Holbeck Ghyll

We went to Holbeck Ghyll for the 5 course tasting menu; it was listed as £80 per-person on their website, then £85 on the menu at the restaurant, then £88 on the final bil (cheerfully adjusted down to £85 when queried). That lack of coherence probably encapsulates the overall experience of the dinner. On arrival we were directed to sit in the chilly bar area, but it wasn't explained why we weren't taken straight to our table. We were then asked if we wanted drinks, but without being shown a drinks menu. Meanwhile, an amuse bouche arrived without explanation of what they were. We were then taken to our table in the dining room. Strangely no wine list was offered, and the first course arrived. The rest of the courses followed pretty quickly, but the quality of the cooking was pretty variable. The duck ravioli was dry and overcooked, while the souffle was well made. Overall, for almost £200 for two, I felt it was a waste of money: the staff are doing their best, but there seemed to be no oversight and management of the overall dining experience, nor of the (unfortunately pretty empty) dining room. This place rather seems to be relying on past glofies, and the basics are being overlooked. I would go elsewhere for dinner next time.

The location is stunning and we were seated in a small dinning area with wonderful views over Windermere. The afternoon tea was beautiful presented and delicious! It was traditionally decorated in keeping with the building. The staff did not seem very friendly or welcoming, they did not return at all to check how our food was and we had to go and look for staff to ask for more tea.

It is a very lovely hotel. It is up on a small hill and has a very good view of the landscape including the lake and a small farm. The cocktails are so nice, especially for Simon’s cocktail and Sarah’s special cocktail. The services are really nice as well. We enjoyed our trip here and stayed for three nights. The view is scenic and the food here is great. We only had breakfast but still it is very tasty and delicious.

To start with the positives, The Holbeck Ghyll is in a charming building, with well proportioned rooms, in a beautiful setting, with views over lake Windermere and extensive accessible countryside at your finger tips. The room and bed was also very comfortable.||This only tells part of the story though…||Breakfast menu is good, although there was confusion over whether we could order certain coffees. Also relating to the breakfast - I was confused by the portions , one day I had 2 hash browns and 2 sausages then the next I only had 1 hash brown and 1 sausage. Odd. We also heard other tables having issue with more confusion from the staff; it felt like a real lottery as to what would happen next! ||Most of the staff are attentive, but lack sufficient training for a 4 Star hotel- investment in retention and training of staff needs to be made to stop it feeling overpriced. ||Although, even coming from spending most of my time in Central London I did think the area was v expensive. £7 a pint in a local pub was about the going rate (not that the Holbeck have a beer tap).||The restaurant is not as good as seen in the TV series The Trip season 1. It was expensive for what it was. The wine list was also poor and had different prices on different menus for the same bottle which was confusing (and misleading). ||Overall it was an odd experience - I wouldn’t go for a romantic weekend but for a lads trip it was actually quite classic. I suspect this isn’t the intention though…

Beautiful rustic hotel, over looking lake Windermere. The hotel is beautiful, with gardens and lodges, and full of history. We stayed for 2 nights at the Miss Potter suite, which came with a hot-tub on the terrace which was absolutely amazing to relax in after a full day of walking! The sounds of local sheep/baby lambs and views of the nature were just pleasant to see and hear. The lodge has its own sofa area to relax in, which came with a coffee machine and fridge, again, over looking the lake with beautiful views of the sunset. The lodge was spacious and accommodated 2 adults and 2 children easily, and had its own car parking space. Lodges are spacious and clean. The manager was really attentive and welcoming. The breakfast was also good, ample choices on the menu from vegetarian option, to full English. All in all, great place to enjoy nature and admire the beautiful views of the Lake District in peace and quiet.

Stunning location and venue. One staff member was very helpful but the other guy was quite rude really. £16 for 3 small bottles of beer and nothing on tap. Gorgeous building though! wouldn't rush back.

A real "this could be a very nice hotel but isn't " experience. ||One member of staff, Caleigh who did our wedding tour was professional and welcoming. ||However the rest of the staff gave off the vibe that they really didn't want to be there and we were an inconvenience to them staying there. ||Numerous things were forgotten over breakfast and dinner (which was extortionate ly priced) and very average in taste. ||Our room, a lodge was very dated, black mould in the shower and marks on multiple walls. The actual front door doesn't shut properly and you have to physical lift it to close it, something that was pointed out to us on the tour, so if you know about it...fix it!! ||Upon checkout we received a £14 bill for dinner even though we were only £2.75 over on our dinner allowance which was part of our room rate deal. ||The young girl on the desk with brunette hair aggressively and sarcastically replied "oh I am sorry about that" and offered nothing in response. We complained that at no point or nowhere, it informs guests that "drinks aren't included in the dining allowance" |The girl just sat there dead pan expression and repeated sarcastically "oh I AM SORRY about that". ||We paid the bill that we didn't owe and left never ever to return. Needless to say our wedding will NOT be at this shambles of an establishment.

