Last Minute Windermere Cottages

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Alison - Verified booking

  This property sadly lacks pride, maintenance and even basic cleanliness.

  There’s no doubt it’s a great location, and gardens looked immaculate. Unfortunately, my first experience while hanging my coat on the back of a dining chair, were crumbs on the seat. I was prepared to move on. Unfortunately, the kitchen floor was also dirty with many visible crumbs ans if not even hoovered, and cupboard interiors also looked unhygienic, as did the fridge. The freezer compartment needed defrosting. Relying on previous customers to wash up means some dishes also weren’t clean. The sofas looked like they’d been there since 1999, were uncomfy and grubby, as were the bed cushions and throw. The bed itself was exceptionally comfy and big, let down by tragic pillows. The bedroom wardrobe and drawer space were extensive, although broken hanger bits in the wardrobe base were unnecessary. The ancient CD player was covered in dust, as were socket tops, and bathroom towel railings. The hairdryer was wonderfully powerful. My husband didn’t shower in four days as he didn’t want to spend any longer in the en suite. The sink looks relatively recently replaced, but the finishing is poor, with already lifting surface. The extensive mould throughout the bathroom is inexcusable, possibly exacerbated by lack of working extractor. The grouting is haphazard and looks dirty, as did inside the cubby behind the bath, and the tissue holder, which didn’t have any tissues in it. I did have a bath and the hot water was plentiful and appreciated after walking. We were able to prepare all our meals, although couldn’t find a chopping board. And not even a drop of milk on arrival for a brew after a long journey is pitiful. We rationed toilet roll use on the last morning as we were going to run out. We appreciate the patience due to our mis-read of the check out time, although 9am is the earliest we’ve known, certainly given all the chores we had to do before leaving. The sanitiser either was empty, or didn’t work, like the kitchen clock. The website photos, adorned with flowers etc aren’t representative of this property’s presentation on arrival. And we wouldn’t have cooked on that barbecue even if weather permitted. We enjoyed our stay, only because the Lakes are so beautiful, but sadly feel very ripped off. The reviews and guest book comments don’t mirror our findings, so we appear to be unique in our views. But based on this experience, we shan’t use this website again, and have been recommended Lakelovers instead. This property absolutely can and should be a minimum 4*, and it has plentiful bookings, so best of luck to the owners and all who stay. We have photos of the above, excluding the en suite - although anyone could see the mould and shoddy workmanship for themselves. Thank you again for helping with the key incident and for patience on our check out. We hope the tidying we did (including hoovering downstairs) compensated.

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• Deborah - Verified booking

  We really enjoyed our stay in the cottage and I think some reviews about the cleanliness are unfair.

  The cottage was kitted with laundry pods and air drier, washing up liquid and other cleaning products, allowing us to tidy and clean as we went. The kitchen was lovely, we liked having the option of cooking for ourselves and there were more than enough plates, glasses, cutlery etc. The sofa and bed were comfortable and the place was very cosy - which was lovely because we stayed during a very cold week in February! The property is close to local villages and towns. The driveway could use some lights at the entrance in my opinion. When we arrived a bottle of wine was in the fridge (neither of us drink but it was a nice gesture), some local teas and coffees were laid out and they were of high quality, and some biscuits and breakfast items were available in a welcome basket. Some guidance on the property was printed and leaflets for local attractions was available. The WiFi wasn't massively reliable and was slow for watching tv in the evenings. We luckily had the option of downloading shows and watching them offline but worth being aware of this. The property was mostly clean, we noticed a couple of mug rings on surfaces in different locations, and some cereal on the floor in the bedroom which had obviously been dropped by previous guests. Overall the place was clean, just more attention to detail seems needed. The majority of the cottage was very clean and we didn't feel upset by the level of cleanliness and we didn't feel it was anything to bother the hosts about. Although I did notice stains on the bedsheets which looked spilled coffee marks, and if it was me, I'd replace them. However, the cottage was beautifully decorated and we found the shower had good pressure - which was very soothing after a cold day of hiking! We didn't use the bath but it is nice that the option is there. A towel and hand towel are provided for each person, they were decent quality. Bring your own shower gels and shampoos. Extra bedding was in a cupboard and a good quality hairdryer was in a drawer. I did notice the surface around the sink is lifting, so may be worth looking at that to prevent any water damage. The views were beautiful from the angled window upstairs and the garden had frequent visits from deer which we watched over breakfast from the french/patio doors! I would recommend this property as a comfortable holiday let for able bodied people. I would also stay again. It was a beautiful property to stay in and we very much enjoyed it. Thank you for a lovely stay.

