Fisher's Retreat

Asked for a cot and high chair took 20 minutes to find cot and could not use as filthy also when stripped beds at end of stay quilt was all stained

I can’t moan about the location right on the high street near all the local shops however the property itself is in real need of some love and attention multiple issues within this property which makes it feel like it’s just been left.

One of locks to front door not working. All beds and or mattresses need replacing very uncomfortable and the small twin room has a very large dip in it making it almost impossible to sleep. Quilts underneath the linen were heavily stained in areas - 1 had a small blood stain on. Travel cot stained and dirty Bottom floor was very dirty floors have obviously not been properly cleaned in some time. Furniture tired - chairs and sofa had puncture marks in them and very worn down patchy areas and need replacing. Provided high chair was disgusting - very heavily stained with no table top provided really did not want to use this but had no other option for my 10 month old. Back wooden door needs replacing, wood is now starting to split and you can see outside light through it Microwave very heavily rusted and needs replacing. Oven works fine but wasn’t clean. Freezer full of ice needs defrosting and cleaning out. Small - but no tea towels available. No black bin to the rear to dispose of waste as requested. Hive thermostat is showing low battery (not an issue) but just needs doing. These are just the things that I can remember. When reading through the paper handwritten guest book in the property some of these issues appear to be longstanding and have clearly just been left. It’s a shame because this property has the potential to be lovely with a bit of hard work. I also feel that a 5pm check in and a 9am check out is ridiculous- not sure why this is warranted as time is clearly not being used to clean properly inbetween guests.

Property ideally located, very close to the centre of Windermere.

We left the car at the cottage (great to have the use of the parking permit for our stay) and walked to Bowness-on-Windermere too. We enjoyed our stay, the cottage was well equipped (although we ate out mostly) and was warm and cosy. The smaller double bedroom was less comfortable due to a slightly sloping floor, and the radiator had been turned off - it initially felt unaired. The lounge is very snug for 5 adults, but we didn’t go to spend our time indoors. Enjoyed the walk to Orrest Head to the viewing point and a drink in the quirky and unique Crafty Baa.

We had a great time at Fisher's Retreat.

I was a little nervous given some of the previous reviews. The cottage is lovely though and well equipped. We were 2 adults and 2 children (under 6 years). The spiral staircase was an oversight on my part as it is quite narrow but we blocked it with our suitcase to prevent curious little ones! The mattresses are probably not the best but its a rented cottage and we were comfortable. We didn't struggle with the on street parking and were grateful for the permit. Towels and bedding were clean. Kitchen and bathrooms clean too and lovely sociable diner. Would recommend, but perhaps with older children!

Very good location to Windermere and Bowness.

We’ve stayed here before which is why we chose it again this time. However, this time there were no working locks on the 2 bathrooms and the light didn’t work in the downstairs one. After we’d booked the stay we were told a month later that we weren’t allowed any of the parking permits which was slightly annoying too. Not sure if it’s unique to this property but a 17:00 check in time and 09:00 check out time seems a bit excessive too

Cottage is on a Great location.

Beds really hard mattress need replacing asap. Two wine glass for 6 people to stay is not good . Tv doesn't work no channels available.

Lovely spacious property , good central location , only issues , dog poo left in the back yard by previous occupants.

No sign of a black bin with number 14 on , black bin bags piled up against alley wall , I located a bin and put our rubbish in it . However we really enjoyed our stay

It’s a lovely house but tired, cleanliness was ok but there were cobwebs on light fittings, dead flies and moths on the carpet, the bath outlet was blocked and you need a degree in computer science to get the tv going, the gutter is falling off the front of the house and the beds were old and uncomfortable.

Plus side is the house is big and spacious but is lacking love and attention, unfortunately I wouldn’t stay there again

Great cottage spacious and clean only fault was the terrestrial TV did not work but ok if you have prime Netflix your ok

On arrival to the property, first impressions were good but as we settled in we discovered two big chunks of chewing gum on the dining room wall which had been overlooked by the cleaners.

The reception on the tv was not working, we tried phoning the number provided which was busy so I left a call back which I never received in the week I was there. There were not enough utensils i.e masher for a family of 6 to be comfortable in the kitchen. Also the dining room chairs were not comfortable at all. And most importantly, all of the spring mattresses throughout the property were in very poor condition and extremely uncomfortable. Many of us ended up with sore backs and necks because of this.

Cute cottage lovely and warm everything you need for a great weekend would love to go back sometime, thank you for having the heating on full blast for when we arrived it was like walking into a warm hug from the cold outside.

Park very handy for dog and 2 minutes walk to village, try Brown Sugar for a good brew and bite

We had a wonderful time staying at Fisher's Retreat.

