With only two pubs in town & both being Thwaites there's not really a lot to choose between them…read more The Cocks though has more TVs so is the obvious choice if you want to watch some sport. I can't remember what we ate when we included food on one visit but we had no complaints about the meal. The only cloud on the horizon was from overhearing a regular expounding on how the EDL had the right idea but then there's little staff can do about that, particularly if you can't rely on tourist income all year round.

Nice pub and hotel just south of the lakes district. I…read morevisited the day before a severe storm hit the coast and while I had hoped for a walk in the bracing wind After breakfast, I had to make do with a swift bolt to the car to avoid the rain and lashing winds. I'm told it is quite pretty in summer but looked fierce when I visited. I booked a single room which was sufficient for me. The bathrobe was a lovely touch. Sadly there's no hot water in the morning - obviously the other 10 guests had showered before me and used it all up. The included breakfast was a standard full English but served with charm by the staff who were a real highlight of this charming old place.

Windermere is exceptionally charming, and the Angel Inn is the cream on the top. We stayed here for…read moreone night prior to embarking on a several day hiking adventure in the English lake district. After a train ride from London, we checked in and were immediately escorted to our rooms. It is a gorgeous, well appointed, old white cottage with seemingly unending English charm. The room included a queen bed with comfortable linens, en suite bath with a standup shower, in-room toiletries, coffee/tea service, and incredible views of the town of Windermere. Overall, it was very well appointed with modern features throughout. For dinner, we enjoyed the restaurant's evening special of sirloin and chips. We ordered it medium rare and it came cooked to medium. Prior to that we broke from English tradition, and ordered a very nice fruit & cheese plate for an appetizer. At the end of the meal, their sticky toffee pudding was quite rich and among the top four I've had in my life. They have a very lovely outdoor setting, complete with comfortable tables, that allow for glorious views of Windermere, both the town and the body of water. Angel Inn also has a guest lounge area, with comfortable sofas and chairs that allow you to warm yourself by their wood burning fireplace. It is within easy walking distance to the post office, co-op, Laundrette, and mere. It is a 1.6 mile walk, all downhill, from the Windermere train station. There are also bus routes to take you into town.

Beautiful B&B, although it borders on a small boutique hotel. The room was very nice and…read morecomfortable. It was easy to find and convenient to walk around town. My food was excellent. Essentially, Bangers and Mash.

Cedar Manor Hotel is the cutest stay in the Ambleside area. 10/10 recommend, and we really hope to…read morereturn for a longer stay next time! It's a great location, just up the road from Ambleside. The Inn is quaint, charming, and comfortable and the staff are kind, welcoming and accommodating! We arrived and were immediately happy with the safe and private parking accommodations. We actually arrived very late that evening, and called ahead, they waited up for us and were so kind upon arrival. The Hotel is SO charming, cute and cozy. The aesthetic is charming English cottage, while also being updated and feeling clean. The hotel rooms themselves are more modern (though unique) to give you all of the comforts of home - my fave being the towel warmer. Our room was wonderfully clean (and I'm a stickler on cleanliness!) and the bed was so comfortable, especially after a long drive. It was such a comfortable and clean place to lay our heads for the evening. The hotel has a restaurant that I would also recommend. Breakfast was incredible - one of the first hotel breakfasts where I haven't had to douse in pepper haha. Well seasoned and well cooked, high quality ingredients. Jonathan is a wonderful chef. My husband said the hollandaise was one of the best he's ever had. I'd recommend stopping by for sure, and don't miss breakfast! The hotel is also very unique in that they have local goods/art around the hotel, both as decor and for sale. Such a sweet touch. We bought one of Caroline's paintings - she's multi talented! Overall, I would stay here again. 10/10!!

This place was simply amazing. They didn't have a room for us to extend our stay so have us a…read morediscount on an upgrade to a stunning suite. Dinner was so fantastic. And the best breakfast from a bed and breakfast in quite a while. Big ups.

A grand venue which, from the front looks more like a very posh inn. Large conference hall / dining…read more/ party area, lush interior and open fires during winter months. Staff are all well presented and helpful. Good work!

Had an excellent experience at the Spa! I am a Massage Therapist, and I've worked in California…read moreWine Country Spas; this was very well done! Gabrielle had great hands, the staff were all pleasant and polite, and the facilities were great. I would do it all again. Also, the B&B we actually stayed at (Hawksmoor), had a reciprocal agreement with this location, so you get a discount AND the Missus was able to use the facilities for free!

