Gilpin Hotel & Lake House review, Windermere, Lake District UK

There are five spa suites at the hotel

(Image credit: Gilpin Hotel & Lake House)

published 13 June 2023

One suspects, for the majority of the population – well, certainly those with their own transport – the appeal of England’s Lake District is undeniable.

42 of the best luxury hotels and resorts to book in 2023 Grantley Hall review: elaborate luxury in the friendly north

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Located a mile or so away from the hotel on 100 acres of private grounds, the Lake House comes with its own team, a boat house (where they serve a lovely afternoon tea), a “Jetty Spa” wellness trail and a pool and sauna cunningly hidden in the basement. And, with a little notice, a handful of people willing to drive you back to the hotel for dinner at one of its two restaurants which we’ll talk about further down the page.

As part of the Pride of Britain (PoB) Hotels collection, this is an interesting badge to have. A marketing concept that actually celebrates some genuinely interesting places based around the quality of stay, services, dining, wellness and assorted other things. This particular trip north also took in nights at Northcote and Grantley Hall. All three places may have Michelin-starred restaurants but, in terms of feel and look and design, they’re all very different. All three are part of PoB which suggests that the inspectors know what they’re doing…

Spice, however, remains, although it’s now under the leadership of Aakash Ohol, HRiSHi’s former sous chef. It’s a curious venture and, at the point of my visit, a somewhat polite venture through Asia, with dishes inspired by the countries along the Spice Route. The cooking was on point, the dishes tasty, the spicing perfectly fine in terms of depth of flavour, but it all lacked that little spark of heat you might – and I certainly did – expect. It was all perfectly enjoyable, the BBQ pork belly in particular, but it felt a little watered down. If that’s for the clientele, surely even the middle classes of Windermere et al have experienced chillies by now?

Have a massage. Wander the grounds. Sleep like the dead. Eat scones. At the Gilpin you are near the heart of the Lake District, a stone’s throw from Lake Windermere, short drives to Coniston, Ambleside and Kendal, and only slightly longer drives to Penrith, Grange-over-Sands and the like. The hiking potential, if you’re so inclined, is infinite. But the Jetty Spa wellness trail – champagne, a blissful massage, hot tub, snackage, a private swim – is a very enjoyable way of passing a few hours and accelerating the whole destressing thing that, presumably, is most of the reason you’re in the Lake District?