Dog Friendly Cottages In Ambleside

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Alan - Verified booking

  This is a fabulous property in a fabulous location as you can see from the photographs, unfortunately we arrived at 1700hrs on the Friday night when Storm Arwen was at it’s worst.

  There are three bedrooms of which we used two hoping that friends could join us for the Tuesday night in the third bedroom. That is a large room with lovely bathroom and velux window. We had a quick look in that room and got on with unpacking, and I lit the wood burner and turned up the radiators looking forward to our evening meal. About 1830 the power went off and was off until late Sunday afternoon. No central heating no lights no internet very iffy mobile signal and no running water as it is pumped, flushing the toilets was done by a bucket of water from the very nearby lake. After a very wild night where hundreds of trees came down, one of which wrote off my two month old car things could not get worse, or could they? The following morning we looked in the third bedroom and found water and debris in the bathroom and a gap all the way around the velux window (we were told later by the roofers that the window had been blown the wrong way round) I wedged the window the best I could to minimise the incoming rain and reported the damage to Sykes. We made the best of the week we cooked two meals on the wood burner which I managed to keep going by using the offending tree resting on my car until power was restored. Obviously our friends couldn’t stay and people staying the following week had to be cancelled. We were having problems getting a hire car and the owners said we could stay an extra couple of nights at £105 per night (most generous) as they couldn’t get anybody else. We managed a hire car and got home, I then asked for compensation starting with their price for two nights, this obviously didn’t go down well but then I received via Sykes the most unbelievably insulting email where the owner accuses us of opening the velux window! I ask anyone reading this review: Would you or anybody you know enter this bathroom on probably the wildest night of the year and open a velux window and how would you feel if you were accused of doing so. What I do know is if that window had been open, even a little, it would have been very noticeable on that wild night but if it was closed but not locked I would not have noticed and it wasn’t my responsibility to check. If it had been left open by the previous guests that is perfectly acceptable, we have stayed at cottages during covid where we have been asked to open windows before leaving. The responsibility for that window being unlocked or faulty is not down to any guests. Beautiful property, you can form your own opinions about the owner.

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• 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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• Adele - Verified booking

  Lund certainly has the ‘wow’ factor with magnificent views over the lake.

  The welcome pack and bottle of milk were great and much appreciated. We were really lucky with the weather and enjoyed sitting out on the balcony and dog walking along the lakeside. We didn’t have any trouble parking though it was clear it could be an issue at busy times when the queue for the ferry blocks the car parking area. I didn’t give full marks for comfort as there were only two, two seater settees, the beds were wonderfully comfortable the property was lovely and warm and there was always plenty of hot water. I knocked a point off ‘facilities’ as they need a little renovation, the floor tiles were loose in one bathroom and all needed redecorating. My husband is a keen cook and prepared a wonderful Sunday roast for us, he found the oven temperature was inaccurate, and a couple of larger pans would have helped. Overall we had a great stay at this beautiful property and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, if you are lucky enough to go do take a plentiful supply of bird seed as you will have a chorus of expectant visitors every morning!

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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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