Guests say
The property, located in the heart of Windermere, offers a convenient location for exploring the town. While some guests have had a pleasant stay, others have reported a range of issues that impacted their experience.
Multiple reviews indicate significant cleanliness issues, including dirty cutlery, unclean bathrooms, and general hygiene concerns. These recurring problems suggest a consistent lack of thorough cleaning.
The property's location is highly praised for its convenience, allowing guests to easily walk into town and enjoy the local amenities and attractions of Windermere.
Guests have reported uncomfortable beds, noise disturbances, and a musty smell due to windows that do not open. These factors have detracted from the overall comfort of their stay.
There are numerous reports of maintenance issues, including a broken toilet, malfunctioning appliances, and lack of essential supplies. These shortcomings highlight the need for significant improvements in the property's facilities.
There is no mention of gifts or special touches that would indicate thoughtfulness from the property owner or management. Therefore, this category cannot be scored.
About this property
1a Biskey Howe rests at the heart of Bowness-On-Windermere, a vibrant, bustling settlement set on the famous Lake Windermere in the Lake District. With roadside parking available, a collection of well-appointed interiors, and a superb location just a stone's throw from the nearest shops, pubs, and restaurants, this charming dwelling welcomes a couple seeking a romantic, self-catered escape to Cumbria. Inside, discover an array of tastefully-presented living spaces, comprising an open-plan living space complete with a fully-equipped kitchen, a dining table with seating for two, and a sitting area with a leather sofa and a sleek wall-mounted TV. When it's time to unwind, refresh with a rejuvenating shower before you eventually hunker down to catch your precious rest in the inviting double bedroom. After savouring your morning coffee, lace up your shoes and set out to explore what Bowness-On-Windermere has to offer. A brief stroll will take you to several convenience stores and supermarket where you can stock up on homely essentials, whilst a hearty pub lunch can be tucked into at The Albert or The Flying Pig, or if you fancy something alternative, book a table at BAHA Bowness or the Bodega Bar & Tapas. During your stay, be sure to pay a visit to the must-see The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, hop onboard a tour along the lake with the Windermere Jetty Museum, and make your way up to the brilliant scenic spot of Brant Fell Viewpoint to gain magnificent vistas of the Lake and countless mountain ranges. A drive outside of the village will also bring you to nearby Ambleside, home to the beautiful Stagshaw Gardens and Stock Ghyll Force waterfall, whilst those looking for something more challenging can embark on a hike up the outstanding peaks of Helvellyn or Scafell Pike. Make memories to last a lifetime in Cumbria by booking 1a Biskey Howe.
The vibrant twin towns of Bowness and Windermere hold enduring appeal for visitors to the Lake District National Park, with each providing a range of nearby attractions, amenities, cinema, shops and restaurants to suit all tastes. A variety of boat trips and boat hire are available from Windermere Lake Cruises in Bowness to Brockhole, Ambleside and Lakeside (at the southern end of the lake where the Lakeside Aquarium and the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway are situated). The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction and the Old Laundry Theatre are 1.5 miles away. Orrest Head, where Alfred Wainwright was inspired to write his series of iconic guidebooks, is a 30-minute walk to enjoy the spectacular panorama of far-reaching views over the lake and surrounding fells. Brockhole, which offers high wire tree top experiences, is three miles away, and the historic villages of Grasmere, Ambleside and Troutbeck are a short drive away. There is also a variety of watersports on offer for the more energetic at marine centres along the lake. The area is ideally situated for exploring all that this region has to offer, whether by foot, bike, car, railway or bus; and is within easy reach of attractions such as the spectacular Langdales, Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top House at Far Sawrey, Coniston, Grizedale Forest Park, with its delightful walks and famous outdoor sculptures, mountain biking and 'Go-Ape' adventure park, Ullswater, Kendal, Keswick, stone circles, Roman forts and England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike.
Accommodation
Ground-floor apartment.
One double bedroom.
Shower room with walk-in shower, basin, and WC.
Open-plan living space with kitchen, dining area and sitting area
Electric central heating.
Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge with ice box.
TV.
Fuel and power included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Roadside parking available.
Sorry, no smoking.
Shop 0.2 miles, pub 0.1 miles, Lake Windermere 0.4 miles.
Note: Check-in from 4pm, check-out by 10am.
Note: There is some road noise, please bear this in mind when booking
Reviews (7)
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Amanda
There was no way of washing up the pots, pans, plates etc because no sponge was provided or washing up liquid (I donât see why we would have to fork out for that ourselves). The bed was so low and extremely uncomfortable, I couldnât sleep very well for the whole time we were there and it made my sciatica worse. There was a painting on top of the bed which fell and almost smacked us in the face on our last night there. There was black bits all over the bed when we first arrived, the cupboard under the TV kept tipping forwards at the slightest touch, the TV remote was an absolute joke! Sticky keys, couldnât change the volume, was a massive hassle to even put it on the normal TV setting. The fridge was also tipping forwards at the slightest touch. The sink was shambles. The hot water took forever to reach it, and it was a pathetic weak stream! Just like the shower but worse! Parking was shambles but that was fully expected. The upstairs neighbours LOVE to listen to the TV at max volume at 1am which made for a really restless night. Would not recommend and will not be staying again. Iâll be seeking some sort of compensation for a chaotic and awful stay. Forgot to mention the signal is awful and there is no WiFi (no WiFi is clearly stated on the ad), but if youâre after 4G/5G usage - forget it.