Went for afternoon tea with a friend. The chap who greeted us was very helpful & friendly , explained everything in detail and kept checking if we needed anything. We had a table with a lovely view of the lake & the fire was on so it was really cozy.

Stopped in here for a night on the way to Scotland. Tom, on the front desk to great care of us checking in and getting us oriented. The lodge/cabin was clean, well layed out and inviting. We opted for the casual menu for dinner as we had two kids with us. We started with the charcuterie board which was excellent as was the beetroot started which is served with goat cheese. For the main course we has the salmon which was excellent, fish and chips, burger and mushroom pasta were very good. We returned for breakfast of traditional fare which again was excellent. We only had one night here due to our schedule but we would go back...

Holbeck Country House and Spa is a luxury hotel overlooking the beautiful Lake Windermere, the fells and mountains, which all looks spectacular especially at sunset. Nothing beats, watching the sunset over the lake, relaxing and sipping tea, after you have had your pampering! So make sure you have had a spa and massage treatment just before the sun sets. We were booked into the fabulous Lady Lonsdale room for our Spa Heaven break, with its high ceiling and a large comfy seating area with two sofas, and a fantastic view of the lake and fells. The hotel has Michelin starred dining. A three course dinner, starting off with canapes in the Lounge, which were really nice and tasty and ending with petit fours and coffee. The service was impeccable and friendly. However, the lighting in the restaurant was quite low, so you could not see the food very well, but it all looked delicious and well presented. It was nice that each course was introduced. My choc desserts were sublime though with a small souffle, and other choc delights. Overall the fine dining experience was, fine, I have had better. Since this was fine dining, one felt one should not take photos, so I had to surreptitiously do it, without flash, so not to spoil the ambience, but with the very dim lighting, it was a quite difficult task! The next morning, you can then enjoy the Michelin starred breakfast. I had the full English, although nicely presented, was not piping hot, the way I like it. The eggs were freshly fried so nice and hot, but the rest of the breakfast, the bacon, the black pudding, mushrooms and sausages were warm as obviously pre-cooked, and the tomatoes were only lightly grilled, so was cold. Unfortunately the toast was no better, it was cold by the time it reached us so was quite hard, almost like eating a biscuit. I like my butter to melt in the hot toast, and this did not. But all the food tasted country fresh. We took a short walk after breakfast to explore the lovely grounds, and the gardens. We followed the stream some way past the tennis court, but did not go all the way down to the Lake and Marina, as it was a few miles and we ran out of time ;-) Overall, the stay was very pleasant and relaxing. The staff was also friendly and helpful. An extremely nice treat for our special occasion. I was well spoilt! Windermere is so beautiful even in the mist! It finally cleared around lunch time, and the sun came out, so we took the hour and a half cruise round the lake from Bowness Pier, 7 minutes drive from the Holbeck Gyhll, and I learnt that it is the largest lake in England. The cruise only took in half of it, stopping at two piers which you can disembark and board again. The water was so, so clear and smooth, I was mesmerised, I could stare at it all day sitting on the boat, floating along the lake, soaking in the warm sun. Lovely!

