Eyam Cottage - Darwin Lake Holiday Village

the location, cleanliness, view from front, easy access to locations - towns & shops

the beds were very uncomfortable, mattresses were very hard & uncomfortable, there was no cupboard space for groceries we had brought with, us, the TV in the front bedroom did not work, reported twice to reception & a note was left with instructions on how to operate, which were not safe in my mind (switching it off at the wall socket & holding in the power on button on the TV & the switch the power back on....!)

The area was lovely with a lake at your front door very nice view

Nothing

We did not have breakfast

Every thing was wonderful

I really loved the views and the walks, the shops were very diverse and fun to look around as well and the area offered lots of caves to explore. Our cottage was in maintenance when we arrived so we were upgraded for free to a bigger cottage with private parking for free. The staff were lovely and the cottage was in a remote location away from the noise of the town, creating a peaceful holiday by the lake. Matlock and it's surrounding towns offered a peaceful and quaint perspective on life as well as a window into British heritage and history through such places as Crich trams and the heights of Abraham. Matlock's wednesday market was especially good and the stall owners were very friendly and helpful. We were able to find things to keep us busy on each day of the holiday and enjoyed every minute of it. The local caves were fascinating and fun to explore, particularly Thor's cave which offered a long walk through a wood to the summit of the hill. Dovedale was also an adventure and we took many pictures and made great memories.

None of the below were the Darwin lake staff's fault. There were a few general issues. First, we were very unlucky with the week because the weather was terrible and we had rain most days, though we managed to work around it. Second, the local BT tower had gone down on the same day of our arrival so we spent the week with limited often no internet at all. Third, some locals in Matlock town seemed to have it in for tourists and would give us dirty looks and tut as we browsed the area's shops, though this seemed to die down a little by day 3 of our stay. The majority of the locals were lovely towards us and very helpful. Lastly, my car struggled to move around some of the steeper hills causing me to have to operate in first and second gear for most of the holiday, this used a lot of fuel and burned the clutch a couple of times to avoid the car stalling and rolling downhill; bring an AWD or RWD if possible.

Lovely and peaceful with a beautiful lake right outside the front door

Value for money

Liked it all

everything

Very nice property bed needs attention

Beautiful views great staff