Little Brook Cottage

Property location was excellent and parking permit was very handy.

Close to shops and lake. Property was generally clean just a few small issues. Footprint on wall in kitchen, shower curtain was a bit grubby and bottom of bathroom cabinet on downstairs bathroom was coming away at the corner. A guide to walks would have been handy, but overall loved the stay there and would definitely book again

Lovely place to stay, ideally located in centre of Bowness close to all local amenities.

Parking Permit for Rayrigg Road car park was a bonus. Would definitely stay in this property again, thoroughly recommend.

We had a really comfortable stay.

The property was in a really good location, it was quiet and relaxing. A great spot for exploring the lakes and with plenty of amenities in the area that came in quite useful. Will definitely be back

We have just got back from an amazing week staying in Little Brook Cottage in Bowness on Windermere.

The cottage is just the best location with everything within walking distance. The parking permit and car park were a blessing and very close to the cottage. The cottage was very comfortable and had everything we needed for our stay. Thank you so much for a great week .

The Cottage generally was very good & great location overall good but.

The Settees where uncomfortable the sofa bed alot worse,me nor my wife found double bed comfortable. The lamp in the living room was faulty tried another bulb found in Cottage, & someone left a banana in a bowl on the top shelf lots of small flys luckily fly spray in cupboard. Pet friendly but can not go to toilet on site should be mentioned also toilet flush button broken upstairs. We had a lovely time not trying to be moaning minis but if we think this so do others. Thank You

Kitchen oven not working right fan very noisy.

co2 meters not working.paint work down and up dirty.can not go on it would be a long list.

Little Brook Cottage is a perfect option for a family of 4.

It's in a fantastic location very close to the shops, bars, pubs and restaurants of Bowness on Windermere. It's a very short walk to the lake and Bowness pier. It can take a fifth person but be aware they will be on a sofabed in the lounge. The facilities in the cottage are excellent with all the things you will need. Parking next to the property is not available - lots of double yellow lines - but you get a parking permit pass that allows you to park for free in a large number of car parks in the area. The closest one is Rayrigg Road Car Park and that's about 1 minute's walk away. It a very large car park so no issues with finding a space. Also, if you happen to have an EV there's a couple of charge points in that car park.

The cottage is in a wonderful location, within walking distance for all amenities.

Inside it is cosy, clean and welcoming and contains all your needs for enjoying your holiday. Only thing was that at the time lwe visited the oven was broken, and the WiFi code didn't connect. Didn't really matter as there are plenty of wonderful places to eat all dog friendly, and not having Internet access on holiday was very calming. Would recommend.

Wet room drain wasn't working well and water ran into the kitchen.

On arrival the upstairs bathroom door was locked (unable to use the slotted safety screw to open it). However maintenance came within a reasonable time to fix it.

Awful, awful, awful…,avoid at all costs!

! One positive is location, it’s fantastic, right in the centre of town. There are many negatives…everything is very worn and a bit grubby, the cottage is very tired and outdated, the main shower is awful, the beds are uncomfortable and the main bedroom needs a curtain. Now, none of that really bothered us too much, the main issue was the raw sewerage coming up through the downstairs toilet drain, flooding the downstairs toilet and running into the kitchen. The drains in the garden were overflowing with sewerage, it’s one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen. There was no way I was going to continue to stay somewhere that was flooded with untreated human faeces so we left 2 days early. What’s even more unbelievable is that Lakelovers told us we are not entitled to a refund for the 2 days we did not stay on at the cottage because we left early not giving them time to rectify the issue. This issue has happened before as you can see from previous reviews. How on earth can you fix the problem and ensure it doesn’t happen again? How can you ensure the property was fully decontaminated and safe to live in. And the artificial grass in the garden that was covered in faeces too, surely that needs to be ripped up and thoroughly cleaned or even replaced??!! I cannot believe to company are advising anyone to stay in such squalor conditions, this is a clear Health and safety issue but no one seems to care. I’m still waiting on head office contact details to discuss the matter further. Awful customer service, I will never book through the company again.

Most disturbing and terrible experience ever!

!! Ground floor toilet was leaking and toilet waste was flooding the shower area and back garden completely; due to this bad smell in the entire kitchen I have requested the Sykes office in Windermere as well as Customer Service team over phone to move to a different place but they refused to do so.

Unsure what to expect after reading negative reviews but we were pleasantly surprised, it was ok.

