Second stay at the hotel. The grounds and views are gorgeous.. the hotel is an old and well…read morestaffed, very friendly . Rooms are nice beds are comfortable if a little on the firm side WiFi is free and works. The TV'S are dated poor signal and few channels (for when it's heavily raining ). Spa is great but often busy. Personally I'd skip the restaurant and head to keswick. Menu is dated and the food is ok, totally outdone by its surroundings. Ask for the lake view. Did i mention that the grounds are beautiful.

An amazing old building and a high-quality hotel. It's set in the slightly quieter northern end of…read morethe Lake District, slightly away from many of the more touristy places -- although that adds quite a bit to your journey if you're coming from the south. But don't let that put you off: the peace and tranquility of the place means it's well worth the extra drive. The views over Bassenthwaite Lake from the restaurant and bar are absolutely outstanding, and I happened to visit in June when the long evenings meant you could enjoy the natural beauty of the place nearly all night. The food was very good and the rooms very comfortable. I stayed at the hotel as part of a conference so can't comment on whether the place offers good value or not (my employers paid!) -- but all in all Armathwaite Hall struck me as being a wonderful place to stay.

The Pheasant Inn nestles in the loop of a country lane near the head of Bassenthwaite Lake, near…read moreCockermouth. Its low, solid exterior is typical of older houses, farms and hotels in the Lake District. Its interior is far from typical; it is warm and welcoming with two lounges - the smaller one used mostly by residents - both of which boast roaring fires in winter. The Garden Lounge is the larger of the two and has beautiful views over the pretty garden and the wooded fells beyond; a perfect place to indulge yourself and your favourite people in one of The Pheasant's famously gargantuan afternoon teas or simply a cup of cappuccino and a piece of home-made shortbread. There are two restaurants for residents and non-residents to choose from: The Bistro buzzes with life and has a friendly, relaxed atmosphere that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The Garden Restaurant overlooks the garden and here the atmosphere is also very friendly but much quieter and children are not allowed here (bliss for my wife and me as ex-teachers!). The food in both is of the same VERY high quality! The Pheasant Inn bar is famous throughout Cumbria (and beyond). Frequented by the famous John Peel in his day, it has mellow, aged cream walls and cozy corners to huddle in. The stock of single malts is enormous and some very fine wines are available along with decent stuff that even I can afford. There is also a selection of locally-brewed draught beers to please the ale fancier. We have stayed in two of the upstairs rooms. The furniture is a very long way from standardised hotel offerings. Each room is individually furnished with antiques and in excellent taste, walls are decorated in warm, light colours and all rooms are en-suite, have phone, TV, tea and coffee-making facilities, iron/ironing board and hair drier. We have also stayed in both the garden annexe rooms where well-behaved dogs are allowed and Bertie, our miniature schnauzer loves the place and the freedom he is given of the lounge and bar areas - though he always wears formal dress (his lead!). Suffice it to say, if we didn't think this place was a real gem we wouldn't return year after year in summer and for the amazing New Year Party in the festive season. You would be well advised to give The Pheasant a try - you'll be back! TIP: There is no wifi in the garden annexe but it is available throughout the public areas of the hotel as well as in the upstairs bedrooms.

I don't know if I *actually* know what "old school British" is all about, but the Pheasant Inn…read morebasically checks all of my imagined boxes. Think: wood paneling and a beautifully tended garden, and a boozy-smelling bar, and a formal living room ("drawing room"?). The vintage prints on the wall are a hipster's wet dream: old topographical maps, and pen-lined hunting maps of the UK, not to mention a mounted bass with glassy eyes staring back at you after one too many gin and tonics. He, appropriately, used to call Bassenthwaite Lake - located just across the road from the Pheasant - home. I had no idea whether this was a reservations-only type of spot, and due to a wedding or some other well attended event, I'm glad that we made dinner reservations. There is the pub area, but also a "Bistro" and a formal Dining Room at the Pheasant Inn; reservations are not as crucial for the former, but highly recommended for the latter. Opting to go whole hog (see, also: YOLO) we went for the formal option. I'd recommend this to all readers for the following reasons: - amazing personalized service from all members of staff at the Pheasant - a complimentary 'amuse bouche' and bread (black pudding-infused rolls!) with the table - once you reserve, the table is yours for the night. It's a really charming place to make a night of it...have pre-drinks in the living room, sit at your table, enjoy the fell views The food was delicious (I feel awful for not being able to remember specifics beyond truly enjoying my fish) and the service was seamless. For all the personalized attention and the whole "experience" the prices were entirely reasonable. We feel very lucky to have discovered it, somewhat haphazardly! Yelp note: try to make it at the "golden hour"; not only a great time for cocktails, but amazing light for some pictures in the gardens and surrounding.

