Merewood Lodge

Well equipped and comfortable accommodation.

Had problem with cold tap on bath, so could not use bath or shower, but soon fixed. Mirror in 2nd bedroom could do with moving to the right, too far from plug for hair dryer or most hair brushes etc. felt too closed in, would be nice with laurel cut down lower to show tree canopy and a bit more distance.

The house was warm and comfortable, and we had a pleasant stay.

However, considering we paid over £1200 for a week’s accomodation, it was certainly lacking in some basic property maintenance which really let it down. It was clear that the property was not cared for in a particularly personal manner- see issues listed below- all very minor but a sign of impersonal service which let the property down. -travel cot and highchair in obscure cupboard on arrival despite being requested- would have been lovely for these to be assembled and on view on arrival to prevent half an hour of worry and googling where we could possible source these items if not present- all following a long drive. -heating was not on and there was an issue with the controller on arrival. Our first night was spent in a cold house as a result. A sign that the property had potentially not been stayed in for a while- and that no staff had been in to check it before our arrival (thank you to the maintenance man who arrived promptly and fixed the issue) -several lights broken, including spotlights in the lounge, and more critically, the external light outside the front door -one oven being out of order, with no signage to indicate this (switch was duct taped over) -broken toilet lid -broken shower bracket -dirty and broken toilet brush

It was a beautiful lodge with a fully equipped kitchen beautifully done.

We loved our stay in the lodge with all facilities and accesible to main city centers at both Ambleside and Windermere. It was comfortable stay for 4 persons and 1 infant

The house was comfortable and fully furnished with a beautiful, well-maintained garden.

What we missed, however, was a comfortable garden-set to sit on the grass. We missed a shower rod in the large bathroom. The toilet upstairs could not be locked and the toilet seat downstairs was loose. These are easy to solve to make your stay absolutely perfect. The area was beautiful and very suitable for all kinds of activities.

The property felt 'grubby' and tired.

The carpets and dining chairs were badly stained. There was an overwhelming smell of damp in the living room, which necessitated the balcony door to be open at all times (fortunately, the weather was good). The bedroom with the en suite was damp, too - so much so, there is mould growing on the mattress protector! For a property of its size, the kitchen bin is far too small. The location, however, is brilliant. But, unless the property is completely renovated, we would not stay here again and would definitely not recommend it to anyone.

The cottage was lovey and well equipped, however was missing a few little touches, to make it perfect.

Like shower gel, and hand wash in all bathrooms, In the kitchen some pepper, olive oil, foil, parchment paper and cling film. A coffee machine like the small Nespresso machines. Fans for the bedrooms, would have been nice as it was rather hot at night.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

House was excellent for 6 people. Gardens were well maintained. I would certainly recommend Merewood Lodge and would be happy to come back. However there were one or two minor maintenance issues which, as holiday home owners ourselves, we know you would prefer to be made aware of: The curtain rail at the balcony was hanging out of the wall The dining table needs tightening with a Allen key One spotlight bulb needs replaced One of the ovens was not working 4 glasses were chipped at the lip and were unusable (we left these aside for disposal) The lock on the upstairs toilet did not work Upstairs toilet seat was loose The key for the balcony was missing I would emphasise again that these are minor issues which the owners may not know about unless occupants draw it to their attention and that we were entirely satisfied with the accommodation. We are happy for our positive comments to be published but the maintenance points are only made for the owners benefit

Lovely place, would recommend

We used the lodge to attend a wedding at the hotel so we weren’t in very much.

It seemed well equipped and comfortable. It was a bit inconvenient that we were unable to run 2 showers/ bath at same time. The walk from the hotel to lodge after the wedding was very dark and although we had a torch some better lighting outside the lodge would have helpful

The accommodation itself is fine , the location is ok!