No pressure in boiler so no hot water or heating when we arrived. This was soon sorted when the maintenance man came quite quickly to fix it. As read in previous reviews - Sofas were stained - the two single beds need mattress toppers as children could feel the springs. Under sofa could do with a clean and ash tray full of cigarette ends outside on garden table.

We arrived on the Friday (first day of stay) in the evening after a long drive via Poole from a family funeral.

On our arrival (around 8pm) we found that the boiler was not working. We then quickly attempted to put our little baby of 6 months old to bed in the cot, then found that there was NO cot in the property despite requesting this twice ahead of our booking. So, we had no heating and nowhere for our baby to sleep safely. I offered to my wife to drive us home, but we had already been travelling for over 7 hours so my wife decided to put a duvet on the floor and sleep as safely as she possibly could next to our baby. I was attempting to contact the 'out of hours' team at Sykes Cottages and Lakes Lovers but nobody answered. I left voicemails but didn't get a response. This was between 8pm and 8:30pm. I got two automated texts to say that somebody would be in touch within the next 20 minutes. We didn't hear anything. I was also on the phone to my friend who is a gas safe engineer who tried to talk me through getting the central heating boiler working. I video called him so that he could see the error messages on the boiler and he talked me through topping up the system and getting the boiler working again. We finally had heat albeit it took an age to get the old stone house anything near warm and comfortable. I woke in the morning various times as our baby was unsettled but also due to the glaring light directly outside of the main bedroom window - not helped by an almost translucent window blind in the bedroom. I noticed a missed call from an 01244 number, from 22:02. This was 2 hours after I had called on various out of hours phonelines. I am guessing that as it was Friday night the on call team must have all been in the pub! The next day we went to the rental office 'Lakes Lovers' in Windermere and told them of what happened on our arrival. They just seemed puzzled and said they would get a cot for us, with no sincere apology and no shock that my wife and 6 month old baby had to sleep on the floor in a cold house for the night. Quite unbelievable!! Around 3 hours later they dropped off a cot, and the gent said on delivery that "there should be one on top of the wardrobe so whoever should have put one there must have taken it out for some reason". This of course was not helpful, and still NO apology. We just left it there as didn't want to the weekend break (for my 40th birthday) to get any worse. The cottage was of poor quality and needs a full redecoration. From damp on the wall near the entrance door (due to obvious rotten/leaking gutters outside), to chipped skirting boards throughout the house, dusty floors around and under furniture (not great for baby on the floor), to a stained sofa. The cottage is neglected and I guess of the owner has ongoing bookings then they must be complacent and not bothered in the slightest. We have stayed in AirBnB before and never had the same issues like this with dog friendly accommodation. We stayed at a Sykes cottages rental in Symondsbury back in July this year and that was also dog friendly and also like living in a dog kennel for adults. It needs a full deep clean. Overall, totally dissatisfied and would not recommend this cottage to anybody. Apart from location and close to the lake, it was also very close (300 feet) to a booming night club that stayed open until around 02:00am. This was not mentioned on the booking site either.

We came back to this cottage purely because of the location.

There had been some minor improvements such as more dishes, cutting board etc in the kitchen. There was also a welcome pack with a couple of biscuits, few tea bags, instant coffee & UHT milk sachets. There is also new art work and a new coffee table to make the place look a bit better but that's about it. The beds, the sofas and the dining set were way worse than the last time we stayed. There were also damp marks in the main bedroom. The previous guests must have been smokers as all of the bins had a horrible smell of cigarettes. Upon leaving, we were emailed by Sykes cottages to strip the beds. I removed the fitted sheets in the spare bedrooms to see the horrendous state of the mattresses. Stained and awful. We won't be returning as it feels like they don't care about their customer experience. The boiler also broke during our visit but it was very quickly fixed that day whilst we were out so can'tfault Sykes cottages there. However for the money you pay per visit, you should expect good beds/mattresses. We couldn't wait to come back home in the end.

The property had a damp smell, we had to keep doors and windows open but it still affected my asthma resulting in us leaving after only 4 nights instead of 7.

The bedroom blinds did nothing to keep the light out meaning you woke early. Mattress on single beds were uncomfortable, could feel the springs.

The pros about this property hands down are the location and the parking permit.

