Best hotels in the Lake District

Brimstone

Hotel Lake District, Cumbria, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This modern chalet-style retreat is tucked amongst trees, in one of the area's finest fell-walking valleys. With vast rooms, feature bathrooms, wood-burning stoves and private terraces, it’s unashamedly sybaritic, and special-occasion pricey. Read expert review

From

£ 175

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The Cottage in the Wood

Hotel Braithwaite, Cumbria, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

Wrapped in woodland with tree-top views to Skiddaw and a 10-minute drive from Keswick, this Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms offers inventive cooking, contemporary-style rooms and a warm, unstuffy atmosphere. There are wonderful walking routes from the doorstep to help work up an appetite. Read expert review

From

£ 130

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Gilpin Hotel & Lake House

Hotel Lake Windermere, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

The epitome of a modern country house hotel pimped up with a dash of bling. Gilpin Hotel & Lake House is firmly in the indulgent break category with private hot tubs and saunas, Michelin-starred dining and legions of staff. Opt for one of the slick glass-and-wood stand-alone lodges for ultimate privacy. Read expert review

From

£ 295

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Randy Pike

Hotel Ambleside, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

These four enormous suites, part of an Italianate Victorian villa close to Lake Windermere, are bold and bohemian affairs mixing vintage and contemporary furnishings. With glamorous bathrooms, indulgent treats and in-room breakfasts, they’re both seductive and spoiling. Read expert review

From

£ 200

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The Samling

Hotel Lake Windermere, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

An indulgence on so many levels – stand-out views, immaculate rooms, creative food – The Samling will make you wonder at your good fortune. Add in spot-on service, a choice of dining and a sense of privacy (only 12 rooms, many set in the grounds) and you'll soon swallow the price tag. Read expert review

From

£ 490

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Storrs Hall

Hotel Windermere, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This 18th-century hall on Lake Windermere has beautiful grounds and an exciting range of accommodation, including boldly decorated rooms, a converted boathouse and luxurious, adults-only suites complete with hot tubs set above the water. Read expert review

From

£ 221

per person

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The Drunken Duck Inn & Restaurant

Hotel Lake District, Cumbria, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This much-loved Lake District inn, at an isolated crossroads, has a quirky, contemporary-country style that feels smart yet relaxed, and offers a real sense of place. Food is bold and tasty, yet never pretentious, and the bar, with own-brew beers, is still a locals' favourite. Read expert review

From

£ 99

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L’Enclume

Hotel Lake District, Cumbria, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

Simon Rogan's two-Michelin-starred restaurant plus handful of rooms stay true both to the simple village location and rich surrounding land. Rooms are modestly but smartly furnished, the setting picture-box pretty while the food is an exemplar of local sourcing and creativity. Read expert review

From

£ 129

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The Forest Side

Hotel Grasmere, Cumbria, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

The vast kitchen garden is a clue that this solid Victorian villa is not what it seems. A Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms, interiors are coolly elegant and flooded with light while chef Paul Leonard’s food is creative, with a real sense of terroir. Read expert review

From

£ 319

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Lindeth Fell Country House

Hotel Windermere, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

The term ‘bed and breakfast’ doesn’t do justice to this family-run luxury guest house with its Edwardian elegance, country-house-hotel comforts, lush gardens and relaxed personal touch. Handsome supper platters can be arranged, too. Read expert review

From

£ 196

per person

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Rothay Manor

Hotel Ambleside, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This is a smart, country house-style hotel with a seriously good restaurant and relaxing, elegantly understated bedrooms. Although close to busy roads, it’s screened by trees, and is on the outskirts of Ambleside at the northern tip of Lake Windermere. Read expert review

From

£ 269

per person

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Applegarth Villa

Hotel Windermere, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

An adults-only, luxury retreat with designer bedrooms — some with their own hot-tubs — in a grand Victorian villa that boasts a central, but quiet, Windermere location. The cooking is polished yet unfussy; the atmosphere stylish yet relaxed. Read expert review

From

£ 128

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Askham Hall

Hotel Penrith, Cumbria, England

9 /10 Telegraph 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. Read expert review

From

£ 150

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The Daffodil Hotel & Spa

Hotel Lake District, Cumbria, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

Despite the fact that this hotel is housed in a traditional slate and Victorian-style building, inside it is smoothly contemporary with crisp bedrooms, vast public spaces and a spa with a vitality pool. Its ace card is its position on the shores of Grasmere, and across the road from Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage. Read expert review

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£ 147

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Another Place, The Lake

Hotel Ullswater, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This stylishly informal country house hotel – sister property to Cornwall’s popular Watergate Bay – is in a plum position on Ullswater. With watersports from their private jetty, kids’ club, indoor pool and spa, children are kept entertained, and grown-ups can be as active or as chilled as they choose. Read expert review

From

£ 210

pn

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Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa

Hotel Windermere, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

A Lakeland landmark hotel, overlooking Lake Windermere, that has now expanded into a modern resort with watersports and a swanky spa. Appealing to both families and couples (with some bedrooms in an exclusive chalet-style building), it also offers a choice of eating options. Read expert review

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£ 157

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Linthwaite House

Hotel Windermere, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

A relaxed country house hotel without the swags and fuss but with plenty of stylish warmth and comfort - and a Simon Rogan (of Michelin-star fame) restaurant. Close to the honeypots of Bowness and Windermere but cocooned in gardens and with stunning views, you need never leave. Read expert review

From

£ 225

per person

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Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa

Hotel Borrowdale, Lake District, England

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

With its superb position overlooking Derwentwater and the fells of Skiddaw and Catbells, this landmark hotel has moved into the 21st century with a swanky spa and an Asian dining option without losing the charm of its more traditional rooms, lounges and restaurant. Read expert review

From

£ 194

per person

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The Yan at Broadrayne

Hotel Grasmere, Cumbria, England

8 /10 Telegraph expert rating

These boutique-neat rooms, surrounded by fields and with enviable fell views, combine contemporary styling with the traditional setting of slate-built and wood-raftered farm outbuildings. And with a funky bistro, too. Read expert review

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£ 100

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Holbeck Ghyll

Hotel Lake Windermere, Lake District, England

8 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This long-established Lakeland country house hotel impresses with its wonderful Arts and Crafts architecture and its sweeping views of Lake Windermere and the fells. It is also famous for its excellent food, serving well-balanced small dishes that pack a taste punch. Read expert review

From

£ 169

per person

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