What let’s it down is the listing itself and what’s actually available! Ignore the summerhouse as it’s not part of the accommodation (even though it has 4 pictures showing it which makes no sense. The lawned area it shows is no use either and the patio area (no bbqs allowed) you have is the area for parking so again not much use as no views and doesn’t get much sunlight! The listing is pretty much false advertising and I wouldn’t have stayed here for my wifes 40th as there’s nothing to do!

Wasn't gonna leave a review but I've been pestered to.

Arrived with my wife and 3kids to the place being surrounded by ladders and decorators. Place stunk of gloss for 2-3 days and kids found it hard to be in their bedroom. Sat in the living room whilst a painter painted. Was told I was notified of this 2 days prior..I wasn't! Paid for this holiday months in advance and it ruined our break. We were offered £25 compensation which was insulting. Definitely won't be back!!

Really lovely property in beautiful surroundings.

Excellent location, quiet and leafy but only a couple of minutes to bus stop with regular services to busy Bowness, Windermere, Ambleside etc. Fabulous that we didn’t need to use the car during our 3 day stay. Excellent, clean, well maintained facilities. As expected with a holiday rental, a couple of scuffs on the paintwork but absolutely nothing to be bothered about. Only one gripe re maintenance, relating to cutlery and glasses. 4 dinner forks for six people(lots of sweet forks??) and some glasses were chipped on bases and rims, presumably from dish washer. Otherwise 5 star across the board. Would return and happily recommend to others.

We stayed here last year and thought it was a great property but were very disappointed this year.

The house was cold on arrival. The boiler has obviously been replaced and, in our opinion, the heating is poor. We couldn't work out how to operate it initially and there were no instructions (we only found the purple folder on Wednesday stuffed into a cupboard). Both ovens need cleaning, the trays and shelves are covered in grease and sticky. The pots and pans weren't particularly clean either. This may be up to the renters but should be checked - we shouldn't have to clean up after other people. There were numerous cobwebs, the carpets hadn't been properly vacuumed (apart from dust and cobwebs there were quite a few dead woodlice and other bugs), the border tiles in the en-suite were grubby, we also think that there has been a slug problem as there are silver trails in the bay window. There was no Xmas tree up as there was last year, a small thing but a welcoming gesture. If we'd known we would have brought our own. We noticed that the property was put up for sale and in our opinion there is now a lack of care in the presentation. We don't think anyone came in to clean or prepare the property properly prior to our arrival, somebody may have had a cursory look around but that's all. All in all a disappointing stay.

We were a bit apprehensive after reading some of the reviews for the property, but we had stayed in some of the other units previously with no problems.

The house was in good order, well maintained and of a high standard, I have no problem recommending this property.

Gorgeous cottage, handy location for bus route.

Definitely be returning

Having read a recent review I was very worried about turning up to a dirty property.

So I called ahead a day or so before our scheduled arrival and had a chat with Lake Lovers. The property was thankfully therefore, clean and tidy on arrival. However, it is in much need of an update and was incredibly damp, not very well hidden by the scent of several plugin air fresheners. We had to air the property a lot during the week. This, combined with very soft and uncomfortable beds meant we finally left a day early. There were a few other issues such as: very noisy boiler pump and bathroom extractor fans (the boiler had been raised in other reviews); a washer drying that didn't dry at all; a slimline dishwasher for a property sleeping 6 people?; dirty towels left in the laundry basket; not particularly well stocked kitchen in terms of cookware and utensils; paint peeling from the ceiling in the en suite shower; only a shower attachment and not a proper shower in the main bathroom. We'd have been more inclined to rate our stay more highly if the property hadn't been sold as premium, advertising its 2018 Visit England Gold Award and being described as luxurious, and with a price tag to match. Considering this, we were expecting more. The layout of the property is great and the lounge and kitchen being upstairs with the views was a welcome arrangement. Its also very conveniently situated between Windermere and Ambleside.

We arrived at the property after a 4 hour drive, to find that there was rubbish left on the side table in the twin bedroom, dirty towels left in the 2nd double bedroom.

