Holiday Cottages In Ambleside

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Stuart - Verified booking

  Grassholme is a wonderfully decorated and perfectly located property, however it is somewhat lacking in maintenance, cleanliness and basic supplies.

  The positives: - The carpets, sofas and decorations of the cottage is really very modern and homely - the cottage is in a stunning location with a fantastic view over Lake Windermere - it comes with some nice basic food supplies such as freshly ground coffee, tea, biscuits and jam - the kitchen white goods were of a high quality brand which made use of the kitchen very easy. I normally hate electric hobs but the Bosch hob and oven were brilliant! - it’s brilliant that dogs are allowed in such a well decorated property, as it is so nice to be able to have our dog with us! - the Graythwaite estate is wonderful and has plenty of nice walks in the surrounding area The issues: - there were no hand towels provided for the bathroom - various cobwebs and spiders in corners of EVERY room - there was no hand soap in the kitchen - there was no kitchen spray or cloth to clean the worktops after cooking - the curtains were beautiful, however they were poorly attached to the curtain pole with some hooks having come out - the log fire needs kindling as well as large logs and firefighters otherwise it’s pretty difficult to get the large logs to light properly - there were no matches to light the fire, so you need your own - the outdoor furniture definitely needs some TLC, which has been pointed out in a previous review - the “Grassholme Cottage” sign at the front of the property is completely worn and you can’t actually see why it says - various walls need a lick of paint from wear and tear Also, the description of the cottages is incorrect as it is not detached. It is semi detached. Overall it was a lovely stay which we thoroughly enjoyed and didn’t want to leave!

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• Tanya - Verified booking

  The cottage is lovely, especially the views of the lake which we would never tire of.

  However, there were many things that were missing or could be improved upon. E.g. the patio overlooking the lake was stunning but the "seating" was tired and worn and there was only a coffee table and 2 chairs, which for a cottage sleeping 4 people, was not sufficient. Further, there was not a table you could eat a meal at, as a family, which is a shame given the setting. We were very disappointed about this. Other things which would increase the score are a more powerful shower - it was almost a trickle if you wanted it hot; instructions re recycling/rubbish etc; a map of the estate so we knew where the cottage was in relation to the courtyard and swimming pool; the door handle on the doors to the patio was broken, a dressing table in the master bedroom; aswell as personal touches like tissues, toiletries, a better equipped kitchen (more utensils). These things didn't detract from the enjoyment of the holiday and the stunning location of the cottage, but they would have made it better and more comfortable. Given that Skyes have increased the price by 150% for the same dates in 2022, I would say they need to up their game. This lovely cottage is all about the views but there was not means to enjoy them as much as we may have and in our opinion, it is noteworthy £2500 for a week! I would expect luxury for that.

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• Barbara - Verified booking

  This apartment is definitely not squeaky clean or well cared for, quite the opposite.

  As soon as you enter there is a smell of damp that goes throughout the whole apartment. The entrance/“conservatory” leaks so if you happen to leave your shoes in it, they may well be wet the next day! The apartment itself is tatty and tired. There are stains on the furniture and there was even a blood spot on one of the pillows. There is dust and dirt in many places including next to where you sleep. It’s the worst place I’ve ever stayed in and struggle to understand the claims of previous reviews. The toilet seat doesn’t sit on the base correctly so slides each times it’s used. When we arrived, there was no soap or anything you could use to wash your hands, small things but when added together really made us question the justification of the price and advert! I took lots of photos and sent to Sykes. Lake lovers in the town offered to come and clean but it would take a lot more to bring the place up to standard, also why wasn’t it already clean? I have spoken to Sykes who said they would pass the photos on to housekeeping for future guests! We just stayed out as much as we could otherwise we would have lost our holiday in lovely Ambleside. Really disappointed with Sykes who are normally great.

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• Jeremy - Verified booking

  Lovely property in a great location so handy for the centre of Ambleside and with a car park pass so you could safely park your car in the large car park a couple of minutes from the property.

  The road the property is on is very narrow and double yellow lined so it is slightly problematic when arriving with luggage. The road is also very noisy on occasion. Right opposite a pub and the dustbin wagon woke us very early one morning. There was a big problem with the main TV in the lounge which was described as a Sky/Smart TV meaning you could watch on demand services. We noticed very quickly that there were no streaming capabilities but the very helpful housekeeper had her husband visit us on the Saturday morning to attempt to resolve it when it was discovered that not only was it not a Smart TV, it neither had any of the Sky functionality either due to the owner's account issues with Sky. In fairness, the father of the owner did try and resolve the issues but it went from getting a new TV on day 2 to finally getting a Roku streaming stick on day 4. The facilities at the property were very good - no microwave but a double oven, fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, dishwasher etc. The bed linens and towels were of excellent quality but, as some other reviews have mentioned, the sofa is pretty uncomfortable.

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• Joanne - Verified booking

  The dishwasher was not very effective and as there was no plug for the kitchen sink, this presented a challenge for washing up!

  There were items in the kitchen that had to be washed before use as they were not clean, including the oven baking trays. There appears to be an issue with ants in the main bathroom and some were also found in the twin bedroom. The cottage overall was not particularly clean, lots of cobwebs which had clearly been there for some time. The sleigh bed creaked every time you moved on it so was not conducive to a good nights sleep. Parking was difficult and would be better if there was a marked bay in front of each cottage. Also in this cottage as it is the first as you go into the courtyard, you can't park a family size car in front of it and leave enough room to open the stable doors to the kitchen, whilst allowing space for other cars to safely pass. On a positive note, the location was good and the garden was (over the main road) was very nice. I would have no issue with booking through Heart of the Lakes again in future, however I would not return to this particular cottage unless there were improvements made - it really needs some TLC.

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