Cumbrian Cottages - Keswick

Neil Davidson

I had to sleep rough as they gave me the wrong keys! Do not stay with Cumbrian Cottages!

Cumbrian Cottages in Keswick left me the wrong keys when I turned up after their office closed. I tried phoning their emergency phone line and all other phone numbers I could find for them, but all the phones were turned off. I was therefore unable to get into the accommodation and so had to sleep rough for the night with no access to a bathroom or tap water.
The next morning the staff were barely apologetic for their error and the suffering that they put me through. I have requested a full refund and compensation but they still haven't sent this to me. I also haven't even received a written apology that doesn't look like an auto-generated email from them.

When I got into the property it was quite run down - broken door with no door handle and broken blinds (see pictures).

I would recommend avoiding properties managed by Cumbrian Cottages in Keswick.

Chris Michael

We got to a clean apartment nicely situated only a couple of minutes from the centre of Keswick. Parking downstairs and a small deck outside the living/dining/kitchen area. The bedrooms weren't huge, but adequate, if you're going to The Lake District and are spending a lot of time indoors you're going to the wrong place.

The plumbing was pretty noisy, especially the tap in the bathroom. Once again, not a biggie.

On the second last night, I went for a shower and when I came out, one of my children had just gone into the downstairs loo and noticed water running down the wall. Probably a leaky shower tray. My wife immediately called the emergency number (around 5pm) and got a recorded message so she left a message detailing the problem. When we hadn't had a return call she called again the following morning and after being on hold for about 20 minutes finally got through to someone who really couldn't have been less bothered. She seemed more intent on getting a booking number than getting someone out to fix a problem that has the potential to ruin your property. So two days without a shower later we left without any more contact from the owners. I would hate to see what happened of something more critical went wrong, the customer service left a lot to be desired. We won't be going back.

Elaine Sharpe

The bungalow we rented was lovely and very well kept. However it was dog friendly and although the owners put notices up to say no dogs in the bedrooms one guest had clearly not respected this and I found dog poo under one of the beds. I told cumbrian cottages the next day and to be fair they were appalled and also that the cleaners had clearly not done their job. They did ask if they should send someone to clean but I had already done that. Being a weekend the manager was not on duty, but was reassured that someone would contact me on Monday. We were on the way home on the following Friday before someone from parent company got in touch with me, and the outcome was only partially satisfactory. They wanted to offer me vouchers, but I did not want to be tied to Cumbrian Cottages. Fourwinds was perfect for our needs, but I was less than happy with what I can only describe as a cavalier attitude to this very serious matter. We had a toddler and baby with us. We went at the end of April, 2022. I do hope that much stronger measures are now in place to clean all properties especially dog friendly ones.

Eric Forster

We have used Cumbrian Cottages for about 18 years. They provide an excellent service. The letting of the cottages are reasonably priced. We stay in Keswick 3 times a year, the cottages are clean & tidy & we have never had any complaints. The staff are very helpful.

alan watson

Gone Downhill used them for 15 years lost the personal touch Didn't mind the odd price adjustments But it's way overpriced now for weeks stay ? lost Good loyal customers ?

Karen Rigby

We have used this holiday company for the last 10 years or so it is absolutely amazing. The cottages are well kept, clean, and if there is ever a problem they deal with it straight away. They are very friendly and reliable. The cottages are also reasonably priced. You also get a discount after your 10 visit I believe, if you are a regular visitor.

Jayne Standen

We rented The Mill Race, Applethwaite, Keswick, from Cumbrian Cottages and were bitterly disappointed by the cleanliness and maintenance of this property. It is obvious that they do not inspect their properties at all. The cleanliness should be a priority during the current climate. They are almost impossible to get hold of. There was never any reply when we rang the offices and we ended up having to find the offices ourselves so we could speak to them.
The Mill Race is a really beautiful house - just terribly cold and dreadfully dirty and very neglected.
There was a laminated notice by the door saying that the patio was out of use as it was in need of repair and that a builder was coming. On looking back at previous reviews of the cottage, the damaged patio was mentioned in several reviews going as far back as 2017.
We were asked not to arrive before 5pm and to leave before 9am on the day of departure “to allow more time to prepare the property”. As we are in a pandemic the property should have been extremely clean and disinfected but it most certainly was not. The place did not look as though it had been cleaned in the past 6 months.
We arrived on a cold wet Monday evening (24th May 2021 - my birthday) just after 5pm to find a dirty house with no heating or hot water - it transpired that there was no oil in the tank! There was very little light as most of the light bulbs were dead. There was something spilt in the fridge, dirty floors, cobwebs and dead insects everywhere, thick dust on the skirting boards and my elderly mother even found a huge pair of used underpants behind one of the bathroom doors. I rang Cumbrian Cottages Customer Support and even though it was 2 hours before closing time there was no answer, so rang the emergency number and a lovely man brought us some electric radiators and light bulbs (he replaced 13 but there were still more missing). We were promised a delivery of oil and a plumber the next day. None arrived! We rang Cumbrian Cottages but again there was no answer so called into the office to complain and was eventually told that there would be an oil delivery on Wednesday and a plumber to reset the radiators would be there on Thursday. This meant having to go 4 days without heating or hot water. We could not get a shower or have a wash and we could not cook a meal as there was no hot water to wash up in. We would either have to waste another day waiting for the plumber or left him alone in the house with all our property. There was also the risk of him bringing Covid 19 into the house.

We asked for a total refund (which we got) and came home. My husband, son and myself had having taken time off work for a much needed holiday after the illness of both my husband and mother. Both my birthday and the holiday were ruined as there was nowhere else available to stay at such short notice.

Peter Murray

Had to phone when the discount they advertised on line was not being honoured upon booking.
Young gentleman I spoke to tried the hard sales pitch over the phone, demanding my name and address before attempting to explain why the discount advertised wasn`t being applied.
He then went on to say, if I gave him a £25 deposit over the phone I could book any property!!
This is not the same Cumbrian Cottages I have dealt with in previous years; I suspect they have recently been bought over by some unscrupulous person/s!!
Is it any wonder so many of their properties have vacancies; I most certainly will not be booking with them and nor would I recommend them.