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The Laurels

(Ref. 1063650)

Backbarrow, Cumbria & The Lake District Show on map

4.4

Sykes rating

  • 4 Guests

  • 2 Bedrooms

  • 1 Bathroom

  • Pets No

Features

  • Off road parking
  • Garden / Patio
  • Washing machine
  • Broadband / WiFi

Reviews & Ratings

Accuracy of the listing
Cleanliness
Comfort
Facilities and Maintenance
  • All reviews
  • water (10)
  • stay (9)
  • clean (9)
  • hot (9)
  • great (8)
  • boiler (8)

20 Customer Reviews

  • "This property is located in a quiet cul-de-sac and is great for exploring the South Lakes."

    The furniture is comfortable, there's some nice outside space, and we found it to be very clean. However the owners cannot expect repeat visitors until they sort the boiler out. It is unacceptable to have to go through the process of resetting it each day just to get hot water. Looking back through previous comments, this has been going on for some time.

    Reviewed by Mark4.4Sep 2024

  • "Lovely cottage, only snag was no mirror in twin bedroom and not iron Only ..."

    Lovely cottage, only snag was no mirror in twin bedroom and not iron Only stayed 3 days so not a massive issue Would certainly stay again

    Reviewed by Jayne5.0Jul 2024

  • "Owner not reachable when everything went wrong with check-in."

    The number that was in the airbnb app (this one went via airbnb) went to voicemail and then said "voicemail is full". Never even got a call back. No warm water and no functional heating. This meant no proper showers or ways to properly dry wet clothing.

    The contact number and email for ourselves is in the Welcome book on the table in the hallway. If messages are left we get back to customers asap. Maybe Airbnb have the incorrect number. All instructions for the heating and hot water system are in the Welcome book also. Property Owner

    Reviewed by Pieter3.1May 2024

  • "Really great from parking up to opening the door was really homely"

    Reviewed by Carl4.7Feb 2024

  • "Overall, we enjoyed our stay in this cottage."

    It’s cosy, clean and well maintained. We got everything we need for our stay The location is excellent. It’s close to Lakeside, Bowness on Windermere. We even drove to Grasmere and Keswick. Compare to hotels, you get more space and is cheaper. Some suggestions for the cottage: 1, The hot water is just enough for one person to have a shower I suppose. Perhaps change the schedule for more time to heat the water. 2, The kitchen is dark, especially in the washing up area. It’s very inconvenient for doing washing up at night time. We used the torch in the kitchen but it is still too dark in the washing up area. 3, The second bedroom has 2 single beds at the same height. The height is too great for a young child. I was worried my 4 yd son could fell off his bed. For his safety I have placed a chair on the side of his bed to stop him falling out. 4, A hair dryer would be very useful if provided, especially in winter time.

    Reviewed by James4.4Oct 2023

  • "I would of really liked to put a good review."

    But the first few days were disastrous The first day we got there it was cold the house was freezing with no heating or hot water and the house smelled like oil Red flag number 1 We unpacked and located the boiler room to smelt so strongly of oil to find a note saying the boiler goes into lock mode and needs reseting flag 2 We reset it thinking it most do so when not used after awhile Not knowing that even with doing so we'd still have hardly any heat or hot water for a shower or bath because it went to lock mode again that evening We reset it again. Flag 3 After a slightly stressful day we went to bed only to find left over belongings of previous guests, cleaning solution still in the bath, the kitchen door having more dust on it i could collect it and the bedding smelling awful Flag 4 Safe to say we tidied up and washed all the bedding sleeping in our thick clothes and travel blanket We woke to a freezing wet morning No heat. No hot water. Reset the boiler again and got on with our day after contacting the owners about the oil smell creeping through the house Only to be told "it's normal and they've been contacted about it before" 5 We came home and decided to have a nice hot meal to then discover the greasy mess which the oven was So I cleaned it and all the pans left in it 6 We came home late and damp from a long rainy walk and had to reset it again! I had to boil water on the stove just so we could have a hot bath that night It was too late in the night to contact anyone so we went to bed 7 By some chance the boiler stayed on that night but we couldn't go into the living room because the smell made you feel sick We came home late to the full house smelling of oil and the boiler had gone off again We opened every door and window and contacted to owners To be told they'll send someone out the next day We waited well into the evening while discussing if we should put in a complaint and cancel the rest of our stay/ ask to be relocated The service man ran late because of a difficult job that morning But he was so nice and understanding and could smell the oil smell spreading through the house again Told me the valve had come lose and to leave the cover off of the boiler He fixed everything Putting some glue on the valve and reset it He then waited with us to make sure it stayed on and told me it had been servised recently Then proceeding to tell us renters around the area had been meddling with boilers in a lot of holiday rents he's been to Which made an alarm go off in my head If its been common why wasn't our boiler checked before we got there just to make sure? Surely if its been smelling like that awhile it's been a problem Why didn't they cleaner tell the owners how bad the smell gets? So it did get rechecked? After that we got on with the rest of our holiday deciding it would be too much stress and time to be relocted and would leave a well needed honest review We still had to reset the boiler again once the day before we left

    Reviewed by Selina2.2Oct 2023

  • "The Laurels is a good base for exploring the Southern lakes."

