“First of all, I have to say that we are not complainers.”
In the 18 years we have been coming to the Lakes for our Autumn holiday, we have never written a review like this before.However we were so disappointed it is necessary now because this is billed as Luxury.
The surroundings of Grasmere are superb. The Location of Kelbarrow is second to none and our weather was stunning but unfortunately that is where the Luxury stops! We booked this place because it was described as overlooking Grasmere Lake and because we were treating ourselves to a spot of luxury. The view of the Lake is ONLY from the bedroom and not from the garden. The main house has the astounding view of Grasmere Lake. On arriving we were blown away by the first impression but then realised we were tucked around the back of this beautiful house. We negotiated a very narrow entrance just big enough to get our 4x4 through.... anything bigger would have struggled to get through. On entering and walking through the property, there was no welcome pack, not even milk in the fridge but we were welcomed by an underlying strange smell that lingered throughout the house all week. This was especially smelt in the living room, in the sink and in the dishwasher as well as, strangely enough in the main bedroom. The back entrance was disappointing, dark and uninviting. We entered into a large kitchen which at first we thought would be highly suitable for the week. However, on using it we found that the Rangemaster nob position markings were nearly all worn off so it was difficult to work out which nob belonged to which ring. The grill pan was filthy and just covered with foil. I had to wash the grease off it before I could use it. I did a roast on Sunday and struggled to find decent oven pans. On finding them, these also needed washing before use.
I had vegetables to cut up so looked for a small sharp knife. There was plenty of cutlery and large carving knives but no decent small knife. There was one but it was broken at the point and unuseable. A redeeming feature were the saucepans which were of good quality from Mark’s and Spencers.
We are always very keen to keep holiday homes in the condition we would keep our own home, so we sought to brush up the inevitable dust that walked into the kitchen with ourselves and the dogs. We searched, but there wasn’t a broom or a dustpan and brush or a decent mop so we regularly used the hoover. However, this would not pick up the dirt. My husband undid it only to find it was absolutely chocked up with dirt. He spent ages at the dustbins emptying the bag.
There is an amazing home cinema television in the lounge which was very enjoyable to use. The room was set up nicely with 2 sofas that looked very comfy but unfortunately they were the most uncomfortable saggy sofas we have ever sat on in a holiday home. As a result, husband sat on the floor because the sofa cushions sagged so much he and I ended up sitting in a hole on the sofa. I ended up putting further cushions on for support but I still ended up with back ache which was exacerbated by an uncomfortable bed!
We had 2 dogs with us so we were expecting a dog friendly garden as advertised. However, the french windows from the lounge opened up onto a wire fence through which any small dog can escape into the neighbours garden, ours was no exception and was shouted at by he rather unfriendly neighbours who own the attached part of the house. Next door is owned privately. On exciting the french windows to go into the garden you see right into next doors kitchen and living room and they can see right into your garden. There is no privacy outside.
Finally, the main bedroom en-suite shower door leaked badly when using the hand held part of the shower, wetting the bedroom carpet and the toilet seat in the main bathroom upstairs is broken.
- Mrs Winterton, September 2021
Thank you for your feedback regarding your stay at Kelbarrow. We are sorry to hear that you had so many issues during your stay and it is upsetting to see your concerns. Firstly, regarding the comments towards the view, this is stated in the property description that views can only be seen from the bedroom. If you have ever been to Grasmere before you will understand that limited properties have direct view of the lake as you must be on the side of the Lake to achieve this however, we are still very lucky to have views from the bedrooms. ‘This elegant 5-star holiday home is part of a magnificently converted Lakeland residence just a pleasant stroll from Grasmere village, with outstanding views of Grasmere Lake on the approach to the property and from the master bedroom.’ We have spoken with the owner regarding this smell as this is new news to us. The cleaner was at the property last week and found no strange smells. Our Maintenance man attended during the week to fix the toilet seat and didn’t mention any strong smell. The Maintenance team have looked at the Oven and have noticed the markings are fading but you can still read them. The owner plans on completely renovating the Kitchen come January so a new oven will be put in place. Regarding the pots and pans being greasy. Unfortunately, our housekeepers are unable to pull out every pot, pan, knife, fork, spoon, cup, glass etc out during each changeover to check if they have been cleaned to a high standard. We do hope that when guests use items, they wash them after. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case and seems like on this stay previous guests must not have washed these well enough. We are sorry there was no small knife or dustpan and brush. This will be ordered to be replaced as these items were originally in the property. We are extremely saddened to hear you found the Sofa’s saggy and uncomfortable in the lounge. These sofas were brand new in May and are deep feather filled from Barker and Stonehouse. Although our properties are dog friendly this does not mean the properties are doggy proofed. It means the owners allow dogs to stay for free at their properties. It states no where on the description that the garden is enclosed for this reason. We understand how valuable these breaks are so we are sorry if this was not met. We wish that you had contacted us during your stay to raise your concern so we could try and address them for you to make your stay more satisfactory, but we do hope you otherwise had a great week. Kind Regards Property Owner