No clean towels but when I complained, towels were brought over from house keeping and a bottle of Prosecco as an apology. Clean towels had stains on them. Property had not been cleaned properly and there was dirt and hair all over the carpets and bathrooms. Shower in en suite was full of mould. Main bathroom was advertised as having a shower but all there was, was a had shower attachment which leaked. There was racks and bits left in the dishwasher and oven was dirty, with dust in between the glass. The bedrooms were damp and which made the bedding and clothing feel damp. Boiler was noise and if someone was running a bath, then we couldn't have shower, which isn't good when there are 6 adults trying to get ready. It was such a shame because the property looked really lovely in the pictures but really didn't add up in reality. The whole property is in need of a complete update especially in the bathrooms as these were a real disappointment. I booked a holiday cottage last year from Sykes in Wales, paid a lot less than what I paid for Merewood yet it was 100 times better. It was such a shame as I was so looking forward to my holiday but the accommodation spoilt it for me. I have pictures to back up my complaints. I really so think you need to rethink the rating of this property.

We enjoyed our stay very much Our only comment is the boiler is very noisy ( particularly in the twin bedroom) and you can only have a bath in the bathroom as if you shower water goes everywhere.

Otherwise we were very happy with the facilities and location

Beautifully presented, very spacious for a family.

Kitchen was great. We had everything that we needed. Great location! Treetop Trek and the lake is just across the road.

A genuine 4 star rating for this lovely, authentic property with excellent facilities, which we found clean and tidy on arrival.

We enjoyed a lovely (if not wet) week at Merewood Lodge and were not at all disappointed with the property, despite some of the negative reviews we had read. We understand where some of the negative views may have come from as there was evidence of condensation in the property, but this is entirely to do with A: The age and construction of the property and B: How the property is used and ventilated whilst occupied. We found that by having the windows open in the vent position, ensuring the bathroom extractors were always used and having the heating at a reasonable temperature eliminated any condensation during our stay and didn't compromise our comfort during the stay at all. The furniture, fixtures, fittings, accessories and equipment were all of good quality and it made the cottage somewhere we wanted to spend time at in the evenings. The location is ideal for exploring the lake district, though we found that the adjacent hotels that we had hoped to walk to for food and drink were booked out for exclusive wedding use, but we did make use of the cafe over the road at the visitor centre at Brockhole, which served lovely food. Having spent time there in very wet weather, the only thing we found ourselves wanting for was a drying room for wet gear (but we appreciate that any moisture brought into the property would only create and issue on how to extract it - maybe an outside unit/store where coats can drip dry, better still with an infrared heater on a timer might be an option the owner might consider to improve what is already a lovely holiday let. A note from the gentleman of our party was that the hoover (the branded red and black type) wasn't great at removing the inevitable bits from the light coloured carpet and made hard work of cleaning up after ourselves on the morning of departure.

The smell downstairs is musty and there is mould on the curtains and window frames beyond what a cleaner could do about it, it needs maintenance .

Several light bulbs were blown although it didn’t affect the light too drastically.If the downstairs matched the upstairs except for marked carpets( again beyond a cleaners remit) the stay would have been much nearer the 5 star rating.Arriving at the premises the downstairs bedrooms smell immediately makes everyone down.Toilet seats -5 star?? Great shame.

The property is in need of maintenance and first impressions were very disappointing when compared with the property details/photos.

The main bedroom and shower room suffered from damp and mould and smelt unpleasant. This did improve a little after putting the radiator on low. Carpets and upholstery need cleaning. Creaking floorboards upstairs, noisy bathroom extractors and boiler noise disturbed people trying to sleep. Window fitments need immediate attention. Kitchen dustbin very small for the number of people staying.

Very disappointed with this property.

