Dog Friendly Villas In Windermere

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Julian - Verified booking

  We have stayed at the Curious Orange before (Approx.

  5 years ago) and it was completely perfect in every way. So much so we thought when visiting the lakes, we would not go anywhere else. This time around however it was an incredibly disappointing stay. The day of our arrival at around lunchtime we received a call from the owner advising that there was a problem with the heating/hot water. We were already halfway to the Curious Orange by this time. The Owner advised that there is an immersion heater (for hot water), and he would arrange extra logs for the stove and ensure there were fan heaters. He advised that the plumber was waiting for a part, but it was due to be in and done on the Tuesday. As we were already halfway there, and that it would be sorted by Tuesday (Thus only really affecting Sunday & Monday) this would be ok. We arrived as planned after 4pm on Saturday. When we arrived, we tried to light the fire (it was pretty chilly as the central heating was not working). There were two fan heaters at the property, but they were noisy and intrusive so once the stove was warming up, they were switched off. On Sunday – Our first full day we did, as many would and went for a walk. We had booked into a nearby pub for evening meal and went for a shower upon our return. One of us had a shower, which went stone cold halfway through and there was not enough hot water for the second person to shower. We looked at the immersion tank and it is a half sized one – explaining the minimal amount of hot water available. We planned Monday around the inability for both of us to have a shower as we were led to believe it would be fixed by Tuesday. Sadly, Tuesday came and went with no word from a plumber or the owner. We contacted the owner on Wednesday to advise that the issues remain, and no plumber had been on Tuesday. At 5.30pm on Wednesday a plumber turned up unexpected and we had to postpone our table reservation for that evening to accommodate the plumber. Sadly, something else was wrong and he was unable to fix there and then – We explained that we could not both have a shower on the same day due to the tiny immersion tank and he tried a workaround however, this did not change anything. The plumber advised he would be back Thursday afternoon at around 12. Sadly, Thursday also came and went with no word from a plumber or the owner, and we were still unable to both have a shower on the same day. The plumber finally fixed the heating and hot water at around 5pm on Friday evening. We both showered and went for dinner for the first… and last time of our holiday as we were leaving the following morning. In summary, we could not both shower/bath each day for the entirety of our holiday, the fan heaters were awfully noisy so our choice for the week was either buying significant amounts of logs or listening to noisy fan heaters. Our stay became a frustrating, more costly than expected, un-showered/bathed stop, whilst attending unannounced tradesmen visits. Sadly, despite speaking to the owner on a few occasions, no offer of a reduction for our current stay or voucher toward our next stay was offered and due to the lack of care & concern from the owner regarding the significant inconvenience we experienced we will not return to the Curious Orange.

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• Darrell - Verified booking

  A nice well kept cottage.

  Size is smaller than our normal cottages, especially the kitchen area, but good use of the space was made by having an oven/microwave combo located under the stairs. The fridge was also under the stairs, however the freezer compartment was difficult to access. Made use of the included slow cooker. Frying pans could do with being replaced - Teflon going/gone. The smart TVs at the cottage are of the older generation and we could not get Netflix working on either, wifi connection on lounge tv constantly dropped out which was slightly annoying. Lovely super king size bed with nice bed linen and was very comfortable. Shower in the bathroom was good size with constant hot water. Weather was not our friend so was pleased the heating came on a couple of times even though it was July - airing cupboard was always warm and good place for drying our wet weather gear. Whist dogs are permitted at the cottage they are not allowed upstairs. Parking is at the bottom of a small hill and is shared with the adjoining cottage - turn your car around if you can so it’s ready to drive up the hill when leaving the property. The cottage is excellently located for exploring the surrounding Lake District area. Remember to plan your routes and allow extra time due to the narrower roads.10 minute drive to Windemere for a good supermarket and plenty of coffee shops. Similar to Ambleside - loads of sports equipment stores and restaurants. We had a very active week taking in Scafell Pike, Grizedale, Keswick, Rydal and Grasmere but the highlight was the Troutbeck Valley walk up to High Street, returning via Froswick and Ill Bell - a challenging 23k hike. We followed the route from a walk leaflet handed out at the Queens Head pub which along with the Mortal Man are both located very close to the cottage. Reservations are recommended for evening dining if you’re staying during peak season. Overall a great cottage in a great location. Thanks Rob for contacting us before and during our visit to make sure everything was OK.

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• Ian - Verified booking

  I really loved the apartment and would recommend it to all my friends.

  These are the pluses: - the apartment is spacious and comfortable with a fantastic view. It is well equipped. It is quiet and peaceful and has good wifi. It is also a short drive to Ambleside or Windermere for shops, bars and restaurants and other attractions. We went to Kendal for a supermarket shop and didn't find it to be too far. The description of it being in the heart of a village is misleading. Troutbeck is a huge sprawl of 'village' and in fact the house is very peaceful and located at the end of a private road. Access might be off putting for some - very narrow, steep and winding roads where you have to make frequent stops and potentially reverse to allow others to pass by. You need to be a confident driver in a normal sized vehicle (although we feel that this is true of the whole area). The kitchen is reasonably well equipped, but if you are a keen cook, you might need to bring some of your own stuff. We took our own big non-stick all purpose frying/one pot pan. We also took our own sharp knife and a coffee pot. We also took our own XBox device so our teenage son could continue to enjoy endless gaming and contact with his friends back home. But through this we were able to access our Netflix account. The living room was devine - stunning views from the windows - and comfy sofa and armchairs for us all to relax and watch movies. I loved this place and am missing it already !

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• Claudia - Verified booking

  We only had a short trip to the Lake District, but we loved our apartment and would definitely stay there again.

  It was ideal for us, being close to Amble and Windermere and dog friendly! It had fantastic views over the lake from the lounge and both the bedrooms. We particularly liked sitting out the front in the morning with a cup of tea, looking at the lake, whilst the dog was free to just wander the grounds. It was a great place for walkers, with tracks up to Amble, Windermere and Troutbeck. The roads uphill to the house were a little bit challenging for my sister's small car, but we did manage to find easier routes with less sharp turns. The mortal man pub was a nice friendly place to stop in the evening on the way back, reasonably priced food, and the dog always got a little treat. All in all, a lovely little break away, in a secluded place, where the only people you see are hikers, but only a few minutes by car to Amble and Windermere. Comfortable, clean apartment, perfect for us and would recommend to others.

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• Kate - Verified booking

  Fantastic position with lovely views.

  As you can see in the photos the property is rather dated but has everything we needed. There’s a new three piece suite. To access the flat there are 8 quite steep steps but there’s a sturdy handrail. The private road is single track but only steep at parts. In the week we were there we didn’t meet another vehicle once. It wasn’t a problem at all as other reviews may suggest. When there are sheep in the field there’s one gate that has to be opened and closed. The owner is lovely and very responsive. The kettle stopped working and was replaced within hours. There was external decorating that had gone on longer than expected so scaffolding was still up. The owner immediately offered us a partial refund. We will definitely want to book this property the next time we go to the Lake District.

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