The best luxury hotels in the Lake District
The lovely Lake District knows how to do luxury, make no mistake. From Michelin-starred restaurants with rooms to country house hotes with sumptous spas, decadent interiors and, of course, great walking access, our expert guide has something for everyone.
Another Place, The Lake
Ullswater, Lake District, England
8Telegraph expert rating
Another Place takes its inspiration from popular Cornish sister hotel, Watergate Bay, and its epithet, ‘a ski resort on a beach’, aimed primarily at families and younger adults. The easy-to-live-with yet stylish and appealing décor, which features good local art on the wall, plus plentiful sofas, armchairs and spacious tables for eating or board games, perfectly embodies the Georgian origins of the building while appealing to a young, sporty clientele. Facilities include a superb 20-metre glass-fronted indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, gym and two spa treatment rooms, while watersports on offer are stand-up paddle-boarding, sailing (from the sailing school across the lake), kayaking and wild swimming. Read expert review From £160per night
• The best Lake District hotels for walkers
Holbeck Ghyll
Lake Windermere, Lake District, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A magnificent hotel on the shores of Lake Windermere. The hotel was built as a hunting lodge in the 1880s for the eccentric Earl of Lonsdale, known as the Yellow Earl, and later embellished with Art Deco touches. A fire blazes in the cosy panelled hall, which acts as a sitting room, while another sitting room has an Edwardian feel. Staff here are excellent; the service is friendly and solicitous. The restaurant offers fine dining and guests can head off to the spa for a relaxing treatment. Bedrooms are divided between the main house and those in converted cottages. They range from the somewhat old-fashioned, to the freshly decorated, many with beautiful views, to the stunning, especially the rooms in the last bungalow to be converted. Read expert review From £99per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
• The most romantic hotels in the Lake District
Brimstone at Langdale
Lake District, Cumbria, England
9Telegraph expert rating
This hotel in the Langdale Estate brings something different to the Lake District’s luxury market. Hosts are on-hand for everything from tips and turndowns to taking orders for breakfast in bed. As well as a boot room downstairs stocked with a complete range of Berghaus kit for guests to borrow (including torches for night hikes to the pub), there’s the cosy reading room where books, newspapers, wines, local ales, tea, coffee and cakes are complimentary throughout the day. For those that can pull themselves away, the Langdale Estate’s impressive spa, treatment centre, pool and gym is 50 metres away. From the glowing, glass-fronted stove to the double shower, enormous spa bath and bi-fold doors opening out to Lakeland views – it’s impossible to find fault with bedrooms Read expert review From £250per night
• The Lake District's best pubs and inns
The Samling
Lake Windermere, Lake District, England
8Telegraph expert rating
The gabled house dates from the late 18th-century and was once owned by Wordsworth's landlord. It still has the air of a stately country manor: tall windows framed by ruched curtains, lounges filled with antique armchairs and pianofortes, walls decorated with Wedgwood and watercolours. The quintessentially English ambience makes it popular with celebs: Nicole Kidman, Stella McCartney and the Beckhams have all stayed here. Five rooms and six cottage suites are all different: some plump for Oriental fabrics, some for tartans and gingham, others for modish tones of slate and taupe. The cottages offer the most luxury: the best are Lethera and Hovera, split over three floors and richly decorated using local stone, slate and timber. Read expert review From £220per night
• The best Lake District hotels for walkers
Askham Hall
Penrith, Cumbria, England
9Telegraph expert rating
This grand hotel, the medieval family home of the Earls of Lonsdale, offers authentic country house living in stately surroundings: vast rooms, scattered antiques and a well-worn but comfortable, informal and inviting air. Highlights are the English gardens and the stylish cooking, which uses estate produce. You don’t get much closer to the landed gentry lifestyle than a medieval pele tower (fortified house) with hefty walls, battlemented parapets, leaded windows, stone griffins at the entrance and topiary in the gardens. There’s a vaulted library (with honesty bar) and a self-operated sauna. External therapists can be booked for treatments, and there's a small heated outdoor pool. Read expert review From £150per night
• The best country house hotels in Britain
The Forest Side
Grasmere, Cumbria, England
9Telegraph expert rating
Forest Side is a glamorous address in the heart of the Lake District that puts food – and foraging – firmly at its centre. It is an imposing and handsome slate-built mansion, built for a wealthy industrialist in 1853, close to the popular village of Grasmere. The house has been beautifully ransformed, with a mix of eco, heritage and designer looks (authentic Lincrusta walls in the stairwell; shimmering crushed velvet sofas; silver and bird of paradise wallpapers; floorboards reused to make the dining tables). Kevin Tickle (previously at L’Enclume) serves dishes brimming with ingredients such as scurvy grass, curds, whey and pickled allium flowers. The restaurant won a Michelin star in October 2016. Read expert review From £184per night Check availability Rates provided by Mr & Mrs Smith
• The best hotels in the Lake District
Gilpin Hotel & Lake House
Lake Windermere, Lake District, England
8Telegraph expert rating
Gilpin Hotel is a stylish and characterful Georgian house with a well-deserved reputation for being beautifully run. Décor is glamorous boutique meets country pile. Classic rooms have views over the moors, six opulently-decorated spacious garden suites have private hot tubs, but splurge on one of the new spa suites, with your own hot tub, sauna, steam room and Sonos system for music. The floor-to-ceiling window means you wake up to views across the fells. Aromatherapy treatments are performed in a wooden cabin overlooking the water. Try a hot stone massage in the early evening, as the mists roll in. Read expert review From £215per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
• The Lake District's best pubs and inns
Rothay Garden Hotel & Riverside Spa
Lake District, Cumbria, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A refreshingly contemporary hotel tucked into a bend of a babbling river. Bedrooms in jewel tones have queen or king-sized beds and either face the river or the garden, with a balcony or a patio for sun loungers. Try for one of the spacious loft suites, which have fine views of nearby fells, from Loughrigg to Helm Crag. Outside, the spa is flooded with natural light, with full-length windows which open onto the garden. The focal point is the large whirlpool tub which overlooks the river and a field of sheep opposite. It also has heated reflexology pads for tired walkers' feet. The bar is a cosy spot for a nightcap, with a fire and a great selection of whiskies and Cumbrian ales. Read expert review From £141per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
• The best hotels in the Lake District
The Malabar
Sedbergh, Cumbria, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A stylishly converted 18th-century barn at the base of the Howgill Fells. Edging the wild, whiskey-coloured River Lune, the lodgings are a starting point for peaceful walks in the western Dales, past lonely viaducts, mossy walls and gently rumpled hills, streaked with waterfalls. Wooden beams and woollen furnishings fit right in among rugged fells but are enlivened with sari-bright patterns and colours, and the hotel is decorated with Chinese and Indian furniture collected by the delightful owners. Afternoon tea and breakfast are taken around a large communal table, which is the place to share tips on walks and dining out. Read expert review From £156per night Check availability Rates provided by Mr & Mrs Smith
