Heart of the Lakes Reviews 42

Having stayed in the Coach House Cottage for a few years, I have just been to rebook.
Double the price I paid in 2020!!
All makes sense when you find out they are now owned by the Sykes group. It appears that nearly all the self catering cottages (heart of the lakes and lakelovers) in the Lake District are now under the Sykes control.

Never again.

After over 20 years of excellent holidays with HOTL I feel thoroughly let down by the company due to a misunderstanding in terms and conditions.
Having rebooked our cottage at no extra cost from 2020 to 2021 we were scuppered once more this year by the 2 household rule. We rebooked for 2022 at no extra cost but on this occasion the cost referred to transfer costs not the cottage price. The new cost is more than double the price, we cannot and would not pay the inflated price. I would argue that this was not clear enough on the website and at the time I wasn't able to talk to anyone to discuss my booking. I have followed up on numerous occasions but have been told it is clear in terms and conditions. I subsequently cancelled and now have to wait until rebooked to get my £654 minus £80 cancellation fee back and only then if the cottage is rebooked. Otherwise we have lost it all!
Be warned that you dont fall into the same trap, as HOTL do not do sympathy or acknowledge that a genuine misunderstanding has led to this situation.

We found ourselves in the middle of the pandemic and because we are both over 80 being able to stop on a journey of over 3 hours was essential, but impossible. Request for a refund or even change booking till next year fell on deaf ears and we lost our deposit. We had booked with them twice before and found them friendly but there seems to be a change in management now. Avoid and find another booking agent

I phoned 'Heart of the Lakes' to avoid ever going with SYKES COTTAGES and what do I find??? Its THEM wearing another jacket! The woman said...' well it's part Lakes and part Sykes' Be warned! Avoid. I posted a review of Sykes about a year ago and their predatory attitude toward hanging onto money and profiteering from Covid and I find they've slithered into 'Heart of the Lakes' Be afraid...

I recently booked a stay at a lovely cottage in the Lakes via HeartoftheLakes. The week we have booked (w/c 10th April) straddles the 12th April date when holidays are allowed again per the government guidelines (ie we are not allowed to stay for the first 2 days but can stay for the last 5).

I thought it was pretty logical and reasonable that we would therefore get 2 days pro-rata refunded and then still go on the holiday for the remaining 5 days, but this is not offered by Heart of the Lakes. You can either pay the full price but only get 5 days stay or get a refund.

Its really quite predatory that this is not offered. (If you had booked the week after, you could still expect 7 full days of accommodation for the price paid therefore why are those that booked the week previous expected to pay full price for a partial stay)

I have no doubt this is within the letter of the contract. Its also within the contract that I could cancel 3 days before the stay in which case, the property will probably sit empty for the week.

I wouldn't do that because its not fair or just. It would be nice if HeartoftheLakes as a company took the same approach to dealing with customers.

Just been to check out availability on one of our favourite cottages in the lake district, Cobblestones just outside Ambleside. We normally pay around £500 or so for a week, quite reasonable for a lovely little cottage, however to find it is now around £850 per week leaves a very sour taste in the mouth. Only one excuse greed and profiteering out of the pandemic. Heart of the Lakes should be ashamed, I will not be booking my holiday with them this year or any other year out of principle. I could have my usual 10 days in Majorca with flights and transfers included for around the same money as a week in this tiny cottage . I urge other customers to vote with your feet also.

I travel to the lakes at least 3 times a year with our family and friends, and we typically book with heart of the lakes due to the great selection of dog friendly cottages.
I would like to thank Heart of the lakes for the customer services we received last year during the lockdowns, whereby they offered to move two of our bookings to later dates or offer us full refunds.
We were disappointed not to get our holiday but Heart of the Lakes were always quick to contact us and return our money, unlike other self catering agents who make it difficult to get a refund and deduct Booking fees for lockdown restrictions.
If you are looking for a holiday In the Lake District, I recommend heart of the lakes for honest transparent booking rules with friendly customer service

Have just looked at a cottage which we have booked previously in the lake district for last few years before Covid at a very reasonable price. Cottage was very dated but suited us because we had a dog and we were wanting home from home and to feel comfortable. We have just looked at the cost of the cottage in September. They wanted to charge £869 before adding for a dog. Double approximately to what we have paid previously. Covid strikes? Cheaper to hire a van, stay for no charge at the bottom of a mountain and eat out daily. To be honest I am so upset at the increase in what I can only describe as a mediocre cottage that I will never use this holiday company again.

