Gillside

Great, well equipped house with a fantastic view which couldn’t be bettered.

The toilet handle in the main bathroom is a bit loose and the outside woodshed door was hanging off. These things didn’t stop us having a super week in the house and we would definitely like to return in the future.

Excellent location - one of the paths to Skiddaw is a hundred yards away and walks are within minutes of leaving the house.

Preferring to avoid the frequent rain, though, we were happy to spend time in this cleverly modernised house, relaxing and enjoying the wonderful constantly changing view through the massive sliding windows. All the rooms were well-equipped and comfortable. The kitchen lacked a few small things, such as a roll of kitchen paper, which we bought.

Property was in a great location and with the good weather we used every day to walk.

With the great view we could enjoy the property both inside and outside. Extremely comfortable and well equipped kitchen. We parked our 4th car in the road.

Great place to stay having 4 dbl/twin bedrooms ideal for adult group.

Many steps outside but views make them worthwhile. Thanks to the owners for fixing the dishwasher quickly. Would definitely stay again.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable time at Gillside.

The view is breathtaking! Photographs can’t do it justice! Even when it’s bad weather the view is still amazing. The property itself is very modern and well designed. The common areas are really spacious, the bedrooms are adequate with three of the four having an en-suite. The dishwasher was not working properly while we were there - we got a couple of cycles out of it. I hope it’s fixed before the next people arrive. Thanks Gillside! X

A view to die for from the lounge area, and comfortable but small beds (only .

doubles).Small bedrooms were compensated by ensuite bathrooms in 3 of the rooms. Unfortunately the dishwasher wouldn't operate properly all week (which was reported to the owner on our second day), so we hand washed everything. The tumble dryer needed at least a couple of cycles to dry our washing. Some plates were not clean and one of our party mentioned their bedroom wardrobe and bathroom had cobwebs. Seating was okay but could be so much better, considering the weekly cost. The location was excellent, just outside Keswick and below Latrigg (for the less adventurous, there is a small car park leading to fabulous views of Derwentwater and beyond) So, overall, for the view 10/10 The rest, sadly 6 or 7/10, based on previous holidays in the same area in the past.

Gillside is a lovely cottage in a lovely setting.

Modern but not out of character. The views from the rear of the cottage including the open plan lounge/kitchen are fantastic, no need for a TV just sit and look out of the wall to wall full length sliding doors. We didn’t have need of the heating or wood burner so can’t comment on that. The garden is really pretty and well stocked with different plants. The terraces are a great idea. The parking was easy just down a few steps and your at the front door. There were a couple of “grips” like a few bits were left in the dish washer , I had to refit a door handle in one of the shower rooms and a bulb out in the bathroom. None of these were major problems. We all had a great stay at Gillside and as long as prices don’t go up as a result of our good report we will hopefully return.

6 of us stayed for a week and we loved the property and garden.

The view was stunning. Great to have the vast French window open and to have the balcony. The open plan kitchen, dining and seating area was ideal and well-supplied. The showers were fantastic. It was nice to have the option of a bath although none of us did. Everything was of excellent quality. The beds and bedding were very comfortable. We climbed Skiddaw from the property, no need to drive and park, which was a treat. Very convenient location for Keswick. A wonderful property, so glad to have experienced it, thank you!

Great property with one of the best views in Keswick.

We have stayed here before being re-designed and it's a big improvement. We would return but for the price more care needs to be taken with the maintenance of the property. The dishwasher stopped emptying on day three so we had to clear out the filter which contained broken glass. The hot tap in the kitchen only ran cold. The extractor fan in one of the en-suites did not work so it stayed damp. There were no batteries in the DVD remote control.

Amazing time in an amazing property, the place absolutely exceeded our expectations and we could barely believe it was the same place the listing showed so when I looked back at the listing I thought the photos didn't do the place justice.

All the amenities and facilities worked perfectly, kitchen was very well stocked which we really appreciated. Ample parking, comfy rooms, excellent bathrooms. The interior design was really tasteful and just a very nice place to stay. I'll definitely consider rebooking for next year.

