The level of cleanliness throughout the venue was substandard to say the least. 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. Over 80% of our attendees gave the food a rating of 2 out of 5 or lower (with 1 being poor and 2 being below average). 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. 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 Raised the above complaint on 29.08 and am yet to receive anything beyond an acknowledgement email (and even that was as a result of chasing). 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.

Having seen the news article regarding a customer with initials TH, and the sky tactics employed by this company demanding a negative review is removed before they issue her a measly 10% refund, I'd not recommend this place at all. Not a chance. Vile way to do business. Everyone is entitled to an opinion

Bland, characterless collection of cottage-type buildings that look fine on the outside but with interiors that badly need updating. One WiFi network - and channel - shared over 12 buildings. Unworkable and unbearably slow/non-existent. And so easy to fix/upgrade. Creaky construction, dated facilities and fittings. Hugely overpriced. Surviving on location and not much else. Avoid.

Avoid. This establishment does not like accurate and factual reviews and will ask you to remove them...that is after you have discovered the dirt filth poor maintainance and condition of your accomodation.. Refunds will be at their own leisure too. They also get butt hurt in their responses. A totally unprofessional setup.

Did not stay there just visited. It's a beautiful location out in the countryside but not too far to visit Chesterfield, Matlock and all the other attractions of the Peak District

We had our wedding reception here in Aug 18, cottages are great, the surround area is beautiful, the hall is amazing and the staff are mint. Would recommend to anyone

Love it here. The cottages are beautiful as well as the location. We've stayed here on many occasions and are getting married here next year. This hidden gem is an absolute delight to relax and enjoy a break away from the city

Fantastic place to stay. Cottages are well equipped and comfortable. The function hall is huge and versatile. Lake is of course beautiful and the scenery is amazing especially on a sunny day. Staff are great too. Make sure to walk the trail around the lake to see all sorts of weird things including every deadly mushroom!

Nice place and space to get away. All the outdoor space is open/ communal so if you’re thinking about that hot tub or BBQ be aware you could be sharing the view! I think it’s worth four stars but a few dated bits or just in need of general repair and the assumption we are all friends means it couldn’t be a five from me.

We had our wedding at Darwin Lake this weekend and it was nothing short of magical. We hired all the cottages and it was so special to wake up on the morning of the wedding knowing that all our friends and family were filling the cottages. We had quite a lot of children attending and they had the best Weekend making friends, playing safely on the grassed area and exploring the woods. All the guests commented on how lovely the cottages were and the atmosphere was just relaxed and happy. Exactly how we had wanted it to be. The whole team have been lovely but Hannah and Hannah were especially great this weekend and we want to say a massive thank you to them. If you're thinking about booking for a wedding, stop thinking about it and just book!! 😄

Simply superb! Couldn’t believe how well thought out this cottage and holiday village was. The cottage was very clean and very well equipped. I couldn’t think of anything they didn’t include. It has a lovely open plan design downstairs which is great for a large party of people such as we were. The long kitchen table and benches seated all 10 of us and made meal times great. Just loved, loved, loved this place. It is tastefully modern and decor is great. The entire holiday village fits in well with the natural surroundings. This cottage is only a couple of metres from the lake- great to sit outside on a summers evening and enjoy the quiet. Even though it’s a holiday village, with other holiday makers, we were not disturbed by anyone else. There are no shops close by but that wasn’t a problem for us. We did our homework and came prepared. Would highly recommend.

Had a week stay the house, was clean with plenty of crockery and utensils, for self catering. Beautiful setting and the lake is nice easy fishing

Stayed here with my in-laws for a weekend, I must say it’s in a state of disrepair and needs urgent attention. For the price it’s very expensive for the East Midlands Area. We had holes in the carpet, marked walls and there was a constant smell of damp. In the bedroom that my in-laws used there was a stain in the carpet that looked as if someone had ‘shot their load’ on it. Overall I had to leave a review as my in-laws are very polite.

I would never stay some where that charges exister 25 and have to cook breakfast as I can go doon the road and get some where the do bed and breakfast

Wonderful experience. Great area, location, and terrific accommodation. Everything was good, lovely time had by all of family.

What a lovely place, nice to chill and relax. Lovely people and security man is a top guy.

Good location. Lots to do nearby but areas around site could be improved. What could be improved is bar/restaurant. Lovely decor but staff looked scruffy, no uniform and in jeans, not what you'd expect at a waiter service restaurant. My advice from being in hospitality is get the staff to wear all black but no jeans and give them all a half apron to keep pen and paper in. Looks great and is efficient and cheap to do.Just doing this would give a more professional impression.

Loved my stay... cottages are lovely definitely want to go back

What a beautiful place. Houses are fab and the views are stunning. Her for a wedding of my new Zealand cousin. We have taken over the holiday park.

Very poor quality for the price.

