Best Western Castle Green Hotel, Kendal > Reviews (2)

The Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, South Lakes

Tesco recently decided to change their clubcard voucher payment policy on their many deals available, instead of giving you four times the value when transferring them to hotel, etc. deals they decided to change it to three times the amount. This coupled with the fact we had a few vouchers that were approaching their expiry date, prompted us to book something with some of the many vouchers we have been saving up over the last couple of years or so.

We love the lake district, especially the south lakes as, for one, it is only about an hours drive for us and as we have visited most of the towns and villages in the south lakes we know our way around and, more importantly, know where to get a decent meal and drink. With this in mind we decided to cash some of our vouchers in for Best Western hotel vouchers and stay at one of the many Best Western hotels in the lake district. When we actually came to booking though, we found that there are only two Best Western hotels in the lake district that allow you to pay for your stay with Tesco clubcard vouchers, The Castle Green Hotel, Kendal and one in Carlisle which didn't look up to much on the internet. Luckily The Castle Green Hotel looked lovely on the internet so we booked two nights, mid-week, at a cost of £87.00 per night, we used £42.50 worth of vouchers which is multiplied by four still for deals so makes £170.00 and put £4.00 cash towards it to make up the total. I think there are some better deals available if you are paying yourself and not using Tesco clubcard vouchers, but we didn't expect to be able to take advantage of these when we were using the vouchers.

Hotel Exterior / On Arrival

We had had a quick look at the pictures on the internet of the hotel before booking and thought the grounds looked very nice, but when we arrived, even though it was raining and starting to go dark, we were very impressed with the place. When you first arrive at the hotel you are opposite the business and training entrance, you have to turn left and travel about 100 yards up the road before coming to the hotel entrance, you enter up a long driveway past a large car park and pull around the back of the building to the entrance. There are disabled and a few ordinary parking spaces up here but plenty more parking further down the drive which can be accessed via some steps to the right of the hotel entrance. The building is quite large and the surrounding grounds are very nice and extremely well kept. The area to the front of the hotel is mostly car park but there are some nice gardens also. Disabled access is very good, there are a few disabled parking spaces, as well as some that are for 'guests who have difficulty with stairs' up near the entrance, and there is a ramp into the reception as well as three steps, access to the main car park is via about 25 steps. There is a lift to all floors apart from the area we stayed in which is half way between two floors so there is no disabled access to this area but there are plenty of rooms that do have this facility and there are actual disabled rooms available.

There are disabled toilets throughout the hotel.

Reception

On entering the hotel, you are met with a bright reception area which has been revamped fairly recently. The reception desk is to your left as you enter, opposite the the restuarant and lounge bar / seating area. We were checked in quickly by a very friendly lady and directed to our room which was down the corridor just past the reception as, I believe, all the rooms are. We were offered assistance with our luggage as we were told there were six stairs to climb and we had quite a few bags as well as our daughter in her car seat, however we declined as it was not really that far and between us we could manage fine. We were given a card key for our room, and told where everything was and that we could book a table for dinner in the restuarant at reception of via the phone in our room. They also took a swipe of my debit card for any extras we might charge to the room during our stay. There is plenty of seating in the reception area but we did not need to wait to be seen so did not take advantage of this.

The Room

We walked along the corridor to the end and then went up the six stairs we had been told about and found our room which was the first one on the left. The corridors are wide enough and well lit, there was a new carpet in the main corridor, but on arriving at the stairs to our area there was a different carpet on the stairs and further corridors. While I find this to be not very good as a carpet fitter, especially as the two different carpets were so different in colour and pattern, I think the updating work is ongoing and this would be a natural point to have stopped the work for now until they are ready to get on with the next phase so with that in mind I think it is acceptable.

On entering the room we were quite surprised to find that it was a suite. I can only think that as we had paid full price effectively (even though we had used vouchers for payment) they had decided to upgrade us as there were some offers on standard rooms that were quite a bit cheaper than the price we had paid, possibly this fact added to the fact that it was midweek and the hotel was (fairly) quiet they must have just decided to treat us!

The room was lovely, you entered into the lounge area which was about the size of our front room at home, there was a two seater settee, a chair, desk, tea / coffee table, coffee table and lamp, there was also a TV stand with a plasma TV on it. The wardrobe was in the lounge area also and was built in to the wall, there was also an electric heater which could be controlled by a thermostat on the wall. There was a large floor lamp in the corner behind the settee and the room was quite modern in its decor and had obviously been decorated within the last year in my opinion. There was a mirror on the wall above the desk and plenty of reading material about the hotel and the surrounding area so you could find some things to do during your stay. The tea / coffee tray was very well stocked with a selection of different teas and coffees, as well as biscuits and plenty of sugar and milk, there was also a couple of bottles of mineral water, one still and one sparkling.

