped on the right hand side, as did the headboard. It was only on the morning of departure we realised that the castor was broken and there was no washer on the the slat holding the headboard in place. Going outside, the lack of privacy was quite intrusive. Gilpin View front door and Bobbin Mill front door are very close together with a joint path leading to both. Outside of Bobbin Mill cottage, there is a wooden table and bench which, quite rightly, their guests can enjoy sitting on. However, this afforded no privacy when coming out of Gilpin View and was quite uncomfortable. I would suspect that those staying at Bobbin Mill would also feel the same way. Gilpin View's seating area was quite unkempt and not very pleasant to relax in, and obviously hadn't been tended to for some time e.g. weeds, overgrown and generally messy and untidy. As one time owners and managers of a holidy let further up into the Gyhll, we were looking forward to revisiting this picturesque hamlet, sadly, on this occasion, Gilpin View dulled what we had hoped, would have been and enjoyable week.

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• Peter - Verified booking

  No room for our food.

  Really annoying. Owners have taken it all up for themselves incl in the old lounge wall cupboards. This has been commented on by previous visitors to no avail. There's room in the kitchen for 2 more wall cupboards in the corner above the microwave. This is a 3 bed cottage. There is an old leather 2 seater settee in the lounge which is ok considering pets are allowed. However a third person would have to sit on a hard back wooden chair to watch tv. There is room for a small armchair if the wooden chair is removed and things arranged better. There is a smell of grease in the kitchen, again commented on by previous visitors. The front of the cooker is greasy especially around the knobs. Changeover team are not doing a thorough job. The upstairs is good. The bathroom is very nice as is the main bedroom. In the small bedroom the door only opens part way before hitting the bedside cabinet and if you want to raise or lower the blind you have to crawl across the foot of the bed so it's best left lowered. The bed is very comfortable. Could do with 2 or 3 hooks on the back of a door to hang pants and shirt on overnight. The hydraulic closer on the kitchen door is set at too strong a pressure and it takes some effort to open the door. So we propped the door open and missed the waste recycling instructions on the back. Oops. Some of the crockery is chipped and needs replacing. There are nice built-in cabinets in bed 2 and at top of stairs. Part of the insides 65 being shelved and part being open. Could do with a rail and/or hooks in the open space to be of more use. Fridge has only a small freezer compartment. Central heating is very good. The Blithe Hare sign by the gate is painted all over black so it's hard to read when you're looking for the cottage. Picking the name out in white would be helpful. WiFi works fine. Smart TV. Best of all is a near neighbour named Roger Mallinson (85). If you get to meet him be prepared to hear the most amazing life story all of which is confirmed true.

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• Georgia - Verified booking

  Stayed in Abbots Reading Mews 2 for a week of hiking and exploring the Lakes.

  I’ve been using Sykes for 9 years now so always have trust in them. The cottage itself is in a lovely location, grounds are lovely and the farmer next door is a welcoming man! Just very basic inside unfortunately. First cottage I’ve come to where we didn’t have a little welcome pint of milk/ treat etc waiting as a thank you and hello for the cost you pay, each to their own on how they welcome guests but after a 270mile 7hour traffic filled car journey, it was a little upsetting that this wasn’t there as then we needed to go back out to get a pint of milk.. We had 5 hangers in the very large wardrobe, it has been brought up over past comments but it’s not been sorted a minimum of 10-15 hangers should be in there. The WiFi wasn’t the best- although states a stone cottage and the routers is far from the signal etc this day and age there are ways of getting a strong connection with plug in signal extenders so had to drive /walk half way up the road to get signal to then plan our day. Also the bed is extremely uncomfortable, I had a spring pop into my side one night and had to spend the rest of the week on the sofa with a towel as a cover. The room is huge so could easily fit a king size bed too with a good thick topper. We had window cleaners on the Thursday early morning which isn’t the best when walking around after just showering and no warning from the cottage owner. Quite a shame as the cottage and service could be wonderful if a little thought and love went into their business. The little things make such a difference

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