Fantastic place to stay, self catering cottages, in a peaceful setting

Booked our 1st family getaway at Darwin Lakes. Amazing location and cottages. Had an amazing memorable stay with the family. Our cottage and apartment was comfortable, clean and homely. Wish we had more time there. Sana and Maurice both were very accommodating for my families needs and made our stay a perfect mini holiday in U.K especially through these challenging times with the COVID-19. I will surely be coming back to stay with my family very soon. :-)

Liked it. Went to visit while my wife was teaching a few fitness classes there. Really nice setting, quiet and peaceful with a great programme of fitness classes and food menu. No mobile phone reception (can be a good thing though). Couldn't tell we were at the right place when we arrived, not clear we were at a the fitness retreat if driving past.

Superb

Fantastic place. Stayed over 3 nights for a wedding reception. Lovely surroundings and good value

Lovely setting and really nice cottages

Had a great time here with some other friends. Hannah and her team went out of their way to help us. We used the hall as an overspill space and were fortunate that the weather was good enough that we could make use of the lake on site. Thank you!

I had a great pleasure to attend the Holistic Workshop at Darwin Lake Holiday Village, and I have to say that it was one of the most wonderful stays I have ever had. Not only the place is so beautiful, staff is amazing and very helpful, but also the rooms are really well looked after. On a separate note, I left my necklace in the hall as we had to remove for the scan. I called the Hotel the next day and the lovely lady who I was talking over the phone, was so kind that she posted it to me the same day. What an absolutely lovely service I received! I hope to see you soon! All the very best to the team- Aga xxx

Stayed here for the week. Great location, nice and quiet lovely to listen to the owls at night. The house we stayed in was nice and big, but is starting to look tired, needs a good deep clean and a coat of paint, but on balance would stay again.

The location was lovely and our cottage was of a good size and reasonably well equipped. However, when we arrived (not before our scheduled arrival time) the windows and back door were wide open in the pouring rain, the floor by the door was wet as were the windowsills, the floors had not been vacuumed and the cottage smelt damp and stale. When I complained at Reception, they did send someone out to vacuum the floors straight away but that omission, and the fact that the dishwasher had not been emptied, made me wonder whether there were other cleaning tasks that had not been completed. I was also disappointed that one of the mattresses was so hard and lumpy we had to change it for the one on the 8th bed (there were 7 of us staying, three couples in king size zip and link beds and one child in one of the single beds). There was flaking plaster in our bathroom, no storage in spacious bathrooms and badly creaking floorboards upstairs and on stairs. I did go to Reception several times between 9 and 10 am to report this the following day but reception was not staffed as promised so I gave up as I did not want this to spoil our holiday and we just changed the lumpy mattress with the spare single ourselves. Rubbish skips and bins were emptied regularly. So overall a mix of good and not so good but definitely not four star luxury from our point of view.

This is our second stay at Darwin Lake. The place is perfect for a family and friends getaway. The bonus for me is the fishing - the lake is stocked with a decent amount of carp and tench. There’s no giants, but they are all a decent size and offer some good sport. The lake could maybe do with one or two more swims as there’s only room for a few people. It loses 1 star because of the poor WiFi, I’m sure you could spend a few K to get some decent APs rather than the mesh system. WiFi is important when there’s also zero/low mobile signal. Kids need their internet!

Lovely place for a very away, after lockdown, just what we needed, family time. Easy access to other areas, lovely seeing too.

Beautiful, calm and relaxing.

I went with a group of friends for a break and loved my time there. The house I stayed in was lovely. Although the heater in the bedroom didn’t work it wasn’t a killer. Beautiful surroundings. Gorgeous friends. Lovely time.

Sadly I am not able to provide a positive review after my wedding being held at Darwin Lakes. Throughout my experience with Darwin Lake organising the wedding I have found them to be inconsistent, unhelpful and unaccommodating. When we arrived to set up the wedding as pre arranged at 11am the venue was a complete mess. It hadn’t been cleared or cleaned from the previous function. Family and friends had to clear away old food, crockery and cutlery, empty bins, clean the kitchen, wash walls and hoover. Given the price we paid to rent the venue this is shocking! The paint work in the venue was dirty and chipped. The air con machines were not in working order. It was a very warm day and we were not permitted to open doors or windows due to sound restrictions, there was only x1 air con machine that was in working order for the whole of the venue!! It was so hot that myself and other guests actually felt ill from the heat. The cottages were really dirty. It was clear that the floors hadn’t been mopped in a very long time. Wedding guests informed me of how dirty their accommodation was on site, this was so embarrassing given we had booked the accommodation for them. When we booked the wedding we were promised the world. Free table clothes, help with decor, wedding planning and coordinating. As we went through the process Darwin Lake seemed to back track on everything promised. As the wedding date got closer we were informed that we had rented a space only and that everything else was down to us to sort. Aspects that we had been promised such as fireworks, we were told we were no longer permitted. We were asked to sign contacts 1 year after we had booked the wedding and accommodation that we had booked we were told had not been written down. I had to provide screen shots of emails to prove we had booked the accommodation that we said we had. The place is in a beautiful location and overall we feel we enjoyed the wedding, however without the army of helpers from our friends and family we couldn’t have done it. It’s a real shame that Darwin Lake were unable to get simple things right.