Walking distance to shops (tesco express for groceries) & lots of places to eat, drink and main attractions. The permit is valid for all council owned car parks. The main bedroom was very comfortable and a good size. The property was generally quiet. This is where the pros ended for us. The 2 single beds were extremely uncomfortable. I luckily happened to have 2 thick fleece blankets with us which we put on top of the mattresses. There was some broken glass on the floor by the kitchen which luckily I spotted before anyone hurt themselves. If you are into cooking then the facilities weren't much. Small fridge to fill in daily which was good but no freezer. Just a small ice box which unless it gets defrosted, it's no use as it's filled with ice. Also some of the dishes/mugs were put back the cupboards dirty so had to rewash them before use. No bins/instructions on recycling either. Also upon arrival there was no toilet paper luckily the shops were open. There was however hand wash & 1 dishwasher tablet & 2 bin liners left behind. The sofas & the dining table really could do with an upgrade but were usable. Also there was no instructions for hot water. We didn't know how much hot water there was & whether we could all shower 1 after another (4 of us). Also the smart tv would connect to the Internet but cut out after a few minutes. Internet connection was not fantastic. The router is in the kitchen above the washing machine. This place could become so much more than it is but the location was extremely convenient.

This is the 4th time we have stayed at Little Brooke.

The cottage is in the perfect location for us being right in the centre of Bowness near the bars, restaurants, shops and close to the lake and lovely walks. The cottage is comfortable with a good kitchen and whilst small a lovely bathroom with a shower. It is now in need of re-decoration and the living room could be made cosier and the sofa's cleaned or having new covers. We visit every year and hope to use the cottage again. There is no parking but you get a free permit and the car park is 2 mins away so ideal.

The cottage was in a fantastic location, close to the lake and was well-equipped, close to facilities and for the most part comfortable for our party of two.

There was an issue with the beds in the second bedroom - they are VERY uncomfortable in that you can feel the springs, even without putting any pressure/weight on the matress. It was like trying to sleep on eggboxes! I used the duvet from the spare bed as a 'topper' after a very uncomfortable first night, but this wasn't ideal. What is particularly annoying about this is that I've now seen that the same issue has been raised before by previous visitors and clearly the decision has been taken to do nothing about it, which says a lot about the attitude of the owner/manager not feeling it necessary to spend a few quid to offer the bare miniumum of comfort for guests. Because of this I would not stay in the property again, nor recommend it until this issue is addressed. (also a more minor issue - if possible it would be good to make the wi-fi connection info more available. I've never stayed anywhere before where we had to track down the router in a cupboard to connect to the wifi) Other than that, we had a lovely stay with plenty to do nearby and further afield thanks to the excellent location of the cottage. I hope the owner sorts out the twin bed issue as this could make it a perfect place to stay.

Thank you - your cottage was perfectly located for visiting Bowness & enjoying the town and walks locally.

It rained 5 days out of 7 but that did not spoil our stay the washer/dryer was really useful after walking in muddy terrain. Thanks we will be back

This is a lovely cottage and the location is excellent.

It just needs a few improvements to make it even better. Please see my notes below. The twin room mattresses could do with decent 'toppers' or replacing as the springs could be felt and were uncomfortable. The double bed was lovely. There were no cutting boards in the kitchen for bread and meat etc. There was no washing up bowl and no drainer facility at the sink which was very awkward as I had no dishwasher tablets. The router for the wifi was not where it stated in the information book, we did find it eventually. The lighting (bulbs) in most rooms was very dim and not enough to read by. There was a lamp put away in the wooden box in the lounge but had no bulb, this would have been very useful. I couldn't find any re-cycling instructions and there was no bin in the back courtyard as stated. I left the bin bag out front and left a note for the cleaners to decide what to do with it and I actually brought all my recycling home! Also couldn't find up to date instructions for the heating system but did manage to work it out ☺️ it is more modern than mine at home. Sorry for the observations but we would definitely stay here again though.

We stayed at the cottage last year and returned due to the fantastic location of the cottage and easy access to parking with a permit.

The cottage was very clean and comfortable. The bed is really comfy and the new shower room always had piping hot water. The kitchen is a good size and has everything you need. The only negatives this year was the courtyard where you can use for your dog to do their business and have a play. This courtyard looked like it had not been weeded since we were there one year ago and was not pleasant to use. The gate at the back is also not dog friendly as there is a gap that my small dog can get through so we had to always stand at the bottom of the garden even late at night. It would be nice if the gate was made secure so it is a safe dog area. The sofa's were also stained and look a big grubby. We will return again as we also feel that the property is very good value giving its location. We had a great week.

Very tired ill equipped cottage, furniture was dirty the dresser in the kitchen needed painting .

Not enough glasses or cereal bowls . Needs to be a better description of where the offices are, after an 8 hour journey it took us an hour looking for the offices as they were not under the Skyes logo . Feel it was overpriced.

Lovely location.

