Holbeck Ghyll in South Lakeland

I booked this hotel through booking.com for my mum birthday, I had to reschedule the date where booking.com communicated with them and they approved it, even got a new date confirmation. The day we arrived the didn't input the date on the system and there was no room left. We drove all the way from London and was very disappointed. They didn't even accept any responsibility pushing the blame on booking.com where it was clearly their fault. They didn't even compensating us anything, matter of fact they felt they were helping us by recommending us another hotel which was useless. They messed up everything, absolutely not recommend.

Lovely hotel. The staff were extremely attentive without being obtrusive. The food wasn’t quite as good as I was hoping but still delicious. Would love to come back when I’m in the Lakes.

We didn’t stay over but went for the tasting menu, and it was absolutely delicious. Top work from the chefs and lovely staff. The portions were small, but that can be compensated for by the quality and originality of what was produced. The staff were attentive and the setting was glorious after a walk from troutbeck to Ambleside and return. Very well priced too. My wife and I loved it and many thanks to Lyn and her colleague (maybe Luke/Joe/Jack?) for their hospitality

Wildly overpriced for very little in return. Food is fine but just not worth the money. Dinner for two with a drink each clocked in at just under 90 GBP and we both left hungry. Feels like the place, which lots its Michelin star in 2014, is living off past reputation. Priced like it still has a star but delivering not even close to that level. They would do better by being more honest with themselves and their customers and serving elevated gastropub food at fair prices rather than the current format of faux-Michelin star robbery.

Our room was at the top of a steep flight of stairs with no handrail for the bottom 4 steps which were on a corner. we dined in the restaurant on two nights, the meal was ok, expensive for what it was (as were all the drinks), and the restaurant was cold. We ate in the lounge on two nights. I had a Wagu burger, which was great and a club sandwich on the second night which was not fit to eat, the toast was burnt, showing that the chef could not care less about what he served to the hotel clients. Whilst I accept that we visited in November there is no excuse for there being no heating until the middle of the afternoon, so we had to sit with our coats on. What a disappointment, we will not be going back.

I wouldn't come here as part of a honeymoon, go to the Forest Side. There are pros and cons of Holbeck Ghyll, but it isn't really that 'special'. The main pro is that the staff are exceedingly friendly, at least Tom and Joe were, and the food was tasty. The view is nice, we had a private hot tub on our patio, which was great. The main hotel is nicely decorated and cosy (if the fires are on). And the spa was good, but not 'fancy'.However, the service itself is actually awful. We went to a couple of michelin star restaurants afterwards, charging similar prices to Holbeck Ghyll, and the service was incredible at both of them. The prices charged at Holbeck Ghyll are just too much for the food alone. They are under-staffed, you can easily get ignored or be left to wait for many hours on end. We waited 4 hours to complete our dinner on a normal bar menu night (i.e. not fine dining!), similarly when we went for fine dining, we were on-time for our reservation but made to wait 15 mins after ordering our drinks and then didn't get drinks for at least another 10 mins after being seated.The other reviews are all true: the place is getting tired, we stayed in the Potter Suite (the best room?) and the room never cooled down (even with thermostat on 10 degrees for 24 hours and windows open), many switches appeared to do nothing, tv in bathroom didn't work, towel rail never ran cold, outdoor patio lights didn't work, taps in the bathroom were not nice to use, hairdryer fuse went multiple times, bathroom shutters impossible to open easily, the concierge book was many years out of date and no walks described (mentioned by manager). Lastly, we didn't realise that the bathroom door was open behind the shutters, so this was a major security risk that we only realised on our second day!I'm sure it is nice to come here for dinner, but don't come here for a really special occasion!

We came to this venue for a spot of lunch. On arrival the staff were rude, I had to approach them and ask if we are able to eat, to which they looked disappointed and said 'yes' I could hear the manager say to staff 'well we have to serve them now'We ordered a burger each and the food quality was not very nice and took forever to come. There was a female member of staff who couldn't smile to save her life. Its such a shame as the venue is stunning and could be a wonderful place to dine. We felt unwelcome and as if we were a burden. We will not be returning. Think twice before attending.

Restaurant review - Staff friendly and helpful but seemingly understaffed as they were rushed off their feet. Food was good but overall experience not really up to the standards you'd expect given the cost of the tasting menu.

We held our wedding here at the end of bank holiday weekend, which was incredible. The hotel was fantastic, all rooms were spotless with fantastic views over the lake. As a wedding venue it was perfect. Tom and the team worked tirelessly with us and our suppliers to ensure the weekend ran smoothly. All staff were really hard working whilst being friendly with all the guests. The food from the kitchen over the weekend was all delicious. The menu Ross put together for our wedding breakfast was delicious!

This was a very tasty, fancy dinner in an absolutely gorgeous setting. Staff were friendly and overall we had a good time.I had maybe expected a little more, taste-wise given the hype, though I don't profess to have the most refined palette. Menu is designed to be tasted with small portions, so recommend going for tasting menu rather than a la carte if you're hungry. Lemon pudding was delicious.