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• Petrina - Verified booking

  On arrival the cottage was spotlessly clean.

  Small welcome cleaning pack provided (dishwasher tablets, sponge, bin bag). Steps down to property one slab broken and one wobbly so be careful. Street is unlit and outside light doesn’t pick you up until half way down steps so take a torch (one provided in cottage). Living room would benefit from another sofa or chair (one sofa and one tub chair really isn’t enough for four adults visiting unless you all want to be sat on top of one another). Some damp under window which needs addressing. Wooden floor. No logs supplied for wood burner. Kitchen is large and well stocked with everything you could need. Little extras like salt, washing up liquid etc are provided. Tiled floor which means cold feet. Beds are super comfy and both are super king sized. Bathrooms are well thought out and Mira showers to both which are wonderfully powerful. Hive heating so you can program to suit yourself/weather conditions. However, please note that all windows are single glazed sash windows which means in winter they are very draughty and both front and back doors are wooden and single glazed so again very draughty. (Draught excluders for the doors would be a welcome benefit as feet were cold when downstairs and possibly thermal door curtains). We were unlucky with the weather (coldest week in uk of the year) so left early as was struggling with keeping cottage warm downstairs and also building work was taking place directly opposite cottage which meant an early wake up call by builders and mini digger most mornings (Lakelovers/Sykes notified by us and photos sent). The cottage is lovely for a summers holiday. Its location is ideal. You can cut down through the pedestrian part of the road to the Angel Inn in minutes. No outdoor furniture? Too cold anyway but not there should you have wanted to sit outside with your dog. Main garden isn’t totally dog friendly, they can get into next door and mine is no escape artist so they need watching. Parking is great, space is compact but perfectly adequate. We found it better to reverse in so you can drive out. Would we return to Oak cottage? in the summer without hesitation but it the winter months unfortunately not. Downstairs is just too cold and draughty.

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• Gillian - Verified booking

  First the positives - the cottage is in a good location and has great access to good walks, bus routes and surrounding areas but the winner for this cottage is the lakeside area which was wonderful even when the weather was not.

  The downsides - the cleanliness should have been better, the upstairs not vacuumed, crumbs on the kitchen floor, sticky residue in the kitchen cupboards and grime around the taps. The bathroom is 'shabby' and seriously lets the property down and the toilet seat was dirty and ill fitting (we should have known this was not good in hindsight as there were no pictures of the bathroom on the site). When we stripped the bed linen there were stains on the pillow protectors and the pillows were flat and old. We have booked with Sykes Cottages on many occasions and have been generally pleased with the star ratings and description but feel this property needs to be re-assessed as it is not a luxury 5 star cottage. The photographs are misleading and the facilities of CD's, DVD, games were not there and the furnishings may be Laura Ashley but they were well past their best. There was no mention of the road noise which is clearly heard, particularly in the bedroom and the Lakeside Cottage was a good stretch away from the lake, lakeside we believed to be 'lake side'. We returned from holiday 2 days early and sent a message to the owners which they have not had the courtesy to reply to so lets hope they take the extra 2 days of no one being in the cottage to do a deep clean so the next guests aren't disappointed. The owners have said in a previous review that they should have been told of any issues at the time but they fail to take on board that guests should not have to confront owners and have upset on their holiday it is up to the owners to ensure all is well with the property in the first place.

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• S - Verified booking

  We had a lovely stay in the lakes which we know well having come to the area for the last 30 years.

  As for the property, there are some fantastic elements and a few let downs. The Good: - brilliant location, very convenient for Windermere and Ambleside. - bedroom storage is great with lots of space - private jetty and seating area by the lakeside is a real wow factor! reached by a 5 minute walk. - outside space by the cottage with bbq, is very good - cottage is homely and cosy - well stocked with cooking utensils and everything you might need The not so good: - bathroom has mould in places and perished sealant, making it look tired and needing a deep clean. - the pin location of the cottage on the map is misleading, as it is literally 20ft from the main road and traffic noise is inescapable. The pin location seems to be more where the owner’s residence is, which is further away from the road. If you’re used to traffic noise this probably won’t be an issue for you. - the overview description of the property saying “situated on the shores of the famous Lake Windermere” is a bit of a stretch as the cottage isn’t on the shore but is a 5 minute walk, be it a very pleasant walk. We met with the owners, who are very pleasant, and passed on our comments about the bathroom which they indicated would be remedied. Overall I would recommend the cottage as it does have alot going for it. Steve and Tina

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