The Kirkstile is a gem, both as a pub and as an inn. The food is a really high standard--very…read morefresh and often very creative, and local. The rooms are so nice, clean and comfortable--and quiet--I had several fantastic sleeping nights. There are so many fine walks from the doorstep there is truly no need to get in your car. The staff is incredibly nice. And honestly...I can't see how it is possible to top a summer evening sitting at a picnic table on their lawn with an ale in front of you watching the light on fell change. I could park myself there for a week!

This is the best food I had in the Lake District!…read more A large group (11) of us showed up just before closing time and the staff was very accommodating. Everyone was helpful and kind. I had the Steak and Ale pie and it was just delicious. The mashed potatoes were perfect and the vegetable medley was just what I needed after all the fried food I had been having on the trip. I tried my friend's lamb and it was to die for. The only complaint I heard was about the chutney for the vegan curry. Save room for dessert. The sticky toffee pudding was one of the best desserts I've ever had; I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

Definatley Not 4*!…read more My boyfriend and I booked this hotel for two nights while he was working in Keswick for the weekend. We paid £174 for two nights stay and the photos on the internet make it look like a decent 4 star hotel however this is not the case. We stayed in the Coniston room. The room was extremely basic. When we arrived on the Friday night the room was very cold, and the TV did not work, so had to be replaced. The hotel advertised wifi however this didn't work either and there was no hair dryer in the room. (One was provided on request however it wasn't great) I personally didnt eat in the Hotel but my boyfriend wasn't impressed by his breakfast. This Hotel has lovely views and could be done up amazingly. I can not comment on the other rooms and I know some are apartments. Maybe these are decorated to a better standard.

Nice food, very reasonable price!…read more Though I will say waiting staff left something to be desired for the service, the food was so good and cheap I didn't care.

Hundith Hill Hotel is situated in Westlakes, about 2 miles from Cockermouth town centre. It looks…read morelike a stately home from the good old days has been converted into a hotel. Location: It's located off Lorton Road (B5292) and is in close proximity to the A66. Rooms: Rooms on top of the reception (3,4,5 and 6) seem alright to stay in but can be a little noisy at night as the bar area is kind of below them. However there is a set of rooms on an adjacent building/out-house where the rooms are a lot quieter and you are likely to get a better quality of sleep. Room 12, however is definitely to be avoided. It's not bigger than a closet and is on a higher floor. Sometimes there is not enough water pressure to ensure water supply to this room. Food: The menu is not very extensive but they do the best they can. I've been told they source a lot of the ingredients locally, which is a good thing. The morning breakfast is pretty good and you have a decent selection of hot and cold food. They also do a carry-away breakfast if you're in a hurry to head off somewhere. Staff: Staff are very polite and informative. They are not exactly friendly, but they're not rude either. Mobile and WiFi: They seem to have WiFi but it is a bit hit and miss. Same thing goes for mobile reception too, but then if your provider offers better quality than mine does, you might get decent connectivity. Price: For what they offer, they seem a little pricey. I travel to Westlakes for work quite a bit and have always been given rooms at Hundith Hill Hotel. Overall I've had a comfortable stay here and I don't have to pester their reception for basics, which is what I want when I am travelling for work.

Ex pat over from california revisiting old haunts. Wanted a relaxing and romantic break and was…read moredelighted this place is every bit as good as I remember. Great friendly service. Beautiful (stunning) location. Fantastic food and wine. Lovely rooms and facilities. Can highly recommend,never disappoints.

My wife, dog and I came here for a delightful afternoon tea to celebrate our first wedding…read moreanniversary. This place clearly was an old coaching inn and you can really sense the history and age of the place. There are many different rooms which cater for different things, a lovely bar, a larger dining room and some smaller ante-rooms for things such as afternoon tea which I would definitely recommend. Well worth a stop en route to Keswick!

Wonderful and amazing choice of whiskey. Cider choice poor. The food is good, small quantity, quite…read moreexpensive and the food is bistro/gastro pub. Would rather have had good basic food.