Boathouse on the Lake

The Boathouse on the Lake is a brilliant property.

Having read the previous reviews, we decided to go, and I’m so pleased we did. Yes, there are areas for improvement, but I wouldn’t describe them as negatives. We loved the sun coming in first thing and the views from daylight to sunset. The property is open in nature, which some may find unusual, but although it is open to view, we never felt overlooked or uncomfortable at any point. There are small touches that could be improved, such as better pans and a few more items in the kitchen to elevate the experience and add that extra luxury feel. Perhaps a cosy blanket or two would be a nice addition, but I am being picky, because we had a fantastic time away. The hot tub is great, and the use of the kayak, along with the hallway area, utility room, large bathroom and a further separate toilet, made this a real step up in terms of space for our holiday. The driveway is the main concern. It is tight — very tight — and steep, with limited turning space at the bottom. I had to complete a five‑point turn each time with a large car, and I would definitely not attempt it in winter. Even in decent weather it was only just manageable. If the weather were frosty or icy, I would not want to take a car down there. However, the location for walking and exploring was great. It’s around three miles to walk back to Bowness, either over the hills or via the main road, although the road is a bit tricky. There is also a bus stop right next to the property, and it is close by for driving to everything you would want to visit in the Lakes.

excellent property,more than the usual refinements making the stay pleasurable,fantastic views, hot tub delightful,driveway down to the boathouse is steep but we knew this when booking,only glitch was the shower needs attention because it doesnt drain away properly, underfloor heating very good and comfy bed.

Beautifully tucked away place, very luxurious and an unforgettable stay thank you for having us.

If I was to summarise with three honest pros and three honest improvements I would say: + Fantastic updated facilities and all you could ask for in terms of utilities, this is a proper decked out place in comparison to other places we stayed + The views here are astonishing and the balcony was superb! + The hot-tub was the cleanest and well looked after hot-tub we have ever used on these Sykes holidays. Improv - There were a lot of cobwebs, spiders and the pillows accumulated a lot of dust Improv - The parking space/driveway was incredibly tight and difficult even in my small 2 seater car, especially due to the neighbouring property not fully utilising their parking space. Improv - No blinds/curtains left us with a lack of privacy with properties looking down onto us easily and waking up at sunrise due to nothing stopping the light coming in. Altogether though this has set the bar very high in terms of holiday stays so thank you again for having us and I hope our feedback is useful!

This is a fantastic little place!

You can put the boat at the front on the jetty and the views are amazing! So clean and the facilities are fantastic

The Boat house is amazing and will stay again.

The kayak was great to use when you like water sports and made things easy having your own merry as we brought a paddle board with us. The sonos sound system fitted did not work with the Louper Weir unsecured wi-if. It was linked to Thr Boathouse WiFi which was not available to guests as per the house info book. There were no Pyrex or similar dishes to use for cooking which was a real shame for people who love to cook. The hot tub was amazing for weary legs after walking the Wainwrights fells every day! In the house book it asks that you keep the place clean and tidy at the end of your stay - which we would always do however there is no equipment to do this apart from a small dustpan and brush under the sink. Some anti bacterial spray for the kitchen tops would be helpful - there was an empty spray of something similar again under the sink. The views over the lake are spectacular and the little things mentioned would not put us off returning!

What a lovely property and location.

For those that want to access the water you can't get better than this. We will definitely be back!

Lovely place really enjoyed our stay, very romantic as we got engaged

We had an amazing time at this really unique, stunning property.

The views were amazing and the sunsets beautiful. This is a really nice place to stay if you just want to unwind and have some peace and quiet but is also near to lots of places to visit, such as Bowness-On-Windermere which is just a 5 minute drive away. Would definitely return.

Fantastic location, presented nicely with good facilities and luxurious feel.

Based on previous stays elsewhere, it did lack personal touches such as welcome hamper and basic food/refreshents eg tea bags. However we would love to stay again and have already recommended to family and friends, who have already booked. Thank you for a lovely time.

This is an absolutely fabulous retreat.

Exactly as described. It’s a very special place. Road is tight heading down to boathouse but you soon master the technique needed to make it a simple task. Property immaculate and well designed for an easy stay. The office ladies in the Windermere office were lovely too.

