The Burnside Park Owners Club

I had a terrible stay here in Windermere. The room photos in the listing showed a balcony, but I was given a room without one. The manager said he didn’t know the hotel was being advertised with incorrect details, which is hard to understand when he’s responsible for the place. The bed was advertised as king or super king, but it was a broken double. One of us ended up sleeping on the floor. There was nobody at reception when I arrived and no check-in instructions, so I had to make an international call to find out how to get in. Complaining didn’t lead to anything being done, and staff seemed to disappear after 4 pm, with no service after that. The toilet flush was broken too, so we had to put up with a dirty toilet for a day.

Hapimag Burnside Park is in a great spot, near the amenities and lakeside. It’s a lovely area for walking the dog.

Another nice stay at Hapimag, with a great cottage in a great location. The electricity seemed expensive. Check-in was handled by a really nice gentleman, but the woman at checkout was cold and unpleasant. She was dismissive when I reported two things that needed attention before the next visitors arrived. It took some shine off what had been a really good trip.

The apartment was clean, tidy and well equipped, but there’s no view at all. You now pay separately for electricity, without being given meter readings or the per-unit price, and bringing a dog costs another £50. There’s also a £150 indemnity deposit on arrival in case anything breaks. This is a timeshare resort, now owned and run by Hapimag. The yearly maintenance charge keeps going up and is now about £500 for a small apartment for one week. Access to the adjoining hotel’s spa has also gone, even though that was a major reason for buying into the scheme. Nobody seems to want these cottages, and you can’t even give one away. Handing back your week costs three times the annual maintenance fee. It used to be a friendly, pleasant resort under the old management. It doesn’t feel that way now. Expensive.