Name: Tissington Cottage
Address: Jaggers Lane Darwin Lake,Jaggers Lane, Matlock, Matlock, Matlock, DE4 5LH, United Kingdom
Rating: 7

Location

Crown Square

Hall Leys Park

Matlock Parks Country Park

Life in a Lens Museum of Photography & Old Times

East Midlands Airport

Doncaster Sheffield Airport

Manchester Airport

Whitworth Art Gallery

Etihad Stadium

Manchester Museum

Manchester Conference Centre

Manchester Palace Theatre

Piccadilly Gardens

Manchester Art Gallery

Manchester Central Library

Arndale Centre

Manchester Central

Albert Square

Royal Exchange Theatre

Exchange Square

National Football Museum

Manchester Opera House

Museum of Science and Industry

Manchester Cathedral

People's History Museum

Manchester United Museum

Old Trafford

Tissington Cottage

Matlock

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

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18-beds

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2-beds

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4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

We stayed for a week over the new year as a group of 5 families each in a separate cottage. We have done trips like this for nearly 25 years so we have experience of other accommodation. We can honestly say this was the worse value for money and most poorly maintained properties we have ever stayed in. The owners need to really spend money to get things to a decent standard including reliable hot water and fully functional bathrooms, decent mattresses bedding and towels, fully operating kitchen equipment etc

On a positive note the cottages are in a good location for exploring the Peak District. The on-site staff when we arrived were friendly and helpful. The site had been recently flooded and so two cottages were changed a few weeks before our visit and we were grateful for this. The place has potential so I hope they make the changes.

Good location but really poor value for money

We had our wedding at Darwin Lake and we had the most fabulous time but unfortunately the management of the establishment only cares about money. 

We hired a dry hire venue they didn't tell us they had built a bar and wanted to charge us to use it. We found this out 2 weeks before the wedding from the person we had hired staff and a bar from. Considering we hired the whole venue for the weekend with no additional costs they wanted more moneh to us it and even kept on repeatedly saying that not only we should pay for that bar but that we should use their staff and theh should stock the bar! They repeatedly denied out requests to speak to management directly about the issue. 

We have eventually had an apology from them because I asked for it. It's a shame because there are some fabulous staff there but management are nothing buy greedy and uncooperative. Once pretending not to be in the office when they had not put the call on hold. 

Really hope management learns from what they did to us but my feeling is they won't. 

Such as shame as they place is beautiful and Tony (if still there) saved the experience for us. 

Misguiding information from the start. I knew when I met them that I wanted them to have nothing to do with the organisation of our wedding but they still managed to find a way to ruin our experience

I would avoid this place and am sad I will never visit the place I got married again. 

Ruined the run up to our wedding 

Where do I start, we arrived for our works Christmas do, to find we were in a marquee and had to walk down wet and muddy paths that were very badly lit. Once inside I looked to the left of the door and saw dishes and plates of food piled up on top on one another unconverted, we found our table, the queue to the bar was ridiculous, there were 2 girls working on the bar that clearly had not had proper training and were struggling, they were falling over each other and over boxes of plastic glasses. 15 mins later I managed to get to the bar to order my drinks, this is when I noticed that, extension cables were plugged into extension cables!  I paid for my drinks and went back to the table, we were frozen solid, there were heaters, but these were on one side so if you were on that side you were roasting, the opposite side you were cold.

The staff started to serve our starters, oh dear, it was cold, we were supposed to have had artisan bread, what we actually got was an uncut loaf, bread board and bread knife to cut our own. Is this really acceptable in the aftermath of Covid?

Onto the mains, well the food was not as advertised, we were supposed to have had goose fat roasted potatoes and maple glazed carrots, we got plain burnt roasts and plain carrots, the only warm thing about the meal was the gravy, even the plates were cold.  I complained to the lady in charge who took away our meals and brought a replacement. This took an absolute age, again on the only thing that was anywhere near warm was the gravy. We left our meals and waited for the desert, which was brownie with Chantilly cream and raspberry compote, what we actually got was brownie, with some popcorn thrown at it, a candy cane stuck on the top and a chocolate wafer, the cream was pouring cream from a jug that had been sat out on the table long enough to form a skin, not good at all. My self and my daughter left there and then.

We had to sit in our coats and eat our meal and drink out of plastic glasses.

The pleasure of this cost us £39.95, we were offered complimentary drinks which we refused as we were leaving. I have been offered a full refund, but my daughter who had everything I had and the rest of the party have only been offered £5 refund. This really is not acceptable

Please avoid!