There were 4 of us and plenty of space to function and socialize and make loads of wonderful memories.

We originally booked this cottage due to its central location in Windermere and walking distance to Bowness.

However, the cottage exceeded all of our expectations. It was warm, cosy and very clean. It was fully equipped and very spacious for our family of 6 including our young grandchildren. We would highly recommend Fishers Retreat for your holiday stay.

Great spot, fishers retreat by name and that was exactly what it was for us fishing Windermere all week its always nice to have a cosy spot to come back to.

Really enjoyed our stay, in the kitchen could do with a potato masher, freezer needs a defrost and would be a help to have a door mat at the back door. None of which are a big issue but as we will be booking again be nice for next time!

Lovely property.

Had a great stay. Would be useful to point out cheaper early bird parking in very close by car park as road parking hit and miss.

Great property in a fantastic location.

I would definitely stay again!

The property was pleasant and comfortable.

The parking was difficult but that was made clear in the listing. (Although parking permits were provided, the street had no spaces.) The curtains need a wash but it was generally clean. Four mugs/ cups for six people was inadequate. There were no significant problems with the property itself, and it was in a good location.

We absolutely loved the property; it is full of quirky features and we felt at home immediately.

Parking is a pain though.

Great cottage, perfect location!

right next to the church, Christian Lakes Centre, Thanks very much

Missing parking permit.

Difficult to contact the helpline as the number given on the confirmation email cut off as soon as it connected. cottage ideal for what we needed though -- so much so we will probably rebook for next year

We all (Me, my husband, adult daughter and partner plus Luna the Old English Sheepdog) had such a lovely time at Fisher's Retreat.

The location was ideal, being very near a park/dog walk as well as minutes from Windermere town (lots of places to eat/bars etc) with regular bus services to Bowness on the lake which was a pleasant 25-30 min walk away. We had everything we needed in the cottage and were pleased to be informed that the dishwasher had been replaced before we arrived. The standard of cleanliness was very good. However, I would say that the hall carpet needs replacing as I could see that it was quite marked. Overall, we loved it and would definitely return!

Perfect quiet location 50y from the park for our dog, but two minutes from the activity of Windermere Main Street.

Easy access to Ambleside, Bowness and the main road access towards the motorway. Cottage comfortable and adequately equipped. Checking out time of 09.00 and checking in time of 17.00 seems rather excessive time to clean the cottage, and spoiled the first and last days.

Lovely quiet house in great location.

Dark downstairs but I appreciate that was the nature of the property. I moved a chair from thedark sitting room to the window in the dining room as this was a nice spot to sit during the day, the lounge was definitely an evening room being small and dark. I also took the leaves of the table to reduce its dominance in the room and make it cosier to sit around. I was disappointed that there were no pillow cases or towels in the loft room despite me indicating that five people were staying. But overall, the lovely solid traditional nature of this peaceful house in an absolutely fantastic location made our stay a great one.

The cottage was in a great location but inside was a bit tired in places.

We did have a good time and weather was kind to us considering we still had to eat and drink outside because of the restrictions still in place at the time.

The cottage was very cute and rustic.

The location was great as well. The only thing I would say is that the bed is not the most comfortable, definitely okay for a couple of nights but if you are staying longer, it may be uncomfortable.

Accommodation was filthy throughout and this was not dealt with during our stay.

There also maintenance issues (freezer unusable, dishwasher not working properly, blocked drains etc.). Would 100% not recommend

Great location, very quiet area, parking outside property was ideal, it was only a 30 min walk to lake windermere, which was perfect for us.

Local shops and eating spots only 5 min walk. Property was warm and comfy , grandkids loved the layout of the cottage.

Great like property for my week stay in the lakes.

Had everything I needed. 2 small issues however 1) no attention to the freezer as it looked like he hadn't been defrosted in a year or so which didn't help as we got a tesco delivery with some frozen food. 2) upstairs bathroom needs looking into as the water take some time to drain.

it didn’t spoil our stay but hygiene especially with COVID needs improving.

It was really dusty under the couches and even a dirty tissue under the coffee table. A number of bulbs internally and externally weren’t working. The oven tray hadn’t been cleaned and if we had taken frozen food we wouldn’t have got it in the freezer as it needs defrosting. The back drain was blocked but I unblocked that myself. Also the grey bin is missing so all the previous customers rubbish was dumped outside the back gate. I have seen some reviews on here and people had put this feedback previously but nothing has been done about it. Like I said it hasn’t put me off going back to the property but if we booked again and was same way we wouldn’t go back after that. The owner should look at the feedback given and resolve the issues. If it is an external cleaning company they need to have a check list to show they have checked the bulbs, cleaned throughout, checked previous rubbish left, etc

Good location to Windermere centre.