    It is comfortable and had everything we needed. Our main problem was the hot water, showers were limited to a couple of minutes before the water went cold. The boiler also had a strong smell (of oil) which spoilt it.

    Reviewed by Rebecca3.8Aug 2023

  • "This was a lovely little house in a convenient position to explore the lakes."

    There were a couple of factors though that need to be addressed… the boiler was an issue…. There was no Hoover or brush.. and there was a washing machine… but no iron or ironing board. We only stayed 3 nights.. but if we had booked for a week… we wouldn’t have been happy… as we take limited clothing..that we can wash and re wear. Other than that… it was good. Lots of lovely touches which we appreciated

    Reviewed by Julie4.1Jul 2023

  • "A lovely cosy little cottage, spotlessly clean and very well equipped."

    As other guests have already noted, its exterior photo on the website somehow doesn't quite do it justice. The designated parking place (for one car) right outside the front gate was particjularly convenient. It's also worth noting that the cottage has a cloakroom/wc downstairs as well as its bathroom/wc upstairs. If you want a day off from driving Backbarrow is served by the hourly Kendal to Barrow-in-Furnace X6 bus service which calls at Grange-over-Sands, Ulverston and Dalton-in-Furnace. The bus stops in either direction are on the busy A590 bypassing Backbarrow itself but there's an off-road footpath leading down to them from the middle of the village.

    Reviewed by Stephen5.0Jun 2023

  • "A lovely holiday home."

    Just had a few problems with the boiler needing to be reset as water went cold a couple of times mid shower! Also, the info on the complimentary spa passes via email needs to be taken off as this caused some confusion/stress, but got sorted in the end. Lighter weight quilt may help as was very hot at night. Very clean accommodation and thoughtful touches

    Reviewed by Diane4.4May 2023

  • "Lovely, comfortable, clean cottage with all the fittings you could need."

    However, the boiler is very temperamental and had to be reset twice during a 4 night stay.

    Reviewed by Patricia4.7May 2023

  • "We enjoyed our stay and the cottage was nice clean and comfortable."

    It had plenty of room, beds comfortable, good Internet reception, nice kitchen and equipment, good quality TV and appliances. The only thing it was missing was washing up liquid and dish clothes which we felt should of been provided. Also the central heating boiler was a challenge to get going and had to be reset a few times also there was a strong smell of gas/fumes surrounding the boiler, which didnt permeate the rest of the house but you don't get with modern boilers

    Reviewed by Dane4.7Nov 2022

  • "Excellent property."

    Location great for the lakes. Very good facilities with all that is needed. It was like home from home

    Reviewed by Julie5.0Sep 2022

  • "Our family of 4 had a lovely time at the Laurels."

    The property was clean with a well-equipped kitchen and plenty of facilities like garden furniture, wireless chargers, Sky TV, BT Sports etc. The location is great - only 5 minutes' drive from Lakeside Pier to catch a ferry to Ambleside or Bowness. We didn't face any hot water issues as there were instructions in the welcome pack - press the boost button on the HIVE and viola!! The owners seem to be really good at taking feedback onboard as some of the "missing/ unavailable" things from previous feedbacks were available during our stay. There was so much to do and see that we didn't get a chance to use the Cascade Spa and Fitness facilities, but it was nice to have that option in case it was needed (bad weather etc!!) The property is in a quiet location just off A590 but it also means you could hear some intermittent traffic at night. This was the case during our first night of stay - rest of the nights we were perhaps too tired from our excursions to hear anything :-) and slept really well. Overall, it is a nice property away from crowds but with easy access to some lovely walks and usual touristy places. Won't hesitate in recommending it for a nice break.

    Reviewed by Ajitpal5.0Aug 2022

  • "The property was lovely and clean and spacious."

    Lots of mod conns inside. We made full use of access to the gym club with swimming pool and spa. The area was nice and quiet and with lovely scenery. It is situated well with many beautiful towns nearby, all within about 20 minutes drive. So had a great stay and the weather was glorious the whole time.