I booked the Skellwith Force HawksHead in August for my wife and I for 7 nights. Wish I had read the reviews first though.
On early arrival we waited for the cleaning to be completed and was asked to allow an extra hour due to Covid so could not enter till 5pm. Fed up waiting we entered at 4.30 anyway glad we did, on inspection the place was dirty had not been vacuumed or cleaned properly let along to Covid standards.
Kitchen work tops had not been wiped properly cob webs in the kitchen bedroom and bathroom food left on the colander dead insects on the carpet the list was endless it had just not been cleaned to a good standard in our opinion.
We contacted Heart of the Lakes who sent out a cleaner and agreed there was a problem,they refunded our booking fee so we could go for a drink whilst the cleaner made another attempt to clean, after I pointed out to her the state of the place.
It was better when she had gone but was not a good start to our break after a 6 hour drive to get there and wait when we could have gone in hours before.
In summary the accommodation was great big for 2 people over 3 floors central to village and great for walks, kitchen equipment great as was the bed. But cleaning was, I don't think done at all seeing we are in the middle of an epidemic this was truly unacceptable I know this is an old building but it still should be clean for quests. Also kitchens nowadays don't have carpets this was really dirty and stained should be changed for hard cleanable flooring. This place could do with a deep clean!
Will not book with this company again.

I’m staying in a four bedroom property in Stainton, the kitchen was rancid, America style fridge, wasn’t clean, or working. A horrible smell through the property... when I raised it with heart of the lakes, cleaning is not there domain. Gave me the cleaning company number, your on your own regarding cleaning etc., plus outside was disgusting, refuge, obviously left from previous occupants. I will never use them ever as this, was totally unacceptable considering health. Beware full capitals BEWARE. But, there saving grace, is there cleaning contact, who reassures me the cleaning will be upto scratch. I shall update......And I will, I have my one year granddaughter staying ..... I will be resilient in my pursuit of this company. It takes from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm to clean a property. And, then problems????? I’m thinking do I need to name and shame where I’m staying..... cleaners returned, were prompt, and cleaned the kitchen and outside area. Fridge is still faulty.....

Booked Sweden Bank with Heart Of the Lakes. For 4th July 2020, the week all holiday cottages opened, we were told to arrive after 5 so that it could be covid cleaned and inspected. There was no hot water on arrival so why was this not noticed during inspection?
The standard of cleaning was very poor, there was spiders webs with egg sacks everywhere and even dead woodlice and millipedes under the television stand, when we contacted HOTL. Staff refused to visit the property, and one member of staff said we were very fortunate to be on holiday. After seven years of using this company we will now book through other agents. PLEASE AVOID.

Stayed at Beck of Beyond with this company on the 8th August 2020.Covid cleaning I think not.Daughter found blue surgical mask in her room and we found a child's dummy in the double room.Fingerprints around oven controls.Left a review but hey no reply.Staycations all the go,so If I don't go someone else will.

Big thank you to Heart of the Lakes. Initially booked a property for March this year. Cancelled due to Covid 19. At that time, had to amend dates but at same property. However, received an email to say we could have a refund. Used this refund to arrange a different property. Thank you to Lisa for sorting it out. Now looking forward to our holiday in September ( this year ) in a new property we are trying. Know its been a difficult time for all business but HOTL came good.

Do not use this company as the are letting agents suggest you try and find cottages that are singularly owned and book direct. We had a call late Friday evening the day before our booking to say the washing machine had broken but they would send someone to fix it? and we could not get into the property until 5pm due to extra cleaning. Nobody came all week to sort it out and as for the extra cleaning the place was full of cobwebs, clumps of hairs on the carpets, worktops not clean and one kitchen draw was full of sawdust so our holiday started off with us cleaning. Very Very disappointed would never book through these again but have to say the lakes were beautiful.

