The Curious Orange Lake Lovers Cottage Review

I was super lucky to be offered a 3 night stay at a cottage in the Lake District, courtesy of Lake Lovers. We stayed at ‘The Curious Orange‘ in the hamlet of Troutbeck (in the southern area of the Lakes). It is a cottage for two, so Mr U and I had a brilliant long weekend break, child-free, thanks to my wonderful parents. We had such a relaxing time! I will post more about what we got up to later as I think the cottage deserves a post all of its own.

First Impressions

• The cottage is on quite a narrow road (but then again, most of the Lake District is). The directions we were given said that there is a narrow driveway, which we were obviously expecting but what we didn’t know was just how steep it was. It did prove a little awkward to get in and out of (we do have a rear wheel drive BMW 3 series, so it wasn’t the most practical car for it, to be fair). If you have a 4×4 or a smaller car (particularly one with a small front end), you wouldn’t find it a problem. Not the end of the world but something to bear in mind.
• The cottage welcomes pets so we were welcomed by the smell of dogs. We don’t have pets so it was really obvious to us. We just bought an air freshener though and that was that. If you have dogs that probably isn’t an issue for you as you might be use to it? I think some scented candles in the cottage might be a nice touch though.
• The whole cottage and appliances were sparkling clean when we arrived – really impressed.
• I loved the décor of the cottage – really modern and funky, particularly loved the bathroom and kitchen, It still has a snugly feel with big cosy sofa and wood burner.
• There are so many lovely little touches in the cottage – cute lights, lamps and rugs, stunning wall art and the original beams and some brickwork. As well as wifi – a must!

The kitchen had everything you need, including dishwasher and washing machine, with dishwasher tablets included – such a nice touch. I sometimes find in self-catering accommodation that the appliances and equipment aren’t the best and sometimes the pans and plates etc can be all a bit mismatched – this was definitely not the case! The kitchen was really modern and stylish and I was so impressed at the design. I was amazed at how much can fit into such a small place. One thing to note though is that the cutlery is in a drawer, within a drawer. It took us both a few minutes to figure it out haha.

The bathroom was lovely and modern using black slate. The lighting was really cool, however we couldn’t get all of the lighting to work – there are some ‘starry’ small lights as well as the larger ones. The shower is a ‘monsoon’ type and it was lovely. As well as a waterfall tap for the bath. So modern and funky.

The bedroom was lovely, really liked the super-king size bed that was really comfy. The low hanging lamps were a really nice feature too. Though the colour scheme wouldn’t be one that I would choose for my own home, I think it looks really good. All of the decoration is really lovely. The dressing room was a really nice space. Great to have luggage all in a separate room and liked the touches of an ironing board, iron, hairdryer and dressing table all in that room.

The location of the cottage is fantastic. There are some really stunning views from the property (when it isn’t foggy) and it is a short walk to a local pub and restaurants. It is only 4 or so miles from both Ambleside and Windemere and there is plenty to see and do in those areas. Lake Lovers text a couple of times to check how things were going and left numbers to call if there were any issues. I was pleased with their attention to detail and care. I also liked how there is a key ‘safe’ outside and they text you a code the day before so you can get the key, and also use the same code to return your key after the stay. I think this is a great idea so you can arrive at your leisure and not have to worry about meeting someone for a certain time.

Overall, I was really impressed with the cottage and really pleased with our stay. I would definitely choose Lake Lovers in the future, though if we were bringing the children we would choose a different cottage as children aren’t allowed in this one. If there are just two of you though, I would recommend this cottage to you – we had a lovely stay!

Rebecca x

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*the cottage stay was offered in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.