Hunters Chase, PENRITH

Rated 2/50 by IanEmeryUk on 12th January 2017

"We have holidayed in the Lakes over the New Year period for numerous years now, staying at various locations with various holiday companies and unfortunately this is the first time we have felt compelled to right a review not only about our disappointment with the accommodation but also with the holiday company, Lakes Cottage Holidays. It was apparent on arrival that this property had not been thoroughly cleaned for quite some time and after having checked the visitors book we believe we are not alone in this opinion. Previous years accommodation with other holiday companies have always been welcoming, warm and with a feeling of being loved. However, this house is in need of a deep clean and some TLC. Additionally it is the only house which has not been decorated festively! Upon inspection we found in particular carpets, shower cubicles, floors and window blinds to be generally grubby. We recognise that properties which are rented out generally require regular updates to the decor but there is no excuse for a lack of cleanliness. This is such a shame as first impressions from the outside of the property were good. It is located in a lovely well kept courtyard along with a couple of other properties, has well maintained gardens, is in a lovely village with the friendliest of pubs, is excellently equipped and was perfect in size to accommodate our party of 9. As we arrived on Wednesday 28th December 2016 around 4 pm and were obviously looking forward to our NY trip we decided to make the most of the situation and would inform the holiday company upon our return home for benefit of future guests. Our call to the holiday company was made and we were requested to follow this up by e-mail so they could take the matter up. We did this, allowing them the opportunity to respond prior to us writing this review as we thought it to be fair to allow them this courtesy. We had even suggested they inspect the property so they could understand where we were coming from. After a week of hearing nothing we decided to ring again. However this is where our grievance with the holiday company comes in. They advised us there was nothing they could do about the situation after the event. Please note, at no point had we been looking to or even requested to be compensated we were merely wanting to bring this to their attention so the owners/cleaners could be advised accordingly so future guests would not be faced with the same disappointment. Our review of them would have been quite different had they not responded in the way they did. We were advised we could not take previous reviews into consideration as they had recently changed cleaners/caretakers!! It was apparent from the conversation that nothing had been done and nor would they have responded. So this is where we are. We have informed them we do not want them to respond, that our review would be written for the benefit of others and we would be voting with our feet and will never use this holiday company again."

Rated 4/50 by Wibsie on 14th November 2013

"My friend booked this (she is the name on the authenticity statement). We were a large group of 8 ladies only, staying in the cottage for a 50th birthday weekend. The layout was absolutely perfect for us, especially as the kitchen / dining room / sitting area were open plan, so we could all spend lots of time together (and we danced a lot too - plenty of room, even for a waltz!!). The kitchen seemed new and had more than enough crockery / cutlery / utensils / glasses / etc for our party, with spares. We did have some difficulty making the oven and the dishwasher work (we managed it but maybe by fluke). The table is very large & had enough chairs and room for all of us. There was a utility room at the back entrance, next to the kitchen, which contained the very large fridge / freezer, as well as other storage and coat hooks. There was an extractor fan on the wall next to the key unit, just outside the back door, and this created a lot of fumes which came into the house when the door was open (the fumes could also be smelled in the small, single room directly above the extractor unit). The rest of the downstairs had a living room (very spacious, plenty of room to all sit in - but we didn't use it much, as it was so comfy sitting around in the kitchen. The front door opened onto a massive hallway, with more coat hooks and plenty of space for boots, etc. Also, there was a downstairs loo. Upstairs, the bedrooms were all lovely (including the single one, which, although wasn't en-suite, felt like it because the bathroom was only just across the corridor) and a couple of them were very impressive indeed. Another double room shared the 'house' bathroom. This didn't cause any inconvenience at all, as so many rooms were en-suite. There was a little sitting area at the top of the stairs, which is lovely to look at but nobody used it. The cottage is situated on quite a busy road. We walked to the local pub (Queen's Head) on our first night. Can highly recommend a visit - it really does do the most fantastic Sunday lunches ever!! BUT take a torch with you - there're no street lights to help you find your way back to the cottage and it's pretty dangerous walking in pitch black! We went for a walk during our stay, straight from the cottage, left up the lane and in a circle, turning right at the top of the lane. We made the mistake of heading back along the road. It's completely dangerous but we didn't know that until it was too late! Traffic goes very fast along there and there are many blind corners. I would recommend aiming for Pooley Bridge or Aira Force or Lowther for walks, which will involve a short drive to your starting point. Don't forget to take your own towels as they are not supplied. There is an issue with one of the showers. There is not a wall fixture for the shower head to hang from, so it has to be held by hand, causing difficulty (eg, one-handed washing of hair etc). I would stay in this cottage again and I highly recommend it."

Rated 4/50 by A FlipKey Verified Reviewer on 19th August 2013

"Hunter's Chase is a large, modern well equipped house, ideally positioned for visiting the Northern Lake District. We visited with a large, mixed age group of 9 from an 8 year old to Grandad in his 80s. All of the bedrooms were well appointed with plenty of storage space. A total of 4 bathrooms plus a downstairs cloakroom meant there were no arguments or queues for the toilet! The two main bedrooms were equipped with large flat screen tvs as well as the lounge. We also made good use of the wi-fi in the house. The kitchen was newly fitted and very well equipped with every type of crockery, cutlery and cooking implement you might require as well as a dishwasher and a large fridge freezer. It's located in a lovely village (although we never tried the pub) with the actual position being very quiet with views over fields and a large garden good for playing ball games. Pooley Bridge nearby has several pubs and a lovely beach by the river and Penrith, also not far away, is a traditional market town with facilities including a swimming pool, cinema and the normal array of supermarkets."