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Reviews of Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel

4 out of 5
Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel
Holbeck Lane, Windermere, England

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 29 out of 50 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 14 out of 50 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 4 out of 50 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 50 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 50 reviews" "

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

A S

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2020

8/10 Good

Shaun, Derbyshire

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel was in a lovely location and the room had a great view. Everything was really charming. The only issue we had was poor service at breakfast and felt for the price you were paying the breakfast was mean. The staff were lovely though and sorted it out
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2020

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Overall disappointing & I wouldn’t rush back
Starting with the positives, the hotel itself is amazing and is very impressive to look around and drive up to. The views on a clear day would have be incredible (it was very cloudy during our stay) and it’s in a perfect location for anyone that wants to do walks out of Ambleside. Unfortunately however there were several disappointing things about our stay. 1. The food was the biggest let down. Given it’s known for its food reputation we had some of the most overpriced and undercooked food I’ve ever eaten. The staff seemed unfamiliar with everything and as a result got orders wrong or forgot things. One evening a couple hadn’t even had their starters by the time we were being offered coffee. It was the same at breakfast and overall I got the impression that the kitchen and waiting staff were not in their usual comfort zones. 2. Whilst the rooms were very beautiful with old features there were again disappointing aspects. The floor had bits of old crisps where it hadn’t been cleaned properly from the previous guests. They had forgot to top up the tea and coffee supplies and the bed was just 2 singles pushed together. Overall it was a nice stay but not the trip we had built our hopes up for. Given the cost of the hotel and the food we eat both resulted in being very overpriced and I certainly wouldn’t rush back given all the other amazing places you can stay in the lakes.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2020

6/10 Okay

Stacey

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Staff were excellent very friendly & helpful no fault there. Unfortunately the room was disappointing, needs updating & refreshed there were obvious signs of repair needed. Facilities were not up to 4* standard, tv was tiny, milk in room was out of date, had to boil kettle on the floor & we had no hot water for a shower in the morning. Food was restricted given the pandemic but the menu choices were poor & very overpriced, £16 for caesar salad £5.75 for a small bottle of beer! Last but not least the breakfast, again due to the pandemic this was a ‘light’ continental breakfast brought to your room. I left hungry, small bag of cereal, tiny pastry, some fruit & a yoghurt pot which had separated & was inedible. The room rate was £183 including breakfast, extremely expensive for what we got & sad to say I will not return & wouldn’t recommend the hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Evening food excellent, location fabulous, staff excellent
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

2/10 Terrible

Anthony

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ruined our weekend
The room was suppose to be the best in the hotel but it was freezing and very rundown. There was now hot water for a bath or shower.if you wanted a tea or coffee you couldn’t plug the kettle in unless you put the kettle on the floor as the flex wasn’t long enough, the curtains were falling off the curtain rails and you couldn’t close the bathroom window The next day the water was still not warm enough to shower. On asking to see the manager I was told he was to busy. Rubbish reaction to all problems very poor and at close on £350 per night I certainly won’t be going back.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a beautiful hotel in a location with fabulous views, the staff were excellent, helpful and friendly, the room was superb. The food in the restaurant was good but not exceptional for the relatively high price and with a rather limited choice.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Anthony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Carol, Peabody

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Simply gorgeous views. Staff exceptionally welcoming.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Delightful Amazing Wonderful Peaceful Stunning....
Stayed 1 night in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were very friendly and helpful nothing was too much trouble and the view from the hotel is postcard perfect.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Lawrence

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Superb location for viewing the Fells
Brilliant location for just watching the weather pass over the Langdale fells. Beautiful breakfast and top class service.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Danielle

