Portinscale 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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• Catherine - Verified booking

  Merlestead is a lovely property- more like a home than a holiday rental.

  It is one of the rare places we have stayed where running out of plates and cutlery is just not possible as the kitchen is really well stocked. We were delighted with a lovely welcome pack from the owners - very thoughtful. The bedrooms are beautifully decorated and the beds are really comfortable. The en-suite bathrooms are gorgeous and perfect for a group of adults staying in the house. Merlestead has a lovely garden, and on the right days you can sit on one of the two patios and enjoy the sunshine and the views across to Derwentwater. Sadly the weather was not kind to us so we weren’t able to make as much use of theses facilities as we would have liked. The house is right on a public path which doesn’t disturb you, but which is really handy if you want to climb the hill behind. It is a five minute drive away from Keswick and I’m sure there is a nice walk too, but we didn’t use it as one of our party does not walk too much. It is conveniently located to see all of the Northern Lakes - close to Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite, 30 minutes from Buttermere, Crummock Water and Ullswater. We saw one or two comments in previous reviews about the steep access to the house. All we can say is that it is up a hill, which gives you fantastic views, but access is simple in a car and not at all difficult. There are a few steepish steps up to the front door from the drive, so don’t pack really heavy bags that you can’t lift! Don’t be put off by negative comments. The house is lovely and well worth a visit.

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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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• Joanne - Verified booking

  Good points: good size property plenty of space, close to Keswick town ( ideal for walking into keswick) very comfy bed, fabulous views from property, great separate freezer/fridge.

  Poor points: main issue was many hairs on the bed sheet,( don’t know if they were human or pet) had to use a duvet cover over the top as there was no spare sheet in the cupboard ( we arrived at 9.30 pm) and as it was bank holiday weekend would be difficult contacting company to get another one brought out, batteries dead in tv remote so couldn’t use it, (had to buy new ones Saturday morning) road very busy and was noisy at certain times of day, all cleaning products in bathroom empty! None at all in en-suite. Kitchen tap is either full on or nothing, the heating timing needs adjusting to come on before 8.30 in the morning as most people are already up way before then and it was a bit chilly first thing. the outside really needed a good sweep up lots of leaves just looked unkept probably because it’s for sale it feels like no one seems to be bothered about the small things? Despite the minor poor points had a lovely week although wouldn’t book this property again as not enough outside space/ garden.

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• Amy - Verified booking

  Had a very comfortable stay at Merlestead as a group of 4 adults and 2 dogs.

  The house is spacious and thoughtfully fitted out, showers were good, heating flexible, kitchen facilities comprehensive, beds comfortable & what views! Absence of internal steps made it ideal for my less able dad. Great to have the garden and footpath straight out the back where there's an easy short loop for waking the dogs every morning. The boot room / laundry was perfect for arriving back after walks and an arduous fell run/scramble up to Skiddaw. We were surprised to not see more wildlife (sadly no squirrels despite the feeder) or birds (feeder at the front?) but there were deer up on the hillside on our daily walks. Location was a good balance of semi - remoteness but in reach of Keswick for provisions. We'd very much like to come back again. It seems a small thing but although a welcome pack is lovely, we'd have preferred provision of more useful items such as cooking oil / coffee pods / sugar as opposed to plastic bottles of water.

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