Help and Advice for Holiday Guests

Yes we allow you to reserve your dates for a period of time for Free whilst you speak to other members of your party.

Once you have located a property that is available for your potential dates, just give us a call on 01285 861839 and we will reserve them for you at no cost.

Many of the deals you see advertised are subject to lots of small print whereby should you need to cancel the full deposit is payable not just the nominal amount you have paid.

We prefer to be more transparent and therefore ask for a larger deposit to secure your booking from the start.

We do however allow you to reserve your dates initially for Free whilst you decide and then offer a clear, no hassle cancellation policy should you not longer be able to visit.

Yes, many of our guests are staying to celebrate family birthdays and events and need more than one property.

In this instance please contact our team on 01285 861839 and they will be happy to help. They can work out the best properties for your group size and configuration as well as make sure they are next to each other rather than you have to spend lots of time searching for different properties.

Unfortunately the style of many of our properties means that the main living areas are on higher floors to take advantage of the views across the lakes.

We do have some properties with ground floor bedrooms and different levels of access.

If you have any specific access requirements we recommend giving our team a call to discuss your needs and they can make recommendations on suitable properties.

We pride ourselves in operating a fair and open cancellation policy as we know that sometimes plans have to change.

If you need to cancel your holiday with us, we will try to re-sell your dates.

If we are able to resell your dates, we will refund the amount you have paid minus a £25 administration fee.

Unfortunately however, if we are unable to re-sell your dates we cannot provide a refund.

Yes many of the businesses based locally use our properties rather than hotels for visiting guests and staff members.

We also work with airlines and film and tv production companies that require short term accommodation in the area, as they fine it more cost effective and flexible than hotel rooms.

Learn more about corporate bookings at our properties or contact our team to discuss your requirements.

Yes all of our properties offer free Wifi to guests staying in them. You can find out the specific details within the property descriptions.

The Cotswold Water Park is the old name for the Cotswold Lakes. The area was renamed officially in March 2025 to better reflect the area.

The area is still referred to by many as the Cotswold Water Park and in fact all of the road signs around the area haven’t not yet been changed.

Check in and departure times do vary slightly depending on your property. 

We will provide confirmation to you in advance but generally Check-in is possible from 4pm on the day or your arrival and we ask that you depart your property by 10am on your final day.

You can access the area and use the facilities on site prior to check in or after your departure to make the most of your stay in the area.

If you require an earlier check in, please contact us to see if this is possible.

Kitchens are fully stocked with all of the equipment and utensils you’ll need for your stay so you don’t need to worry about bringing anything with you. However, we do not have sterilisers for baby equipment, so if you need them please bring your own with you.

Bicycles are welcome at all of our locations and provide a great way to travel around the area. Please feel free to bring your own, alternatively you can hire cycles locally if you wish.

What do I need to bring?
– Toiletries e.g. Shampoo
– Condiments e.g. salt, pepper, cooking oil etc
– Kitchen Roll
– If you are hiring a cot, you will need to bring your own bedding
– If your property has a coal BBQ you will need to supply your own charcoal and matches.

What is included?
– 1 x toilet roll per bathroom, you will need to supply additional rolls
– Towels (extra towels are provided in properties with Spa access, bath robes in properties with a hot tub)
– Washing up liquid, Scourer, J Cloth, T Towels, Dishwasher tablets, bin bags, oven cloths and tin foil
– Bath mats, hand soap in all bathrooms
– Bed linen for all beds
– A small supply of logs and kindling if your property has a log burner.
– Gas bottles for properties with a gas BBQ
– Welcome platter sachets – inclusive of tea, coffee, sugar and milk plus a biscuit for each guest.

Yes there are a range of supermarkets nearby that will deliver to our properties.

Your booking confirmation will have the full address of your property as well as any specific access arrangements for the development to use when you arrange the delivery.

Your booking confirmation will provide you with the specific date of when your balance will be payable.

Generally balance payments must be made at least 6 weeks prior to your arrival date.

The Cotswold Lakes (formally the Cotswold Water Park) are a lakeside reserve with many varieties of wildlife actively encouraged and protected.
 
However, there are consequences of being so close to nature at times, one of which is that the exterior of some properties (despite a concerted and active maintenance regime) can sometimes be a little less than ‘pristine’. This usually takes the form of Willow flock (seed fluff from willow trees), spiders webs, ‘deposits’ from the many hundreds of nesting House Martins and other protected wildlife. 

Mayflies, abound, and not just in May: they damselflies (and others) are an important source of food for birds, dragonflies, fish, and water beetles. They are important to the maintenance of the lakes through bioturbation, and their abundance is testimony to the purity of the water in the lakes. 

Most of our guests happily accept this, whilst the odd few mistakenly see it as neglect, (which, hand on heart ….. it is not). Windows are cleaned every 6 weeks and house exteriors and decks are washed down at least twice a year, and more often when needed. Whilst we try our level best to keep things ‘ship shape’, we are the first to admit that external maintenance cannot be absolute, and nature can get the upper hand at times. 

All we ask is for you to try to embrace the ethos for what it is… A holiday home complex embedded into a wonderful, natural habitat.

The Cotswold Lakes and surrounding area has a wide range of things to do and places to visit to suit everyone.

Our free resources and digital guidebook can be downloaded at any time full of information about what to do as well as some exclusive discounts for Orion guests.

We also provide lots of additional information on our blog and finally, our team all live locally and love to share their own recommendations so feel free to give them a call.

Unfortunately, you can only use the facilities available on the holiday home development you are staying on and in some instances it will also depend on the property itself (e.g. Spa Access).

Spring Lake is however open to everyone although there is a charge for watersports and gym access.

No. Unlike some of the other holiday home management companies we don’t restrict when or how often you use your property for yourself, family or friends. Just let us know when you want to use it or simply login to your own Owner Area to book out the dates and we will focus on letting it out for the remaining periods.

We also offer owner cleans and our unique concierge service, so just like your guests, you don’t have to worry about anything other than enjoying your time in your holiday home.

Unfortunately we can’t always match what our competitors are charging. Orion Signature is priced to represent the premium service we provide, honed over 27 years, and we know our owners all feel that it represents good value for money.

We understand that Orion Signature we won’t be the right fit for every owner which is why we offer 2 other services Orion Promote and Orion Bespoke to offer flexibility.
We are looking to build long-term relationships with like-minded owners based on trust and transparency.

As such we don’t offer cheaper headline rates just to win new business and then find we can’t meet guest booking numbers, or, increase rates on your property after the initial period. For us, it’s more important that we make sure we deliver on what we’ve promised from the start, and you are happy with the service we provide.

You can find out more about our management service and the benefits we bring here.

Our pricing is always transparent so you know what you will be paying and when without any surprises.

Our management fees for Orion Signature cover all of the aspects of promoting your property, taking bookings and dealing with your guests before, during and after their stay, housekeeping and general management. Our Orion Promote and Orion Bespoke services by their nature offer different levels of services and so additional fees may be incurred outside of the standard services provided, however they are explained clearly to you at the outset.

Where there are additional costs for maintenance, we will always inspect issues first to save you money, let you know in advance any associated costs and then pass these costs on to you without any mark up.