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely night away!
The room was lovely and spacious, clean and warm. The reception staff were lovely and welcoming and offered to assist was bags etc. The Breakfast was delicious and couldn't of asked for anything more. We used the Hot Tub in storm Gareth but did rush inside for a hot bubble bath after :)
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Short Spa break
The hotel itself was lovely and the service was excellent. The locations and views were stunning. However the Spa facility was not very good. The treatment area was not very inviting, a bit small and dingy. Hot tub had to be pre-booked and wasnt anything special. Most importantly we were not expecting such an expensive dining experience. It was very good but cost over £72 per head not including wine. It was a set taster menu of 4 small courses. It may be partly our fault for assuming it would be a regular menu we can choose from at the time of reservation but there was lack of transparency from the hotel.However we cannot fault the service and quality of the food just the price and lack of choice!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Tahira

Secluded location with great food
we were upgraded to a big room with amazing view. Service was excellent both at the reception and in the dining room. Location was rather secluded but a few walking tracks at the door step.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

stephen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
return visit .
This was our 5th stay at this hotel, but our first under the new management. Our welcome was excellent and staff attentive. We had very good rooms. There have been some structural and decorative changes since our last visit a few years ago. These have been done sympathetically without altering the country house hotel feel ,which we liked, too much. The food was very good indeed .the wine list was very good too, but I think less extensive than in the past. Service in the restaurant was generally good, however our wine was not poured either to taste first nor to top up, until a final top up when the wine was nearly finished. I did not complain, however there was a 10% service charge for the restaurant and bar bills, perhaps I should have said something. Our room was above the bar/restaurant and although not too loud, we could hear the music playing below us during the early hours of the morning and before breakfast, This was enough to disturb our sleep a little.Overall we had a very good stay. I think there has been a little drop in standards since our previous stays, however the previous standard was very high to start with. I would still recommend staying at this hotel which is still a favourite of ours. Perhaps the new management needs a little leeway intheir changes.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018

8/10 Good

Tony, Stockport

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wedding Anniversary visit
Outstanding location and has a sense of being special. Room and breakfast really good, very smart with suits for dinner a bit off putting, would have liked something 'smart - casual' and restaurant certainly pricy, but you pay for the experience, local towns with wide range of restaurants accessible by taxi.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2018

10/10 Excellent

Jon, Chicago

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Old World Setting - Modern Day Charms
A snowy March is not really visiting Lake District weather, as I'm sure Wordsworth would agree, particularly when it looks like it's getting worse! But the hotel is warm and relaxed with the staff being both personable and professional. Our room was warm and cosy but missed out on the spectacular views across Lake Windermere which you can see from other places in the hotel. We splurged on the tasting menu dinner which was a beautifully orchestrated 3 hour performance with memorable courses. The staff were warm and knowledgeable about the menu which helps knowing what to look for, What also stood out was what the staff offered to do to help the plight of two diners who had arrived sensibly by taxi but could not get a taxi to take them home. A staff member offered to do that for them which exemplified the level of service offered throughout our stay. If you like your hotels warm a cosy with great service and great views this is a wonderfully relaxing place to stay,
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2018

10/10 Excellent

paul, Florida

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful food, especially chicken-liver mousse, rolls and scallops.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2018

10/10 Excellent

Eclectic Diner, Stoke-on-Trent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stunning view, warm & comfy, EXQUISITE dining.
Silver Wedding anniversary private celebration. Just the perfect getaway place. Despite blustery chill weather, the view from our warm and spacious room (#3) was absolutely stunning. Across Windermere to Langdale, the scenery is every-changing moods with the lighting, mists, and weather. Lovely room tipple of sloe gin. Excellent choice of house fizz, and did I mention the exquisite dining experience? I can honestly say I think our experience here was amongst the finest ever. Truly memorable in all the right ways. Kudos to the chef, only 26yr and yet producing flavours and textures to delight in, with enticing visual refinement. Staff are friendly and open, and not at all "forced" or awkward. Just pitched perfectly. Oh, and thank you for the fab breakfast with emphasis on local produce. Excellent.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018

10/10 Excellent

Rich, Bucks

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Incredible service, memorable experience!
Lovely stay, such great attention to detail with service and accommodation, memorable experience and one we won't forget!
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Phil

