“I have some good news and some bad news.”
.. First the good: - This is an excellent character property with fantastic views over Loughrigg Fell with .... Good parking. .. Easy walking distance to Ambleside. ... Lovely Balcony... Large kitchen... A decent amount of living space Now the Bad: - You get one chance to make a first impression.The welcome pack. Well it was a small washing-up package. See below for where I am going with this... Wherever we stay if you are like me you'll agree it's the little things that make a big difference. Things that do not cost that much more money tbh - significant can make a big impact. Case in point - the shower curtain - it was disgusting! Mould growing all over it. We reported this on the first day of our holiday to the agent, including sending photographic evidence thinking someone would be so appalled and go out by a new one. I mean, how much does a shower curtain cost? We were sure someone would change it - it was just "riffy". The reality was no action was taken. As a result, none of my family felt we could have a shower all week!! Bottom line we didn't want that brushing up against us. To add insult to injury in these higher cleanliness times (Covvid!?!?!) you would have thought this would have been a priority. So for us in the bathroom - it was baths all week. Not a deal breaker - but every time we used the facilities it grated. You've paid good money and the owners/agents/cleaners can't be bothered to deal with a complaint made. That wasn't very pleasant. The description states TV with a basic Sky TV package. The truth is the Sky box I'm pretty sure we owned maybe c. 20 years ago. Worse still, you got 'most' but not all Freeview channels! Come on - we're in 2022, and you are charging decent money for this property. Whilst I'm not planning to watch that much TV, it is nice to come in and relax with a service that, let's face it, most people have at home nowadays. There is severe mould in the Master Bedroom that needs attending to. Wifi was unreliable and painfully slow. IN CONTRAST.... ..... the following week (for less money), we stayed at another property. Check this out.... The welcome pack included a loaded fruit bowl with bananas, apples, oranges, and juicy peaches—a delicious home-baked family-sized Victoria Sponge Cake. Fresh ground Coffee, and yes, you got it.... cleaning products!! Can you feel the difference? WIFI - a fast, reliable service. Helpful when planning your days out! TV - a 4K HD Smart TV with a Netflix subscription included. Truth be told, the extras in the second place probably didn't cost that much more...but what kind of review have they got? How many people have we told about that property? Summary: - This is a great, interesting property close to all amenities. We got married in Grasmere, so we know the area well and have been frequent visitors for decades. Our sense is this property is trading off its location - which is fair enough. That said, when I've paid good money for school holiday time, I expect creature comforts and for it to be a 'home from home'. The owners need to address the mould issues since it could pose health risks and up the ante in terms of wifi/TV package just to bring it into what you expect in this day and age.