Holiday Cottages In Braithwaite

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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• Victoria - Verified booking

  Spacious, well maintained and comfortable property with absolutely stunning views towards the peaks the rear.

  Outside, while it is not entirely secluded - and the main road is sadly very audible close by - there is a reasonable amount of screening from the neighbours on either side and the garden would be lovely in warmer weather. Snow on the mountaintops at New Year was breathtaking and we enjoyed the location. Inside everything was clean, comfortable and in good repair, and there was loads of room for ten adults and a couple of active toddlers. We were pleased in particular that the kitchen was very fully equipped (knives that are actually sharp! enough saucepans! a food processor! - we would rather have plentiful cookware, crockery and glassware than a limited matching set any day) and able to cope with lots of people cooking, feeding children etc at once. The large boot room was brilliant. Two living rooms and a separate made a big difference when there were kids running around, and although the dining room was a bit of a squeeze for everyone at mealtimes we managed at least one "sumptuous evening feast". We were not really looking for a "luxury" property - more, something as spacious as possible and reasonably priced, which is what we got - and we had read between the lines enough to realise that the rather breathless agents' puff was probably to be ignored. The plumbing seems to be unable to cope with ten adults, unfortunately - more than one of us had a cold shower every morning. Bath towels were comically tiny and there were no hand towels. Beds were of quite variable quality and bedding was nothing special. It felt miserly not to be given enough loo roll or bin liners for a week - no one wants to have to go shopping for loo roll on holiday. There is good wifi but limited phone signal. You are asked to strip your beds and take out the bins - and if you want to recycle anything, you have to drive it to a council site. The fireplaces are sadly not to be used (which we think should really be mentioned in the agents' description). It would have been nice to see more of the interior decoration reflect the arts and crafts design of the house - it's got some original features, but the furniture is an assortment of new, repro and older stuff which has the vibe of a family home that has had a reasonable amount spent on it - but has certainly been nowhere near an interior designer. None of that spoilt our enjoyment of the week - we think the place was a reasonable price for what you get and it would clearly be expensive if not impossible to address some of those things. Nevertheless, we've stayed in large propeties where few if any of those things were an issue, and if a property is marketed as being at the "luxury" end of the market, it is no surprise that there are complaints that it does not meet the kinds of expectations that will create. On a brighter note, fizz on arrival was very welcome. We also appreciated the fact that the property was very well heated at a cold time of year and that we could control the radiators and the thermostats on each floor ourselves - not always the case with larger properties and made a big difference.

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• Ann - Verified booking

  Hi - here's some feedback from our group - stay was 16-23 June 2018: Person 1: 'My feedback is that the house was lovely and spacious but odd - it felt as if whoever had done it up had suddenly come to a halt (or run out of money!

  ). Given the amount charged, it was rather lacking in certain areas: - lovely kitchen but not enough mugs - and they were a bit random and seemed to have been inherited with the house - no garlic press - why no waste bins in all the bedrooms? - surely they could provide towels - or at least hand towels in the bathrooms - shelves in the bathrooms would have been nice - is that what the random cake stand in one bathroom was for? - why was the top room like a garret? no carpet on the stairs, not even a rug in the room, just painted floorboards - and the wall round the window was bare unpainted plaster - why assume that whoever stays in the top room doesn't have many clothes? there was a small 3 drawer chest of drawers and no wardrobe or hanging space at all - we hung clothes on the writing desk and window catches on the landing, using coat hangers liberated from downstairs - there was a very random selection of reading material, which presumably came with the house - some books and maps on the local area would have been nice - there were logs in the garden suggesting open fires - but the fireplaces had notices saying No Fire - that's not very welcoming And French doors opening into the garden would have been nice BUT they were helpful when I complained about that awful hard mattress - please thank them for that - though to be honest I think they should provide a new mattress oh and cleanliness - I found a pair of forgotten shoes, some dead flies and boiled sweets under the locker by my bed!' Person 2: 'The only thing I would add is I think they should provide a set of towels for everyone given what they charge and also a bit more personal touches/warmth to the place with rugs and pictures. Being really fussy, a welcome pack with a bunch of fresh flowers/food items would be appropriate for the standard of accommodation. They have done this in the places I have stayed in Scotland'. Person 3: 'I would suggest they should put mirrors in the bedrooms. I had one in my room but was about 8" so it was annoyingly small. I agree with Person 1 about cleaning. I looked under my bed and it looked very dirty with a tissue or two left behind' Thanks and kind regards

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• Laura - Verified booking

  Thank you so much to the hosts for making their lovely home available - we loved our stay at Little Ellers, which is a beautiful house in the most lovely grounds.

  We were a family group of three generations and the house had plenty of space for us to spread out and for young children to explore. The house has clearly been lovingly and thoughtfully restored and it was very comfortable and well stocked with crockery/kitchen utensils, Miele washing machine and dryer etc. The beds and bedding were very comfortable and all rooms had decent curtains/blinds which were most welcome. The bathrooms were lovely and no issues for us with hot water. The garden is beautiful and full of wildlife including bunnies, birds, pheasants and the occasional deer. The property is very well located for exploring the Lake District with plenty of things to do/places to eat in walking distance (Keswick around 30 minutes away but some closer) and many more within short driving distance. There are two marinas with watersports equipment available to hire a short walk away and we had a fantastic guided paddleboard around Derwentwater with Lake District Paddleboarding. We were a little concerned before arrival about the many negative reviews left previously. However, I am pleased to report that the vast majority of the points raised have been addressed by the owners and we needn't have worried. A few points to improve. Considering the size of the property, cleaning was of a decent standard around the majority of the house/kitchen/bathrooms etc. However, the property could do with a deep clean (e.g. there was thick dust under the beds, a deflated balloon behind the sofa, thick dust and bits of broken crockery under the fridge etc). The bath towels provided are small and thin/not very luxurious which is a shame given the standard of the rest of the house. The very early checkout time was a bit of a struggle - even moving to 9.30 would allow a bit more of a relaxing departure. It would have made things easier if a high chair and travel cot could be provided and query if this is something that could be offered for a small additional charge. We can't wait to visit again!

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• Emma - Verified booking

  What an amazing house!

  So big and beautiful with lovely furnishings throughout. You can see the care and attention that has been put into each detail from the large kitchen with all modern appliances, the modern bathrooms with waterfall showers, through to the comfy seats and couches throughout. The house is so lovely you just want to stay inside and enjoy it. The house is on a private road in Portinscale which means it is wonderfully quiet and tranquil which is just what we needed. There are 5 bedrooms and sleeps 10 but we only had 7 so didn’t even use the 3rd floor. We had 5 adults and 2 kids and there was more than enough room for everyone to have their own space. And then there is the garden which the kids absolutely loved and could get lost in! The house is a 5 min walk from the farmers inn which is a lovely pub that serves fresh, hot, delicious food in the evening. It is 25 min walk through to Keswick which is a great little village and you are surrounded by walks to newlands and cat bells. We absolutely loved it and would highly recommend the house. Some suggestions. If you like a proper mug of coffee in the morning, I would suggest bringing your own cups as the cups in the house are tiny and don’t satisfy your caffeine need. We have rented a number of holiday cottages before and you usually receive to a welcome basket with a couple of local treats on arrival so I was surprised that there was only a couple of teabags, sachets of sugar and coffee etc which were a bit uninspiring. Each confirmation email we received mentioned that there were no towels in the house so we brought loads with us and there were towels in every room so would be good for that to be removed from email to avoid bringing unnecessary luggage with you. The bed in the main bedroom is 2 singles zipped together which was ok but not the most comfortable.

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