North Lakes Hotel & Spa
NORTH LAKES HOTEL & SPA
24/11/18
*AD - Gifted: I received this stay complimentary in return for an honest review.*
WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT
Tuck into food from the restaurant’s open fire grill
Stay in cosy and modern bedrooms
Enjoy cooking demonstrations
Take a short stroll into Penrith to explore
DESTINATION
I was visiting for a mini break with my husband Steve for the night and we love The Lakes so were looking forward to a night away in the hotel.
The North Lakes Hotel & Spa is situated a short distance from the centre of Penrith and the motorway, and with both on the doorstep, exploring can be done with ease.
We walked into Penrith whilst we were there and it’s a town that has a certain charm to it, with interesting period buildings, quirky antique shops and tasty independent food traders. We also drove to nearby Keswick, which was just under a half hour drive, and is a pretty market town with some charming shops and cafes. A particular favourite was Merienda, where we had a delicious coffee and cake.
For walking or to take in the beautiful Lakes scenery, Ullswater is only 20 minutes away and you can catch one of the steamer boats and take in the views of the Lake before stopping off for lunch at Pooley Bridge.
It’s a great location if you fancy a weekend break in The Lake District.
DECOR
From the outside, the hotel is not what you might expect since the building itself is rather plain. But looks can be deceptive, as inside it couldn’t be more different.
The decor in the communal areas is really lovely. It has a stylish and modern look with a clean and fresh scandi feel and interesting wall murals and artwork, cool rattan pendant lights and Ercol style seating work well with the exposed wooden beam ceilings and parquet floor. Whilst the decor is on the minimal side, you can tell everything has been chosen with care and the use of natural materials throughout gave a really warm feel. It’s also very on-trend for 2019!
We were staying in a Signature Double room and whilst on the small side, it had everything we needed, such as a coffee machine, TV and radio, alongside a modern en suite bathroom. The hygge style decor continued into the bedroom and we liked how cosy and relaxing it felt.
The hotel also has a spa, which looked lovely, but we didn’t get chance to use it during our stay.
DINING
We were eating in the hotel’s restaurant FYR for dinner and breakfast during our stay. Featuring an open fire grill, there was of course lots of choice of fish and meats, and particularly steak, on the dinner menu.
Whilst enjoying an early evening ‘holiday’ drink in the bar after exploring Penrith, we were asked if we’d like to join some other guests for a steak tasting and we of course said yes! We decided it would be a great chance to explore some of the menu ahead of dinner. It was led by a friendly and smiley Spanish chef who was also very informative and we had a really enjoyable time learning more about cuts of steak whilst enjoying a glass of wine. I thought it was a great idea to offer something like this as a complimentary gesture to hotel guests.
After trying out different steaks, we of course then had to order steak for our main course that evening. I went for the Sirloin and my husband Steve chose the Rib Eye (with chips, green beans and peppercorn sauce on the side) and both were delicious cuts of steak.
We also started our meal with some Garlic Prawns and Cheese Croquettes and the prawns were definitely a highlight, as they were really succulent and full of flavour. To the end the meal, I ordered a Panna Cotta and Steve chose the Cheesecake. I wasn’t a massive fan of the panna cotta to be honest, as I found it lacking in vanilla and it needed more of the apple compote, but Steve enjoyed his deconstructed cheesecake.
Despite a big meal, we still found room for a hearty breakfast the next morning! Well, we were on holiday.
The hotel offers breakfast in a really smart way which feels a bit more fancy than your average buffet. Aswell as the help yourself continental offering, they have a cooked breakfast station with someone serving each item to you. So you can still have as much as you like but everything stays nicely presented without beans all over the side of the counter or tongs in the wrong tray! Staff also took your tea/coffee and toast orders and brought them to the table.
Everything was of a good quality and cooked nicely and it definitely set us up for the day, ahead of our journey back to Manchester!
DEBRIEF
We really enjoyed our stay at North Lakes Hotel & Spa. I loved the decor, enjoyed the food and the staff were helpful and friendly. We are actually thinking about when we can return as we found the hotel a really relaxing and well situated spot for a break in The Lakes.
DETAILS
North Lakes Hotel & Spa, Ullswater Road, Penrith, CA11 8QT.
*They have a great offer on at the moment for two nights with breakfast and a £30 dinner allowance for £79 per person per night. Valid until 28th February 2019.*