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing location luxury hotel
We couldn't have had a nicer weekend here. The hotel itself is amazing, open fires and comfortable chairs to relax in, great views from our room and a decanter of damson gin to enjoy for free. The food is expensive but you get what you pay for and it was of the highest standard. The real selling point though was the staff, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. We will definitely be going back.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Ged, Chester

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Winter birthday break
Excellent country house style hotel in a fabulous setting overlooking Windermere. Menu is a little more limited than it used to be, but the fine dining experience is still of a high standard. The staff are charming and very helpful.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful views of Windermere
A very grand hotel set on a hill with fabulous views of Windermere and surrounding mountains. Our room was a little tired and could have benefited from updating but very spacious and great views of the lake. The staff were very friendly. Breakfast was good although the service was a bit chaotic, lots of staff but not very attentive. Overall a beautiful hotel and ideal location.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
Not a 4 Star Hotel
Hotel very reluctantly agreed to look after our bags on the day of check out (our train home was not until the evening). I subsequently found that my designer bag had been stained. I sent two emails to the hotel (including pictures of the stain) but have not heard back for two months. I've wasted money trying to get the stain out to no avail. There were also other issues regarding customer service as well. I made a complaint to the manger on the first day because the staff didn't know anything about the getting round the local area other than advising that we get around by taxi if we did not have a car. This cost a fortune so we ended up having to figure out the local transport on our own (frustrating as we were only there for two days). The manager did not ask for our name or room number so appeared to have little interest in this issue. Furthermore, the night we stayed at the hotel, there were drunken hotel goers using the communal areas and making noise into the night. When we pointed this out to the hotel, they said they would have been "delighted" to sort out the issue had we informed them on the night in question - either it was a poor choice of words or they were not really taking us seriously. I've stayed in hundreds of 4/5 star hotels (16 in 2017 so far) and do not think this hotel is up to the standard. The Lake District is a beautiful area and there seems to be plenty of hotels that offer better customer service and don't damage your belongings.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice hotel with views across lake Windermere.
Really enjoyed our stay in the Miss Potter Suite. The hotel is in a fantastic setting overlooking lake Windermere, and the staff are lovely. We would definitely stay again!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Zohar

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing Jem in the Lake District
Amazing and beautiful location and building. The service was excellent and friendly and the dining was superb. We are coming back to spend more time there.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Danielle, Manchester UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfort at its finest.
From opening the car door on arrival to the farewell upon leaving the staff and facilities at the hotel are first class. The suit was luxurious and breakfast in bed was an added touch that made the stay xtra special. Highly recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing location,lovely hotel,warm and friendly staff. Great breakfast to fuel a day in the Lake District. Hotels central to many things to do with Ambleside just a 5 minutes drive up the road. Lots of different places to eat out and fantastic local pubs with brilliant local ales and open fire places to spend comfortable evenings after a hard days hiking in the most beautiful locations.
Stayed 6 nights in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Lovely view slow service
Lovely views. Service is too slow at dinnercthst we missed the desserts in 3 course meal. Couldn't wait anymore.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

norma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Lovely place to stay
Great hotel. Had some problems getting the room originally ordered with a view. Had to move on 2nd night after argument that a view of a car park was not in line with what had been promised at booking. Restaurant expensive but excellent although limited - to be expected from such a small hotel. Would visit again but would need reassurance that booking and actuality matched.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017

10/10 Excellent

Lennart, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Boutique Hotel with fantastic views
Very nice boutique hotel offering great views over Lake Windermere and the surrounding peaks. Hotel staff was very friendly and attentive. The restaurant is definitely to be recommended as well, we had a great dining experience there. Room had a very good size and came with a big modern bathroom as well as an outside terrace. Only minor let-down was the lack of Wifi in the room (Wifi is available in the lounge/restaurant/reception area and they are in the process of upgrading to make it available in the rooms, too). Overall we had a very pleasant and enjoyable stay.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

Sam, Coventry

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Lovely get away
Hotel was lovely and in a beautiful location. We had a double room which shares a terrace with 2 other rooms. There was a great view of the lake and hills. For what we paid I think the room was basic, however it was comfortable and had everything we needed and we had the amazing views! Breakfast was lovely! Service a little bit slow at times but the food was great. Didn't use restaurant for anything other than breakfast. The location was perfect.. right in between windermere and ambleside. Overall we had an amazing time exploring the lake district and this hotel was a lovely base for us to use.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017

