Holbeck Ghyll - South Lakeland

We have had the most wonderful family stay here at the Holbeck Ghyll. We stayed in one of the cottages, 6 of us. Couldn’t have asked for a more friendly and accommodating stay. The staff are all lovely, the rooms were very comfortable, clean, with stunning views. And the food is delicious too! We felt so well looked after: 2 adults, 4 children and our dog! definitely want to come back.

We stayed in one of the annex buildings as we had our dog with us. The place was very clean, had a comfortable bed and had a lovely bathroom. The hotel was once a hunting lodge for Lord Lonsdale and the interior of the hotel is beautiful. It includes original woodwork and a room designed by William Morris. The grounds are lovely and the views are amazing as the hotel is halfway up the fell. We had an evening dinner in the hotel and the food and service were impeccable. My only issue was that it was not eco-friendly. The heating was on full in our accommodation when we arrived (too hot! and I think the hot tub was on all the time. The latter is difficult to manage but why not consult guests when they arrive as to whether they want the water heated all of the time? Thanks for a lovely stay.

Dreadful dining experience. Service was inattentive and slow. The food mediocre and lukewarm. The maitre d was dishevelled (shirt half untucked). After dinner I could have set myself on fire before attracting the attention of the bar staff for a post dinner drink as I sat by the slowly self extinguishing fire. This venue may have appeared attractive thanks to a tv show several years ago however time has not been kind to the staff, the food or the decor.

Had one night stay meal and breakfast here. Room tired and cold. Heating up full but still cold. Needs work to update as sink cracked, side of bath peeling off. Mat was soiled. Evening meal not hot and very pricy. Dining room cold for breakfast. Fab they accept dogs but place has seen better days. Only one staff member on evening and at breakfast. Views from room however spectacular. Would not stay again as better places for less bucks!

Having read the mix of reviews I think they’re probably all accurate! Depending on the room you get and what you’re expectations are like, it’ll either be wonderful or just a bit of a disappointment. Mine was the latter. The initial room -Jemima Puddle Duck whilst it has an amazing view, is dated and there are too many unnecessary dirty stains which could be cleaned off quite easily. It’s not reflective of the price. However we were shown a couple of other rooms instead when we raised this and chose Tiggy Winkle (directly above JPDuck) and this was lovely. Contemporary decor, a good layout and with the incredible views of the lake. However the rooms aren’t soundproofed and with the connecting doors means hearing the neighbours appreciating each other was unavoidable! The restaurant offered some nice food although the tasting menu which we were going to choose is a diner’s choice from the menu rather than being the chef’s choice of 5 courses. This put us off so we opted for canapés and mains instead. Breakfast has a good selection cooked to order. Staff are friendly but occasionally over familiar- if you’re looking for exceptional high end service and a luxury experience this isn’t quite the hotel. The website is a bit misleading. The general manager/owner is confident, has big plans and happy to share them. Apparently there’ll be a refurbish of lots of the rooms but we should expect the price to double!