Holly Howe Cottage

Aug 11th, 2022

Central location, well equipped though when we arrived, we discovered dirty kitchen cabinets and food encrusted on quite a few plates, bowls, egg holders and cutlery. We cleaned out the cupboards and washed most of the things. Normally I don't mind a bit ofinconveniencebut it was the attitude of the owner that really took the cake. This is the first time I am writing a negative review in more than 30 years of travelling and my 4th visit to the lakes. Every other owner of a holiday-let at the Lakes has been helpful and pleasant except for this one. I paid a deposit in March for a 2-week rental in October-November and signed an agreement which stated that payment was due 6 weeks before arrival. But nothing is said about payments made after that date nor any mention of penalties at all. Two days after the final payment was due i.e. September, I wrote to remind her that the balance was due and to check with her that her bank details were still correct. I then sent her more than two thirds of the rental, equivalent to more than a week's rental. To safely transfer funds, I sent the amounts in portions over two days.But in view of all the bank scams going around, I asked her if I could send her the last bit of money on the first day I arrived at the cottage just to be sure I wasn't being scammed as it was my first time dealing with her. The bank kept prompting me not to transfer funds to strangers too easily which did make me a little worried. She said no nicely at first.Then I wrote to ask if she would reconsider as it was only a small amount. She had seemed willing to be helpful and to negotiate. She even said in an email that she would have reminded me after final payment was due, not before, which clearly shows she is used to accepting late payments. When she refused again, I replied her in an email at 8.30am in the morning that I would send her the money shortly. As I was working, I had planned to send the money that very night, which I promptly did. I had already paid more than two thirds of the full rental at this stage and stood to lose everything were I not to send it. I was really in a more vulnerable position with no bargaining power and was just being cautious. By now, I was quite convinced she was genuine. Imagine my shock and distress when I went into my email account to inform her that I had sent the final balance and saw an email from her telling me she had suspended my two-week booking. I emailed her immediately telling her I had already sent the final payment. From that email onwards, she took her time (like a few days) before replying to my emails, leaving me wondering what would happen to all the money I had sent her, a sum of more than600. More days later, she finally said she would lift the suspension only if I agreed AGAIN to abide by the terms and conditions of the agreement which I had signed. I did this simply because I had no choice. I then consulted a lawyer who told me she had no right whatsoever to suspend my booking as I had already paid in full and there were no stated penalties. Days later, she sent the instructions to the cottage by ordinary post all the way to Singapore. It takes about two weeks for mail to arrive and it was not registered so could be easily lost. By then, I was already preparing to leave for the UK and had no time to wait. Fortunately, I knew a lady holiday-let owner of a cottage called Wych Elm in the Lake District .We had rented it from her 5 years ago and were renting it again for our first week at the Lakes. She mediated on my behalf and I didn't have to deal with the Holly Howe owner anymore. All thanks to Jean Gill of Wych Elm for a wonderful holiday in the Lakes. There are many more beautiful and good cottages at the Lakes which we have stayed in for all three previous visits and all experiences were great except for this particular one. It was not worth the hassle. What a nasty owner.
Oct 12th, 2019

Jun 18th, 2019

Jan 19th, 2019

Holly Howe is a fantastic find of a cottage in Ambleside.....It has its own parking space......a great asset in the Lakes.......a basement....which is a great advantage for drying wet walking gear and boots for the next days exercise up the hills.......a washing machine/dryer /freezer............Wifi....a small...but very very clean and well equipped kitchen, a good family dining room....and a cosy living room...with TV and DVD player... The bedrooms are spacious with plenty of storage and the bathroom is also spacious.... It is within a few minutes walk into the lovely town of Ambleside....albeit down a set of stone steps.....Ambleside itself is a well catered town, central to many of the Lakeland Fells and attractions with many walks possible from the doorstep! However what makes Holly Howe stand out is the care and attention that Jane and Chris give the guests, making one's stay very personal.....We have been coming to Holly How for many years and will continue to do so. It feels so much like our home away from home.....A wonderful place.....
Jan 14th, 2019