35 Best Hotels in The Lake District, England

On a quiet corner, this upscale boutique B&B has spacious guest rooms with carefully chosen fabrics and wallpaper, comfortable mattresses, and contemporary touches. Stained glass, wooden floors, shelves of books, and a grand piano help give the place a cultured air. Breakfast options include local sausages, fresh fruit, and eggs Benedict. Your hosts will also prepare picnic baskets, cheese plates, and other delicious savory platters on request.

It's hard to find a more welcoming spot than this lofty Victorian house right in the center of town, thanks to hosts who know a thing or two about local walks. They'll also supply a packed lunch if you plan to be out exploring all day. Although space is at a premium, the rooms are pleasantly decorated with prints and wood furniture.

Dark carved wood, antique tiles, and a stunning location overlooking Ullswater give Another Place plenty of country-house style, and the hotel also manages to be more relaxed than some of its competition. The bar has old leather sofas and flock wallpaper, and there is a grand piano in the lounge. Bedrooms are all individually decorated in a fresh color palette, with sumptuous fabrics, antique furniture, and huge windows pointing towards the lake and fells. The Rampsbeck Restaurant, open to the public, offers a three-course fine-dining menu including dishes such as potted brown shrimp, roasted harlequin squash, and whole charcoal-baked sea bass, as well as afternoon tea. The Glasshouse is a more casual option and has a wood-fired pizza oven.

Ancient hub of the Lowther Estate, beautiful Askham Hall's spectacular gardens and fairy-tale rooms are now open to guests. Royalty have stayed here, and the grand staircase and 13th-century peel tower give it a castlelike feel. But it's also refreshingly unpretentious, with homey touches to the country-house style: drinks are on the honor system, and the restaurant is a marvelous hodgepodge of Spanish tiles and aged tables. Rooms are spacious and elegant without being fussy, with ancient fireplaces, oak buttresses, and Chinese antique wallpaper. The gardens have a 230-foot-long herbaceous border, secret paths, terraces, and views of the River Lowther. The café has a wood-fired pizza oven lighted in summer months and some very fine cakes. The hotel is about 10 minutes south of Penrith.

A cozy family home less than a mile south of the village, Banerigg House has unfussy, well-appointed rooms, most with lake views. Games and books fill the guest lounge. The simple B&B is walker friendly, which means you get hiking advice from the owners, drying facilities, and a roaring fire when needed.

Used by Arthur Ransome as the setting for Swallows and Amazons, 15th-century Bank Ground is beautifully situated on the eastern shore of Coniston Water, opposite the village of Coniston on the western shore. It's a proper, old-fashioned working farm; cottages with kitchens are a good option for longer stays (catering and barbecue packs are also available), and there's a guest lounge with an open fire. The tearoom is open to the public on weekends from Easter to October. The guesthouse is open Easter to November, while the cottages are open year-round.

The welcome is friendly, the breakfast is hearty (salmon fish cakes with poached eggs and a full English breakfast are among the options), and the rooms have patterned wallpaper and heavy, luxurious fabrics at this Victorian terraced house. Purples and browns predominate, and one room has a four-poster. The single room is a very good value. This is one of a cluster of B&Bs on Portland Place, a short walk north of Penrith's center.

After four centuries, this friendly old coaching inn remains an outstanding place for both food and lodging. Bedrooms—bright, chic, and exceptionally comfortable— have wonderful views of the Langdale Pikes. Newer rooms have roll-top tubs and underfloor heating. Slip into the cozy bar with oak settles and order a tasty real ale from the Duck's Barngates Brewery. There's an open fire, and a cozy, dog-friendly bar. The dining space is light and airy.

Hidden among 22 acres of grounds with meandering paths leading to sleek, spacious lodges, this rambling country house provides the ultimate pampering. The family-run lodging, in a converted 1901 house with two modern wings, has plush public rooms furnished with comfy sofas and warmed by log fires. Bedrooms embody contemporary-rustic chic; most have sitting areas opening onto the gardens and some have cedarwood hot tubs. The Gilpin Spa offers treatments with ESPA and natural local products, and the Gilpin Spa Suites come with their own personal spa room.