To the left of the main door as you entered the room was the bedroom, this was a similar size to the lounge area and housed a super-kingsize bed, two bedside tables, another plasma TV and an iron and ironing board attached to the wall. Both televisions had digital TV available on them. The decor was very similar to the lounge and also newly done, just off the bedroom was the bathroom. The bathroom was very modern and also newly fitted out, the floor and walls were tiled, to the far left was a bath with shower over, in front of the door was the sink and toilet built into the wall with a granite work top running the full length of the wall, above this was a very large mirror. There were plenty of towels available for our use as well as toiletries.

It was very well lit and included most things needed for our stay. As already mentioned there was an iron and ironing board, something which I always find extremely useful in a hotel room as your packed clothes are always a little creased. There was a trouser press too which was part of the ironing board and this was wall mounted. There was also a hair dryer, alarm clock and the all important (free) wi-fi connection which is available in all the rooms. The bed was spacious and very comfortable and all in all I can really say the room was excellent. The only real niggle we had was that there was absolutely no view from either of the windows, the bedroom looked out on a wall and the lounge window overlooked a central, concrete, smoking area, however with the weather not being especially kind to us for the duration of our stay, this did not really matter that much to us, and to be perfectly honest, it would not have bothered us in the middle of summer as the room itself was so nice and comfortable. The room was also very clean and the daily maid service was excellent.

We were at the very end of the corridor so when we wanted to get to reception, or leave the hotel, we had to walk past all the other rooms, when we did this during the morning the maids were busy cleaning them and we managed to have a peek inside some of the standard rooms. I think we would have both been very happy with any of them, we were not expecting a suite and it was a lovely surprise to get one, but the standard rooms looked very nice also and if we got one of those for our next stay I can honestly say we would not be disappointed. The Castle Green is a non-smoking hotel, as most are nowadays, however some places still have smoking rooms available but they do not here and you have to sign a no-smoking policy on check in, this means all the rooms, and corridors, are nice and fresh for us non-smokers, but it might put off smokers and if you are cought smoking in your room they add £100 to your final account.

The Health Club

On our first morning we decided to take advantage of the pool facility as the weather was not great and we have been taking our daughter swimming for the last two or three weeks and she seems to really enjoy it. After breakfast we took the lift from our floor down the the lower ground floor where the health centre 'Pulse' is situated.

There is a gym down there which appeared fairly well equipped although we did not use it, and they also offer all the usual treatments available in health clubs. We needed a couple of pound coins for the lockers which the man on reception kindly lent to us as he could not change my ten pound note, and then we went and got changed in the seperate changing rooms. The mens changing room was very clean and well kept, as is the rest of the hotel to be honest, and had plenty of lockers and seating for getting changed. There was also a spin dryer for your trunks and three showers (one being a private one) with shower gel dispensers on the wall. My wife confirmed that the ladies changing room was just as good as the mens.

The pool is a decent enough size to swim a few lengths in and it did not feel crowded when we were in there with about a dozen other people. It was fairly warm and again very clean and well kept. There is a very nice steam room in the pool area also which my wife and I took turns in using, it is, again, quite newly fitted out and had seating for about ten people and a very nice ceiling with lots of tiny lights that sparkled and changed colour. There is also a shower just outside the steam room for rinsing yourself off afterwards.

Bars And Restuarants

There are two bars and three places to eat at The Castle Green Hotel. The two bars are two of the eating places and there is also a more upmarket restaurant which also serves as the breakfast room, this is called The Greenhouse Restaurant, and we decided against eating in there as our daughter was teething and we didn't think it would be fair on the other diners if she started crying, and we didn't want to have to get up and leave with the prices being quite high in there. Dinner for two with drinks and wine would have not left much change from £100 so we decided to try this experience next time we visit the hotel, hopefully having left the daughter with her grandparents! However we did speak to a couple who had stayed at the hotel a few times and had eaten in the restaurant a few times and they told us it was excellent food and service.

We ate in the onsite pub both nights, Alexanders Pub, which to be fair was not really much like a pub, it was more like a restaurant really, it did have a bar and a small seating area but it was mostly tables and chairs. The menu was had some very nice options for all three courses and a main course was around £9 to £18 with starters and desserts being about a fiver. The food we had on both nights was excellent and the service was brilliant too. The pub has been extended quite recently, I think, and it is very tastefully done out inside. It was as comfortable and as clean as the rest of the hotel.

There is also a lounge bar opposite reception which is quite small and only has about five tables, but it was nice and cosy and had an open fire which we managed to sit in front of both nights for an hour or so. The lounge bar is quite a peaceful area and, as I have already mentioned, nice and cosy with the open fire.