What a fabulous place to stay!

Our family thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gillside with its clean, modern design, spacious living areas and attention to comfort. We found the house was well presented, clean and welcoming. The view is amazing! Beautiful and ever changing as weather and light conditions changed. We would love to stay here again!

Amazing location but the house lacks luxury and comfort.

The pillows are cheap and uncomfortable, the living space is ill thought out with the tv being very badly placed in relation to the sofas. The kitchen work surfaces were dirty on arrival.

Lovely place with stunning views.

Very helpful owner.

Beautiful house and view but shame two of the bedrooms are so small and the twin room although large only has a shower over the bath and is 2 flights of stairs away from the twin room.

The property was fantastic BUT it had a number of problems that had been flagged up on previous feedback reviews & yet had not been resolved.

This spoilt our holiday. Given our previous experience of welcome packs we were surprised that there were no basic essentials (milk, bread, wood for the fire would have been a nice gesture).

Couldn’t use the main bedroom as bathroom not working.

Downstairs bedroom smells damp and bathroom needs work. Cobwebs everywhere. The secure bike store

We will definitely be coming back to gillside really enjoyed our stay.

I was disappointed that comments in the past in the reviews have not been dealt with. Dust on all the lamp shades have been there sometime. If it was a small amount you wouldn’t bother commenting but the bottom floor bedroom just made you feel dirty. On arriving to the property before we could hang our clothes we had to wipe all the cob webs away. Dust and cobwebs all over. One of the showers was out of action which we wasn’t told about and for some reason the electrics kept tripping out. Not sure why the downstairs bathroom smelt of damp. I have an Electric car. I wouldn’t advertise as a charging point it was a socket. I’m only making these comments as these issues are easy to sort. A fantastic property, fantastic location and will be back.

The veiw and location were absolutely stunning.

The property was perfect for our needs as a family with teens and adults, and had all the facilities to meet our needs - although lots of stairs so prepare for a good workout when packing and unpacking. It was only a short drive into Keswick which offers a good and varied range of activities and shopping. The only issue that may need attention was shower seals, toilet overflow in the main bathroom, and patches of paint that looked unfinished around the property. Someone did come and check on this which shows the owner was aware. This aside the property was perfect for our needs and we had an amazing time.

The photos of the home are completely accurate!

We couldn’t get enough of the breathtaking views, they were simply stunning. The home has also been thought out well and the kitchen is really well equipped for a larger group. Slight areas of concern was the cleanliness of the place. Key areas, such as the beds and bathrooms were clean, however it felt like the place needed a much deeper clean as we could see lots of cobwebs, dust and dead bugs in the corners. Also a fuse kept tripping whilst we were there, so the wifi router kept turning off which was a bit of a nuisance. Overall we really enjoyed our stay and would recommend Gillside.

Fantastic spot.

Best place ive been to in the uk. What a view!

House was really nice with great views.

Light shades could do with deeper clean and possibly more comfortable seating on the balcony. These were miner things and did not detract from a great stay.

The view is amazing and we loved how you have designed the main living space and two big bedrooms with the view.

Wonderful garden. Peaceful location. We really liked the style of decor and furniture. Bathrooms and beds very good. Kitchen cooking pots excellent (unusually good). We had a great week thanks. Constructive points: Great to be able to charge our car although really it is an outdoor socket rather than EV charger, we would say. We could not get the heating to work well upstairs but may have been our error. State of cleanliness was OK (did not justify a complaint) but in my view could have been better for the price. 2 bedrooms are lovely and big; other bedrooms are small. Overall we highly recommend Gillside. We would go again.

It’s a spacious and lovely house.

The view is to die for! My friends and I had a great time there. All equipments are well prepared - enough cups, glasses, plates, etc. The pillow and bed are super comfy. All of us slept very well. 2 suggestions for improvement: 1. Provide a bit more cooking ingredients/basic spice. There were only salt and pepper. 2. The floor and surface could be cleaner.

The seating didn’t seem very comfortable.