Decent hotel (no A/C) and good service. Their in room breakfast was a great value. Bathrooms were…read morenewly renovated and the bed was very comfy. They have sofa beds in each room and bed truly was a king (which is rare in England)

Luxurious spa & fantastic restaurant for an excellent price…read more I was invited to join a friend here for the 'fantastic Friday' deal in June. I hadn't heard of this place before and when my friend described the deal to my on text message it sounded a little too good to be true. £99 for spa use (aqua thermal journey) on the Friday then dinner in the restaurant followed by an overnight stay. Breakfast was also included plus the use of the spa again on the Saturday morning until 11. I wondered if it was a mediocre location - I couldn't have been more wrong! We arrive at 2pm on the Friday on a gloriously sunny day. The hotel and spa are very new and look stunning. The staff are all friendly and very polite and attentive. They offered to carry our bags to our rooms and made every effort to help us. Due to booking quite late we were in a disabled access room on the ground floor but this didn't change anything regarding how lovely it was. Large, light and well furnished with a fridge, drink making facilities, a tv and everything we needed for a great stay. I had such a good nights sleep in the bed. We had treatments (paid for separately to the package) on the Friday. The spa is luxurious and brand new. One of my favourite parts of this experience is that you can wear the robe and slippers they provide all the time (apart from the evening meal) so the whole day and even at breakfast! Heaven. Every part of it is gorgeous and just being there is relaxing. My Swedish back massage was heaven. We then headed into the aqua thermal journey which consists of 7 rooms and experiences throughout the spa. There is also an internal pool and an external hot tub where we sat in the sun. We then relaxed on sun loungers in the Zen garden with gin and tonics. They have waiter service from the bar. The evening meal was sublime. Two courses were included but we opted to have dessert as well at an extra cost. Each part of the meal was perfect. We had goats cheese mousse and crackers as a little amuse bouche which was delicious then I had asparagus, artichoke and radish salad while my friend had the duck egg starter. Both beautifully preserved and the taste was exceptional. Our mains were beef and duck. Again the presentation and flavour was excellent. We had the same dessert, chocolate fondant with cherries. Amazing but I was quite full so couldn't mange the last mouthful. The service was faultless. I cannot recommend this place enough, every element is wonderful and I felt completely renewed after my visit here.

A Spa Weekend to refuel after a long hard working Christmas. I am going to break down my review…read moreinto different segments to make it easier for myself to review it, so here goes.... Booking... I saw billboards for this new luxury spa hotel in Lancashire whilst driving to our Manchester Markets every day, so looked it up on't tinternet. Turns out it's not too far away and reasonably priced. So I rang up to book two rooms on the Spa Break Package that includes dinner, bed, breakfast and use of the 'Aqua Thermal Journey'. Priced at £110 per person, this seemed like a good buy. At the time of booking I requested a treatments menu for the spa to be posted out to me so my folks could pick what luxuries they would like to indulge in during our stay. Unfortunately I never received this menu so I printed one out myself. When we had decided on our treatments I rang up again to book them only to be told there was no availability for any treatment during that weekend! I think not. So I emailed them and after a few concerned phone calls all our treatments were booked in. The hotel... The hotel itself is situated at the far end of a holiday home park, which I was not expecting! This however, did not affect the hotel one bit. It is amazing. Brand spanking new, great spacious rooms, comfy beds, good bathrooms, Molton & Brown toiletries to use (or bring home), the staff couldn't have been more helpful (with the exception of one woman I spoke to on the phone) and the service was overall top notch. The food... We had dinner and breakfast included in our package and I must say I am super glad. The food was like nothing I have ever experienced. I have never been one for fancy food where you get a little bit nicely arranged on a plate that costs a bomb, but this may have opened my eyes a little wider. The food was beautifully designed on great plates (or slates) but also there was enough on the plate to fill you up. They obviously have a very well trained chef. During our evening meal we were presented with canapés which were unexpected but brill. We enjoyed three courses, all of exceptional quality. Breakfast is the same story. Great selection of continental foods and also a choice of hot foods all beautifully presented. Afternoon Tea was our last treat whilst at this hotel, priced at £12.50 a head it was the perfect ending to our weekend getaway. The spa... WOW. 1st class. That is all. Visit it (and don't forget to use the outdoor hot tub!). The only concern I have to mention is to check your bill upon check out. All of our treatments were put on the bill twice, and the room rate was wrong. Good job I checked!

