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"Firstly, the positives!"
Great location, very well-presented property, lovely bedrooms, and finished to a high standard. For a stay in Bowness, I'd recommend it for that.
The blot was simply that you can't rely on the EV charging at all. It's set up so that it's 100% authorised remotely by the owner every time you plug the car in, so it relies on them getting notified and seeing that notification. Unfortunately, this failed for us on both Saturday and Sunday, casting doubt on the reliability of the charging every time we plugged in. What if we plugged in close to midnight after a meal out? I've suggested changing it to a "plug and charge" mode, and if they did, I'd happily give that aspect a much higher score!
That aside, the only minor areas for improvement would be to have photos of the rear yard so dog owners realise it's just a courtyard with no grass. It seems an odd omission from the photos. Also, I would say this for other stays we've had with Sykes: there is nothing worse than a very long journey to the cottage only to have to immediately go out because there is no small welcome basket of tea/coffee/milk/biscuits. Some of us travel 6+ hours in busy traffic, so it's exceedingly welcome!
It's actually pretty clean, but the vacuum was clogged with dog hair, and there was still a little dog hair left around the place, presumably due to the vacuum not being very efficient.
Overall, 8.5/10 for the cottage, but 3/10 for the charging.
Reviewed by Phil3.0★Jul 2026
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"Beautiful Cottage everything you needed was there would highly recommend and would not hesitate in going back."
Reviewed by Andrea5.0★Apr 2026
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"Lovely cottage in a great location finished to a high standard."
Had everything you needed for a stay away from home. Highly recommend.
Reviewed by Louise5.0★Apr 2026
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"Fabulous cottage."
Very clean and had everything we needed. Underfloor heating made it feel really cosy. Beds were incredibly comfortable. Location was spot on for walking to the shops and exploring the area. Would definitely visit and stay again.
Reviewed by Rachel5.0★Mar 2026
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"Great cottage to stay in, very modern and clean!"
Good amenities in there, with a fully equipped kitchen and a washing machine hidden away on the top floor.
Good parking for 2 cars, wouldn’t fit any more than this but free parking in nearby local roads which we used for our third car.
Would recommend here to anyone and would love to stay again! Perfect location at the top of Bowness in a quiet street.
Reviewed by Gemma5.0★Dec 2025
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"Oak Cottage was a great accommodation in an ideal location to be able to walk to many local shops and restaurants."
The cottage is well equipped and has modern appliances. The decor and layout is great for a vacation home.
We did have one issue on arrival from USA, in that there was no heat or hot water. We called Sykes out of hours line who answered immediately and had a contractor to us within an hour to get it fixed. It was a simple issue but Ian, the maintenance man explained the issue and showed us what to do if it happened again. Excellent service!
This is the first time using Sykes but will definitely use them again as we intend to come back to the Lakes again in the future.
Reviewed by Alan5.0★Dec 2025
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"Lovely, well appointed property that’s in an ideal location."
Very clean and comfy beds.
We would book again.
Reviewed by Andrew and Carolyn5.0★Oct 2025
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"Wonderful cottage with a great location to reach areas within the lakes."
Facilities were very high standard, especially the kitchen / crockery / pans / etc. Plenty of room for the whole family when it was raining. TVs in all rooms were appreciated.
Thank you for your feedback, it is really appreciated when we receive lovely comments. We took a lot of time and thought to try and create a place that was comfortable and welcoming, so many thanks once again.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Dianne5.0★Sep 2025
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"Wonderful cottage, clean and everything we needed!"
It would maybe be nice to have a second hand rail for those visitors who find the stairs slightly challenging! Apart from that, a lovely stay, close to amenities and public transport!
Reviewed by Moira4.0★May 2025
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"Nice location and house."
However this was tarnished with needing a good clean. Everywhere you looked closely it was really bad. Under the beds, floors and sofas had not been cleaned for a good while. not good enough when your paying close to a thousand pound a week out of season.
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that you found some issues with cleanliness during your stay, had you reported these at the time, we would have been happy to attend and rectify them. Now this has been brought to our attention, the relevant team has been notified to ensure our high standards will be met in future. The Lakelovers team.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Nick4.0★Mar 2025
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"A lovely comfortable clean cottage, close to town with it just been 10 mins walk away."
Would definitely recommend.
Reviewed by Christine5.0★Feb 2025
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"We had a 4 night stay at Oak Cottage."