We were also concerned that sitting three people on the larger sofa would break it as the legs of the sofa looked like they had seen better days. We really enjoyed the games and books that were available as well as the gorgeous views from the balcony. We had a few issues with the heating. The instructions were not very clear.

We were a little concerned in the run up to our holiday because of the previous comments about Gillside but we needn’t have been.

The property was warm, clean and very well equipped with the most beautiful view.

Sadly, you are paying for the location, house would be really lovely with a bit of TLC.

The Gardens are better looked after than the house. House was dirty, cobwebs on the walls, heating that doesn't work properly, no manuals and we had to ask the Housekeeper to get the legs on the new sofa put on the right way round - would have been damaged if we hadn't done this. Very disappointing for the amount of money that you are paying for the property - will not be booking with you again as this is the second expensive property we have had an issue with.

We were extremely pleased that Sykes were able to work with the property manager/owner to address a few concerns we had, prior to our stay, based on the feedback from previous customers.

These related to the seating (a beautiful new sofa was delivered just before our start date), cleanliness (which was addressed) and a fuel alarm issue (the reasons for which were investigated and explained to us as an isolated incident). So well done to all concerned for resolving these concerns prior to our holiday. The one thing I need to mention (not a complaint but it needs addressing soon) is that there were signs of some water ingression in one of the upstairs en-suites (the one with the glass roof). The ceiling above the door is black in parts and there's some flaking paint. It only rained properly once during our stay but some water came through the ceiling and puddled on the floor, so we put a bucket and towel underneath to catch the drips. The grout in the floor tiles looks like it has been previously washed away in the affected area, which means the water would have seeped under the floor tiles and (possibly) through to the downstairs en-suite if it had rained persistently (and if we hadn't been in the house at the time and spotted it). I can't see any previous published reports of this issue amongst the customer feedback, so I don't know whether the owner knows about it. But I would hope that the property management company has spotted it because the signs are so obvious (whether its raining at the time or not). Maybe the work has already been scheduled, but in that case customers should be forewarned and know what to do if it rains. We hope the property manager/owner will rectify this problem soon, before it turns into a much bigger issue. This didn't really impact our holiday though, other than during the 2 minutes it took us to find the bucket, so we've given the holiday full marks anyway because of the numerous positive aspects - the location, the stunning property itself and the breath-taking views which we were particularly sad to leave behind (the welcome pack was a very nice surprise too). Overall, many thanks for a great holiday that my family will never forget.

We had a great week staying at Gillside as a base for exploring the Lake District.

There was only a few issues that prevented it being excellent. It hadn’t been cleaned to a high enough standard for us. When we arrived the rubbish was piled around the full bin outside. It was never collected during our stay. When I enquired I was told this was because the council couldn’t access the property as the road was closed?! The washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher filters hadn’t been cleaned out before we used them. There were cupboards and floors that had residual crumbs/mess. When we arrived on the Saturday there was a note to tell us not to use one of the ensuite showers because it was leaking into the room below, which was visible. We had to leave the key in the key safe if we went out to allow a plumber access. He came on the Monday while we were out and it looked like he had resealed the shower tray. The note was still there with no update, so we had to ring to see whether we could use the shower next day or not. We could and there was no further issues. We also had an unexpected visit from another plumber who wanted to inspect the mould in a different bathroom as he had fitted the bathroom. He took photos and left. There was a lack of space in all the bedrooms but we managed. On the plus side, the view from the property was spectacular and the kitchen was well stocked with cutlery, crockery and equipment to make meals. The broken sofa that had been mentioned in previous reviews had been replaced, so we had plenty of seats to sit on. The beds were comfortable and the underfloor heating worked although we couldn’t figure out how to change the actual time on the individual controls. The gardens were in full bloom and obviously well looked after.

This feedback is consistent with many other reviews.

A fantastic property that has taken full advantage of its position just outside Keswick. Comfortable for 6 and although there are bedrooms for 8 it would be a squeeze in the living space, particularly given the poor condition of one of the sofas.

Property is generally good with the Lakeland views being the USP.