What an absolute beautiful hotel - both of them the main hotel and the lake house. Everyone there…read morewas so kind and lovely, we really enjoyed our time in the Lake District. We went to Spice, it was an awesome experience and had two massages and a facial. Definitely recommend.

Room condition: 5 Amenity: 5…read moreLocation: 4 Food: 5 Staff: 5 Upon arrival, my friend spent the first 5 minutes taking photos of the beautiful room, which is a very good sign as she has high standards. We got here on one of the rare sunny days in the Lake District and the room was filled with sunlight, with a gorgeous view outside to the greens and the little ponds. I'd highly recommend the spa lodge room itself. It has some amazing features: - each unit is a small wood house on its own, lots of privacy - ensuite outdoor sauna room, Jacuzzi, and indoor steam room(doubled as shower room) - spacious bathroom with huge tub, and separate toilet unit - the bedroom is nicely decorated (apparently each room has a different theme) - nice audio system both indoor and on the patio My only complaint about the room is that there are so many switches for light controls (and sauna room) but they didn't seem to be sorted in any logical order... I was very confused by them. Besides the room, the food in this hotel is amazing. The staff have also been very helpful in responding to my questions and arranging ground transportation for me. It would be my top choice for my next trip to the lake district.

I recently stayed here with my wife to attend my brothers 50th birthday party in the hotel and I am…read morenot quite sure where to begin. At first all was ok with the exception that the so called double bed was about 2/3rds normal size which was strange. But then the fun and games started when the staff at the party did not appear to know how to make a drink or pour a pint. They ran out of glassware and stock and seemed all at sea behind the bar. At 11-00pm they suddenly closed the bar 2 hours ahead of schedule saying there was an IT glitch and they could not use the till which was a blatant lie. My brother had paid £1000 for the hire of the room and the bar extension until 1-00am. the hotel rooms were mostly booked out by guests attending the party as well. When challenged about the so called IT glitch they became defensive and surly and were threatening and abusive asking guests to leave the party room. One of the staff even asked me my name and when I enquired why he needed it and he heard a friend use my 1st name he said its ok I will just check the hotel register for your details which I took to be a threat that something more sinister was going to happen. Due to the complete breakdown of service all the guests were left with nowhere to go but to their rooms like naughty children. The stunning ignorance and complete lack of training, knowledge or even basic courtesy was beyond anything I have ever experienced in a hotel before and it made Fawlty Towers look like Claridge's. I contacted the General Manager Fred via email and initially he was apologetic and he agreed that the staff had lied about the reason for closing the bar and should not have done so but when I wouldn't accept his offer of a 2 night stay in the hotel and had the temerity to suggest that he might consider a partial or full refund for our disastrous stay he stopped communicating with me which suggests the staff behaviour is led from the top down. At breakfast the next morning the assistant manageress who we had spoken with the night before was ignorant and had a terrible sour face on her so much so that we could not trust her not to interfere with our breakfast and we just had coffee from the machine. I cannot recommend this hotel LOWLY enough and all I can say is if you do stay here then on your own head be it. It gets 1 star because that is the lowest I can award.

Easy to find on walk up from train station. Friendly staff at front desk. Hotel is clearly old and…read more'not recently refurbished', but everything works, even the creaky elevator! Nice room. Bathroom very nice and sort of (Brit-standard 'modern') modern. Breakfast room quite fancy. Continental or cooked breakfast - I had the cereals, toast, juice'n coffee type: v.g. as expected. Staff lurks in kitchen, shoots out now and then to check on customers. Added later: been thinking about the rug salesman who'd rented the room next to the reception, downstairs. Seems to me I saw his trestle sign outside on the sloping street a few years ago. Spoke to him, as people walked past the wine bar opposite. Man must be a traveling salesman, does the tour of the country, a few days here, a few there. With his rugs. Needs some logistics for those, mind you. Spoke to him as I waited for wife+daughter to walk down from station. They stayed with Grannie in Carnforth, down the line, in her small home, and rode train up each morning, fresh and pink-faced from the bracing, moist, Lancashire air. He was friendly, knew how to speak to strangers. Easy fellow. A few customers'd walk in, look at the Persian rugs, and leave. Almost as if the rugs were a cover for something else? I paged the newspaper, waiting. 'So, from Denmark, are you?' he'd pleasantly continue when the people'd left. Waterstones next door. Upstairs balcony display area not bad, chair to snooze in, wait for family. Thumb books. Hotel has fancy bar/parlor upstairs. Dark, not bad for someone with iPad or laptop in need for some screen-time. Plugs, but bring that adaptor! Oh, the plugs . Hrm. When I plugged in the iPad adapter interesting sparking-type sounds cane from the socket. Should it do that?