It is very well situated in a nice quiet area, but only a short walking distance from Bowness. There are lots of things to see and do in this area.
The interior of the cottage is modern and probably recently decorated, with quite good quality fixtures and fittings. However, it was let down by not being particularly clean and by sloppy housekeeping. Some of the wine glasses, the teapot, baking trays, tin opener and other cutlery were not clean. The skirting boards, some surfaces, floors (especially under beds) were very dusty, and there were cobwebs and spiders (mainly in the kitchen). The vacuum cleaner did not work (it turned on, but there was no suction, and it also needed cleaning). The duvet covers were not buttoned up and the bottom sheets were not ironed and were very creased. The plants outside bordering the entrance needed cutting back. Bearing in mind occupants have to be out by 10am and the next lot can’t enter until 4pm, that really should leave reasonable time for proper cleaning and maintenance. So it was disappointing.
It would be useful to have some hooks on the doors (particularly in the bathroom) to hang clothes and maybe also a shelf there for toiletry bags. And somewhere for coats near the front door...? This could all be easily fixed.
Overall, we still enjoyed our holiday in this beautiful part of the country.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback.
We are sorry to hear of the issue that you experienced regarding the cleanliness of the property. We would like to add that had we been aware, we would have attended to resolve.
Thank you
The Lakelovers Owner Relations Team
Property Owner
Reviewed by Deborah4.0★Aug 2024
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"We have throughly enjoyed out stay at oak cottage, the house was lovely and clean and comfortable, great location only a short walk into the centre of bowness."
Great having private parking and it been dog freindly property. Would stay again if visiting the area again.
Reviewed by Paula5.0★Jun 2024
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"We had a great week at Oak Cottage."
The house is exactly as it states. Excellent location for shopping, eating, and local dog walks. The house is full modern up to date quality furnishings and fittings, making it easy to work everything in the property. One thing I would say is to put a wee description in about the back garden. It is a small courtyard that has flagstones, no grass. There is ample room to sit out and have your morning coffee, or eat alfresco. The front area also has flagstones, which is very nice to sit out when the weather is good. All in all very good. Thank you.
Reviewed by Nichola5.0★Jun 2024
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"This was the 2nd year running that we've booked this house."
The house and location are perfect for us butthos year we had a few issues.
Firstly, we had some chilly evenings and mornings and neither the gas fire or underfloor heating downstairs worked.
The shower on the top floor sometimes wouldn't shut off.
The throws for the settees smelt like they hadn't been washed and still smelt of dog.
The guttering at the front leaked and rain drips down the outside wall and drips loudly onto the window sill making us close the window at night due to the noise.
The batteries in the automatic kitchen bin need replacing as do the the ones in the top bedroom TV remote control.
There were no dishwasher tablets. Cutlery laying in the bottom of the dishwasher.
There was a dirty/greasy tray in the bottom of the oven.
Other than these cleaning and maintenance issues our stay in the cottage was great and if these issues could be rectified we would book it again.
Thank you for your comments. We are pleased to hear that you had an enjoyable stay.
We were not aware of the issue that you experienced with the heating, and the shower.
Thank you for letting us know of the issues, and we will pass them onto the relevant teams.
We take all comments on board.
Thank you- The Lakelovers Owner Relations Team
Property Owner
Reviewed by Gary4.0★May 2024
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"Lovely cottage, beautifully decorated with everything you need."
Good location, nice dog walk nearby down by the bowling green. Only downside was the mess on the car from the birds in the tree outside, nothing you can do about that really. Also I think the back patio could be a bit more appealing, perhaps some outdoor planters, it was a bit bare.
Reviewed by Norman5.0★Apr 2024
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"Love the house 2nd visit might look at booking again some time soon"
Thank you for your lovely feedback, we are glad you love the cottage.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Emily5.0★Mar 2024
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"Extremely high quality level of all facilities at the property."
Excellent location, minutes away from local amenities eg shops, cafes
& restaurants.
Highly recommended.
Thank you very much for your lovely comments, and we are glad you enjoyed your stay.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Jack5.0★Feb 2024
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"We had a fabulous stay at Oak Cottage and would love to come again."