Could have been cleaner and is let down by a few things which could be rectified easily. The key issue is the main sofa in the lounge which is beyond a joke in terms of wear and comfort. I’ve never seen anything like it in a “premium “ property. I can only describe it as “knackered “. Given the location, the property would benefit from some comfortable outdoor furniture and a knife sharpener as well as a couple more sharp knives. Minor points. Bedding, towels and other facilities are great. Just a shame about the awful sofa, particularly if there are 8 of you.

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this amazing property mainly due to the most stunning views and location .

Kitchen was well equipped and beds were comfortable , showers and baths were top quality. Our only criticism was the seating arrangement both inside and out . There was only 5 of us staying and we found the seating to fall short when the property accommodates 8 people. It was tired looking and not adequate and lets the property down which is surprising when the rest of it is of a high standard . Also, we were lucky enough to enjoy good weather and would suggest some comfortable outdoor loungers , chairs etc which would benefit the customer experience even more particularly when enjoying the stunning views. With just a few additions to the seating facilities this would be a 5 star rating all round and hard to beat

The holiday and the house were great but a couple of points.

This is meant to be a high end house rental, its not cheap especially as your prices have increased by 1/3 over the last year or so. For a £2k rental I don’t expect to find ONE toilet roll/room, no washing powder and only a couple of logs for the fire. Because of the shortages of these basic essential items, after a few days we needed to go out shopping for items you would be expect to supplied especially for a £2k rental. Very disappointing!

Having seen some feedback from previous people, I’m hoping that HotL and the Owner will look into some of the minor issues of this premium property.

In general, the property was stunning in its views, location, accuracy of listing, kitchen equipment, bedding etc. We really enjoyed the one large space which was ideal for Christmas. Good facilities overall. Underfloor heating fabulous. What needs improving? Outside lighting especially when entering the property in the dark. The stairs needed extra lighting. Sofa already mentioned by someone else, does need sorting- re stuffing cushions. Table was good but would be a squeeze for 8 people. The whole place was clean, but in areas it needed more care. Dusty shelves in wardrobes, bookcase and lampshades. No instruction booklet for the log burner and electrical goods although it said it was on the shelf. With a few minor changes, this property could be an absolute gem.

Amazing place to stay.

However we did feel there were a lack of amenities. No salt, pepper, teabags, kitchen rolls, bin bags, loo roll. I didnt really expect to bring all of these things with me for a two night stay. Other than that great place to stay.

It does need another rail on the opposite side of the steps going down to the front door.

The sofas need replacing as they are very uncomfortable. At 4 pm the cleaners were still in the house and we had to wait for 20 minutes. Having said that, the house was clean and one of the cleaners offered to help carry our cases into the house which was very much appreciated. The house was well equipped, and probably had the one of the best views in the Lake District. We would certainly recommend Gillside for accomodation and location.

Fantastic location with easy of access to nearby Keswick and walks straight from the front door.

The panoramic view from the lounge is a winner and really makes Gillside a fantastic place to stay. The house is well laid out and well equipped and made for a really comfy 2 week stay for our family. The weather was great so we could really make use of the garden and soak up the sun in the late afternoon. The main sofa is a bit past it's best however and could do with replacing. The towel rails didn't work as the upstairs thermostat was switched off. We emailed HoTL a few times and had prompt responses that this would be looked into. However the thermostat seemed to automatically switch on, on September 1st and stayed on for a few hours to heat the towel rails and then switched itself off again. I notice this was highlighted in a previous review and It would be useful if they could be switched on in the summer months as its so difficult to dry the massive bath towels with no heat. It was also be good if you could consider starting collecting recycling at the property if kerbside collection is available. It felt awful putting all the recyclable waste into landfill bins.

The cottage was not very well cleaned a lot of dust cobwebs etc, a lot of crockery pans glasses were dirty and had to be washed before use.

No heating in upper bedrooms all bathrooms no heated towel rails not the standard we have experienced previously. But the view was magnificent and well equipped otherwise. No BBC on TV meant we missed the Olympics at least we should have seen that beforehand.

Beautiful and comfortable accommodation, with a stunning view.

Really enjoyed our break, thank you.