HAVEN Cottage in Ambleside has won Tripadvisor's 'Best of the Best' award twice in a row under the current owners.
Amanda (53) and Mark (56) Sarjant are originally from Surrey and have only owned the cottage since December 2021.
They are one of a selection of hotels across the world that are listed in the 'Best of the Best' category on Tripadvisor's website. hey are currently rated five stars out of five on TripAdvisor, with 1,208 reviews and it is number one out of the 104 B&Bs in Ambleside.
They have also won a KAYAK travel award.
Many of the reviews praise Amanda and Mark's hospitality, and the homeliness of their property.
It was always Mark's ambition to move to the Lake District.
Amanda said: "It was always his dream to wake up here in the morning. He’s done the Lakeland 50 three times. He just loves being out on the fells."
When asked what the secret to their success is, Amanda said: "We try and look after our guests as well as we can - they like it and write reviews for us.
"We try to run it as a place that we would like to stay, and everybody seems happy."
Some of the reviews praise the variety of food on offer for breakfast. "I am a nutritionist, it is a fairly expansive menu," Amanda said. "I make homemade granola. I try to prepare a menu that would supply a wide variety of nutrients your body needs. I don’t do hash browns I make my own roasties."
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Amanda also said that the couple are proactive in promoting themselves on online reservation sites such as Booking.com.
It has been a busy time for the couple. Shortly after they came home from holiday they were photographed in Haven Cottage by a Sunday Telegraph journalist for an article in the money section of the national newspaper.
The article is a feature piece on couples moving to the Lake District in the last few years, Amanda said.
In terms of the future, Haven Cottage is looking to set up wellbeing retreats next year, to which Amanda will bring her background in nutrition.
Amanda said: "A lot of people don't know the best food to eat or how to eat."
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