The children especially liked having a tv in every bedroom. This was our first time in the Lake District and the cottage was a great base to explore. We loved the modern amenities in the cottage. We had some great walks with fantastic views, and hired a boat on the Lake for a couple of hours. Would love to come back in the summer months. 10/10
Reviewed by Michelle5.0★Oct 2023
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"Lovely cottage in a quiet yet convenient location, would stay again if visiting the area"
Thank you for your kind review, we are glad you enjoyed your stay
Property Owner
Reviewed by Carol5.0★Sep 2023
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"Oak Cottage is a wonderful home situated in the middle of Bowness on windermere."
The owners have furnished the property to a very high standard and provided everything you would need for a stress free holiday. The location could not be surpassed, shops restaurants etc are a five minute walk from the front door, but the cottage is in a quiet and peaceful location. We have stayed in many properties in the Lake District in the past but Oak Cottage certainly tops them all. If we were to return to Bowness there is nowhere else we would want to stay. We had a great holiday and our accommodation was the icing on the cake. There was a small issue with the blind in the twin bedroom, it wouldn't open, but probably something that is easily fixed, didn't cause us any problems as we only used the room for sleeping in and the blind would have been closed anyway. Sorry for even mentioning the blind because this is a wonderful cottage, and these things do happy. Oak Cottage is a wonderful place to stay and we would recommend it to anyone wanting to stay in Bowness.
Thank you for your lovely review, we are so glad you enjoyed your stay at Oak Cottage. We spent long hours designing somewhere that we would like to stay ourselves.
Thank you for notifying us about the blind, this has now been reported to the maintenance team
We look forward to you staying at Oak Cottage again.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Cecil5.0★Jul 2023
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"Prime location for our needs."
well appointed cottage in great order probably the best one we have stayed in. Would have no hesitation in recommending a stay here. Thanks for use of your comfy home
Thank you for your lovely feedback. We are glad you enjoyed your stay
Property Owner
Reviewed by William5.0★Jun 2023
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"Beautiful cottage, facilities were fab, beds were so comfy!"
Lovely spot, everything within minutes that you need.
Thank you so much for your kind comments. We are glad that you enjoyed everything that the property and area have to offer.
Lakes Cottage Holidays Owner Relations
Property Owner
Reviewed by Rachel5.0★Jun 2023
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"Excellent location and lovely property"
Reviewed by Karen5.0★Apr 2023
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"A great cottage, well situated, decor & fittings excellent."
Reviewed by Neil5.0★Mar 2023
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"Lovely place."
We really enjoyed this cottage. The location and parking are excellent, it was clean and well equipped, the owners have obviously spent a lot of money and it was appreciated, everything is just better quality than most self catering, from the light switches to the toaster. Lots of glasses and mugs etc, the only thing it would benefit from are a couple of hooks on the back of the doors , especially the bathrooms. We would stay again without hesitation. Enjoyed the Christmas decorations too. Thanks
Reviewed by Philippa5.0★Nov 2022
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"The cottage and location were fantastic."
However we requested a travel cot which I was told would not be equipped with cot sheet. I was informed this would be a standard size mattress so I accordingly took my own cot sheet and mattress topper.There was no mention it would not have a mattress included.
On arrival there was no mattress with the cot.
I rang the help line - 01244 617646 on the Saturday and again in Sunday and was assured by Sue and then Fiona it would be sorted. I was asked to leave the key in the key safe if we went out the next day so this could be looked into. I heard nothing further. No feedback whatsoever. We had to use towels as a cushion against the base of the cot for our 8 month old grandson! Needless to say he did not sleep well the whole week.
It’s a shame we didn’t have the courtesy of a returned call as I will not be booking with Sykes again.
Reviewed by Gabrielle3.0★Aug 2022
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"The cottage was fantastic, really nicely done and comfortable, great location."
Reviewed by Anna5.0★Aug 2022
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"Great property, it had everything you wanted (and more)."
Very well equipped and a great location. No negatives at all.
Reviewed by Matthew5.0★Jul 2022
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"An excellent cottage with fantastic equipment."
All high spec and everything considered for a relaxing stay. Superb location and couldn't ask for more.
Reviewed by Debbie5.0★Jun 2022
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"Excellent accommodation, very well furnished all fittings and fixtures of the highest quality."
I would definitely recommend the property and would look to stay there in the future.
Reviewed by Nicholas5.0★May 2022
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"Really lovely high spec cottage in a great location."
A lot of thought has gone into using the space well. A couple of comments to improve would be to add hooks in the bathrooms for towels and certainly in the main bedroom more storage space.
The only other downside was the bird poo but appreciate nothing can really be done about this
Reviewed by Lynn5.0★Apr 2022
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