Gilpin Hotel & Lake House

We stayed in mid Feb, which was our second visit to The Gilpin Hotel. This time we stayed in The Lake House and WOW ! The location is stunning. ||Our beautiful room had huge window seats looking straight out over the tarn & woods beyond. We walked round the tarn, relaxed & drank by the indoor pool & chilled in the lounge. Absolutely fantastic and all the time we were constantly looked after by the amazing Lucy. Nothing was too much trouble and she really couldn't do any more to make us feel totally pampered.||We chose to eat at the hotel for both nights & were transferred to & from the Lake House whenever we wanted. The Spice was a lovely surprise, we weren't sure what to expect but found a great atmosphere and great food with a fabulous choice. The following night we chose the 6 course taster menu in the The Source, with matching 3 wines. Wow again!! The food was amazing...... every mouthful, every course. Elle was an amazing waitress, totally professional yet always smiley & lovely & got the service level just right. Exactly the person you would want looking after you in a Michelin star restaurant!||We would highly recommend this hotel and the Lake House for a beautiful relaxing couples stay !!

Wonderful venue with amazing attentive staff.||Stayed 2 nights in a suite. Fabulous standard of accommodation. Lounge very inviting - hard not to relax! ||Ate in both restaurants and had soup and sandwhich in the lounge mid afternoon after a nice walk. Had larger taster menu and wine package in Source - excellent! As was more relaxed dining in Spice. ||All staff were amazing. You can switch off the moment you walk through the door. Highly recommend.

We had a great time at Gilpin, but were a bit let down/surprised by some of the service we received during our stay. The service was a bit hit and miss, and some of the waiting staff were amazing but some were a bit rude/passive aggressive, not what you’d expect at all!||The rooms were a bit smaller than we expected (we stayed in a master room) but it was cute and cosy and worked well.||The restaurants were both amazing, the Michelin star restaurant was as good as you’d expect but it was a bit strange dining in the same area you at breakfast. Gilpin Spice was really great too, with more exotic food!||A few shout outs, Jackson and Martin/Martyn were great! Jackson was very nice and attentive and it was a pleasure to watch him working, he kept us entertained at the chefs table (would be interesting to see him working in the Michelin restaurant). Martin/Martyn (can’t remember how to spell his name) was great too, super helpful, patient and informative.||Possibly a place we’d come back to!

We visited the Gilpin Spa Suite for a mini moon following our wedding. We had an incredible time with some of the highlights below:|- the llama/alpaca paddock next door provided a wonderful view from our hot tub and bedroom.|- the couples massage we had was incredible|- the app makes ordering breakfast to your room so easy and it was delicious |- the food from Gilpin Spice was excellent. We ordered room service. |- I am allergic to orange and they went above and beyond to provide me alternative products to use in the suite.|- the staff are amazing; so friendly and approachable. ||Negatives|- my husband arranged for us to check in early (1PM) but we weren’t shown to our suite until 2.20pm. |- we later discovered in the suite that the massage chair wasn’t working. It was only by us knowing what was in the room that we checked with reception. The man who showed us our room did not mention the chair to us. We received complimentary massages due to this however. |- there is an additional discretionary tip which they add to your bill before you leave, there should be more transparency on this.

As fellow hoteliers, this hotel has been on our list for a long time, it was worth the wait! This is a home from home...Slightly Perfect 5 * hospitality! Traditional country house with beautiful interiors, efficiency of service without being stuffy, charming and relaxing. Great conversation skills with all the team, welcoming but not over familiar. We ate in Spice, it was superb, delicious flavours, great service. Breakfast service and menus were a highlight. Would highly recommend a stay at Gilpin Hotel, it is worth every penny...make sure you have a wander around the grounds and meet the pigs!

We were taken to Gilpin by our friends who have been guests there for over twenty years which I think is testament in its self |There was the warmest of welcomes and although this hotel is Michelin stared it’s not least bit stuffy |fine wine fabulous food all served by happy adorable staff attending to your every need |our room was beautifully appointed so many little touches. I loved the attention to detail too everything you needed was in your room. Real milk in your fridge instead of those horrible sachets !!!!!|The hot tub was an added bonus too champagne under the stars what is not to like |Brilliant nights sleep and our breakfast was superb sausage and the apple juice were a firm favourite on our table |Amazing Grace set us all up for the day with her joyous personality I wish she was my little sister. Grace we all loved you |We didn’t want to leave oh And one last thing if alpacas and llamas are your thing then you are in for a treat. We will definitely be back loved you all

Absolutely amazing place.Came with husband for a birthday treat Our room was fantastic with hot tub outside. The source menu was fantastic, the best meal we have eaten. Breakfast perfect. Every member of staff are fantastic. Friendly and personable without being intrusive. New favourite place they manage to make everything feel relaxed and unrushed whilst delivering the highest service.