Though this stately, carefully restored home retains original elements from its days as a grand Victorian country pile, its welcoming owners have invested in handsome local furniture and stripped away some of the chintz, opening up inspiring views across the pristine lawns to the valley and the central Lakeland peaks beyond. Rooms have ornate beds, plenty of luxurious fabrics, patterned wallpaper, and stunning views. Communal areas are relaxed and welcoming and the whole place exudes a warm hospitality, exemplified by handmade complimentary truffles and sherry on arrival. Dinners in the restaurant focus on local ingredients prepared with modern British flair.

Small but sumptuous, this lodging has a distinctly feminine sensibility, with floral wallpaper, curly steel lamps, and painted woodwork. State-of-the-art contemporary touches such as TVs in the bathrooms and underfloor heating add extra luxury, and two rooms have private terraces. Dig into a generous and tasty breakfast downstairs in Heidi's Café.

Slightly austere on the outside but charming within, this Victorian hotel overlooks the lawns of Hope Park and has accommodations with great character, including rooms in the turret and the former chapel. The balconies of the common areas have superb valley views, and some rooms look out to Derwentwater or Skiddaw. The well-regarded restaurant (open to nonguests) has a regularly updated menu of dishes such as locally smoked breast of duck, haunch of venison, and Cumbrian fillet steak. Check out the fine wine list and 25 whiskies in the bar.

In a town that overflows with B&Bs, this comfortable townhouse stands out because of its contemporary flair and pampering touches. The six pristinely redesigned and refurbished apartments have cherry, elm, oak, or slate floors, natural carpets using local wool, and bespoke wooden furniture by local craftsman Danny Frost. The beds are top-notch, with pocket-sprung mattresses and goose-down pillows and duvets. A fabulous room at the top of the house has views of the mountains from the bath. Breakfasts might include housemade porridge (great preparation for a day on the fells), eggs Benedict, or a full Cumbrian fry-up.

Near the end of the road on the isolated eastern side of Ullswater, this gloriously quiet family-run hotel is low-key and low-tech. The Ullswater Steamer connects it to the outside world. Cut flowers, antiques, and stuffed deer heads decorate the steadfastly old-fashioned interior, and there are fireplaces and views over the lake from some rooms. The restaurant, open to nonguests, serves hearty Lakeland fare, and good take-out lunches are available as are self-catering cottages. Howtown is 4 miles south of Pooley Bridge.

With some of the best lake views in the Lake District, Inn on the Lake is a large Victorian property right on the edge of Ullswater, with only its own terrace and lawns separating it from the water. It's an idyllic spot, understandably popular for weddings. All of the guest rooms have views of Ullswater or Helvellyn. The Lake View Restaurant is open to guests and nonguests, and if you've come down off the mountain and are covered in mud, you'll still be welcome in the Ramblers Bar. In summer you might well want to use the hotel's 9-hole pitch-and-putt golf course and croquet lawn.

One of Windermere's smartest bed-and-breakfasts, spotless Ivy Bank is in a quiet, leafy part of town. The guest rooms, all en suite, have handsome wooden furniture, stripped wood floors, and views over the rooftops. The owner is a qualified masseuse and aromatherapist and offers treatments to guests. You can use the Old England Spa nearby for a discounted rate.

In the tranquil hamlet of Stonethwaite, the welcoming Langstrath was originally built as a miner's cottage in the 16th century but has expanded into a spacious inn with chunky wooden tables and logs burning on a slate open fire. A perfect base for walkers, it has spacious, unfussy rooms (some with wood beams) with stunning views out to the surrounding countryside and hills. There are modern touches, too, like Wi-Fi connections and music docking stations. Traditional pub food in the bar downstairs is sourced locally, and the menu includes British favorites such as slow roast shoulder of lamb, homemade steak-and-ale pie, and Cumberland sausage with whole-grain mustard mash. There are Cumbrian beers, a choice of wines by the glass, and a good selection of whisky.

A contemporary country house hotel set in 14 acres of gardens and private woodlands, the luxurious guest rooms here overlook the gardens and the lake, and many of the suites have their own hot tubs. Chef Simon Rogan has opened his imaginative farm-to-table restaurant Henrock at the hotel, and there's also a bar and conservatory where you can treat yourself to afternoon tea.