Appalling Winter Wonderland

I'm not usually one to write a review, but I felt it was needed in this case. 

We had arranged to go to Darwin Lake for our Christmas works night out. We sent in our pre-order and paid our amount, which was £40pp, approx 6 weeks before the day. Apparently there had been some flooding so we could not eat in the original venue (we had not been told about this beforehand, we found out when we turned up on the night). They had put a marquee up for us to eat in, but to get to it you had to walk across a very muddy path, and many of us had to throw away our shoes afterwards (wellies would have been more appropriate!)  Cars were getting stuck trying to get in and out, and a few had to be towed out. They had a heater in the tent, but it was either boiling hot when it was on or freezing cold when they turned it off. To use the toilet you had to go to one of the holiday cottages (walking across the mud again to get to it!), and it was a few mins walk away, so not close by. On arrival their card machine or payment system wasn't working, so we had to wait 15-20 minutes for drinks. 

And then the food.. 

The starter was fine, very mediocre and nothing special. I had ordered slow cooked lamb for main, and after everyone had received their mains I was told they hadn't cooked enough lamb (they'd had the pre-order for about 2 months), so they would cook it up quickly for me (so much for slow cooked!). I waited approx 40 minutes, by which time everyone else had finished eating and they had started clearing away plates. When it arrived it was absolutely stone cold, so I didn't bother eating it! For pudding I had a brownie, which wasn't warmed and was quite stale. A few colleagues had gone to the toilet before desserts arrived, and by the time they got back they had cleared away their puddings, so we had to request for them to be brought back!

The disco was fine but was supposed to finish at 12, and they turned off all the music at 11pm. Everyone had arranged lifts for 11, so we had to try and ring round and find transport home. 

A colleague rang up to complain after the night, and they refunded us £5 each, which to be honest is a joke. I paid £35 for some pate and half a stale brownie. 

All in all, just a real shambles, and I definitely wouldn't recommend at all. Avoid at all costs!

Christmas Work's Night Out Disaster! 

Angelica, Hannah and team. What a wonderful week we’ve had, largely thanks to you all THANK YOU!! Fantastic weather, beautiful grounds, fantastic food and drink ! Thank you all again!! September 2023. 

Wonderful Week

Beautiful place and the host was absolutely amazing 5 STARS* thanks again!! We will be back and hope to see more of the area and spend time around the fantastic lake and woodland areas, bbq and use the fantastic fire pit 

Fantastic Place !!

Food
Having gathered feedback from the team members who attended the event, over 80% of attendees gave the food a rating of 2 out of 5 or lower (with 1 being poor and 2 being below average). There were packages of raw meat left at room temperature in the kitchen for hours on end, so much so I did warn the team against eating any dishes containing chicken. The food was very poorly labelled on the buffet with last minute handwritten pieces of paper to highlight dishes suitable for certain dietary requirements.
Cleanliness
The level of cleanliness throughout the venue was substandard to say the least. We were sent a message as and when each cottage had been cleaned and checked; upon inspecting the cottages ahead of handing out the keys to our colleagues, it was surprising to know that some of them had even been touched by a housekeeper, never mind checked by a manager. Entrance mats were littered with leaves and mud, carpets hadn’t been hoovered with visible crumbs, dog hair and balls of human hair in one instance. There were crumbs on the counter tops, poorly made beds, blinds hanging off the windows and even a pistachio nut on the lounge floor of Dovedale. Upon complaining about the cleanliness of the houses, the housekeepers were sent back around with additional managerial checks made - whilst we appreciated this additional step, it shouldn’t have ever been required in the first place. This also meant that the Cottages were not all complete and ready for check in by 4pm which we were assured (multiple times) would be the case. 
I question how on earth this resort gained a 4 star status? Some cottages were reminiscent of budget student accommodation at best. 
Cottage Facilities
In general the facilities were good however, there was no hot water in Beeley cottage on Saturday and Sunday which meant the occupants had to shower in neighbouring cottages. One of the showers in Dovedale wouldn’t drain quickly enough which led to the shower tray filling and overspilling onto the bathroom floor. The freezer door was also wide open and beeping with a temperature warning when checking in to Dovedale and a new washing machine was delivered and fitted during our stay in the Hardwick House - with no prior warning and very little apology.  
Entertainment 
Due to a neighbour complaint and a subsequent phone call from one of the Directors, the staff had to abruptly shut down our outdoor entertainment just after 9pm, despite being told we were able to enjoy outdoor entertainment until 10pm. The band had travelled for an hour and a half to join us and we were only able to enjoy just over half the set we’d paid £500 for - leaving a considerable gap in our itinerary. Our Commercial Director, a guest at the event, was then called into a room with the Event Manager amongst other members of the Darwin Team; their Director proceeded to then (very unprofessionally) shout at the Event Manager down the phone to the extent whereby she ended up in tears, with complete disregard of our Commercial Director being present. The situation was handled incredibly poorly with no solutions offered. 
Staff
The venue was clearly under staffed throughout the weekend, with the same few team members working day and night from Thursday through to Sunday. They were clearly very over stretched, which limited their availability and the level of attention to detail really suffered. One team member was a Housekeeping Manager, Bar Manager and Maintenance Manager in the space of a day. We could tell they were trying their best for the most part however, in comparison to the amount we’d paid they simply weren’t able to deliver to the standard expected, and sadly they weren’t very good at managing expectations which led to a lot of unnecessary frustration. This put a lot of extra strain on our event organisers and made it near impossible for us to relax or enjoy the weekend we’d spent months planning and organising. It would be wrong for us not to mention Sonia on the bar as she genuinely went above and beyond to keep the team happy and hydrated, there was a curly haired lady from an agency there too who was very attentive.  
Despite sharing the above feedback 29.08, all we have received is an acknowledgement email and either that was as a result of chasing them. We would not look to return and would strongly encourage anyone who is interested in staying at Darwin to have a good read through the reviews beforehand. 