Parking ok at certain times of the day but have to park a few streets away at other times which was fine as had read other reviews before booking & knew what to expect. Cottage very clean & tidy, full of everything you would need. Remember it’s a very old property so it’s not “perfect” as in a new build. Some of the lightbulbs weren’t working so maybe these could be checked? We just swapped them around.

We stayed at Fishers Retreat for a short weekend break in September.

As soon as you walk in you feel at home in this cottage. It has everything you need and is like home from home. It has a cosy feel and is the perfect place for a holiday in Windermere. The location is perfect with a few bars, pubs and restaurants and it’s just a 15 minute walk into Bowness which has more going on. We had a lovely time and will definitely be staying again!

Check in/out times were changed to be less convenient after booking.

This was done to enable effective cleaning. The cottage wasn't clean it was pretty disgusting. The sides were wiped, cutlery/dishes cleaned and bedding seemed clean however there was food on the floor in the living room and months worth of dust under the sofas/around the fireplaces/less used surfaces. It is clear that it was a relatively light cleaning job and the fact check in/out hours were changed post booking to fit it in is a joke. I don't blame the homeowner for this, the cottage was as described, mostly comfortable (except for the beds) and in a good location but the management/cleaning company isn't up to scratch for the arguably high rate paid for 3 nights.

Excellent location.

Parking a bit hit and miss. House fine but not as clean as we would have liked. Some remnants of previous guests. Wheelie bin missing, bulbs out. Did the job but you pay for the location rather than a top quality house.

The cottage was not cleaned ready for our arrival.

.. very disappointing. As a family of 6 we had no choice but to wait in the car whilst the cleaning was done and then they had to come back out later to do the beds!! Shocking and disgraceful service, especially in these worrying times...

need to check car park permit available as unfortunately wasnt for our stay.

Also 2 bulbs out in the main dining room making this quite dark. Other than that - a really nice place to stay, warm, cosy and spacious. Great location for walks from the house and to access the town's shops, bars, restaurants and attractions.

We loved the cottage - super location & facilities.

We did on occasions have a slight issue with the parking; spaces close to the cottage were at a real premium & we had to park a few streets away from the cottage on a couple of occasions, although this might have been due to the time of year (over New Year).

Fantastic cottage in a great location Comfortable, roomy and ideal for our needs Will definitely return Thanks

Comfortable, clean and as described

Everything was great It was no problem to us but the downstairs shower room was on the cold side

Fisher's Retreat was lovely, comfortable and roomy.

A very homely and warm place to stay. We felt comfortable as soon as we arrived. The owner provided everything that we needed for our stay and the house was perfect. It is located just off the main high street which was very handy for all the local facilities. The local park is at the end of the road which was ideal for my dog. We had a great stay and will definitely return. Highly recommended!

We had a wonderful week at Fishers Retreat, a short walk to the town with a wonderful coffee shops, supermarket and friendly butchers.

Close to the Sykes booking agency which were really helpful when we struggled with the TV. Would recomend and would certainly return if we were that way. Thank you

Nice and clean dog friendly accommodation.

We had a very enjoyable stay at The Fishers retreat .

When got to the property there was a blocked drain outside the kitchen , which was resolved quickly after I reported to Sykes . Also the parking permit was out of date and I received a penalty notice early in the week, again Sykes paid the £25 into my account a couple of days later and hopefully a new permit was issued by the council in time for new guests . As for the cottage itself we have no complaints , it was comfortable and warm , the heating was very effective. Everything we required was supplied . As for Windermere and Bowness , both are very nice places to holiday in . There is so many pubs and restaurants to choose from , you could stay for 2 weeks and eat somewhere different every night. All in all a very pleasant stay

This holiday a accomodation is the worst we've ever stayed in , the cleanliness of the house was exceptionally poor and was disgusting in places.

I called Sykes who were very helpful and ordered a Re-clean. Whilst this dealt with some of the uncleanliness, I have to say it still needed a through deep clean from top to bottom!! Additionally, when I sent photo to Sykes whilst they agreed it wasn't of a clean standard they felt some of it was owing to maintanence rather than cleanliness. I did point out that it if the house had been kept on top of then it wouldn't have fallen into such a state . I did get a refund of £150 compensation but it really was just one thing after another with this property - the Parking Disc was out of date and we got fined (yet again they refunded) but by this point we'd had enough of this property. The communication between the caretaker and the owners (who live abroad) needs to be better ...as done if these issues could have been avoided if the house had been looked after better

Only a few comments in that the toilet seat was completely broken and meant only the down stairs toilet was properly usable.