Spent 2 nights in a Garden suite to celebrate my wife’s 60th Birthday. ||Disappointed with the following: ||The room was not of 5 star quality by any means and was being charged £585 per night. It was tired , not properly cleaned , carpet stained, dust on the skirting boards, bathroom light in mirror not working , paintwork marked and chipped, furniture all marked and worn, bathroom tired and worn and this is 5* ? . |||This room we stayed in was called St Sunday Cragg. ||The room next door called the Sargent Mann was in total contrast having been refurbished and this was the type of room we were expecting! So not a great experience and certainly not of 5 stars! ||Our other issue was the Source Restaurant where we had booked for the Origin menu. The last dish we sent back as it was barely warm. The replacement was not much better. The pork dish came with a nice piece of trimmed fat. Why would anyone want fat on their plate? Beyond me. Our plates were removed, and we let it be known that we didn’t enjoy the last dish. We had desert but for some reason the petit fours never even arrived! And to add insult to injury the table was never cleaned and we sat amongst a load of crumbs!|||We brought our issue to Front of House and he discounted the wine and the last main dish from our bill. Also sent a bottle of champagne to our room. Our other issue was the table was never cleaned after each course and sat there with crumbs on the table after the main dish was removed for over 10 minutes. Our wine was poured only once! Whilst Front of house was apologetic and tried to rectify we would have preferred to have enjoyed the whole dining experience without issue especially as it was a very special occasion. We are also at a loss as to why the petit fours didn’t arrive. ||So our first night was not what we expected and had paid for. |||We did complain to reception straight away and followed up with the Manager the following day. We did ask if all the Garden suites were the same price to which the Manager confirmed they were, so we asked why our room which was well below standard for a 5 star hotel was the same price as the room next door to which the reply was that room has been refurbished. So if that’s the case why are Gilpin still advertising and charging the room at the same price as a newly refurbished room? Had we not said anything we would still be paying the same price! We can’t comment on the other rooms or the Spa lodges. |||On the second night we ate at the Spice. Food was good and we enjoyed it much more compared to the Source. The Front of house looked after us giving us a complimentary starter. But as the evening wore on became less attentive. Had to open and pour our own wine. Granted he couldn’t do so at the beginning as we still had another drink to finish. But it was never addressed after then. Our other issue was after finishing our meal we were asked if we wanted to look at the dessert menu to which we replied Yes. We waited… and waited … and waited. no menu arrived. It was not particularly busy by this time as it was emptying out so at a bit of a loss as to why the menu didn’t arrive. We gave up in the end and left. |||When we came to check out and settle the bill the Manager had discounted the room by a good margin to the price of a Junior Master suite and taken into account the meal at Source was discounted ( not by much however ) not charged for the wine ,provided a bottle of champagne, it was appreciated. However we booked to enjoy a 5 star hotel with 5 star quality and enjoy 5 star food , we were well aware of the cost in advance so no issue in paying it. It was my wife’s 60th Birthday and I felt bad as it didn’t go accordingly! ||Another thing that annoyed us was that they put on a 7% discretionary charge on everything, 7% on the hotel room, 7% at each restaurant and 7% on the Spa. We were not charged the 7% on either the hotel (I had stated this prior to arrival but was not aware of the restaurants and Spa) we were not charged the discretionary charge at either restaurant. But hadn’t realised we were charged an extra 7% for the massage at the Spa (which annoyed us as we had already given a cash tip to them) until we had left the Hotel. |||At the time of our booking ( 9th Jan 2025) I did state I was booking to celebrate my Wife’s 60th , had no issue with the price at the time of booking , expected 5 Star quality but didn’t get it in any form. ||||Would We recommend? Based on our experience No. ||Would We go back? No. ||There was no enticement from the Manager on our departure to make us want to return either.||So when my wife and I reflect on what she did for her 60th Birthday, we think of a disappointing stay at the Gilpin!||Added some pics of the room and the state of the table we sat at in the Michelin start restaurant.