Holiday Cottages In Windermere

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Sarah - Verified booking

  Before reading this review, please note, we are not people who complain often and like to give fair and honesy reviews.

  We want to provide honest feedback to the owner, so that guests can continue staying in this beautiful location. The owner has a pure gem of a property to rent out and we would love for them to continue to benefit from this. Winster Fields is set in a beautiful and peaceful location. It is a spacious, and has all the amenities you will need for a comfortable stay. We stayed in this accommodation 4 years ago and were really looking forward to returning for our holiday this year. Unfortunately, when we entered the property, it smelt 'fusty', like it had been shut up for weeks. There were wasps and flies all over the surfaces and the kitchen was filthy! The cutlery and crockery were dirty in the cupboards, the bin smelt, there were food stains up the walls, the cooker hood and tiles were covered in grease, as well as the lights in the kitchen. It was clear that the property had not been cleaned properly before our arrival. If cleaners had been in, then they really didn't clean it properly. There were public hairs in the bathroom sinks, and urine splattered on the toilet brushes. We were less that impressed in arrival. Such a shame as we couldn't fault the property four years ago. We contacted Sykes straight away, who were very apologetic and contacted the owner in a timely fashion. We were informed that the cleaners would be in the day after our arrival, but nobody appeared. I then contacted sykes again and they arranged cleaners for the following day. They did come this time, but again, it was clear they only did the bare minimum and only dealt with the issues I had provided pictorial evidence for. In my opinion, the owner needs to liaise with the cleaning company regularly and discuss non negotiatiables for weekly, fortnightly and monthly cleans to ensure everything is cleaned regularly. In addition to this, there are maintenance jobs that need to be reported to the owner, who lives away. Light bulbs were out, damp patches on the ceiling and a broken chair. These all should be addressed quickly to ensure a comfortable stay. There needs to be some investment into thsi property now, as it is looking worn. Decorating needs to be done, new frying pans and utensils in th kitchens and new sofas and cushions as they are worn and smell. I am disappointed to be writing such a negative review as we love the location and had such a lovely stay 4 years ago. We enjoyed our holiday in the lakes, however didn't feel as comfortable as we should have done in our accommodation, due to the cleanliness.

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• Steven - Verified booking

  We stayed at the Giddy Goose in Windermere for a week in August this year and had a wonderful experience.

  The house is centrally located in Windermere, and having stayed in several nearby cottages, this one stands out as the best. Pros Excellent Location: Walking distance to restaurants, shops, and Bowness (about 20 minutes). The bus and railway stations are also nearby, making it easy to explore the area without a car. Great for Dog Walks: Convenient access to fantastic dog walks near Orrest, either up the hill or along scenic paths. Spacious and Comfortable: Plenty of space for our family of four. Our kids (ages 10 and 12) enjoyed having their own rooms. The house stays cool even on hot days, which was perfect for us and our dog. Comfortable Beds: Everyone found the beds very comfortable. Well-Equipped: Plenty of toilets and showers, a lovely garden where we enjoyed a BBQ Cons (Minor and did not impact our stay): Paint Touch-Ups Needed: Some areas of the house could use a bit of fresh paint. Microwave Instructions: The microwave requires you to set the clock before use, which is different from most microwaves. Some instructions on this would be helpful. Parking Space: The parking space is a bit tight. We managed to fit our Freelander, but larger vehicles might need to use the parking permit, which could mean a short walk to the cottage. Light Switch Issue: The light switch in the living room didn’t work as expected; you have to pull it out each time you press it. This might need fixing. Kitchen Supplies: The kitchen could use a couple more knives and a meat thermometer. Overall, We had a lovely and relaxing stay at the Giddy Goose and would highly recommend it. We would definitely stay here again.

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• Simon - Verified booking

  As detailed on the phone, on the day we arrived the house (Giddy Goose) was not as clean as we would expect.

  The main and most obvious problem was lack of proper vacuuming: all carpets and rugs looked as though they haven’t been properly vacuumed for a while; one bedroom even has a muddy smear that had been left. Telltale bits of debris, cotton, threads, fluff etc were in every room. This is impossible to photograph now (I was not asked to take photos when I rang on the day we arrived). We tried vacuuming the next day and the smell it created was so revolting we had to spray freshener and open windows: the bag was full which might explain the poor vacuuming? I requested a new bag but we weren’t given one. There were other signs of poor cleaning. Cobwebs, dust and debris on window sills, a long black hair still stuck to the bathroom wall, broken glass just under one of the sofas. I’ve photographed all that I can. A cleaner was organised to come on the Saturday at 10:30am, we were given no choice of time. Unfortunately all of our kids were still in bed after a long day the day before, so we chatted to the cleaner and apologised and offered to clean the house ourselves. We did try vacuuming as explained. The last thing you want when you pay to stay somewhere is the disappointment of it being dirty, having to phone and make arrangements and being asked to vacate the property on the first morning so it can then be cleaned properly. All holiday lets are priced to cover the cost of cleaning. In our case that cleaning was simply not sufficient.

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• Catherine - Verified booking

  The Giddy Goose property is lovely, it has everything you need and is in a great location to explore the whole area as well as being able to walk to plenty of shops and restaurants.

  I really enjoyed my stay. The only issue that I have had is with the service post stay, I left 2 tops in the property which of course was my silly fault, especially as one was brand new that i'd bought whilst on holiday. After multiple phonecalls to Sykes I eventually had it confirmed that they had been found by the housekeeper. This took a number of calls and quite a bit of time chasing as it has to go between Sykes, the local branch- Lakes holidays and the housekeeper. By the end of October though I had it confirmed that the tops had been taken to the local branch and I paid the £15 fee for return. It is now mid December and I still have not received them and again after multiple calls the only answer I get is that they must have been lost in the post. Even though I paid for return apparently they are not sent recorded and no proof of postage is taken. I appreciate entirely that it is my own fault for forgetting the tops, but it is frustrating that it has taken so much chasing and that after having them found and paying for the return that you don't send them as recorded or take any proof of postage or anything at all to help a safe return. This would be helpful for the future perhaps or at least if I could speak to Lakes holidays directly to have sorted this. I would have paid for the recorded post as am gutted that I cannot get the new top back especially.

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• Vera - Verified booking

  Negative stuff: Some issues with the ground floor shower - lack of pressure/cold water - which we think might have been to both showers being in use at the same time.

  Fridge could have been bigger. Noisy cooker fan and first floor bathroom extraction fan. Place didn’t have any signs of damp but there was a slight humidity/dampness that made it impossible to dry any washing and we couldn’t get the drier to work (might have been user error didn’t check instructions and managed to dry most stuff outside). Outdoor furniture was old greyed teak passed its best but useable. 6 chairs - one broken chair (unuseable) and one broken, but repaired. We did sit out a lot as there was a great view. BBQ looked new, but wasn’t clean so didn’t use it. Positive stuff: Lovely quiet location and possible to walk along footpath (1 mile) to Mason’s Arms pub for a pint. Everything work (except for intermittent water issues in shower). Lots of kitchen equipment, pans, crockery etc. Place was clean and all beds made with fresh linen and towels available. Good location for south Lakes - off the beaten track but all the better for it if you want to avoid the crowds at Bowness etc. and have walks that aren’t full of other people.

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