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Patricia
Parking was an issue as there were limited spaces yet advertised as Parking available. WIFI would have been an asset.
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Krupesh
I would give this. This was our first holiday after the birth of my son who is now 8 months. Our precious moments with him were ruined correcting the catalogue of failures in this house. Some of these are listed below. Upon arrival, the bathroom in which you cannot swing a cat was left unclean. There were skid marks in the toilet, brown fresh smudge marks the (size of two fingers) on side of the door, the sink had bits of someoneâs mouths spit stuck on it Willis appeared to not have been cleaned for a while, the shower handle was sticky, the bathroom door handle did not lock and the toilet (the icing on the cake) had a huge crack in the ceramics the panel. Something which Iâm led to believe the owner is aware of but has decided to not fix. The toilet crack leaks toilet water a very small drip leading to the bathroom floor (be it very slowly). My wife called lakelovers around 5pm (keys in safe place from 4pm) and various calls, messages and after number of hours wait, the bathroom is superficially cleaned. Our first precious moments with my child on his first holiday ruined. Our evening ruined. Same night, my wife decides to make my 8 months olds baby milk and make some porridge for him to eat. Noting this is a self catering house, the pan to warm his milk and make porridge is dirty with food being stuck on the edges. The utensils all have dried food stuck on sides which has been left uncleaned for weeks. This food had now started to darken, harden and had bits of dust catching onto the food which makes a beautiful view as one can imagine. Neither I nor my wife could cook that day, make food for our child or the day after. An issue again which was notified to the agent the same day of arrival who said they could not get someone out the whole of Sunday (noting it was around 5-6pm on Saturday when lake lovers were notified). Lakelovers offered to pay for two bottles of water (approx. £ 2.50) by way of reimbursement for our troubles. Now letâs move to the kettle - the kettle handle was sticky to a point that it could be mistaken for super glue. One would have to wear gloves to simply touch the kettle. Inside when opening the kettle we had mould like limescale built up over weeks on end of not cleaning. This being a hygiene issue could not be used to make milk for my child or be used to boil water. The Microwave plate - again with bits of food stuck to the plate. The oven, the hob and the fridge - well no surprises there, again same issue of uncleanliness. Now letâs move to the windows - these windows have issues with being opened and if you are to brave enough to cook then be warned the air from the food will remain in the house. There are no known fire safety measures. The sitting room carpet sheds and is quite sticky and smelly in places. Needs a deep clean. The room has a TV, but hopefully you can change the channel and watch TV as the button from the remote are falling off, they are just about intact. The sofa due to wear and tear could do with a replacement. The firmness of the sofa is lost and when you sit in, you will sink in. The cabinet door below the tv has no handles and does not close properly. The kitchen sink due to its design flaws, drips water to the cabinets and sides of your cleaned dishes every time you wash your dishes. Not a complaint but something you need to bear in mind. Now we move to the bedroom. The bedroom door will open one third of its full opening. Just enough for you to be able to go to your side and play to you to me with the baby and get into the bedroom. In the event of a fire, I hate to imagine how one would even get out, given such tight opening. Also just imagine if you are slightly overweight then good luck getting in. I guess itâs the owners way to discriminate against fat people. The room is just about big enough to allow for full opening, itâs just the layout of the room, so size isnât the issue here. The bed - well. The woods underneath the bed keep falling in the middle of the night and these need to be adjusted for the mattress to then sit properly on. You need to do this once every few hours if you want a good night sleep. The size and depth of the bed mattress is the size and depth of your duvet, so if you want a good night sleep bring your own mattress. All of the above has been notified to lake lovers within the first two days of our stay. Whilst some issues like cleaning and parts of maintenance were resolved after spending days on end calling, emailing, sending pictures and then following up, some issues still remain outstanding after 7 days of stay. Note the cleaner has spare keys, and will enter the house without notifying you. This was a concern when my wife had just come out for a shower and was getting changed and the cleaner came unannounced to fix some of the above issues and used her own key to get into the property which we were staying in. Invasion of privacy I wonder. In summary, there are health & safety issues - crack in the toilet; bedroom door not closing; no fire safety equipment; windows not opening. There are health issues due to hygiene and cleanliness - kettle, microwave, oven, fridge, to name a few. There are ongoing maintenance issues such as bathroom door not locking, cabinet below tv stand, strengthening of bed base etc. There is a formal complaint in place and which I intend to request a full refund for. The quality of my stay was fully ruined. I would strongly recommend you stay clear from this property unless you want to learn on how not to let you holiday home. I hope the agent and owner take serious note of the issues as I have not ruled out taking legal action. There is photographic evidence of all the issues highlighted.