Craglands Guest House

I have written just over 100 reviews on this site, and in that time have very very rarely logged a 1* , however this experience was awful. Please read if you are considering booking here. I booked to stay through a popular website (not this one). Then noticed the payment appearing twice on my bank account. Rang and politely asked about this. What followed was scarcely believable. "You're talking b****s" was said to me within the first 30 seconds. He continued to rant and swear at me, I continued to talk in a normal conversational tone throughout. "You've got two options" he continued after a bit "do nothing or cancel" I asked him why he was speaking to me like this (this prompted a suggestion from him that I should search f**ng Google to sort out my query) In response to his option of cancelling I said that a couple of minutes earlier I had absolutely no intention of cancelling, but would now like to given how he was speaking. "Can I do that?" I asked. "Do whatever the f* you like" was the reply and he hung up. Following that call it turned out we couldn't cancel without the guesthouse approving it, which of course they didn't (they didn't even respond to my communication after that). We lost a significant amount of money by then choosing not to stay, but it was an easy decision to make. There was no way we were going there after that. I really would recommend not staying here. But if you are considering it then at very least do your research. I don't write a bad review lightly, but this experience was notably awful and completely unprofessional.

Excellently located with a 10 mins walk to the town centre where there are great bars, restaurants, take away and shops including shops for mountain walking. Eldon was great on arrival and explained everything and was there to assist us with any questions. Breakfast was great and rooms were cleans and well laid out. Highly recommended and a brilliant host. 😃👍 Phil Luke & Cal The mountaineers

Things started badly at Craglands when we arrived and found the front door locked with a sign saying if we hadn’t advised ETA we may have to wait an hour for the room to be made up. We telephoned Eldon and he said he had emailed us requesting our ETA.. we had been driving all day so I thought I must have missed it, but no.. it had been sent 3 months earlier! We let ourselves in with his instructions to a dark hallway. On the desk were numerous laminated notices giving various orders… so many orders: where to leave car keys, how to order breakfast, the need to checkout on time because cleaners had been upset etc! At first we found this all very funny it was so bad, then became annoyed.. where was the hospitality? We found our room ourselves, a small twin with not enough room to fit our suitcases and garishly fitted out. Breakfast was OK, mainly self-serve with hot options cooked by Eldon. When we went to checkout Eldon demanded cash despite having taken credit card details with the booking. This was the first time I had heard this was expected.. and meant us going out in the rain to find a working ATM. We were incredibly happy to leave. One of the worst places I’ve ever stayed.

Let down. I came here years ago and it was lovely. New owner insisted on an ETA, wanted to know my plans to arrange parking, insisted I leave my key somewhere if needed, said I had to pay cash, had to say if I wanted more than 1 sausage or 1 bacon… just intense … it just wasn’t a nice feeling. Breakfast was poor. Frozen bread I had to toast, cold bacon, defrosted fruit … old sauces and cereal. I couldn’t stomach it the last day and left early. Room was tired, different colour walls (!) and old fashioned. Beds were clean. Told room would be ‘serviced’ but only emptied the bin and our biscuits were out of date. It cost me £330 for 3 nights… I will never be back. Keswick is beautiful, this is not.

Eldon is rude & lazy. He's scolding people if people is not following his rules. I stayed in his place for more than 5 nigths, he didn't cleaned up the room until the last night we stayed. He didn't change towels until i remind him before last night. He's so rude as he found that shared toilet are not as clean as he expected. Due to serious hygiene issues, therea are buds inside bed. We fond that skin start itchy as wearing the clothes after few days staying. Its most terrible place we stay and we won't come back again.

I would like to thank Eldon for his Hospitality, The room was very comfortable and cozy and kept us warm. The breakfast was lovely, one of the best English breakfast we've tried. We enjoyed it all and the view from the room and the breakfast area was 'wow'. Love how the place is kept, so clean and tidy. Thank you for making our holiday a memorable one. Eldon has been so helpful, provided us with all the relevant info about the area, taxi numbers, weather reports, and also provided us with an umbrella on a rainy day, and he got loads of books and puzzles too. Also, Lake District has got so much to offer, it has my heart and I would love to return. I recommend Craglands as it is located in the heart of Keswick, not too far from the market town, 10-15 mins walk to Derwent water & few minutes away from the beautiful Castlerigg. Also, easy access to public transport.