.. Advertised as four star with gold standard award and priced as such.. does not meet that standard.. pics and description very misleading... damp, musty smell throughout.. dirty carpets.. cobwebs.. mould on windows and on blinds in en-suite bedroom..rubbish bag left at front door on our arrival.. opened food packets left in cupboards.. obviously from previous visitors.. lack of general cleanliness.. no evidence of the property being cleaned before we arrived...lack of kerbside appeal.. on opening front door the damp smell is overpowering.. got worse on stairs, and in bedrooms. Bedrooms were freezing and boiler wasn’t heating radiators.. no heat all week. Our clothes felt damp. Mould on windows and black stains on blinds in en-suite bedroom. Property is advertised as having a garden and patio and garden furniture . there is a tiny balcony with 2 plastic faded garden chairs.. at the front entrance there was 4 metal chairs which were rusty and discoloured.. and covered in cobwebs.. the summer house is pictured 3 times in the advert photos.. yet this is for owner use only..so you are unable to use this.. very misleading , and pics should not be included in the advert..shared garden area didn’t even have a bench.. there is no patio or garden furniture.. as advertised. I would definitely not recommend this property.. we have stayed with lakelovers many times and this is the first time we have been disappointed. We understand that Covid has meant this place could’ve been unused for quite some time.. but surely that makes it even more important and the responsibility of Lakelovers/owners to ensure this property has been thoroughly cleaned.. and any necessary work completed prior to renting it out .. and charging for a four star property . Standards have not been met .. property is completely over priced. we certainly would not recommend this property.

The property had not been adequately cleaned prior to our arrival.

Kitchen benches were covered in crumbs and obviously hadnt been cleaned. Carpets hadnt been hoovered either. Dissappoinying - definitely not a 4 star gold property.

On our arrival, opening the front door we were met with a damp, musty smell.

The whole place felt damp and cold but we realise that due to Lockdown it had been empty for a long time and would probably take time to get back to normal. The en-suite bedroom was probably the dampest due to the fact that there were no windows in the shower-room, just an Expelair. The vertical blinds had black mould up to about 6 to 8 inches and the windows, when we pulled the blinds back, were also black. The first night we woke up in the early hours to that awful damp smell! Over the week we left the Expelair on for extra time after showering and we left the windows open in the bedroom whenever we were in and on the catch when we were out. It might be an idea to provide a window cleaner blade and ask occupants to wipe the shower down after use. We had one in the car, which we brought in and used daily. It all helped because by the time we departed we had just about got rid of the damp smell in that bedroom. In the twin room the beds felt damp and the boys said they were also not very comfortable. They then found numerous chrysalis' at the top of the walls where they meet the ceiling. After looking around the rest of the property we found loads more downstairs in the bedrooms and hallway. We managed to knock down all that we found and disposed of them. However we also began to see small brown moths flying around the rooms and wardrobes - we suspect they were clothes moths! We went to the Lakeland store and ended up buying moth repellents. The other negative thing we felt should have been addressed was the lack of cleanliness. The carpets, particularly on the stairs, looked as though they hadn't been properly hoovered and they could really do with some good stain-removal attention. One evening, when we were searching for a lost pen, we found old sweet papers and all sorts of fluff and dirt down the settee. We did clean up with the Henry hoover but when it first came out of the cupboard the brush head was so covered in hair and carpet fluff etc. that we had to pull all that off and give it a thoroughly good clean before we could use it as a hoover. As per a previous persons comment, the boiler is very noisy and is above the twin room, so again the boys got the brunt of it! Despite all that, we did have a lovely holiday and the property is in a very good position for exploring the Lake District. It just needs some attention to bring it up to what we would expect for the cost of hiring it. The current state of things isn't reflected by the publicity photos, which gave us high expectations! We don't usually give comments like this but there were just so many niggles that we feel we have to say something!

Beautiful cottage in a lovely location.

Clean, comfortable, warm & well equipped home, had everything we needed. Can't wait to come back.

No outdoor space.

The photos showed a garden but that was misleading and there was no where to sit outdoors.