We were blessed with spectacular weather. Main bedroom and bathroom were beautiful and worthy of the four star rating. Needs more cutlery, glasses. The parking permit was very useful. Look forward to returning.

I only asked one question of Sykes and they are still to respond.

Obviously too late now but not very impressive.

After reading some previous reviews I was a bit concerned but once we arrived we found a lovely clean cottage which was perfect for our holiday.

We knew the location well so we knew it was central. The outside space was small but we knew this and it was a good area for the children to play. The parking permit was great. We had a lovely time and would definitely return and recommend the cottage to others.

The cottage was in our opinion, tired, shabby without the chic.

The guttering outside the front door requires repair as it allows a cascade of water onto the front step during downpours. Nearly every blind was marked, the laminate in the front room was lifting, the sofas were uncomfortable, the kitchen tap was loose, the finish of the kitchen was of a low quality, the cabinet in the downstairs wet room was not surprisingly showing signs of water damage, the grouting hadn’t been wiped from the tiles, the carpet was coming away from the bottom stair, the bedding lacked appeal, the furniture in the bedrooms gave the impression that it’s there to fill space, the decor upstairs was again tired, the carpets really needed to be cleaned, the finish is poor with marks of paint on different walls, the beds in the back room were uninviting, We think bags of bedding were left in three bags in the back room but can’t be sure as no note was left, the towels looked old and the colour choices weren’t pleasant, the overall cleanliness was poor and we felt the need to hoover and dust. It’s the first time we have not used a kitchen to cook in. The house had a make do and mend feel about it and suffered from a lack of investment and general care and attention we felt. Years of retrofitting had taken its toll. Began to wonder if this is the standard that Sykes are happy to promote and made us reconsider our relationship with Sykes.

Little brook cottage is extremely tired and in serious need of some TLC.

The skylight at the top of the stair is in poor state of repair and allows water in which runs down the wall and onto the carpet. The cleanliness of the cottage was poor, there was a dirty towels left on our arrival, dust hanging from the radiators and the bin was left full with rubbish on the floor around it. We have photos of the towel And dust if you require them. Finally on the settee it looks like the previous visitors had allowed their dog to chew a stick on there which had been left in several pieces all over the settee. We obviously needed to clean this up so we reached for the vacuum cleaner supplied which we had to empty before we could use it tricky when the bin was full!! All in all a lot more could and should have been done to the cleanliness of this property for our arrival and I am extremely disappointed with both the quality and cleanliness of this particular property and would not stay there again.

Lovely cottage great location near shops, pubs, lake.

The bed was a little too soft for us. The kitchen units poor design with limited workspace as the space you needed to use was in front of draws, but we managed. We had our dog and there was a nearby green we could take him for his last toilet in the evening. We enjoyed our stay thank you.

Lovely cottage in a really central location - and the car park is less than a 5 minute walk away.

The car parking pass was really handy too. The only thing I would say is the lounge was quite cold (but the rest of the house wasn't). Kitchen was great and literally had every utensil you needed, although worktop space was a little limited. The small bed in the second bedroom seemed to have a slat broken so unless it was for a child it would be quite uncomfortable. I would, however, recommended the cottage and stay there again.

Cute little cottage in great location.

Could do with instructions for TV and heating plus some new pillows but apart from those tiny niggles it was fab

The location was fantastic and the house was great, perfect for our needs.

Really close to pubs and shops as well as a few mins walk to the lake. We stayed during COVID restrictions but could imagine it would be fairly loud at the weekend in normal times. It was really dog friendly and had everything we needed. The only disappointing thing was no car parking permit which we didn’t know about until we had paid £35 to park for the week elsewhere. When we handed the keys back we were told it should have been in the cottage for us but there wasn’t one. We also had some difficulty getting the keys. An email on the day of arrival with they key box code (or a few days before with the email updating us on the booking) and detail would have really helped rather than at times of booking.

Some basic items were either poor or missing.

Tin opener didn’t work, no utensil for frying pan, tv remote didn’t work. No hair dryer. Sitting room central heating, needs larger radiator or fire. Would benefit from nets/Venetian blind on sitting room window. Overall, Location in Bowness very central but just lacking the finish to make it a really good property.

Good little cottage in the centre of Bowness-on-Windermere.

Dirt under sofa Flaky wifi.