The driveway not wide enough we had audi q7 trying to turn round not very good and we tried reversing down the driveway very scary.

But loved the house

Thank you for a lovely stay, we wouldn’t change anything about our visit, the facilities and property were outstanding.

One thing that would be of benefit is to inform your guests not to turn the lights off using the fused spur as this caused the fire alarm to intermittently sound in the entrance lobby.

The property was in a brilliant location and well equipped but it would have been good to have been able to walk to more places without having to rely on the car.

The information about the gradient of the drive and the steps to the apartment was not obvious in the literaure and could be a major issue for some people. It would also have been better to have had an opening window in the main living room or rooflight as it was very airless at night.

The driveway to the property was incredibly steep and narrow with very little space to turn around near the property.

The bathroom was on the lower floor down some steep and narrow steps which was a bit worrying during the night. When we arrived the tv wouldn’t work, we reported this at 3.50pm to Sykes Cottages and were told that someone would call that evening. No one came until lunchtime the following day. We also asked about the CCTV cameras around the property which felt very intrusive, no one got back to us.

This place is amazing!

!! The owners have thought of absolutely everything and really made our honeymoon feel special. Thanks so much for everything.

Loved our stay at the boat house, such a beautiful place, it is really clean, really well equipped, everything about the place is lovely.

. we was there during a storm and the main gates didn’t work, we have electric gates at home, so we understand what a storm does to them, but happened to be the day we was leaving so couldn’t get car down to property, taking our luggage up the steep hill was a slight killer.. but we survived:) And would love to return one day.

Beautiful place in an idyllic location, thank you for sharing your home with us.

Potential customers should be warned that this property can only accessed by a long, steep, twisting road that requires the most careful standards of driving.

Then there's a lot of steep, non-standard steps to get to the Boathouse itself. It's more suitable for younger guests: not those of advanced years. Had we been aware of the circumstances, we'd never have booked it

Beautiful holiday home on the inside the boathouse is difficult to launch the kayak and difficult take the kayak out of the water a two man canoe may be slightly easier.

More instructions on collecting the keys would be helpful ( alarm system etc) Having said that I would definitely stay again as we really enjoyed our stay.

What an amazing place- we loved how high spec the Boathouse is and really enjoyed the use of the kayak, buoyancy aids and the little touches like the white robes and the supply of the coffee pods.

The Lake is magnificent and we enjoyed spectacular views from the Boathouse.

Beautiful property excellent location, very well equipped to be honest could not fault anything.

Seen a few amazing sunsets too. Hot tub was very private. Loved the amazing views over the lake

The boathouse was beautifully decorated and the location is stunning.

However, there isn't a dedicated parking spot for this property unlike the adjoining property. The pathway down to the property is very very steep and pulling away to exit is particularly difficult when you are parked on an incline. We ended up using a flat parking spot on the site a short walk from the boathouse. Not sure if we were allowed to park there but we were not challenged.

A beautiful property completed to a very high standard, a few simple additions would make this a 5 star in my opinion.

Blinds on all windows in the main living area, a seat and coat hooks in the entrance hall and a better quality mattress.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

However, the entrance to the property is extremely precarious and doesn’t cater for larger vehicles. If there had been any ice it would have been a serious problem getting down the steep slope. Secondly the loo seat in the shower room needs replacing. But other than that it’s an absolutely gorgeous property, the hot tub was awesome and the view to wake up to is breathtaking. We really enjoyed it.

The property is absolutely amazing in a beautiful setting.

A very high standard throughout. The down side… the access road to the property is very, very steep with very little room to turn your vehicle at the bottom. A pretty scary drive. This should be emphasised a bit more on the advertising of the property.

Amazing location, very clean and the property was of a high standard including all the kitchen items etc.

Such a shame that the bed was so uncomfortable. I know there is an element of personal preference here, but it really was extremely hard, and made our relaxing honeymoon weekend a bit less relaxing!

This was one of the best holidays me and my boyfriend have been on, I did this as a surprise trip so he had no idea and even though I had seen pictures it was much better in person.

It was spacious, view was spectacular, hot tub was amazing in the evening time. We used the kayak the only down fall which isn’t there fault is the spiders are over powering the boat port and outside the property. The mattress wasn’t that comfortable but I slept on top of duvet and it was an alright sleep. Amazing property deffo will return in the future

The property itself is absolutely stunning, having visited the lakes for years this is by far the most idyllic setting weve stayed in.

