Book a hotel near Grizedale Forest, Ambleside

"A tale of two halves…. Beech Hill & Spa Windermere Terrace and views = outstanding. Walk down to sit by the lake = very nice indeed. Deco and furnishings = very nice. Parking = free - nice - can become overcrowded very quickly. Staff = nice, they try hard. Spa = indoors is nice if a little small. Outdoors not available due to refurb. They try to blame you Expedia for not telling me. Refurbishing/upgrade = not an expert, but it’s looking like will not be ready for the summer season (shame). Food = the chef(s) tries hard but management greed means that he/they are unjustifiably under pressure to explain the menu price tag. Breakfast good and reasonably priced. Room = tasteful (thanks for the upgrade) with great views, but let down by dirt on walls and mouldy curtains - no controlled temperature heating is either on or off. Bathroom = basic and mouldy, does the job but not a place to spend time in. Water pressure = excellent. In-room tea/coffee = nice 750ml bottle of water = £5.95 unacceptable (and I live in London) then £0.98 for lime & soda. I’m sure there is a balance somewhere. You have clear aspirations to become a 5 star hotel and you probably will once the refurbishment is finished. In the meantime you are neither here nor there. On balance, I will/would return, but will wait until the new rooms, outdoor pool and jacuzzi are ready. If the premium is justified, then I’m sure the experience has the potential to be phenomenal. Your other hotels treated me better."

"Great food, lovely staff and great place and location to stay,"

"Beautiful. Elegant. Imposing. The hotel is a stunning place to stay. We got an upgrade room overlooking the lake. Fantastic location in Bowness-on-Windermere and a hot buffet breakfast overlooking the lake in the morning."

"Staff went above and beyond especially considering I’d arrived a day early ! The manager and reception staff went out of their way to resolve the situation. Restaurant excellent, would recommend."

"Really characterful property with basic but nice clean rooms with amusingly uneven floors upstairs highlighting the age of the property. Excellent breakfast "

"We had a great stay with extended family in this immaculate property over Easter. The place was phenomenal, beautifully presented, with bags of character. The garden was lovely, and the sitting room was super cosy with the open fire. Lots of games for the kids, too. We'd love to stay here again, it was a real find!"