The most romantic hotels in the Lake District
An expert guide to the most romantic hotels in the Lake District, including the best for lake views, grand interiors, sumptuous bedrooms with rolltop baths, gourmet restaurants and sprawling private gardens, in areas including Penrith, Windemere and Grasmere.
Brimstone at Langdale
Lake District, Cumbria, England
9Telegraph expert rating
A romantic’s dream, this hotel in the Langdale Estate brings something different to the Lake District’s luxury market. The local stone exterior gives way to brilliant ski lodge-like indulgence – blazing fires, spa bathrooms, private balconies, help-yourself boot room and a reading lounge with free snacks and drinks. From the glowing, glass-fronted stove to the double shower, enormous spa bath and bi-fold doors opening out to Lakeland views – it’s impossible to find fault with bedrooms as well designed and delightfully indulgent as these. In the restaurant, order the sharing lamb shoulder, served in a deep oven dish with lashings of veg and shallot gravy. Read expert review From £250per night
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The Forest Side
Grasmere, Cumbria, England
9Telegraph expert rating
Forest Side is a glamorous address in the heart of the Lake District that puts food – and foraging – firmly at its centre. The house has been beautifully transformed with shimmering crushed velvet sofas; silver and bird of paradise wallpapers; and floorboards reused to make the dining tables. The Herdwick sheep that graze outside can be thanked for all the carpets, the insulation, even the wool used in the divine custom-made Harrison Spinks beds. The best thing about the rooms are the superb bathrooms, with touch-button controls for bath and shower, and herbal infusions products. Feast on the likes of scurvy grass and pickled allium flowers in the foraging-inspired Michelin-starred restaurant. Read expert review From £184per night Check availability Rates provided by Mr & Mrs Smith
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Gilpin Hotel & Lake House
Lake Windermere, Lake District, England
8Telegraph expert rating
There are flowers everywhere, charmingly arranged; also expect a light-filled indoor pool and sauna, and a terrace by the tarn with hot tub, outdoor heaters, deck chairs and private corners. An elegant, bookish drawing room leading to a sun-filled conservatory. Six unimpeachable bedrooms have good furniture and armchairs, lovely lamps, shelves of books and objects and piles of the latest magazines, plus iPads and iPods. Guests can stroll up to Cat Crag, with a 360 degree panorama stretching as far as the Isle of Man, but many simply stay put – they've even been seen rowing on the lake in their dressing gowns. Read expert review From £215per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Eltermere Inn
Lake District, Cumbria, England
8Telegraph expert rating
This 18-century Georgian house was once a gentleman’s residence surrounded by green lawns leading down to the lakeshore. There's even a rowing boat to borrow. Inside, it’s all high ceilings, sash windows, plasterwork and original cornicing. Service is relaxed – it feels more like a private house than a hotel. Each of the 12 rooms has its own character, including Robin Ghyll with its beams and oak bed, and Willy Goodwaller, with its freestanding tub and rococo furniture. The restaurant offers country nosh with a sophisticated twist. Read expert review From £110per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Samling
Lake Windermere, Lake District, England
8Telegraph expert rating
The house sits amongst 67 rolling acres at the northern end of Windermere and exerts old-school elegance. Surrounded by woods and neatly-trimmed lawns, it feels deliciously secluded, and the grounds are dotted with modern art. The gabled house dates from the late 18th century and was once owned by Wordsworth's landlord. The Samling still has the air of a stately country manor: tall windows framed by ruched curtains, lounges filled with antique armchairs and pianofortes, walls decorated with Wedgwood and watercolours. Read expert review From £220per night
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The Daffodil Hotel & Spa
Lake District, Cumbria, England
8Telegraph expert rating
The location is hard to fault: rural, green and quiet. It’s on the edge of Grasmere, a popular village that’s renowned for its Wordsworth connections: the poet lived at nearby Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount, a mile or so up the road, and is buried with his wife and children in the village churchyard. It’s perfect for walkers, too. There’s full room service and an excellent spa with heated thermal pool. Read expert review From £120per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Howtown Hotel
Penrith, Cumbria, England
9Telegraph expert rating
It may be old-fashioned, but there’s nothing hair shirt about this truly special hotel. When you telephone for a room, you are asked to confirm in writing; Jacqui Baldry then acknowledges by hand. This is the warmest, kindest, dearest hotel in the world. Our room was at the end of a long, red-carpeted, warmly-lit corridor studded with old wooden bedroom doors with brass knockers (but no fiddly keys) and lined by 19th-century watercolours and prints. Many guests are repeat visitors; old and young, groups, couples and single guests all feel at home. Read expert review From £122per night
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The Windermere Suites
Windermere, Lake District, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A bold and unashamedly sexy b&b with lashings of black and silver, and huge mood-lit bathrooms that place an emphasis on relaxation and romance. Glass tables and white or silver-leaf-painted designer furniture - including baroque-style beds - add bling while bathrooms are dark affairs for getting steamy in with huge air-baths, mood lighting and wall TVs. Lazy breakfasts are served in-room, and there are restaurants nearby for evening meals. At the edge of Windermere town, on the main road to the lake, it’s out of the tourist busy-ness yet within easy reach if you don’t mind walking: five minutes to Windermere; 20 minutes to Bowness and the lake. Read expert review From £179per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Applegarth Villa
Windermere, Lake District, England
8Telegraph 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. Dishes on the shortish, well-judged Modern British menu are cooked with skill but without fuss and with nice little twists: ham-hock terrine on walnut and cranberry toast, say, or chicken breast with gooseberry and elderflower jus. It's on the edge of Windermere town tucked in a quiet, narrow road, close to the main tourist drag and with surprising space and fell views for a town location. In-room massages can be arranged, guests receive discounts to the Lakes Distillery on Bassenthwaite plus there's secure bicycle storage. Read expert review From £140per night