4/10 Poor

John

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful location
Lovely room number 21, have views of lake and fields. Breakfast was the best I've ever had EVER, excellent quality ingredients sourced locally,fantastic Main meal was good but we booked for 9pm,and was told to come down at 8:30 for canapés, was finally shown to table at 9:30 then had to order and wait till 10pm for first course finished our meal at 11:30pm. That was way too late for us. Suggest on arrival for canapés we should be shown the menu and order placed that way shown to our table for first course when it's arrive, that would save an hour plus and be a better experience for guests, most good restaurants do this.

6/10 Okay

Paul, manchester

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Breathtaking View

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A beautiful hotel in the perfect location
A truly wonderful stay. Wish it could have been longer

8/10 Good

Tony, worcester park

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pleasant country house hotel in secluded setting
We had a lovely stay at the Holbeck Ghyll, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary and were upgraded which was a pleasant surprise. The restaurant was excellent.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It would be better if the hot and cold water for the washing basin inside the toilet could be combined to produce warm water.

10/10 Excellent

Chi Keung, Hong Kong

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The hot and cold water for the washing basin in the toilet come in separate taps, therefore we cannot use warm water for teeth-brushing.

8/10 Good

Richard, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Superb location with well maintained grounds.
Dinner cost was expensive for quality of food provided in fixed menu. Food portions were needlessly small under apparent pretension of haute cuisine especially main course and cheese dessert offering; quality of food was good. Serving staff could not, or did not react to gentle complaint of small portions; impression given of meanness for sake of profitability. Breakfast very good except for description of freshly squeezed fruit juices whish originated from a carton and was not acceptable given the impression that establishment wish to provide to justify cost. Cost of a bottle of still water was expensive. The receptionist was French, sounded offhand, uptight, not welcoming, not knowledgeable about the location of the hotel. and did not speak into telephone microphone; she seemed either shy or unclear to London accent. We would recommend the hotel to friends with reservations referred to in this review

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing...
A world away from reality. The staff, the location and the accommodation are all truly AMAZING. Cannot fault it, looking forward to returning very soon. Worth every penny.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We really enjoyed it and would definitely go again.

10/10 Excellent

A & J, Cambridge, MA, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Consummate service and dining with a stunning view
Holbeck Ghyll delivers on its promise of excellent service and fine dining in a location that provides classical Lake District vistas across windermere to the mountains beyond. Fives stars from this guest!

10/10 Excellent

Rik + Alice, London, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect hotel for a weekend away.
Fantastic experience. Location is exceptional with great views over the lake and a great overall base to explore Windermere and surrounds. The rooms are tastefully designed and fully-equipped with everything you'd expect of a top hotel. A special thanks to the gentleman (I believe it's Thomas?) for being very accommodating in finding us room at the restaurant despite not booking in advance and generally making us feel very welcome throughout our short but enjoyable stay.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
眺めが最高に良い部屋の泊まることができました。
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Bernd

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stilvolles Haus in herrlicher Lage.
Die Lage ist perfekt. Wir hatten vom Zimmer Zugang auf eine große Terrasse mit herrlichem Blick auf den See. Das Zimmer und das Bad waren groß, das Frühstück gut. Absolute Empfehlung.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
優雅な時間
朝食が毎朝楽しみだった
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019

8/10 Good

Mitchey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
ウィンダミア湖を眼下に見下ろす高級リゾートホテル
男爵の狩猟用コテッジだった建物を改装した、高級リゾートホテルです。10年前に初めて利用した際は、設備やレストランのみならず、スタッフの質、そして宿泊客の質も最高の別世界でした。10年ぶりに訪れて、全てに昔より落ちた事に、ややガッカリしました。それでも、昔を知らない人にとっては、素晴らしいホテルだろうと思います。