Cleanliness throughout the venue was substandard, food was below average and the venue was clearly understaffed.

Just returned from a fabulous few days away at Darwin Lake Holiday Village. The cottages were clean and well equipped and the staff were extremely helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Would definitely return. 

Wonderful trip

We booked the Haddon property at Darwin Lake via Sykes Cottages website as a Birthday treat for my mother-in-law. We were drawn to it being a 4 tick accommodation meaning (Excellent standard throughout) on the Sykes website and the lovely photos.  When we arrived (Friday) every room had live wasps in them!!  We found a gap in the wall near the gutter where the wasps seemed to be entering. We went to the reception and after some searching the event manager found some wasp spray and came to the property and sprayed the bathroom extractor vents with the spray and told us to leave them running all the time to keep the wasps out!  He said he couldn’t access where the wasps were entering until the maintenance came back on Monday as they had locked the ladders away!  When kept the bathroom doors closed but every time we went in there were wasps buzzing around the bathroom and escaping into the bedrooms. They left us the spray but it was very uncomfortable having to check everywhere for wasps. My husband was stung on Friday night (lucky that none of us suffer from allergic reactions to wasps - the management never bothered to ask us about that!). Moreover, they didn’t bother checking back with us if things were ok over the weekend.   Turning now to the accommodation, it is well worn and in need of renovation and some deep cleaning.   There were missing bits from the shower rail and a broken panel.  The hand rail on the stairs was filthy and the paintwork is scuffed, dust behind doors, broken blinds - to mention a few things that needed attention. The oven was filthy. There is a Visit England 4 Star plaque as you drive in -  it might have been many years ago - but the Visit England 4 Star plaque on the entrance is as faded and jaded as the interior of the property in my opinion. To be fair from the outside all of the accommodations look beautiful and the grounds are well maintained.   We contacted Sykes about the issues as we paid them directly (a significant amount for the accommodation) and challenged the 4 ticks on their website and asked for a partial refund. We were told by Sykes “ The owner has said they did resolve the wasp issue for you very quickly and they will pass on your information in regards to cleanliness and maitenance issues you have raised”.  With regard to the 4 ticks we were told ”The owner of the property can confirm what 'tick' rating they would like to have their property and it is the owner's responsibility to ensure that they maintain the standards of the property”.  We were astounded that the owner can simply choose their rating,  without any checks being made. In a nutshell do your research and check reviews before you book - I wish we had!!!  

Darwin transformed the way we understand the natural world - Darwin Lake transformed the way we understand 4 Star!

Uncomfortable  and unstable bed, tired and spartan decor. Rickety furniture, no soft furnishings or pictures on wall, made the place lack warmth. Rusty radiator in bathroom. No welcome pack.The cottage requires an update. Cooker had a single shelf, no kitchen spray. Dirty washing and open rubbish bag greeted us on outside upon arrival.

Tissington Cottage

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