Another Place, The Lake

Love, love, love! It was an easy 3 hour train from Euston to Penrith station and picked up a car there. It’s a short drive (15-20 minutes) to the hotel. The grounds are beautiful and right on the lake with a dramatic view of the mountains on the other side of the lake. We were is room 25, a large comfy room in the main building. We had dinner the first night at the hotel and it was delicious. (Photos included. My cod was perfectly cooked. Thank you!) The second night we had dinner in The Glass House. They make made to order thin crust pizzas. Again, a beautiful setting (it’s a large glass atrium serving the garden overlooking the water). Breakfast has been terrific. The best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had. I also liked the make your own waffles! They make it so easy. Yum! Most days we ended up in the restaurant near the pool for an afternoon snack or drink after dinner. (Definitely pack a bathing suit. The indoor pool is heated and so beautiful!) The library is great for reading and hanging out. Overall the service was very friendly and nice. Lots of local kids working seasonal jobs as well as regular workers. Everyone was great. We also had a massage one day. The facilities are nice but they only offer 50 minute massages. It would be great if they offered 90 minutes or deep tissue massage. They also have 8 maps and instructions for local hikes. We took the hike to the falls, the steamer to Pooley Bridge and then the bus back and it was a great day. The hike was about three hours (~6 miles), not too rigorous and the views were really pretty. I’d highly recommend taking as many hikes as possible. The instructions were easy to follow. We can’t wait to return!

My husband surprised me with a stay here for my 50th in may, and wow from the moment we stepped into the hotel the atmosphere in the hotel was so relaxing my husband booked a paddleboard lesson as this was something ive always wanted to do and it was everything I expected and more and are instructor was realy good explaining everything before getting on the water, despite me falling off. I had the best time and jeffro captured us on his camera which was amazing we had woodfire pizza which was the nicest ive ever tasted. A beautiful swim and a relax in the hot tub and took advantage of the roll top bath in our room. The views from are room was phenomenal the meals we ate was divine. Its a place I would stay again thankyou for a wonderful 50th birthday at this incredible place. A memory that will last a life time.

We had a super lunch prior to our afternoon sauna. The hotel and grounds are stunning with breathtaking views of Ullswater.

We stayed here for a big birthday celebration in one of the cottages with our little boy. The experience was disappointing largely due to the quality of the food and very poor service. Positives: - it is a beautiful quiet location with a short walk down to the lake. - the rooms were quiet and comfortable. - the evening service in the restaurant was very good, particularly some younger staff who worked very hard. Negatives: - quality of the food, particularly breakfast was very poor indeed. It is a holiday inn style buffet and has a fairly militant staff presence. Rather than serve your own hot items you have to ask for them. You cook your own toast on a conveyor belt which takes an inordinate amount of time to cycle through repeatedly. Staff clearly don’t want to be there and have all the hospitality of airport security. I had to remind myself that I was a paying guest and had not stumbled into someone else’s home. On the first day I asked for a full English breakfast without mushrooms or black pudding. I have attached a picture of what I was given, which sort of summed the stay up really. You just felt like they were trying to squeeze value out of you. On the second day I decided to ask for porridge and side step the hot buffet. I was told to wait whilst it was cooked, and I felt as if I’d asked for a bunch of grapes to be peeled for me. I waited for around 10 minutes by the buffet serving section whilst staff repeatedly asked me why I was stood there and I indicated I was waiting for my porridge to be cooked as instructed. I was asked if I wanted honey and I said yes, and a bottle of squeezed honey was presented and poured on for me. I would’ve liked the option to decide how much I had. It felt akin to school dinners. The practicals of the breakfast just didn’t feel suited to a young family, it took so long to procure items from the serving section it meant we had to go up in shifts. - on the first day I ordered a pot of coffee which was burnt, I then asked for a pot of tea and was really disappointed by the attitude of staff who were clearly unhappy with the request. I said nothing about the coffee and had ordered a tea very politely. A pot of tea was placed down rather firmly and I risked the ire of staff again when I had to ask for a cup to drink the tea from. Lots of eye rolling and nodding toward our table. I just thought it was very poor. We stay in the lakes multiple times a year and I don’t think we’ve stayed anywhere where the hospitality is so poor. - whilst the cottage we stayed in was very nice no information was provided about the room or facilities, there is no introductory information and nothing about the local area.

Only visited here as day guests as we were using the spa. You can buy a day pass which includes 1 course lunch, a treatment of your choice and use of the pool, hot tub, sauna all for £120pp, considering the treatment was £90 and you could have any choice of food, the value is exceptional. The all over massage we had was excellent, the treatment rooms are very nice, great ambiance and the staff were excellent. The hotel looks very nice and the grounds are extensive, great for a little stroll when its sunny like it was on the day we went. We will come back and stay over next time to get the full experience, but I would say its well worth a visit.

We stayed here on recommendation of a friend. Pluses - the hotel is set in an incredible valley, on the shore of the beautiful Ullswater Lake and with gorgeous views from the rooms, pool and front facing restaurants. The swimming pool was great for the kids and there was a free kids’ club available (that we didn’t use) which is a lovely touch. The water activities (managed by a third party) are very easy to access and enjoy. We stayed in a cottage and the living room was well stocked with books, blankets, coffee/tea with fresh milk in the fridge and chocolate treats. The staff were quick to respond to a couple of issues we had with the room and even found a spare colour pencil for our daughter! Minuses - overall, the stay felt pricey compared to what was on offer. The room needed a better clean and the breakfast wasn’t as comprehensive as other places we have stayed for that price, the hot items were cold on one occasion and unfortunately the chef was not flexible (eg they couldn’t make our son a fried egg but the scrambled eggs on offer were watery/runny). We stayed in a two bedroom cottage with only one bathroom, which is slightly challenging for a 4-person family and would definitely be challenging for two couples staying together or four friends. The bedrooms are also small and a little dark. Overall, we would recommend this as a place to stay because it is beautiful but at a more reasonable price than what we paid.

Service at this hotel is of exceptional quality with staff going above and beyond. We like that! It is a great place for dogs as it is for children.