Furness Peninsula Self Catering cottage, Bluebell Cottage, Ulverston, sleeps 4

You might want a hot brew to read this lengthy review
We stayed at Bluebell for 5nights over Christmas with our 1 year old daughter. Our very first impressions of Bluebell Cottage were good ones. It had a cosy/romantic feel to it. Things changed quickly though, on our first night we had problems with the heating, we couldn't get it working at all so our first night (xmas eve) was a very chilly one. There was also no logs or kindling supplied for the log burner like it says there will be. We tried making contact with the owners and had no luck! It was a very unpleasant and cold first night to say the least. The heating finally kicked in the next morning so atleast we warmed up....but then it went to the other extreme and we were peft absolutely melting! We managed to enjoy a couple of days over Christmas and then on our 3rd day we woke up to all the electrics tripped, we tried to contact all 3 contact numbers left at the property for 'in case of a problem' - we rang each number, whatsapped and text messaged each number with not a single answer nor response. The whatsapp message was clearly read on one number because they accidently left a voice note (of background noise) but still failed to respond to our message. After giving them some time to respond we got in touch with Sykes and they got in touch with the owner on our behalf. Sykes told us the owner had said they would send out an electrician and that the problem we were experiencing is a common problem (which means they have failed to rectify a reoccuring issue) because the hot tub trips the electrics if it gets wet.... which led us to believe the hot tub is not safe! We hadn't used the hot tub prior to this problem and then felt unable to be safe whilst doing so. There is also a cctv camera pointing straight at the hot tub - this is not disclosed anywhere prior to booking or within the 'welcome pack'. On the back door there is a notice with 'rules' of the hot tub on, not a single mention of the camera being there. This made us feel extremely uncomfortable, like we were being spied on. The hot tub was also poorly maintained... only on day 5 of our stay was it dipped/ph levels tested. The points above were big problems during our stay. There were a few niggly things too - no scissors, only one frying pan, no hairdryer, photos of property need updating as theres a new sofa to those shown, no antibacterial spray, fridge/freezer not cold enough, no fire starter pack when we arrived like it said there would be, property dusty, bathrooms/ensuites are really smelly, heating has mind of it's own and the layout is a bit confusing (bin where fridge should have been etc). Very disappointing stay and terrible owners that clearly don't give a flying poo about their guests enjoying their holiday. Unfortunately, we would highly recommend others due to stay here to cancel for a full refund and go somewhere else. We had looked forward to this stay all year and it's been a complete flop. We paid over £800 for our stay and feel absolutely ripped off. We spent 2 days of our 5 night break trying to sort problems out! Not the relaxing break we had been looking forward to all year! We booked through Sykes and they literally couldn't care less about their customers. They run to the owners and believe anything they say! The owners have told Sykes there are notices in the property of cctv - there isn't and I have video evidence of the whole property to prove this. I would avoid booking anything though them because they don't want to know when there is a problem.
immi-orla
2022-12-29

Fantastic
We have just returned from a lovely week in Bluebell cottage. The cottage was clean and really well equipped. Hot tub was fantastic in a private garden. The upstairs is definitely the 'wow' part of the cottage offering lovely quiet, relaxing, luxurious space, the photos on the website hadn't shown off quite how airy and spacious the rooms are. The bed is definitely the most comfortable I have ever slept in which is unusual for holiday accommodation. The views from the bedrooms are fantastic, we loved waking up to the horses, cows, corn field, sea, it was perfect. The only negatives for us was the adjoining door to next doors cottage downstairs, luckily the family next door were quiet but could hear general conversation, the television and also smell food that they were cooking. It just made us paranoid about disturbing them too. The water temperature could do with turning up a little to be able to enjoy the luxurious baths, this wasn't a big enough issue to be bothering anyone with though and would definitely not prevent us visiting this beautiful accommodation again. The setting is perfect, only a few minutes into Barrow or to Ulverston, we discovered Walney close by which was perfect for the children, lots of open space with large play area. An all round lovely place to be!
Dysonml
2021-08-20

Fabulous short break - stunning views
We decided on a short getaway, absolutely gorgeous cottage, the decor and facilities so good. We loved the bedrooms so much daughter and I had to toss a coin on which one we got. Seriously lovely great location, stunning views, but if luxury with hot tub. Will be booking again. Loved it thank you.
Freedom467460
2020-08-24

Mrs
On arrival at the cottage it was clear that it had not been cleaned since the last occupants. There were dirty towels in both rooms, smears on the showers and sinks in both bathrooms and the bed sheets were also stained. There was also left over food in the microwave. The owners confirmed they were not expecting anyone till 4 days later which led us to believe the cottage had been double booked as we had booked for 7nights - at this point the cleaners were booked to arrive the following morning and we were offered vouchers for a later date so we did not cause a fuss. On the third day we attempted to use the hot tub which was in a very bad state. The handles on the lid were torn and the lid itself looked as if it was broken in places. We decided to avoid using it and to speak to the owners however the lid got jammed between the hot tub and the wall and despite our best efforts we could not pull it out. In the end we had to wait over an hour for someone to come to force the lid out, which required someone jumping on the lid to force it to move. This caused it to break apart even more and resulted in the hot tub water becoming cluttered with foam and dirt from the lid. We were reasured that someone will come to drain and restore the tub with a new lid the following day, but this did not happen. We then had to leave a day early due to circumstances at home, the owners promised a 50% refund due to the poor experience we had during our stay. It is now 2 months down the line and we have yet to receive the refund despite trying to chase this with the owners who are now not resonding to messages. The cottage itself is beautiful and is perfectly located and with the option to connect the linked cottages it was ideal for a larger family visit. Unfortunately due to the poor service we will not be visiting any of these cottages again.
asmahuss87
2020-05-04

A big thank you for a wonderful family holiday
We have had a wonderful time staying at Bluebell Cottage. Perfect place to explore The Lakes together with the contrast of being by the coast. The cottage was perfect....comfy sofas, such comfy beds and baths with a view! Looking at the odd review about noise levels, the cottage is not remote and is part of a group of 4 cottages and so our expectations were that we would have neighbours for the week. All 4 cottages were occupied for the week we stayed and we can say that having neighbours did not impact on our enjoyment of the cottage at all! The hot-tub was an added bonus too! Cottage was warm, cosy, had everything you needed and much more. We shall be coming back for sure! Thank You! The Rob-Moggs xx
Torlarm
2018-11-04