The boathouse is furnished beautifully and we will definitely come back. Just a couple of recommendations for the owner would be to upgrade the sofa to something a little more comfortable with a foot rest. Also have some pillow options for those who would like the option other than duck feather. We really aren’t usually the type of people to say things like this but we both have exceptionally busy jobs (fire service and NHS) and although we spent most of our days walking, our down time was precious; a comfortable couch and a good night sleep would have made our stay much better. But I cannot fault the cleanliness and facilities, location etc at all, it was beautiful! Our last bit of feedback would be to provide a welcome basket, having spent over £2000 on this holiday it would have been a nice touch. Overall the owner has an exceptional property which we will recommend to all lf our friends and family. Mr and Mrs Wright

This was by far the best place we’ve stayed, everything about it was superb.

Pure luxury.

Great place however just a couple of things the coffee table is very wobbly, also needs blinds on the windows as very light very early or maybe provide eye masks also the mattress on the pullout bed far to thin, but would stay again.

We had a fantastic stay at Boathouse on the Lake.

We enjoyed taking the kayak out on the lake and the hot tub was very welcome after a long day walking. The accommodation was well equipped and very clean. The kitchen would have benefited from a measuring jug, a wooden spoon and a colander though. The steep access may not be for everyone but worth it to stay in such a beautiful place. We would definitely book again.

Great property, facilities and fantastic location!

We were a bit concerned about charging our car near by, but we needn't have worried as this facility was provided, although not mentioned on website. The number of steep steps on the property should perhaps also be mentioned on your listing. It did not affect us at all but could have been a serious problem to others.

FABULOUS!

!!! Just returned from a short Easter Break staying in this beautiful, luxurious boat house, congratulations to the house keeping team, this property was absolutely immaculate. The furnishings and household wear is superior quality and all comforts have been thought of. Peaceful and relaxing, pure tranquility. Absolutely loved everything about this modern contemporary property will definitely return. Thank you.

Booking our honeymoon as a suprise was difficult keeping it in England and getting all the criteria I was looking for but the boathouse ticked all the box's, even with dull weather it still didn't dampen our break everything was perfect, there where some areas for improvement which didn't effect anything more of a preference of our own such as location of the hotub it would've been even more special if it was situated with some of the beautiful views or under the stars and a bath tub in the main living area would've been a nice touch for them long soaks overall we are very happy with our experience and wouldn't hesitate to return in the future.

Absolutely stunning, loved it and can’t wait to return one day.

Heating not working, was resolved after reporting but only lasted for one more day working.

Wi-Fi not working, used our own phones to stream, no cost as we had spare data. Quite dirty, very thick with dust on top of bed headboard, able to write in it !. Couldn’t turn boathouse lights off. In general it’s an amazing facility but needs looking after better. Dissatisfied especially with the heating so we cut short our stay by a day and came home early.

The Boathouse was absolutely fabulous, peaceful and in a very beautiful setting.

Every thing was just right and the views from the terrace were amazing no matter what the weather. Unfortunately we did leave a day early but that was due to Storm Dudley about to hit the North West on the Friday!! Nevertheless, it was a great place to relax. Thank you for a very enjoyable stay. P.S. one small suggestion, there was nowhere to hang wet coats when you came in (maybe have a coat rack behind the door in the utility room?)

Fantastic property, we had a perfect holiday

Superb.

A beautiful, well built & well appointed property. Truly lovely.Exactly what we hoped for. On arrival the hot tub was already bubbling away for us & a Wow! was waiting behind every door!! Could not fault a thing with the Boat House. We were aware as it states in the instructions that the driveway is steep.Its narrow too & far steeper than l imagined and if you are in a long car it would be tricky to turn around at the bottom. Having said that l would love the opportunity to stay in this property again.

I had a fantastic holiday and everything about the Boathouse on the Lake surpassed all expectations.

