Dale Head Hall Lakeside Hotel Reviews

Perfect location on the shore of Thirlmere. As other reviewers have said, its a little old fashioned downstairs but don’t let that put you off. Our room (15) was spacious, spotlessly clean and cosy with a large bathroom and wonderful view of the gardens and lake. Stay for dinner, it’s delicious. We’re already looking forward to coming back x

This is a great location for walkers and other tourists in this part of the lakes. The lake side location is an extra bonus.

We had a lovely 2 night stay. The room was great and the hosts were friendly and helpful. Tasty breakfast too. Very handy for Helvellyn and walking around the reservoir. The view over Thirlmere was gorgeous and we enjoyed the evening sun set sitting overlooking the garden.

Stayed in Thirlmere Suite. Comfortable, beautiful views, luxury bathroom with good quality towels and small but well equipped kitchen. Owners helpful and always available, sorted out disconnected wifi promptly, also happy to take phone numbers to contact us if we failed to return from mountain hiking.

I have passed the sign for this place on the a591 on many occasions wondering what it would be like to stay but thought I could never afford a place like this! I am sitting here in room 13 on our 2nd night with my husband tonight. The rain is falling, the room is warm & cosy. He had a shower which was hot and adequate, (maybe not to everyone’s taste of a power shower)! I had a bath which was lovely. The room is clean, the breakfast is lovely. I spoke to the owner who is very friendly, polite and knowledgeable about the area. Yes,,,the entrance and reception room,,to me,,,looks a bit old fashioned, yes, there is a musty smell. This is all part of the charm of the 16th century hall. The room we stayed in is very modern. A bit like my bedroom at home. I love the heavy doors and solid wood frames. There is a pub which sells food along the lane to the hotel. Literally a 5 minute walk. There are buses on the a591 which take you to Keswick or Ambleside. I feel so disappointed in the reviews of this place but I do understand,,,,,,,each to their own. The views are outstanding.

The location is amazing. Had the most beautiful view down the lawns and across Lake Thirlmere to the fells opposite . Good pub with food 5 min easy walk away. Stayed in room with lake view. . Lovely decor, comfy bed and clean. Cooked breakfast was a good standard. Have just one complaint...which did tarnish our stay slightly. This is a family run hotel and the family were all friendly. The owners had left the management of the hotel in the hands of their daughter on the day we were there (sunday). She was entertaining her own friends and family on the terrace. A number of children tearing around shouting and making noise. It was a sunny day.. but surely the comfort and peace of the guests should be priority? Our sunset drinks on the terrace somewhat ruined by the management's children themselves. The gardens were extensive and could have accommodated the children playing in an area away from the drinks terrace. I understand that the antics of other guests cannot be managed easily by hotel owners.. but their own kids should be easier to control and be respectful of guests.

Lovely quiet venue

Beautiful place with great lakeside view

Having looked at the other reviews I can see where people are coming from in terms of some of the reservations about this hotel, especially that you need a car because it is far from any town. Our experience was however wholly positive, especially coming from other Lake District accommodation that was much worse value. The garden was full of rhodedendrons and the view over the reservoir absolutely gorgeous. Yes the building is all crooked angles, etc. but we found it charming, as well as clean, spacious and comfortable with a good breakfast. We would come again.

Went in Sept 2021. Didn’t post a review because don’t like to complain. But having read others thought l should, because l met owners & they seem nice so l think it’s beneficial for them if they want to keep the business. Because l will never return again because: 1. Arrived late evening afte long, tiring journey only to be told there’s no dinner anywhere for miles! 2. View/location might be amazing but not worth the price 3. Breakfast was nice 4. Room old, unkept & unclean 5. TV not working 6. Shower not working well - no pressure at all 7.

Booked a last minute stay for 2 nights over Easter weekend. Most magical weekend. Family business, staff are so welcoming, we stayed in Room 11 which had a veranda with seating with an undisturbed view of the lake. Purely stunning ❤️

Wonderful

Avoid. We stayed when needing somewhere at short notice and this looked ok. It’s not. Vastly overpriced - same as Another Place over at Ullswater which has a ton of facilities- and even at half the price you would not think price matched. 4 stars must reflect pre#Covid as nothing here merits that. Staff are managing despite there being next to none and that’s about the only positive I can say. One of those places where they don’t even notice and repair loos seats that come adrift - ours had and the cleaners must have noticed when servicing before we arrived but…. Rooms were not serviced at all during stay “due to Covid” so even had to take own bin to reception to get it emptied. Last but not least, our room was ground floor and you could hear every floorboard and bed spring creak of the room above. Avoid

So I've read reviews on here , good and bad. We booked a lakeview room at this hotel. On arrival we had to ring a bell for attention, and the owner promptly arrived and we were checked in with no problems at all. This is indeed an old hotel and infact the main part of the building is 16th century - and was I was told by one of the staff an old coach house. The stairs apparently are origional. On entering there is a musty smell about the place and furniture and decor is indeed "oldy worldly" Our room was bright and clean and the view of the lake was lovely. Tea and coffee facilities were provided for our stay. So I will start with the negative points of this place, but there are positves too. I found a used towel in the wardrobe- the owner did apologise. The mattress in our room (3) was far too soft and I cant imagine the last time they were renewed. As with previous reviews, the shower pressure was abysmal and took ages to wash and rinse my hair. I was told that they did have problems with the water. Well this has been ongoing for some time I understand, but guests after a days hiking/ walking expect to have a decent shower. On day two after breakfast we went back to freshen up but found that there was no water at all. I mentioned it to the owner who assured me he would look in to this. On speaking to his wife- she blamed the guests and said someone must have left a tap running overnight! Really! We went out and on our return it was fixed- although we noticed a blue hose pipe leading into the water tanks from the woods. This remained for the rest of our stay. The water apparently comes from the mountains. The next day on return from a walk there was no hot water at all this time. I spoke to one of the staff and after looking into it, she couldn't understand what the problem was, but pressed the boost button! After 40 minutes the water was hot enough. Breakfast: a good selection of cereal, fruit consited of prunes and grapefruit segments and yoghurt. Two types of juices. Full english was offered but for those expecting a hearty breakfast dont expect a lot on it. One rasher of bacon, one sausage one egg few beans and few mushrooms. You can have unlimited toast though. I asked every morning for two poached eggs- but only got one small piece of toast with the crusts cut off. I was told that if I wanted to have another piece I could always take it from the toast in the rack! On our first morning we sat in the bar area for breakfast , and I can only say that the conversation from the kitchen was unprofessional from the staff, the owner shouting at her husband and the poor waiter, I think they need to be mindful of the fact that the guests can hear. Currently there is no provision to have an evening meal there. We were told the bar was open, but quite frankly we didnt bother. The positives: Lovely location and lake views, and very quiet .There is a path by the lake which in either direction takes you on lovely walks. There is a pub- The Kin