The bath taps need attention the cold tap is not secure. Could do with a bin outside to put rubbish in.

Some of the fittings were broken; the downstairs shower door, the upstairs toilet seat, stains on some carpets and there were quite a few cobwebs.

We really enjoyed our week in the Lakes, our accommodation was very good, Sykes dealt quickly with a couple of problems we had, namely a leaking bath and the lack of lighting in the kitchen.

The only thing which would put us off booking this accommodation again would be the parking, we enjoy lake swimming which involves wet suits, dry robes and bags etc and more often than not we had to park right down the road which wasn’t ideal. But on the whole the accommodation was in a good location.

The cottage was very clean and well equipped in a quiet area close to places to eat and shops in Windermere and to some nice walks and it was also near to a park which came in handy for exercising our dog.

The pass to be able to park on the road outside was very convenient and the keys were easy to collect and leave in the safe box. We really enjoyed our stay.

Back garden needs some TLC and front needs some maintenance.

Otherwise great accomodation and would book again. Internet was very good. Important to note that a spiral staircase leads to the twin room and it is an 'upside down' accomodation hence bedroom s is on ground floor and kitchen sitting dining on -1

Cottage is lovely, has everything you need.

It’s in a great location, 2 minutes from shops, restaurants and bars. Some really lovely walks in the surrounding areas. We go to Windermere as my son takes part in the Great a North Swim and we like to make a weekend of it. We will be back next year and will definitely be using Sykes Cottages again

LOVELY COTTAGE OVERALL JUST A COUPLE PROBLEMS HAVING NO LARGE BROOM OR VAC CLEANER AT HAND TO TIDY UP WITH.

ALSO THE LITTLE COURT YARD COULD DO WITH BRIGHTEN UP I.E CONTAINERS OF PLANTS . A REALLY GOOD BASE FOR LOCAL AREA

Better lighting in dining room area would be beneficial.

I have sent you an email with some pictures as attachments.

This was mainly to do with the back "Garden" or Yard!!! It was in a disgusting state so as I said earlier, refer to my email. Regards Mr R W Hughes

Staff at sykes very friendly and very efficient at responding to a small issue that arose during our stay (providing new microwave).

The cottage was absolutely fine but with a couple off areas that personally we had issue with.

1. The sofa was really slippy and difficult to get comfortable. 2. Main bedroom mattress incredibly firm. Not comfortable at all. 3. Some of the reviews in the book mentioned cobwebs- very surprised that the cottage was still full of them. 4. The Hoover obviously needed emptying, gave off a real Dusty and dirty smell when we used it. 5. Minor issue but a number of light bulbs had blown. 6. Main bathroom shower pressure poor and downstairs shower room too cold to use first thing in the morning.

Parking at the property can be a problem at busy times, as we were there on New Years Eve & unable to park anywhere close to the property after driving around for about 15 minutes we had to park in the pay & display car park overnight

Cosy, warm cottage very centrally located, yet away from any traffic noise.

We had a perfect weekend - everything was in good working order with clear instructions provided. Parking with a permit for one car was useful and overnight parking for more vehicles available, if space on the street. Spoke to a member of your team who said she would email me regarding a request. Don’t appear to have received one but it didn’t spoil our stay. We would definitely consider returning. Thank you

Perfect!

Fisher's Retreat was ideal, we stayed early November and it was warm and cosy but spacious enough for the 3 Adults and 2 young children. The location is really good and a short walk into the town and easy to walk to Bowness-on-Windermere too. The cottage had everything we needed and more and weren't expecting things like toiletries and washing up liquid etc. The beds were comfortable and no noise from outside at night time (except fireworks given the time of year). The only downside were the shower over the bath isn't very powerful, but did the job and the shower room off the kitchen was freezing but the shower was very good, you just need to get in it very quick and get dry very fast :-) We also think the rooms could do with a good dust, i guess it gets quite dusty but there was a lot of dust and dog hair under the sofa and on the rug. Having said that the beds and bathrooms were extremely clean. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this cottage to other people.

Thoroughly enjoyed my break in spite of the weather.

There was one good day which allowed me to cruise the full length of Windermere, and find a lovely little café in Ambleside - The Copper Pot which is on a par with Brambles in Windermere itself. At 5' walk from a plethora of eating places and two supermarkets it is ideally placed for DIY holidaymakers. Lack of a Hoover was about the only downside.

it was a lovely cottage, very close to the heart of windermere.

Plenty of space . There was also a welcome basket of jams and drinks which was fantastic.

The accommodation exceeded our expectations and was nicer than the photographs suggested.

Great location and would definitely return - thank you.

Brilliant location and excellent cottage.