Further to my previous post I now have a complete refund from my Easter holiday as per CMA advice. Such a shame they have taken this long to do the right thing!

Heart of the Lakes is part of Sykes Cottages groups. Awful experience when our cottage Bield How Ambleside was cancelled over Easter due to lockdown and refunds were not offered.
Do not recommend this company at all and will never book with them again.

The company acts as a Booking agent for private owners but as the recent Covid crises has show, when booking in advance there's no security for the Purchaser if the Holiday Dwelling isn't available for the week actually booked!

The company will not Refund Deposits, instead the purchaser will be offered an alternative booking, should the purchaser not want to accept an alternative the company will then tell the Purchaser to claim the Deposit from their Holiday Insurance provider.

We were caught in this situation and lost our cash in spite of Government rules saying Deposits should be refunded.

Future Holidays will be with reputable Hotels where Booking Cancellations part of their T&Cs.

Do not use this company unless you enjoy throwing your money in a fire.

I was due to travel this week to a cottage under the Heart of the Lakes (HoL)portfolio but obviously with the current pandemic and lockdown rules, plans were put on hold.

I emailed HoL to ask what was happening with the booking as we wouldn't be able to travel and would therefore need to cancel the cottage and have our money repaid to us.

HoL came back to me to say they have been instructed to give me a transfer to another date or a credit note. I refused both (as is my right and as per their Terms and Conditions 16.1.) and said I expected to be repaid fully the money I paid.

HoL remained silent and did not respond until I chased 2 days later.

They emailed me back 3 days later saying I elected for credit (which I did not) and they will refund me to my original payment method (thank god I paid on credit card), and as a Gesture of Goodwill (oh gee wiz, thank you so much....! /s) they will issue my account credit for the commission and fees paid by the property owner for facilitating my booking.

I responded saying I did not accept partial credit and wanted my entire money paid back to me. It's between the property owner and HoL to fight out amongst themselves the payment of the commission and fees. Nowhere is the Terms and Conditions does it state that the customer is responsible for this fee.

Again HoL came back to me to say they would not be issuing me a full refund and that as I refused the credit, they will not be issuing me that either (somehow I am to blame for asking for my own money back?!?!).

Honestly disgusted that a business can just keep your money, while not providing a service - pretty sure that's theft.

If you have also have the displeasure of dealing with this company or any of the Sykes Cottages, please make a complaint to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). They are currently investigating Sykes Cottages for illegally withholding full refunds from customers.

Also if you do make the same dumb mistake as me and book through one of these thieving companies, please use a credit card and make a Section 75 claim. Your credit card protects you and can help you recover your money.

I will never use this company or any of the Sykes brand - please consider booking direct to the property owners for future bookings. I hope this is the future for UK staycations and this shady businesses are no more.

DO NOT USE THIS SCAM COMPANY.

Guided by greed and profiteering during a global pandemic.

This company, which is owned by Sykes Cottages, has illegal terms and conditions which breach U.K. consumer law and are subject to an investigation into the holiday rental property sector by the U.K. government's Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA). In order to obtain a refund of the cost of our holiday property in the central Lake District in April 2020, we had to threaten them with legal action. We also wrote to three Members of Parliament with constituencies in the Lake District and Cumbria (Dr Neil Hudson, Tim Farron and Trudy Harrison) about the situation. They eventually recovered the property owner's 75% and refunded that to us but kept their 25% fee "for services rendered"! when in fact they had not rendered any services to either the property owner, or to us. This is FRAUD, pure and simple. We had previously booked with them for many years. We will not be doing so ever again and will take our business to Cottages.com instead which I urge everybody else (and property owners) to do. Cottages.com have engaged positively with us regarding our summer holiday property in Cornwall and reduced their period by which the balance is due in advance from ten weeks to five weeks while the government reviews the Covid-19 lockdown period.