“Overall, we had a lovely week in Loubi’s Lodge and have a lot of good things to say about it but there are numerous issues that the owners need to be aware of.”
This is meant as genuine and honest feedback because this has previously been a 5-star property, but we can’t give it 5 stars on this occasion.
First impressions are very important and that is why we selected this property from the Sykes app. However, on arrival, our initial impression was one of shock and disappointment. In what we thought (from the listing's photos) was a beautiful and relaxing sitting area, we were greeted with an enormous pile of outdoor cushions sticking up haphazardly over the back of the sofa, and a child's highchair and clothes dryer lying higgledy-piggledy between the sofa and the back of the kitchen units. It looked, quite frankly, like a dumping ground. We were instantly deflated.
We had booked this lodge for a week's relaxation and invited two friends to join us for a couple of nights. From the pictures, we knew they would be staying in two single beds but we were embarrassed to find cot sides on both of them, which we definitely were not aware of. There were maybe 50-100 kiddies’ stickers all over the wardrobes. Clearly a childrens room. This is not what adults want. Having re-looked at the listing, there is no indication that this is what we would find. We moved the highchair and the clothes horse into the wardrobe in the second bedroom which obviously then impacted the space available to the occupants of the room.
Previous reviews have highlighted the difficulties with closing the very long curtain across the picture window. We also found this. On the first night, I had to ask my husband to pull it shut and initially he couldn't do it either because several of the curtain hooks were hanging down. I am guessing that previous guests may have pulled them down accidentally whilst struggling with the problem of closure. Every night, it was a case of carefully having to lift the rings over the brackets in order not to damage anything. Not brilliant.
I enjoyed cooking in the kitchen though it took some time to find the manuals for the cookers and microwave. It would have been great if the welcome pack had highlighted where they were, rather than us having to rifle through every drawer and cupboard. Likewise, we could not find a hairdryer which we eventually located in a drawer in the childrens room - not really where we would expect to find it.
We had to call the maintenance woman because the ensuite bathroom sink would not retain water. We were impressed with the speed of her response, although the problem didn't actually get resolved while we were still there. Our fault for not reporting it earlier.
The bed in the main bedroom was not that comfortable due to lumps and dips in the mattress and the enormously high pillows. I noticed that this also has been commented on in previous reviews. Once our friends had departed, we swapped the pillows over for those in the childrens room and thankfully, that improved the night’s sleep. It might be worth investing in a new mattress and/or offering an alternative pillow, as you would get in a hotel or Airbnb. A week is a long time and when you are paying top notch for something so you want to be assured of comfort.
Despite all this, we would love to come back to Loubi's Lodge in the future because of all its good points. It is on a fantastic location on the park itself and is 5 minutes’ walk from Bowness. The decor was pleasing, kitchen facilities very good indeed and there were some lovely touches throughout. One snag though - I am under 5ft tall so couldn't actually reach the kitchen cupboards where the mugs and glasses were. A little step stool would have been appreciated. Hopefully the issues we’ve raised can be addressed.
Dear Guest,
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave such detailed and thoughtful feedback following your stay at Loubi’s Lakeside Lodge.
Firstly, we’re very pleased to hear that, overall, you had a lovely week and that you enjoyed the lodge’s fantastic location, décor, kitchen facilities, and proximity to Bowness. It’s also lovely to hear you would consider returning in the future, which genuinely means a great deal to us.
We do, however, sincerely apologise that your first impressions on arrival were disappointing. The outdoor cushions, highchair, and clothes dryer should certainly not have been left presented in that way, and we completely understand how this affected the initial feel of the lodge. This has been raised directly with our housekeeping team to ensure much greater attention is paid to presentation moving forward.
The cushions do stay behind the sofa, this is the location they are kept at this lodge, but should be tidy behind the sofa. The highchair is also always on show, as people with children need the use. With it being a lodge/caravan their is no where else for the items to go.
Thank you as well for highlighting the curtain issue. We are aware this has been mentioned previously and appreciate your patience. We will now be arranging for this to be properly addressed, including the damaged hooks and smoother operation across the full window span.
We’re pleased our maintenance contact responded quickly regarding the sink issue, although we are sorry it was not fully resolved during your stay. We will ensure this is followed up properly.
With regard to the mattress and pillows, we do appreciate that comfort preferences can vary greatly from guest to guest, and unfortunately it is difficult for us to accommodate every individual preference regarding mattress firmness or pillow style. For guests with very specific requirements, we would therefore recommend bringing their own preferred pillow if desired. We do, however, regularly update our bedding, linen, cushions, and duvets annually, and these have all very recently been replaced and refreshed.
The mattress itself is actually a high-quality premium mattress, with one side designed to feel medium-firm and the other softer. As you face the bed, the right-hand side is the softer side, while the left-hand side is firmer, which is our own preference as owners. We do appreciate this may feel different from what some guests are used to at home, but perhaps trying the opposite side of the bed on a future visit may provide a more comfortable sleep experience.
We also appreciate the smaller practical suggestions you mentioned, including clearer information for appliance manuals, the location of the hairdryer, and the idea of providing a small step stool for easier kitchen access. These are all genuinely useful observations that help us improve the guest experience.
Thank you again for your honest and constructive feedback. We truly value guests taking the time to share detailed experiences in such a fair and thoughtful way, and we very much hope to welcome you back to Loubi’s Lakeside Lodge again in the future.
Warm regards,
Loubis Lodge
Property Owner
