Keswick Holiday Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Wayne - Verified booking

  We had a very disappointing experience at Beck edge.

  It does look exactly like the pictures on the website but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Parking is a problem. The roads around the property are very tight and very busy, not only with vehicles squeezing around the corner but also cyclists and pedestrians passing by right in front of the house, making it difficult to park and unload the car. The road noise woke us up in the morning due to a manhole cover which clank’s every time it’s driven over. The allotted parking space to the side of the house is really tight and you have to park close to the house wall to not block the neighbours drive. The key safe is located on the opposite side of the property through the rickety gate next to the side door and a scruffy rotting log store (not a great first impression). The key safe itself was difficult to operate and the front fell off once it had unlocked. Before we arrived we did received a message informing us the dishwasher had broken, which is annoying but these things happen. (There was a hand written note in the kitchen confirming this). The general feel of the place is dated and maintenance and investment in the property over the years is clearly lacking. Some of the issues we encountered were mentioned in a previous review and had apparently been resolved. The front door lock sticks and is really difficult to lock and unlock from the inside. (It’s identified in the safety paperwork as a fire exit which obviously is a big safety concern). Cupboard fronts, doors and plinths in the kitchen are poorly fitted and tired. I’m not sure the filters in the extractor fan have ever been cleaned? They are yellow with grease and the ceiling above is stained. The fridge doesn’t seem to be working efficiently, the lights doesn’t work, the bottom shelf is broken and the door is being held together with some sort of foam/adhesive. The manual in the kitchen is partly handwritten and difficult to read especially the oven instructions which have been crossed out and sketched in biro! There’s a sealed unit in the rear kitchen window which has broken down and is full of condensation along with a spotlight and bulb that have blown. This room just smelt very stale so we had to open all the window to freshen the place up. The blinds throughout the property are dirty and offer no privacy from the surrounding properties or roads. As previously mentioned the array of towels supplied are very small and really old, I’m not sure why they haven’t been replaced years ago. The main bathroom was functional and the water was hot but the rainbow shower curtain wasn’t very clean and had mildew around the bottom of it. The beds were fairly uncomfortable but the bedding old and worn, the single bed didn’t smell great and my son refused to sleep In it. We had a 2 night stay booked but decided to cut it short and travelled home a day early as we felt really uncomfortable at Beck edge. Although this property might be acceptable to some we felt it is in desperate need of a refurbishment and freshening up, there has clearly been no investment in the property over the last 20 years and it shows. And for such an outstanding area of the country where you have to pay a premium to stay, the standard of this property is simply not good enough. It’s very disappointing as we’ve used Sykes on several occasions and properties are usually of a very good standard, but unfortunately not this one.

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• Tracy - Verified booking

  What a great spot!

  Location is brilliant. Well situated for walking & public transport around the area. The property is right on the roadside. Unloading was tricky. The roads are narrow and fairly busy. It was noisy during the day, but we were out most of the time. Parking wasn't too much of an issue. Although it's a small parking bay. We managed to get one car in it and the other, we parked further down in the village. The property is very spacious and well laid out. We were two couples. Great to have 2 bathrooms. Well equipped, with everything you need. Beds were comfortable. Towels weren't great, old and on the small side. We were only given 2 small bath towels and a small hand towel, per couple. Although clean, being an old property there were a few spider's webs up in high places. The heating & hot water were difficult to navigate. The boiler wasn't set at the correct time. Fortunately we were able to reset this after a lot of fiddling about. The central heating wasn't great. The gas fire was very useful, once we had worked out how to light it! There were no logs for the fire, (It was July), but we needed some heat! Typical British weather. We contacted the office and spoke to them about a few issues, as we didn't want to be charged. Front door lock sticking, no logs, broken blind, kitchen cupboard fronts, loose. All minor but we were assured this would be sorted that day. True to their word it was. We also had logs delivered. Great service from Sykes. Overall, a very enjoyable stay.

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• Karen - Verified booking

  We stayed in April with our labrador Olive.

  Absolutely wonderful cottage - in a lovely part of the Lake District. It felt like home from home. It really is a gorgeous cottage - stunning scenery all around and beautiful walks from the door, couple of pubs in walking distance (about 2 miles or so ) nice to call in for a pint after a walk in the mountains then walk back to cottage or get the bus back (honister rambler passes through here too regularly). Booths just up the road to get supplies etc - lovely drive to Keswick from Borrowdale too. Nook Cottage was really clean and spacious - even though there was only two of us and the dog we booked this 3 bed cottage as it was right in the heart of Borrowdale, nice little farm cafe about 1 minute walk. Excellent and well equipped cottage, had everything we needed. Very comfy bed and we slept like logs. Nice welcome pack for us and also one for the dog too. Very thoughtful ! Faye - one of the owners was lovely and on hand for anything (we didnt meet her other half as he was busy lambing ). Lots of sheep and lambs about when we went which was so nice. Enclosed garden with picnic table and also bird feeders which was great to watch the different birds on it at all times of the day and early evening. We had lovely evening walks round Borrowdale. What a gem of a place ! Loved every minute and were sad to leave ! We will be back.

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• Susan - Verified booking

  A typical lakeland little cottage in a quiet and peaceful little hamlet just south of Derwent Water.

  Perfect for exploring the valleys that are perhaps not as manic as the main lake walks but with well maintained and easy to follow paths none the less. Quite cozy inside with a good central heating system plus an open fire if you need a romantic touch on a cold wet night. The chimney didn't seem to draw too well and some smoke did escape into the room which did make it smell smoky, so keep all the logs etc at the back of the fire to minimize this. Kitchen had all the equipment you would if you want to cook for yourself and the electric, over the bath, shower was beautiful and hot. I banged my head on the low beam in a bedroom and the low door frames a few times so be careful if you are over 6 feet tall. There is a lovely little shop in the hamlet for basic essentials and a pub and a hotel with a non-resident restaurant so you dont need to travel if you dont want to. The most important thing to note is there is no mobile signal in the cottage or surrounding area. Both my wife and myself are with O2 and we had to drive halfway to Keswick before we got a mobile signal ( this could obviously be different with other carriers ) so if you have people who need to be in contact with you or if you need to contact people, emergency services etc bear this in mind. All in all though a lovely get away from it all little break

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• Jillian - Verified booking

  We loved our stay at Nook Cottage.

  We were really looking forward to a post christmas break & the cottage & stay didn’t disappoint. The village & surrounding fells are extremely picturesque, and there are walks in every direction which lead you to some of the best scenery in England. The cottage is right next to a working farm so we loved seeing the animals (especially the piglets & Betsy the highland cow!). We also loved being able to purchase eggs from the owner next door. The cottage itself is perfect. Felt very homely & the owner has thought of everything. We have stayed in multiple holiday cottages over the years and being used to bringing our own loo roll/kitchen roll and hand wash etc, we brought lots for our week stay. However, we really didn’t need to, as it was all there for us to use, which was really appreciated. Welcome basket and dog basket were a thoughtful touch too. The bed was super comfortable and we loved the open fire (which we used every night). Everywhere was spotless & maintained to a high standard. We really can’t wait to return and will hopefully return in the summer months when we can make best use of the garden! Thanks for a perfect stay :)

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