A Victorian building in the heart of Grasmere, the chic and spacious Moss Grove Organic puts an emphasis on its environmental credentials. Private hot tubs, balconies, luxurious duck-down duvets, and flat-screen TVs appear along with reclaimed stained glass, old timbers, and organic clay paints. For a special treat, request the Champagne truffles on arrival.

There's no more comforting stop after a day outdoors than the Hiker's Bar of this 300-year-old hotel at the head of the Great Langdale Valley. The stone floor and wooden beams echo to the clatter of boots, and the roaring, smoky fire rapidly dries out wet walking gear. Thick slabs of flapjack (dense bar cookies) from behind the bar will get you up the surrounding Langdale Pikes, as will the hearty, good-value housemade soup and pies. Guest rooms are decorated with traditional patterned carpets and flowered bed linens, and some have four-poster beds, though the hotel exudes a rougher version of Lakeland life far away from Beatrix Potter quaintness.

An outstanding inn and restaurant, the Punch Bowl is a stylish but down-to-earth retreat in the peaceful Lyth Valley, between Windermere and Kendal. The bright, airy bedrooms have high ceilings and lots of sturdy oak beams. Chic fabrics and wallpaper add some flair, and handsome roll-top tubs take pride of place in the wood-paneled bathrooms. Views are over the village church and the fields, and the breakfasts are famously good. The sleek, slate-floored bar serves fine real ales, and you can sample top-notch homemade and locally sourced dishes in the bright, contemporary restaurant. 

Out of the center of Grasmere toward Dunmail Raise (hence the name), Raise View has some of Grasmere’s more stylish rooms and a reputation for hospitality. Seven cozy rooms feature pleasant views and a touch of old Lakeland chintz. In better weather, sit in the flower-filled gardens to admire the views of the fells.

Built in the 19th century as the shooting lodge for Wray Castle, Randy Pike is filled with stylish, imaginative, and playful touches. The large guest rooms use slate and reclaimed timber, and instead of a minibar there's a "boudoir larder" with local beers and cheeses. A three-course breakfast is delivered to your room, and the owners will transport you to their excellent Jumble Room restaurant in Grasmere, should you wish to eat there.

Converted from what were once the offices of Beatrix Potter's solicitor husband, this Ambleside café has branched out into accommodations, with eight simple but stylishly furnished rooms decorated with photos of delights from the café next door. The rooms have comfy beds, wood floors, and views of Bridge House. The handsome old building has been refurbished in contemporary style, complete with docks for digital devices and free Wi-Fi access. And, of course, breakfast is baked fresh next door, where cake is only ever moments away.

One of the original luxury hotels of the Lakes, Rothay Manor has all the hallmarks of country elegance and comfort: bold, printed wallpapers, huge, soft beds, and roaring fires in the elegant common areas. The crowning achievement, however, is the food; head chef Dan McGeorge borrows inspiration from Scandinavian and Japanese cuisine to create an unforgettable fine dining menu.

Named after a classic climbing novel, Rum Doodle is an immaculately and imaginatively designed B&B. Fond attention has clearly been spent on sourcing retro furniture and on the many special and occasionally quirky touches, from four-poster beds and bowler-hat lights to the special Rum Doodle coffee and prosecco in each of the nine rooms. Guests get fresh homemade cookies in their rooms on arrival and there are homemade jams, too. Apart from Stornaway black pudding, all the food is locally sourced.

This building was established as a private home in the 1600s, and William Wordsworth often used to visit on his evening walks; today the estate is comprised of a 30-room hotel, holiday cottages, a bunk house, and a campsite. Everything is powered by the estate's own hydroelectric plant. There are 30 acres of gardens and woodland plus a tea shop and a program of regular events.

Right on Penrith's lively market square is this attractive redbrick hotel, which dates back more than 300 years. The open fireplaces, wood paneling, stained glass, and antiques all add to the atmosphere and sense of history, although the guest rooms are surprisingly modern with light, bright interiors and large comfortable beds. The lively restaurant and bar downstairs tend to be busy in the afternoons and evenings, and while it's a good place for a drink, you'll be better off dining elsewhere.

Built in 1847, this historic property was originally called "the Grecian Villa,” which gives you an idea of its style. Its centerpiece is an elegant wood-paneled spiral staircase. No two guest rooms are alike, and they incorporate many of the building's original architectural features as well as modern comforts.