Top 10 Ash Cottage Hotels

In my last post I said I would be back again so when they announced there new Sunday roasts I couldn’t resist. Safe to say I wasn’t disappointed! Starting off with a Celeriac soup which was to die for, not my usual choice but it had some serious flavour. For main we had beef cooked to perfection served with a generous portion of veggies. And finally I finished on the Raspberry soufflé which may be the best desert I have ever eaten. The staff once again warm and friendly and the views are just wow. What a fabulous way to spend a Sunday

Our views on our visit to The Belsfield Hotel are rather mixed. It is an imposing and impressive building in a fantastic location overlooking the lake. Check in was good with all required information provided. Unfortunately upon entering our room ( room 30 ) we were disappointed as it was not as I expected. I had booked a suite as we have done several times at other hotels . Previously we have found a suite has consisted of a separate room for relaxing with the bedroom attached. On this occasion it was a larger bedroom with a sitting area and small table for two. The hotel’s website does state that a suite may , or may not , have a separate lounge area and so on this occasion I accepted we had drawn the short straw . No issues there . However the website also states the suites offer stunning views and a roll top bath . There was no roll top bath as promised, only an older standard plastic panelled bath. As we are planning on restyling our bathroom assessing a roll top bath in practice was one of the features that swayed our decision to stay here . With regard to the stunning views . When sitting at the table in our room having a coffee before breakfast our view was what appeared to be an old , derelict greenhouse / storage building . Not exactly an appealing view to begin your day . When I mentioned this at check out I was told by the member of staff that another company deals with the website description and so nothing to do with him . A rather strange and dismissive response and not the lasting impression you want when leaving the hotel . Overall the hotel is a very enjoyable place to visit with several areas to relax on the ground floor . Sitting on the terrace overlooking the lake was fantastic and would thoroughly recommend it . A special mention for Lucien who did a fantastic job of providing cocktails and was very knowledgeable and proficient in this . A credit to the hotel . The hotel has so many good points that may , for some , outweigh the negatives around the room but unsure if we would return or recommend.

From the moment we arrived we were made to feel special and welcomed. We had drinks in the lounge area and veranda enjoying the spectacular views. The staff were all dressed smartly, and I got the impression they all loved working there. I had booked for my wife’s birthday and had also booked a table in the Henrock restaurant inside the hotel. The food was amazing, delicious and perfectly presented and served. Each delicious course was the lead up to the most amazing dessert I have ever eaten, and it was a rhubarb based dessert, which under normal circumstances is a contradiction where desserts are concerned normally, however this was an explosion of delicious tastes and textures. Would highly recommend this hotel and restaurant and we both hope to return, sooner rather than later.

We checked in with Ahmed on reception who was extremely polite, helpful and thorough and welcomed us for our stay. The spa treatments were good and the staff were really friendly. We did not eat our evening meal here. When we went for breakfast we were sat down without any explanation of how the system worked and given a menu so assumed we had to wait to order. We didn't know who our server was, so after 15 minutes asked a waitress if we could order. She then sent us Hazel (our server) who seemed less than impressed with us, barely looked at us and took our order and left before we could say what eggs I wanted with my breakfast meaning I had to go and get my own after observing other guests do the same. Unfortunately this was our only direct interaction with Hazel, but she seemed very welcoming and attentive giving excellent service to the table next to us, advising that if her name is mentioned on tripadvisor she gets a bonus and making comments about a former sacked member of staff which appeared to be on the basis of his nationality and I only hope is untrue. I'm sure if we came another day we might have had a better experience...

I booked this stay for my husbands birthday. I have stayed at a few spa resorts and to be honest I was left underwhelmed by the experience. We had a 'dirty towel ' in the room which smelt dirty and had stains on it. I did get it changed and the lady was very apologetic. If tgat was it then it would have been fine however the service in the bar was atrocious. We went to the bar on Saturday evening. We had to wait 10 minutes to get served which was fine but then from asking for our cocktail order we had to wait a further 25 minutes. The poor young boy on the bar was new and didn't know how to make cocktails so he had to wait for Leah, to take over. That would have been fine except Leah was flirting with 2 men at the bar from a wedfing party and kept us waiting 25 minutes from placing our order to actually receiving it. Then I know it is petty but when you are buying a passion fruit martini you sort of expect the half passion fruit. But no. Not here. There wasn't any. Neither were there any cocktail straws to drink it - only full sized strangers?? Apart from the dirty towel the room was mediocre. Please can someone from management lie on the sofa bed in room 275? The springs in the mattress have gone and my poor daughter had to endure a night on what was excruciating. I think a bag of spanners would have been more comfortable. Please can the manager just check thus out? Finally as I said I have stayed in a lot of spa resorts and though this is a beautiful location the attention to detail let's it down. No tissues or slippers in the room and we booked for 3 but only had towels and gowns for 2. For the price I expected more sorry.

Visited with wife for weekend break. First class service from moment you arrive at gatehouse. All staff attentive, polite and easy to have a conversation with. This starts with concierge, moves on to reception and on to bar, pub, restaurant and spa. Room was decent size - do not need massive room as will not spend much time in here. Nicely decorated, clean and well attended. We had room with hot tub on balcony which was great. Had food in hotel bar, in pub attached to spa and In restaurant. All excellent. Bar staff great with good choice of drinks and cocktails. Perhaps stock some gluten free bottled beer in future! Apart from that catered for my gluten intolerance very well and on second visit to restaurant they remembered this and had gluten free canopies for me. Only negative for me was daily car park charge because I didn’t book direct but I know for future. Well worth a visit.

Excellent location, with easy access to Grasmere and all its amenities. Breakfast was mostly great, especially the cooked options, and staff were always friendly. Our room was on the top floor with stunning views and we found it clean and tidy. However, the large window and unconventional shape meant that closing the curtains fully was impossible, resulting in poor sleep quality; this seems like an oversight. Parking was quite tricky due to lack of spaces. Although staff were friendly, there seemed to be an overall air of disorganisation; the front desk is not constantly attended, and there is a lack of access to the seating area downstairs that has games and books, as it was mostly locked. Overall, it was a good stay.

Disappointing trip overall. We was due to check in at 3pm, when we arrived the staff informed us that our room wasn’t clean and ready for us. We eventually got into our room at 4.45pm, shocking really when we had a baby and spent £300 for one night. The room looked tired, also had no curtain on the window. When we raised our concerns to the deputy manager, she gave attitude and didn’t seem to handle the situation correctly. We come to the lakes every year and stay at the Beech Hill however I’m afraid this will be our last stay. However, even though are stay wasn’t great, I would like to mention the restaurant manager and restaurant staff who was very friendly and delivered a great 3 course meal.

Highly recommend - all main areas are accessible. Friendly staff willing to assist at all times. Very comfortable spacious bedroom with good walk in shower. Sitting room area spacious with plenty separate divisions. Excellent breakfasts and,in our opinion five star evening meals. Table reservations are well timetabled so that the kitchen can provide the best unhurried service. Exterior peaceful surroundings away from what can be a busy tourist area.