John Ruskin Brasserie at Lakeside Hotel in South Lakeland

We only came for food, but it was delicious. It was a very relaxed afternoon. The staff were happy for us to sit as long as we liked, by the Lakeside. It was perfect for a relaxing lunch. I can fully recommend the salmon and cream cheese sandwich.

Went for afternoon tea with a group of friends. The food was really good with a nice selection of sandwiches and tasty cakes and scones. The staff were friendly and allowed us to borrow the large Peter rabbit from reception to eat with us but struggled slightly with the prewarned allergy requirements. Enjoyable experience and great views down the lake.

Brilliant hotel.Grizdale Suite room 11 was spectacular .So much space .Spotlessly clean, well equipped.Full bathroom plus walk-in shower .Could not fault the food.Spa beautiful.My only gripe was we were able to check in at 3 pm room wasn't ready until 4 pm.However 2 complimentary drinks were offered while we waited .Would highly recommend and return in a heartbeat .

It was a windy wet day on Lake windermere. We had just spent a beautiful morning in the rain washed landscape when we stumbled across what we thought was a wonderful quaint establishment. The external was lovely and on entering you are greeted by a concierge and relatively nice decoration.Once over this threshold, the interior as expected with such establishments becomes much more tired. It was however clean.We were sat in the bar area and then given menus. We waited for around 10 minutes but no staff approached us. We tried to order at rhe bar but were told we couldn't order here and had to be seated. We waited another 10 minutes and my girlfriend then tracked down a different member of staff who said she would be with her shortly.We waited another 20 minutes but no one came despite numerous other and the same staff members passing our table. We eventually got up and found the conservatory where everyone else was sat with lots of spaces. I do wonder if our walking trousers and boots had perhaps turned up the noses of the staff?On being sat down, we still had a long wait before being served. We tried to order food and drinks together but were told rather rudely that we could not.Bearing in mind this was a Sunday we tried to order scones and were told there were none! I later overheard the waiter saying that this happens every Sunday... A sign of what was to come.Our food, consisting of a salmon sandwich and chips, took nearly 40 minutes to arrive. The sandwich was honestly quite basic. I have made many a sandwich and whilst I am no chef, I am certain I could produce such an item in a faster fashion to the same standard.Throughout I could not help but notice the waiting staff were stood around gossiping with one male insisting on keeping his hands in his pockets. The staff seemed indifferent to there patrons. I have had better customer service in my local macdonalds!Then the real shock arrived, the bill! I was stunned to see that were charged nearly £30 for the privilege of a coffee and 2 sandwiches. That is all.Very disappointing, I shan't be returning nor recommending this place. It is extortionately overpriced and for the money I paid, I would expect a better experience. 1 star I am afraid. Just don't waste your time like I did.

Disappointing. We have been before on several occasions and it used to be our luxury treat. We used to pull up to the front of the hotel and they would take your luggage and valet park the car - alas no more. The large conservatory with views over the lake used to be spacious and peaceful. It now has too many tables in it and is cramped at meal times. In spite of all these extra tables and in spite of booking a room with dinner we found that there was no available space in the restaurant when we checked in. The only food we were offered was a bar snack. The chips which we had with the snack and again on the following evening with dinner were supposed the be triple cooked but they were rock hard and completely cold in the middle (were they frozen chips??). The food was otherwise edible but unimaginative. They used to have a nice choice of ales - no more. The wine was expensive and ordinary plonk at best in quality. My wife had an upset stomach the 2nd morning of our stay.The room was clearly in need of a refurb. The curtains were ragged and the bathroom had a big black stain on the ceiling where they had had a leak. If this were my hotel I would close that room until it's refurbed.Your standards of service have dropped a million miles in the last 15 years since we first stayed there.The location is outstanding, breathtaking and gorgeous. I don't know if that will be enough to get us back for a repeat visit.

Do not pay to stay here!Almost £300 a night for old fashioned rooms which felt unclean. Dirty carpets throughout the hotel including our room.Cracks in the ceiling and the noise from upstairs and outside our room was insane, we can literally hear the conversations from upstairs rooms.The bed! Don’t get me started, I sat on it and thought initially it was a waterbed it’s so soft, matress probably came from 1800s just like the decor throughout the room.Spa- over crowded and dirty not like pictures, only nice part of the hotel is the fire pit we’re we sat outside for a bit trying to ignore the place we were staying behind us :)This hotel was not our first choice, in fact it was the only hotel we could get into last minute and now we understand why!Thankfully we’re only staying one night and we’ve had a good laugh at the place but I feel sorry for people who’ve booked longer.Top tip! If it’s the last place available, don’t book stay home :)

An amazing hotel, with an abundance of tranquil locations to relax, whether it's the classic bar, the conservatory over looking the lake or from the comfort of your room. We had an amazing time, all the staff were so helpful and polite. We will definitely be back. Thank you

Lakeside is a great place to stay, well located for trips to other parts of the lakes and with good access to plenty of good walks. We used the spar and found it very relaxing. Our room was comfortable and the meal that we had later on was delicious. This was the second time we had stayed and we would happily stay again.

Despite the storm disruption prior to our visit, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the team did a tremendous job getting everything back to normality in such a rapid time. The staff at the Lakeside Hotel & Spa were exceptional and made us extremely welcome. The food was outstanding, the spa amazing and we enjoyed the highest standard of accommodation. This hotel deserves its reputation of the best in the Lakes as it has for many years, offering stunning views of Windermere and the hotel itself offering touches of classic and contemporary. I highly recommend.

3rd time at this fabulous relaxing hotel. Wonderful friendly service. Staff met every request with helpful smiles. Michael on reception was particularly welcoming. Jordan on breakfast was lovely. But all staff deserve commendation and could not be faulted. Food was delicious. Loved paddleboarding from the shore each morning!!! Will be back in March 😊😊