This is the worst hotel I ever came across travelling around the world for the past 15 years. My…read moretrain got cancelled, I informed them that I would come on the next day, which was already prepayed. What these petty crooks did is took advantage of my train cancellation - charged me the no show fee for the whole period of stay and cancelled my booking. When I arrived the next day they said my reservation is not valid anymore, and I have to pay for the next night again. Even if this policy allows that, the behaviour of the hotel was dishonest and unethical, basically, they behaved like thieves. Avoid by all means! Especially since train cancellations are frequent in the UK. None of the other hotels behaved like that, in most cases I received the full refund. There are many much better hotels in Kendal.

When I walked into my room I didn't want to leave. For a start the hotel itself is beautiful. It's…read morea grand old building sitting right on the banks of the river. My room had the most spectacular views out over the river too. The bed was huge and was like sleeping on clouds ... It was incredibly comfortable and I had the best sleep I've had in ages. The bathroom was rrally nuce although the toilet is a little weird, almost like a children's toilet but hey it does the job. The bath was luxurious too though for some reason I couldn't get cold water to come out as hard as I tried it just flooded out boiling water. That's probably just me not knowing which way to turn the tap though. There is a leisure centre with a gym, swimming pool, sauna, spa and steam room that is open to guests so don't forget your swimmers (like I did). Reception staff were friendly and welcoming. I'd forgotten my toothbrush but they handily had bathroom essentials for purchase. The restaurant is very nice with plenty of options. I only had the chips as I have a lot of food allergies but the chips were delicious. Chunky and crunchy. The only thing I didn't appreciate was house keeping entering the room at 9 am when I was still asleep. They should probably wait until people have checked out, or at least until later in the morning. Overall, I had a great stay and I'd happily return.

Note: I only give out 5 stars to surprisingly EXCEPTIONAL, best-in-class establishments…read more John & Lyn Kirkbride own and operate this lovely bed and breakfast. My wife and I vacationed here for our honeymoon, and we were absolutely thrilled with The Ryelands. Lyn is personable and very professional. She exudes a genuine concern and care for her guests. The rooms are fantastically comfortable, and extremely well situated within walking distance of "downtown" Grasmere. Our room, the Silver Howe, has a lovely view with an ever so faint glimpse of Grasmere Lake. The "negative" aspects of this property are actually what makes it wonderful as well. The flat screen television is VERY small with a limited channel selection, and is not easily visible while lying down on the bed (it should be mounted on the wall for better viewing). This is actually a positive, since one shouldn't expect to spend much time in the room, and time would be better spent reading Wordsworth than watching a rerun of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" The staircase leading up to the bedrooms is moderately steep and narrow--a daunting gauntlet for large suitcases or obese rear ends. And don't expect to wheel a suitcase or anything up the gravel driveway to the property. It makes a lovely crunching sound as you walk, but it's impossible to drag anything with wheels smaller than a moving dolly or hand truck. Still, the property is utterly gorgeous. The owners/operators are personable, helpful and inviting. Their breakfasts are delicious. The towels are surprisingly soft, and smell of soothing lavender. It's easy to get "caught up" in the romantic feel of Grasmere from The Ryelands. I HIGHLY recommend The Ryelands over ANY other property in Grasmere, including the famous Wordsworth Hotel. I would award The Ryelands a 5-star rating if: 1. The flat screen television was wall-mounted and maybe connected to a simple DVD player. It's a seemingly silly request, but it's what I would expect from a 5-star establishment. 2. Breakfast service ends slightly too early (around 9 or 10 AM). I would expect a 5-star establishment to provide a simple, continental breakfast option for guests who choose to dine after those hours. 3. The downstairs office uses a secured wireless internet connection, but no access is provided for guests. I would expect a 5-star establishment to provide or charge for in-room internet access. With the relatively low cost of wireless-N routers, I do not believe this to be an unreasonable request.