Little or no signal upstairs Damp on wall in main bedroom and downstairs Sparse cutlery thrown in a disorganised cutlery drawer Sink in bathroom emptied extremely slowly (though you kindly fixed this promptly) Bin right outside front window of sitting room means you can’t open the window without flies invading the house Remote control for tv falling apart Lots of paintwork needs touching up. Very tired house. Dark kitchen Cobwebs in kitchen under sink near floor No basic facilities (tea, coffee, sugar) on arrival Poorly positioned tv in main bedroom Broken slat on guest bed Downstairs loo smells like a sewer

I had a brilliant time.

The cottage was in the perfect location, right in the heart of the town , but not to busy in the actual street . I will definitely be going back there and I think my family will be booking as well .

Firstly, this review is not a representation of the staff at Sykes.

The team worked very hard in order to ensure our trip could go ahead last minute, and I am very grateful for this (especially Kate). The property was in a fantastic location, however it was the lack of attention to detail where the owners let the place down. It is not a cosy cottage. The toilet seat upstairs was broken, the bathroom drain downstairs was blocked and had a really bad smell. No soap in the bathroom to wash hands, towels were really small, bedside lamp missing a bulb, blinds make the place feel cold and soulless - needs curtains. The blinds in bedroom not fit for purpose - let’s loads of light in from the streetlight opposite. Fortunately, none of this impacted our trip too much, and so still had a great break. A message for the owners: look at you feedback in the cottage. It looks as though you have removed some feedback pages in the past (no entries from 2018 but there are from 2017?). Spend that couple of extra pounds to make this a wonderful property to stay at.

Property was full of dampness downstairs.

Front and rear yards need refurbished full of moss and need sorting. Its not private you have to pull blinds as people look in all the time. The shower upstairs has been broken since 2017 and not repaired.it just needs a new cartridge. You have to put the boiler on lowest setting to have a shower. No gas certificate since 2017 .only plus is its central.

Fabulous little house, in a superb location right in the centre of Bowness.

The parking permit was really useful, with the car park almost on the doorstep, and I liked the fact that you can use the permit to park for free in other south Lakeland car parks as well. Would definitely stay here again.

Great cottage & Sykes were great to deal with parking permit a god send I assume my £20 cheque will just be destroyed as the car park oass deposit ?

Courage was in a great location and spacious & comfortable . A couple of tiny gripes. Ice box in fridge frozen solid with ice fridge clean but obvinit defrosted for a period of time. Toilet seat on downstairs loo broken was recorded from previous renter in comment book but obvs not fixed before our arrival. In general cottage very clean although skirting boards downstairs & large cobweb inside front door ! Outdoor area a bit shabby & gate missing to next door so not really fully secure. Would def use Sykes again & stay at little brook would score overall experience as a 7.5 but could so easily have been a 10 out of 10 with a little more attention to detail.

Really enjoyed our stay at Little Brook, it was in the perfect location and was much more spacious than we expected.

The cottage was clean upon our arrival and we had a very enjoyable week there. A few things we would say could be improved, is the blind situation in the living room. As it was such an old cottage we had a lot of passing tourists taking pictures and peering in. A Venetian blind would have been nice just for a little extra privacy. Also the second bedroom’s beds, as we were two couples it meant one of us had to sleep in separate beds. It would have been nice to have had the option of having the beds put together, or one of them being a pull out double bed maybe? It also was not pointed out to us that the courtyard garden was shared with next door. As we had two dogs with us we did worry that this could be a problem, but thankfully the other cottage didn’t make use of the garden. Although it caused no trouble for us, I do think it should be made clear in the listing. Overall we would definitely recommend little brook and would love to stay here again!

Fantastic location and beautiful cottage with great facilities.

Will definitely be going back again.

Excellent property in a great location.

Two minute walk from the lake boats and all the local shops, pubs & restaurants. A warm greeting from the local Sykes Holiday reps gave us all the information we needed to find the cottage and settle in with a welcome pack on arrival. Comfortable property with everything you need. With expectations exceeded (apart from the weather!) will definitely be back again.

I wish I had been made aware of the availability of a parking permit before check in.

By the time I had read the info leaflet in the living room I had already paid for a weeks parking!

The cottage was warm and welll positioned.

There was no info left regarding wifi passwords and no towels so had to buy some! Found the throws on the sofas a bit tatty and the rug was awful. Having no fire was not good. The main bedroom could do with curtains as the light floods in round the sides of the blind and no storage in the kitchen meant the hoover, ironing board and outdoor chairs were just standing in the kitchen. The wet room was a plus to wash the dog and the shower upstairs was good although the extra large shower screen made things a bit tight. Also my husband is 6 ft 3 and struggled with the size of the bed.