They had a decent range of drinks available, I opted for a boring old pint of Fosters mostly, which at £2.90 a pint is not bad for the lake district in general, my wife had a few different drinks during our stay and the prices were pretty reasonable as a rule.

As mentioned previously, breakfast was served in The Greenhouse Restaurant and is served from 7am until 10am, there was a good choice of cereals, fruit, fruit juices etc.. Also there was cooked breakfast available which was laid out on a self service basis, this was very good indeed, the kitchen was just behind where the food was laid out and the chef was very helpful if there was anything you wanted that was not already out. There was a good selection of cooked food available and we were both very happy with the breakfast. On being seated for breakfast we were offered tea and coffee by the waiter, as well as brown or white toast. There was also a selection of newspapers to read. We were seated by the window both mornings which has a nice view over the lovely gardens and surrounding countryside, the room itself is very nice and comfortable as the rest of the hotel.

Staff

Every member of staff we encountered was very friendly and helpful. They all seemed pretty happy in their work and above the fire in the lounge bar was a photo entitled 'The Five Year Club' which I assume was members of staff who had reached five years service at The Castle Green Hotel. There were about forty people in the picture so this suggests the hotel must be fairly good to work for and they keep their staff for quite a while rather than having a high staff turn over which is never as good for the customer as lots of long serving staff in my opinion. We were very happy with all of the service we received, and found the staff as a whole to be a credit to the hotel. Whenever we met a member of staff in the corridors, or anywhere walking around the hotel, they were always friendly and said hello to us, I think this is a really nice touch and have stayed in many hotels where the staff ignore you unless they are serving you. Places that train the staff to be friendly and polite whenever they meet guests definately have the right idea in my book, it is so nice that they let you go before them and hold the door for you, it makes you feel like you are staying somewhere really nice and the staff like and respect you it is a big pluspoint in my opinion.

Overall

Overall we were extremely happy with our stay at The Castle Green Hotel from start to finish everything was very relaxing and comfortable and just what we wanted really. The hotel star rating is three stars, but to be honest it is right at the top of this rating in my opinion and in all honesty we have stayed in four star hotels that are not as good as this place, I know they have undertaken a lot of work on the hotel in recent times so I wonder if they may get it re-rated as a four star in the not too distant future as I believe it should be a four star hotel really. I would recommend the hotel to anyone, it is very reasonably priced, especially if you can get one of the deals we have seen for less than £70 per night for a standard room or indeed take advantage of the clubcard deal as we did.

So would I recommend The Castle Green Hotel? Yes, 100%, we will be staying again without a shadow of a doubt. In fact we have enough clubcard vouchers for another three nights and I am considering booking for some time in January as we speak, and we would love to stay a few nights in the summer and take advantage of the gardens and have a nice walk into Kendal when the weather is better, as we had to use the car mostly this time with the weather being poor. That brings me to only downside I can really think of, which is the fact that the hotel is situated about a mile outside Kendal. We normally stay in hotels which are pretty central to all the action, however it has not bothered us staying at The Castle Green Hotel as there were so many facilities on site. This coupled with the fact that we had our young daughter with us made it quite nice as we went out in the day and used the car to get around and see the sights, and then we could get back to the hotel at around tea time knowing that they could cater for all our needs in house and we did not need to bother about where to go of an evening. Also I think if we were staying here in summer, the walk into Kendal would be quite a nice one if we fancied hitting the town, and we could always get a cab back, but as I have already said, the on-site facilities are very good, and after a long day walking around sight seeing there is a lot to be said for relaxing in the comfort of your hotel and letting the staff take care of you, while managing to stay within five minutes walk of your bedroom.

As I have said already the whole of the hotel is incredibly clean and well looked after, the managment, and staff, seem to take a real pride in its appearance and this really pays dividends when you walk around it as a guest. The staff are lovely and really make staying here a good experience, they always greet you in the corridors when you are walking around the hotel and are happy to chat with you if you wish, it makes for such a friendly atmosphere. As I say I would recommend this place to anyone and I have to give it five stars when considering everything, even with the mile walk into Kendal and the lack of a view from our room, I think I am just being picky bringing these points up really.

Details

The Castle Green Hotel
Kendal
LA9 6BH
Tel: 01539 734000
Fax: 01539 735522
www.castlegreen.co.uk
email: sales@castlegreen.co.uk or reception@castlegreen.co.uk
Check in is 2pm Monday to Saturday and 3pm Sunday, although they do say they will endeavour to have your room ready before this time. Check out is 11am Monday to Saturday and 12pm Sunday.

All the usual extras are available at reception, such as a laundry service, early morning call (although you have an alarm clock in your room also), extra towels, safety deposit box, newspapers and much more.

Thanks For Reading, John, Also Posted On Dooyoo Under The Same Username