    Reviewed by Tulay4.7Aug 2022

  • "Comfortable and welcoming."

    Good location and a very nice touch when we were welcomed at the Cascade Spa. We did struggle with hot water/boiler but all other facilities/extras easy to use. An enjoyable stay.

    Reviewed by Janet4.4Jul 2022

  • "We were very happy here and there was plenty of space for two adults and two children."

    The house had everything we needed. The only small drawback is sometimes the hot water would go off for 20 seconds. All-in-all, I would recommend The Laurels.

    Reviewed by Luke5.0Mar 2022

  • "Feedback would have been much more positive if we had hot water and heating all through our stay."

    Use of the local spa was very welcome.

    Reviewed by David3.4Oct 2021

  • "A very smart, well-presented little house."

    Great quality, obviously put together with a lot of care and felt bigger than it looked.

    Reviewed by Michael4.7Sep 2021

  • "The Laurels is a fabulous cottage."

    Very comfortable accommodation, comfortable beds, clean and spotlessly tidy. Great location for trips to Ulverston, see local landmarks and generally relax in a quiet residential area. Couldn't fault it and fully recommend staying there. We will go again.

    Reviewed by Trevor4.7Sep 2021

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Summary

  • Two bedrooms: 1 x double, 1 x twin
  • Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC
  • Kitchen/diner
  • Sitting room with electric fire
  • Oil central heating with electric fire
  • Electric oven and halogen hob, microwave, fridge, freezer, washing machine
  • Smart TV and WiFi
  • Fuel and power inc. in rent
  • Bed linen and towels inc. in rent
  • Off-road parking for two cars
  • Enclosed patio with seating
  • Sorry, no pets
  • Sorry, no smoking
  • Shop 2 miles, pub 1 miles

The property

Nestled in the charming village of Backbarrow, close to the banks of the River Leven, lies this charming semi-detached cottage, The Laurels.

Sleeping up to four guests and providing easy access to the southern lakes, this homely dwelling is a great base for a relaxing and action-packed break.

Head inside to a delightful sitting room, a bright and airy space where you can ease into the evening with help from the electric fire and Smart TV.

Progress through into the kitchen/diner, featuring all the necessities for a self-catered break, so you can easily prepare meals when you’re not dining at a local restaurant.

When night falls, head to one of the bedrooms, hosting a double and a twin, served by a pleasant bathroom where you can choose between a bath or shower over to prepare for the day.

To the exterior of this Backbarrow cottage is a lovely enclosed patio, fitted with a cute bench where you can sit back and enjoy a favourite drink after a long day.

Backbarrow is a lovely holiday base with many great attractions, including the Lakeland Motor Museum where you can see over 30,000 car exhibits, or hop on board the Haverthwaite Railway and enjoy a scenic three mile-journey.

Alternatively, immerse yourself in nature at the scenic site of Bigland Barrow, or visit the Aquarium of the Lakes to see a variety of aquatic animals!

Head a little further to Bowness-on-Windermere where you can hire a boat and explore the water at your own pace, walk to and make the most of the panoramic views at Brant Fell Viewpoint, and visit the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, a must for any literary lovers!

Get yourself all dressed up for a day at Cartmel Racecourse, founded in the 12th century by the monks of the Cartmel Priort, or simply wander the quirky and cobbled streets that give Cartmel a unique charm you won’t find anywhere else.

The Laurels is a fabulous opportunity to treat you and your loved ones to a much-need Lakeland retreat.

Note: This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £250.

View on map

About the location

BACKBARROW

Newby Bridge 1 mile; Bowness-on-Windermere 10 miles.

The small village of Backbarrow sits by the banks of the River Leven and the southern tip of Lake Windermere. The famous Haverthwaite Steam Railway runs close by the village between Haverthwaite and Lakeside. Enjoy magnificent views across Windermere and the surrounding fells, or visit the Aquarium of the Lakes, where the naturally themed habitats bring the history of the Lakes vividly to life. Bowness-on-Windermere provides a lovely day out, and the picturesque village of Hawkshead still retains the charm and character that so endeared it to its most famous residents - William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. Set amidst the charm of the Lake District, close to the fringe of Windermere, this attractive village makes an inspiring choice from which to forage further into a magical heartland of silver lakes, lofty towering peaks and lonely gorse clad moors.

Note from 4th October 2024 the property will accept 1 well behaved dog at a £35 supplement

This property offers the following short breaks:

  • Winter
  • Off-season
  • Last minute
  • Christmas