Ferndene Guest House Keswick
Stayed May 2013
I decided to treat my wife with an extra special stay in the Lake District for our anniversary and while looking on the web I came across this lovely guest house, which had excellent reviews and beautiful looking rooms. I decided to search the name (no website link on the other websites I had found it on) and I found their official website and after a look on their website I decided it looked the perfect place for us, so I gave them a call. Christine was very helpful and friendly and after I discussed what I was looking for, she gave me a discount for a forth night, which she couldn't have done if I had booked via the other website (due to fees they have to pay), so I'm so glad I rang her, otherwise I would have only booked three nights, sometimes it's worth speaking to the owners direct first.
Upon arrival we were met by Richard, who was very friendly, he showed us to our room and after a quick explanation of the simple registration and breakfast forms, left us to settle in, (he did offer to give us some info on Keswick, but we told him we had been a few times now) and told us to give him a shout if we needed anything or had any questions.
I decided to treat my wife with an extra special stay in the Lake District for our anniversary and while looking on the web I came across this lovely guest house, which had excellent reviews and beautiful looking rooms. I decided to search the name (no website link on the other websites I had found it on) and I found their official website and after a look on their website I decided it looked the perfect place for us, so I gave them a call. Christine was very helpful and friendly and after I discussed what I was looking for, she gave me a discount for a forth night, which she couldn't have done if I had booked via the other website (due to fees they have to pay), so I'm so glad I rang her, otherwise I would have only booked three nights, sometimes it's worth speaking to the owners direct first.
Upon arrival we were met by Richard, who was very friendly, he showed us to our room and after a quick explanation of the simple registration and breakfast forms, left us to settle in, (he did offer to give us some info on Keswick, but we told him we had been a few times now) and told us to give him a shout if we needed anything or had any questions.
I had picked a superior king size room (room 5), as I wanted an extra special room and I had also seen it was an L shape room, meaning there is an extra little seating area. It was absolutely beautiful! And most importantly, My wife loved it!
As stated above, the shape provided a space for seating, (which I used a lot, much nicer than sitting on the bed) and a really deep wardrobe, which was perfect to keep our bags hidden away instead of usually being on view dumped in a corner. There is two windows looking out over the churchyard, which meant a lovely green view and no overlooking houses, there is also a kettle (very important!), with plenty of tea, coffee and milk.
The bathroom was a decent size (bigger than we have), with an electric shower, if I’m being really picky, it's not as powerful as our mixer shower at home, but I didn't expect that from an electric shower and it was perfectly fine and a lovely temperature.
There is a simple form to fill in for cooked breakfast, which needs to be completed each day before 7pm, not a problem and totally understandable. The choice was perfect, sausage, mushrooms, eggs, etc everything you would get at a Premier Inn, but better quality and actually hot, there was also cereal, fresh orange, tea etc and it all felt very personal. The breakfast time seemed narrow at first (8:30-9) and I know not everyone will be happy with that, but it meant it was a very organised and efficient service and personally we wouldn't have slept in past 8 anyway.
They have five parking spaces at the rear and it can be tight, especially if you have a big estate like I do, however knowing the parking situation before we went, we actually took my wife's Focus instead and it is the same at most guest houses in the area and you can also park on the roadside 'round the front if there is space. Richard and Christine have a simple system of checking who needs to be in or out at breakfast, just don't leave your car blocking anyone in, without checking if they will need to get out before you return.
In summary, the location is perfect, Keswick is a beautiful place town and it's literally a two minute walk from the guest house into town, so we could also leave the car and walk into Keswick for tea on an evening, the rooms are all beautiful, Richard and Christine are very friendly and helpful, why wouldn't we want to return!
We asked Christine if she minded us having a look at the other rooms, so the below slideshows contains some pictures taken from the other rooms, as you can see they all have the same high standard of decor.
The pictures in the below slideshow are taken from The Suite, which is at the top of the house, with great views and with separate room to sit and read or watch TV it's got a great self contained feel about it.