Lodore Falls Hotel, Keswick

...Skiddaw's sister hotel, the exceptional Lodore Falls hotel.

Location
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The Lodore Falls hotel is located overlooking Lake Derwentwater in the Borrowdale Valley which is in the North Lakes area of the Lake District and is part of the Lake District Hotels Group. It has views of Loughrigg and Helm Cragg

It is built of traditional Lakeland Slate and has been there for over 200 years. Standing ...
...dramatic backdrop of the stunning Lodore Falls and the surrounding mountains I could not have wished for a more perfectly located hotel.

You can catch a launch from right outside the hotel to take you across the water to the busy town of Keswick; alternatively you can catch the bus from the bus stop which is also outside the hotel. The bus service is regular but limited somewhat in winter.

Booking
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I have just returned from a fantastic visit to the Lake District staying just outside Keswick
Having previously stayed in Keswick itself at the Skiddaw Hotel, which I have previously reviewed, I decided that this time I would like a more rural location. I decided to stay at the Skiddaw's sister hotel, the exceptional Lodore Falls hotel.

Location
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The Lodore Falls hotel is located overlooking Lake Derwentwater in the Borrowdale Valley which is in the North Lakes area of the Lake District and is part of the Lake District Hotels Group. It has views of Loughrigg and Helm Cragg

It is built of traditional Lakeland Slate and has been there for over 200 years. Standing in over 40 acres with both lake frontage and the dramatic backdrop of the stunning Lodore Falls and the surrounding mountains I could not have wished for a more perfectly located hotel.

You can catch a launch from right outside the hotel to take you across the water to the busy town of Keswick; alternatively you can catch the bus from the bus stop which is also outside the hotel. The bus service is regular but limited somewhat in winter.

Booking
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As I am hard of hearing I do like to be able to make booking over the internet and this allows me to check availability and complete the booking process without having to speak to people.

I was delighted when I found out that this group of hotels now has on-line booking on their internet sites.

I was also amazed to find that their best room was available for the weekend I wanted, so I completed the online form and waited for the page to enter my credit card details. This was a let down as all I got was a confirmation of my enquiry, saying that the hotel would contact me.

I waited for the phone to ring or an email to arrive. It took about a day and a half and I finally received an email saying that the room I requested was not actually available but they could offer me the Derwentwater Suite - a studio. I responded saying that was fine and asked them to confirm the booking. A couple of days and several emails later I received a letter confirming my booking.

Arrival
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I drove for about 5 minutes south of Keswick with the wonderful lake on my left. At each twist and turn of the road I waited for the hotel to appear. When it did I felt a little let down as it did not look as promising as the website picture suggested. This might very well have been due to the four hours driving I had just done and the terrible mist and murk which was enveloping the Lakes that day.

There are about five parking spaces directly outside the hotel which are reserved for disabled guests. I could not immediately see any other parking so I pulled up to enquire. A very, very, very helpful porter swiftly appeared and offered to take my bags inside and directed me to the parking area. Things were looking up.

The general parking area is hidden behind a shabby looking row of garages, next to what looked like staff accommodation which looked no better than the garages. My heart sank again.

I crossed the small road back to the front of the hotel and the very same porter was waiting for me to direct me to reception.

Inside the hotel it is very swish, bright and very welcoming. Check in was the most efficient I have ever encountered.

I turned to collect my bags and was informed that they would be brought up for me, a saving as I had done a fair bit of shopping that day and my bags were rather heavy.

When asked for my room number the porters smiled at me and directed me to the room saying that it was a lovely room - my heart leapt!

Accommodation
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The hotel offers 71 en-suite rooms and suites with all the usual facilities. Views from the guest rooms range from fell and Lake views. Many of the rooms have recently undergone a total refurbishment and from the picture on the website the rooms appeared to be modern in design.

I was delighted to find that my room was actually much more traditional. The front door opened onto a hall with three more doors. A nice touch was an automatic light in the hall as it had no natural light.

I opened the first door to find the main bedroom which had the most gorgeous large windows with views over the lake. Also in the room was a very imposing double bed, a sofa, chair, wardrobe and dressing table.

Behind the second door lay the bathroom which was very clean modern and well lit. The only downside was that there was not a separate shower, but one over the bath. A range of standard toiletries was also on offer.

Now onto the third door - I found something I was not expecting, a second bedroom with two single beds. This suite would be ideal for a family.

In room facilities include hairdryers, telephone, flat screen colour TV, DVD player. 24hour room service is also available as is the option to have your table d'hote dinner served your room.

A nice little touch was hiding inside the wardrobe, a couple of large dressing gowns which much larger than ones normally found in hotels.

Prices per person per night - bed and breakfast first and dinner, bed and breakfast second:

Single room £75 £95
Fell view standard £64 £84
Fell view superior £75 £95
Lake view standard £75 £95
Lake view superior £92 £112
Studio suites £118 £138
Sir Galahad 2-room suite £139 £159

Lounge Bar
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Now when I am traveling alone I don't normally like to go to hotel bars as a single female but what swung it for me at this hotel was a couple of things. Firstly the bar was directly below my room so had the same fantastic views and secondly canapés are served from 7pm!

