‘I found the most romantic hotel in the Lake District with a hot tub and spa deal in your room’
As a travel writer and someone who lives in the north of England, I go for weekends away to Cumbria fairly regularly – at least once a year – so I consider myself to be something of an expert on knowing which are the best Lake District hotels to book.
Storrs Hall, on the southern shores of Lake Windermere and just south of Bowness, is one hotel I’ve made return visits to; my partner and I love its luxury rooms and fine dining, making it the perfect retreat after a day out exploring the area. Here’s why…
The hotel
Dating back to the 1790s, the grand Storrs Hall has an interesting history, having been previously owned by Yorkshire landowner and MP Sir John Legard, and the uncle of painter John Constable. Now it’s a four-star hotel with incredible views of the lake, sat amongst acres of its own woodland and with its own jetty, and a peaceful retreat away from the often crowded tourist hotspot of nearby Bowness-on-Windermere.
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Pack your waterproofs as the Lake District is walking country, and while there are a couple of walks from the door of Storrs Hall, including along the main road up to Bowness, determined hikers will need to jump in the car and drive to scale local peaks such as Gummer’s How, Loughrigg Fell and Whitbarrow.
The rooms at Storrs Hall
The newest rooms at Storrs Hall are the Lakeside Suites, and they’re real showstoppers. Both the rooms themselves and the bathrooms are huge, with modern fireplaces, bath tubs with TVs at the end, and large glass doors that open out onto views of Lake Windermere. One major draw are the wooden barrel hot tubs tucked away round the corner, kept perfectly warm during your stay. Another lovely touch is the complimentary minibar, stocked with drinks (both alcoholic and non-) and nibbles.
Storrs Hall doesn’t have a spa but it has just introduced ‘pamper packages’ to the Lakeside Suites. Book these and you’ll find a number of products from local and sustainable Lake District brand Pure Lakes waiting for you in your room, including bath foam, salt scrub, facial toner and pillow spray, perfect for creating your own spa-like sanctuary without having to leave your room. We tried these all out following a long and soggy walk, and can confirm that they really helped us to feel relaxed and rejuvenated.
A room service menu from The Bistro restaurant is available, and lots of guests staying in these suites choose to have a breakfast hamper delivered to their doors in the mornings (you can also eat in the main restaurant). In fact, you’d barely even need to leave your room.
The food at Storrs Hall
We had eaten at Storrs Hall’s main restaurant, 1797, before, but I’d forgotten how completely delicious it was; in a part of the country with so many top restaurants, 1797 more than holds its own and must surely be one of the best around Windermere, with the friendliest, most professional waiting staff that deserve a special shout-out.
My three-course tasting menu (which costs £69.50 per person) started off with a sharing loaf of warm honey milk bread – the fluffiest bread you could imagine, served with whipped butter – before a starter of cured salmon with a zingy horseradish cream. The main course was a perfectly cooked piece of halibut with a pea fritter coated in the light-as-air batter, followed by an incredible coffee crème brûlée for dessert; I’d never tasted anything quite like it.
Storrs Hall’s second, and newer, restaurant is The Bistro, which offers a more casual dining experience; you’ll get the same quality of food but with a more relaxed menu and atmosphere – think goats cheese soufflés, steaks and classic desserts. There's also a cosy bar in the style of a traditional British pub.
How much does it cost to stay at Storrs Hall?
A stay in a Lakeside Suite at Storrs Hall costs from £573 per night including breakfast and arrival treats, or from £645 including the Wellbeing Package, which contains £140 of products from Pure Lakes.