Beautiful cottage with a beautiful view. Instructions are easy to follow and activities are never too far away

Lovely peaceful rural location near to Matlock

Just spent 4 days here and it was everything we wanted for a relaxing chilled long weekend. We stayed in Chatsworth cottage and loved the location right next to the lake. The beds were very comfortable and the kitchen was well-stacked with everything we needed. Thanks for a lovely stay.

Great family getaway. Not much in walking distance but a great position for trips out. Accommodation was roomy and comfortable.

Family celebration. Very peaceful and restful. The view of the lake was a nice surprise. We booked 2 cottages and found everything we needed. Walked around the nature trail and explored the beautiful Peak District. Take loo rolls we ran out. Mattresses in twin room and double were hard. Liked downstairs bedroom for disabled Mum. Orderd a hot tub. Suggest outdoor lighting is added. Pitch black at night perhaps fairy lights. Clean and tidy. Enjoyable and relaxing weekend. We would return.

Fantastic break away again the cottage spotlessly clean and really comfy beds at this amazing location ideal for the Peak District National Park and all its amenities. Really great staff and service from one and all, spoke with other guests that were equally happy too with the superb upgraded 4 star cottages in the village and amazing lake for fishing and extensive countryside relaxing grounds.

It's easy to reach, tranquility, the place you and family want to break away from the noise town life.

Some of the cottages felt in need of a decor update. The same for the wedding room. We would recommend changing the patterned carpet for something plain in a wedding venue so that it will fit in with all themes and colour schemes. The place itself could be really pretty but it feels over manicured and a little bit like a film set.

Just spent a weekend at Darwin Lake and as a family of 4, plus doggy! We all had a lovely time, our cottage was very spacious,welcoming, and clean. With super fast wifi in the cottage it was a real winner with our children. The beds was comfortable and we all slept well. Would highly recommend, we've already booked for next year 🙂

It's nice and quiet loverly walks

Great place for kids

Peaceful and quiet and really nice location. Already thinking about come back with the family.

Hired Hartington. Overall very disappointing. Location is perfect and cleaned prior to arrival however cottage is very poor. Walls damaged throughout, filling in holes in lounge, carpet stained bedding very poor no protectors on anything. Only one bedroom with TV that did nt work and lounge TV cheap and horrible. We were told it was due to be refurbished but that’s no excuse for hiring in this condition. Reception and it’s staff less than impressive. Would nt recommend it ...would nt stay again

I have just watched your accomadation on four in bed.the way that John insulted you both was terrible.terrible man and arrogant.i would come to your property all day long.i hope you win.

Perfect place for a wedding. To just relax and do it your way

Found the cottage warm and spotlessly clean. Unfortunately the TV didn't work and it was too late to try to get it fixed. TV changed the following day, but only worked with WiFi and on occasions the signal was so poor it was unwatchable. No switches on any of the lamps - which is a pain when you read in bed!

Such a beautiful place staff great love it

Awesome even in winter

Decor is modern and cold but the village is nice but the house smelt of bleach

Great place to hold your wedding.

Attended a wedding marvellous renue

Lots of cottages for whole family of 10. Very calm and peaceful. Lots of trails and children play areas

Nice place and house but no mobile data

We rented 5 properties for a large family holiday with an age range of 4 weeks to 64yrs. The accommodation was perfect for all of us, well equipped, comfortable and clean. The location is ideal both as a base for trips out into the Peak District and as a place in itself...the lake makes a lovely setting and there is plenty of space for children to play and to walk the dog without leaving the site. We made good use of the fire pit, outdoor log burners and bar b qs provided and were impressed by the free supply of logs . The staff, and specifically Sana who dealt with our booking, are very accommodating and friendly and rhe cleanliness of the properties when we arrived were a credit to the housekeeping staff. All our requests and queries were dealt with promptly and satisfactorily. We had an exceptionally relaxed and easy stay and have already booked for next year. The only downside for us was the quality of the wi fi signal which was available in all the cottages but only consistently reliable in one. However that was a minor matter all other things considered.

Superb.

Nice location, however, some facilities starting to look a little tired.

Great place

Very tranquil location stayed 14 nights did some carp fishing lodges were comfy and cosy would stay again

Excellent weekend

Seen these on four in a bed. The woman seems to be only half dressed with short shorts, tops that have large cut out pieces, off the shoulder. Didn't come across as professionally dressed.