The lounge bar is large and modern with a range of comfy sofas and chairs which you sink into, but it also has much more study chairs which are much easier to get out of!

The lounge bar also offers a perfect location to have morning coffee and the traditional afternoon tea whilst taking in the spectacular views.

The bar is open from 11am to late with the night porter taking over at 11pm.

Dining
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The hotels restaurant, Lake View, is a large room which on first sight in daylight does not look very intimate, however on returning for dinner the lights had been turned down, candles lit and it looked very much more inviting.

I was dining alone so asked for a quiet table and was shown to a very quiet table in a corner of the restaurant. The staff were very friendly and had plenty of time of a chat whilst you perused the menu despite almost every table being taken.

Food ranged from Char-grilled King Scallops to liver parfait for starters. The second course was a choice between mushroom soup and a blackcurrant sorbet. For the main course choices ranged from Roast Rack of Lamb to Pave of Fresh Cod.

The wine list was made easy for people like me who are not 100% sure on this kind of thing. Owen, who I assume was the restaurant manager, lists several recommendations on the first page for you.

I chose the King Scallops for starter. They were described on the menu as being served on a bed of mixed leaves with asparagus and a raspberry sauce. This sounded intriguing, especially the sauce. What arrived looked wonderful six nice plump scallops on a bed of rocket and other leaves. Taste - wow! This was superb and the sauce worked.

The mushroom soup followed and this too was a treat. Thick, hot and very tasty a change on the mushroom soup I have tried before.

For my main course I went with the rack of lamb which was described as "Three boned rack served on rosti potato with Lodore red onion marmalade accompanies by a rosemary and redcurrant jus. Again this was perfect and the lamb melted in my mouth.

Desert was a raspberry parfait, which I had no idea what it was, but nothing else took my fancy. It was like an ice-cream but much richer and more solid. A wonderful way to round off the meal.

The staff throughout the meal were very efficient and more than happy to stop for a chat.

Breakfast is in the hotel's restaurant where breakfast is a buffet offering all the usual breakfast goodies of fruit, cereal and pastries. A full Cumbrian breakfast is also on offer

The restaurant is open from 8am to 9.45am for breakfast, 7pm to 9.15pm for dinner. They also serve a children's high tea from 5pm to 6pm but children are also welcome to join their parents at the main dining time on the understanding that they are well behaved and considerate of others.

4 courses with coffee costs £31.50, and £24.50 for 2 courses with coffee.

The restaurant is non-smoking and is soon to close for refurbishment although it looks fine to me.

If you are on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis you can use your dinner allowance in any of the groups hotels which can be found at Penrith, Ullswater and Keswick.

Spa Services
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This new part of the hotel offers a suite of three beauty rooms and can cater for all your needs from the practical and functional through to the ultimate in pampering. This is a nice touch for those days when the weather is just too bad to venture outside or when your tired feet need a rest!

The treatments include a luxury body massage which promises to ease tension, relieve stress and promote a general sense of wellbeing and includes a face, neck shoulders and scalp for £50 for this 1 hour 20 minutes treatment.

There are also treatments aimed at men and brides to be.

Sadly I didn't have time to sample this area of the hotel but it did look fantastic.

Leisure club
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The Leisure club is open from 8am to 8.30pm and includes a pool, gym, sun-bed and sauna. There is also no need to bring towels from your room as pool towels are provided in the leisure club.

Tennis and squash courts available and can be booked at leisure club desk

Other facilities
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Baby listening. This is done via telephone in room. You take the phone off the hook and point towards your child. You need to let reception know and they will listen every 10 minutes. Can listen yourself from house phone. The Hotel, however does not accept responsibility for your child. Alternatively the hotel can arrange for a baby sitter but they do need 48 hours notice and cannot guarantee one as they mainly use hotel staff.

There is a Children's programme in school holidays.

The hotel is licensed for civil wedding, naming ceremonies and renewal of vows

Conference and meeting facilities for up to 150 people are available in the Garden suite.

Fax and photocopying is available with the cost for outgoing 1p for the first sheet and 10p after that, incoming is at 10p per sheet. Photocopying costs from 10p per copy

Flowers can be arranged with 24 hours notice.

There is a games room which has a range of video games, table football and pool. Board games are also available from reception.

There is a Golf club 10 minutes away at Keswick Golf club which is a challenging scenic 18-hole course at Thelkeld. When you are staying at the hotel the first round is free mid-week

Packed lunches and picnic hampers are available and you need to order these the night before you want them. They can then be collected in the restaurant in the morning.

Checkout
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Check out is 11am and it was handled with the efficient and friendly service which had characterized my stay. With my packed lunch in hand it was with a heavy heart that I left the Lodore falls.

I will be back…………………….
 

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