The setting is idyllic and everything about the boathouse is very high end and user friendly. The house and the setting were so good that I cancelled a number of day trips [to Penrith, Kendal etc] in order to spend as much time as possible in the boathouse. Listening to the lapping waves, the sounds of the ducks and geese and looking at the changing light, the passing boats of every description, the floating mist, the rising and setting sun will be lasting very happy memories. Many thanks for a dream holiday. I have to repeat my apologies and embarrassment about the broken champagne flute and the staining of the wall from the spilt drink. I will also post a very positive review on Trip Advisor if it is possible to do so. Many thanks for a dream holiday.

We found the boathouse a bit quirky in its layout but this is possibly due to its uniqueness.

And difficult to find in the dark after a long journey

On arrival the second gate to pass through is listed as being white, but it has been painted brown so was a little confusing.

Also the hill down to the property is extremely steep, but the property is beautiful and comfortable. We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and the views and sunsets are incredible. Bowness is a 50 minute walk with lots of shops and Bars. We would highly recommend a stay here.

We were given wrong keys but luckily cleaner let us in .

office expected us to go back for correct keys but as I refused they did bring them out which they should have done straight away. On arrival and departure staff in office not great but place itself was lovely

Overall we did enjoy the apartment however, there were way too many cob webs inside and outside in the balcony.

Spent a lot of time chasing spiders. Also, the hot tub was advertised as private, but the neighbours could see us and also people from another apartment as they walked to the jetty. Also would recommend a cooling fan as it was steaming in there. Next door had one ! Would like to say that our housekeeper Dot was very helpful with issues we had with the hot tub. If you can pass on our thanks.

Basically communication.

We asked several questions of you before we left but none of them were answered from either you or the Windermere office. To help our packing we needed to know whether to take certain items that were not listed. We needed to know if we could collect the keys earlier as we had to launch a boat elsewhere and then arrive at the cottage and then retrieve our car. On arrival we were dismayed to find no fenders available to protect our wooden rowing boat from the heavy waves created by speed boats on the lake. If we had not checked first at the property before arriving by boat we would have in trouble due to the steep metal ladders we had to climb both on the jetty and in the dock because of the swell from the waves. We mentioned this to the staff managing the property and they provided fenders within half an hour. It is surprising that a property that encourages people to bring a boat was not already prepared for boats. The very steep drive down to the property with restricted space to turn round at the bottom on an angle could frighten a nervous driver. It would be a nightmare if a boat owner had trailed a boat down the drive. And I was glad I had had my brakes serviced! Your description mentioned a shop and restaurant nearby. We could find neither. Nearest supermarkets are in Windermere. Overall we were impressed with the fabulous location, the facilities provided, and the staff on the spot.

Fab Location High spec As described

Totally amazing place to stay, everything was easy from booking through to key collection.

Boathouse on the lake is an exceptional place to stay, we will be back.

The Boathouse more than lived up to our expectations.

The location is stunning and all the fixtures and fittings are top quality. Everywhere was spotlessly clean upon arrival. The narrow drive to the property as stated is steep and although we had no problems, I would imagine if there is overnight snow or frost then even with a four wheel drive it would be impossible to get up the drive which may cause issues. My only suggestion would be to perhaps provide a couple of folding loungers for use on the balcony as it would be a stunning place to relax in the sun. (Not that we had much!). Overall an amazing week and a place we would highly recommend and will be returning to in the future.

Spectacular view of the lake ' friendly and helpful staff

fantastic house, fantastic facilities and hot tub and just as described but, the heating struggled to cope and no curtains or blinds to keep the light out while sleeping and the sun came up around 5.

15am . we had a minor problem with the shower and by chance we met the house keeper while she was visiting next door, she said it would be sorted asap and it was. overall we had a great holiday and would visit again if the curtain/blind situation was addressed. thank you

Everything about the boathouse on the Lake was amazing.

Great location, stunning views and very peaceful. The cleanliness is A1, absolutely spotless. Furnishings throughout and kitchen equipment are all top quality brands. No expensive has been sparred and this all helps towards a fantastic break.

Loved, loved, loved the Boathouse!

Views were amazing and being so close to the lake was simply amazing! The kayak was such fun however we only used it once but it's a great feature. We brought our own paddle boards so spent most of time on those. would definitely come back! All my friends want to book too.

The Boathouse on the Lake was amazing, the property was finished to a very high standard and was spotlessly clean.

The location was perfect to explore the area and would definitely want to return there for our next staycation.