We stayed at the hotel end of Sept, and beginning of Oct 2017 for three nights. We stayed in a standard room for the first two nights, and the Miss Potter Suite on the last night. The standard room: Positives: - Great view with a very large window. Negatives: - The 'double bed' in the room was two single beds pushed together, and the bed itself was very uncomfortable. - Very visible stains to lamp shades. - Stains to carpet. - Four broken lights. - WiFi not working to the extent that pictures could not be loaded. - The hotel gave chocolates, but when opened, these had visible fingerprints on them, and the milk chocolate had started to turn white in colour. - The alcohol container was sticky and not properly cleaned. - A radiator in the room was not working. - Highly visible soap scum and rust to shower gel containers, one of which was broken. The signature suite: Positives: - Underfloor heating and jacuzzi. - Great view. - Small lounge area. Negatives: - Not much different from the standard room. - Jacuzzi had dirt in it. - The alcohol container boasted about was empty, and again was sticky. - Only one set of slippers and dressing gown, despite there being two guests and a jacuzzi. - The jacuzzi is overlooked by the hotel, and you can see others seated in the hotel when you are in the jacuzzi. - Cleaners had not even finished cleaning the room when we arrived after we were given keys. - The outdoor area was not cleaned well, to the front and rear. - WiFi was not functional, as in the standard room. - The room is next to a car park, so you may be worken by noise. - At the time, we could hear wind against windows. - Uncomfortable sofa in lounge area. - Slow TV remote. The restaurant: When we arrived, we ordered the deer burger and afternoon tea, which was lovely. However, the breakfast was really poor and slow over the three days. Orders were often forgotten. On one occasion, we got eggs Benedict without anything visible but the sauce on the plate. Numerous guests were complaining to staff, whom did not seem to take the criticism on board, and some staff did not seem to understand guests. We ordered the 10 course dinner on one occasion. It felt as if we were promised so much given the price tag and rosette rating... A few of the dishes were nice, others average, but two were overly salty and failed to deliver. When we made this criticism, the waiter said 'alright I'll tell the chef to calm down a bit'. Waiters would just put down dishes without introducing the dish, and there was no real effort at conversation or making the experience pleasurable from wait staff. We had to serve ourselves drinks, because the restaurant had only 2-3 waiting staff, and were preoccupied with one particular couple for most of the night to the detriment of the rest of the dining room. Staff were generally unresponsive when we made complaints for the above, and there were no amendments to the hefty bill. We emailed the manager whom reported that the issues we raised would be resolved over the coming months, and offered us one free night's stay, but we were not happy with this offer, given our experience. We requested a partial refund on two separate occasions and received no response. The hotel continues to send us special offers by email despite us never signing up to this. See photos. Manager is highly defensive to criticism - see tripadvisor reviews!

I'm very sad to have to write this. I'm not one for reviews. I was married at Holbeck Ghyll, I've returned for stays since and It's always been a wonderful experience. My last stay was in January, my husband and I had just attended a family funeral. My mother had booked a stay sometime in the future with the family member that had just passed. My Mother asked me to cancel the booking while I was staying, which i did promptly upon checking in. The gentleman who checked us in said that the cancellation would be taken care of, I thought nothing of it until I was informed by Mother that she had been charged a cancellation fee. I called to hotel to let them know what had happen provided them the dates of our stay and the manner in which we communicated the cancellation. We recently were told the cancellation would stand, myself branded a liar, and no accountability taken on the hotels behalf. Before booking this hotel please be aware of their poor business practices and ethical standards. I've always tired to be fair and reasonable with respect to the hospitality industry,one of the reasons why I rarely post reviews. In this case I take exception, the hotel made a mistake and would rather hide behind a cancellation number that wasn't offered, than do the right thing.

Disgusting service. Laughably bad experience where service was awful and also during which a bottle of wine a relative paid for as a surprise simply wasn't bought to our table. Zero sympathy when I complained. Avoid at all costs.

I was on a trip of the North in the summer of 2016, replicating Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's "The Trip". All of the locations exceeded expectation, that is except Holbeck Ghyll. This is the one I was looking forward to most, and the only one I would hesitate to return to. The rooms were dated and in bad repair (chipped paint, frayed curtains, missing shower handles). The food was mediocre at best and it was clear that they are well past their Michelin Star days. The staff was actually great and accommodating except when we shared our feedback with the desk clerk (no managers were in), we were assured that we would be contacted by management. We are still waiting on that call. Do "The Trip" skip Holbeck Ghyll until they get serious about getting back to where they were.

Very nice Inn in the Lake District. Rooms are nice with killer view of the lake. Could use AC. Restaurant is fabulous. Every dish was great; service was excellent with a terrific wine list. Love ordering dinner from the sitting room while enjoying a cocktail. They call you in to the dinning room as your first course is ready. Great food, service and ambiance.

I booked this hotel for Christmas for our family. I had selected it from an internet search, it looked very appealing in photos but I really did not know what to expect. We travelled from Chicago and Bedford to arrive on December 23rd.Right from the moment we arrived we felt like we were royalty. The staff were superb, through the whole of Christmas and nothing was too much trouble for them.The food was astounding: marvelous English teas, divine dinners and wonderfull English breakfasts.I had booked late and was expecting the last (smallest ) rooms and was quite astounded when shown to our rooms.They were so spacious, had beautiful views and had ante rooms which was wonderful with our luggage and Christmas presents etc. It was really a marvelous place to spend Christmas and to have a complete break. It rained everyday but didn't matter as the hotel was so lovely: log fires, books, jigsaw's, games and lots of umbrellas! A special note of admiration for the manager who seemed to spend a large part of his Christmas at the hotel to ensure that all the guests were happy.