The setting and ambience of the hotel was lovely as expected. The staff were very friendly and helpful, I was grateful to have my case carried up to the bedroom for me. Enjoyed the breakfast, good choice and the evening meal, beautifully cooked. Disappointed the soup was the same on both days of our 2 day stay. The homemade ice cream was special.

Unfortunately the service at dinner was very slow on the second day, apparently due to a couple of staff being absent. Something that couldn't be helped, overall our stay was excellent

Breakfast was delicious ,evening meal also,stall excellent.

Shower was not good,tv only had one channel

Great location for both Windamere, Bowness, Ambleside and Grassmere. Very clean and staff friendly and accommodating. Although staff were covering several roles at one time.

Two bars, one smaller in a bar area which was very under stocked on the Saturday night. The bar person had to keep leaving the bar to get mixers, glasses and spirits from the other bar in the dinning area. Customers were queued and waiting quite a while whilst the bar person was running between both bar areas. Would recommend that the smaller bar area was well stocked up on a Saturday afternoon, ready for pre dinner drinks on Saturday night!

A good (or even great) hotel stay is made of many things; comfort, facilities, location, ambience, food...but all those elements can be ruined if the staff aren't up to the job. The staff here are exceptional; friendly without being in-your-face, quietly efficient, able to deliver. As we walked in there was a beautiful welcoming fire burning in the hallway hearth, which, on a rainy Cumbrian day was just what we needed. Then of course there's the location; up a hill, with a lovely view of Lake Windermere; perfectly placed for all excursions. Three minutes away is the Windermere Jetty Museum, which runs lake trips from March on vintage steamboats, and has a cafe with a fantastic view and great food too, so if you want a cup of tea or something more substantial on your travels, make that a date, too. Do book breakfast at the Merewood, as there's a great choice and we tried a few of the options, all of which were lovely. So as you can guess, this is a two-thumbs-up recommendation.

Earlier check-in time would have been nice. And, hilarious though it is, the out-of-tune Grand Piano (which sounds like a Cockney Music Hall Joanna, but even more discordant) could do with a bit of sorting. Although as I say, trying to get a tune out of it is quite fun for a minute or so before your ears start to bleed.

The hotel was well signed and easy to find, the location of the hotel is outstanding with views over looking Lake Windermere and lots of parking space. The hotel could do with a little more staff as there were 4 staff members covering the check-in, bar and restaurants and you had to press a bell for someone to come to serve you, however the staff that were on side site were all very helpful and made you welcome. Just feel it would be better to have someone at the front of house and the bar to welcome you instead of going into a room and having to wait for someone to come.

Food, evening meal was very dry and some of it was burnt, however the breakfast in the morning was excellent so overall for the price of the food cannot complain.

Loved the cosy fireplace as we came in - the room was grand and the staff had left a small box of chocolates out for our anniversary, which was a lovely touch. Would 100% return.

Located on magnificent, lush private grounds. The elevated position gives you spectacular views from the restaurant and selected rooms over the grounds to the lake. Yet is just walking distance down to the Windermere Lake, family-friendly restaurants and the tourist ferry. Although the restaurant on-site was a bit pricey, the food was really good and service even better. Breakfast was excellent - served in the same elegant room as dinner. Our hotel room was quite small, and had a very strong odour, perhaps cologne or a room spray? Would have been better without this overwhelming scent, but we were able to leave the windows open. We spent two lovely nights here during mid-May and it didn't feel very busy at all.

The strong scent/room spray. Room was quite small. Note: only stairs to upper floor/no elevator

Fantastic location overlooking the lake. Had the veggie breakfast which was lovely. Also loved the roaring fires in the various lounges that had great sofas to relax on

The staff were very friendly but seemed to be a bit thin on the ground. They were doing multiple jobs but were always really helpful and friendly when dealing with us. The hot water wasn't great in our room. No cold needed adding to the bath water and it certainly wasn't suitable for a long soak which was such a pity as it was a lovely room

Great location set in mature gardens in an elevated position overlooking Lake Windemere. Breakfasts were very filling with plenty to eat. Evening meal was also nicely prepared and tasty. Pleasantly quiet library and sitting rooms to read a paper, play chess or just snooze the afternoon away. A nice dog friendly hotel and the separate dining areas for those with dogs was a good and thoughtful touch.

The bar area had large leather chesterfield seating which weren't particularly comfortable but in the evening they did give a cosy ambiance.

What a beautiful hotel, so full of character and charm, we particularly loved the roaring open fires. The hotel has such a warm, cozy feel and instantly makes you feel relaxed. The staff are fantastic, so friendly and helpful, they really make this hotel extra special. The views are beautiful too, we had a lake view room and it was stunning looking out over the lake. Food was also very tasty, we ate in the grill for dinner. Equally breakfast was delicious with lots of choice.

Just a few bits of furniture were starting to look a little tired. The wardrobe and bed sit tables in our room didn’t quite fit in with the elegance of the room but it certainly wouldn’t put us of from staying again.