About the Editor
“The Travel Editor of The Telegraph has asked me to stay in a few hotels and write reviews about them,” Paddy told me, “and take you!” I spent the next eighteen years as ‘my husband’, never named, driver, bag carrier and shower tester. When we had travelled enough motorway miles, slept in enough hotel beds and eaten in enough restaurants, Paddy and I decided that a website using journalists’ hotel reviews to describe the hotels would be popular and useful. I am delighted you are a reader and hope that you might become a contributor by writing to us.Broadoaks Country House
Troutbeck, Windermere, Lake District, Cumbria, Northwest
Metro
07 October 2010
Fiona MacDonald
Lording it up in the Lakes
Broadoaks Country House
Broadoaks by night
Broadoaks Country House Music Room
Not far away you will find this
Elm Bedroom
Broadoaks Country House Bar
A railway was built to Lake Windermere in 1847 and it very quickly became one of the country's most popular holiday destinations.
"The food is worthy of any five star (and features in cookbook A Taste of Cumbria)," says Fiona MacDonald who wrote about her stay in Metro, London's widely-read daily newspaper.
"The food is worthy of any five star (and features in cookbook A Taste of Cumbria)," says Fiona MacDonald who wrote about her stay in Metro, London's widely-read daily newspaper.
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Why go there? In the heart of the Lake District, it's a haven of glamour for city folk and the Gore-tex brigade.
Highlights: The Music Room, added to the house in 1905 is beautifully furnished in Arts and Crafts style –its plasterwork was designed by William Morris. The food is worthy of any five star (and features in the cookbook A Taste of Cumbria); with an assistant chef from Jamaica, it even offers a Caribbean twist on local flavours. And for those who want to arrive in style, there’s a helicopter landing pad (coordinates can be found online)
Why we like it: Built in 1836 out of Lakeland Stone, the hotel injects boutique living into a traditional Victorian country house. Jacuzzis, Cowshed bath goodies (in decadently large containers) and king-sized beds take it out of rural B & B territory, and the service is attentive and discreet. It’s more like staying in a private manor, with guests gathering in the music room before dinner for drinks and canapés. Sipping G & Ts next to a roaring fire accompanied by the tinkling of ivories on a piano brings on a touch of Great Gatsby languor. The food is worth dressing up for too – served in gourmet portions with three courses including quail stuffed with Bury black pudding, breast of Barbary duck served pink in a Grand Marnier-infused game jus and raspberry and Drambuie-infused pavlova. When I discovered Malbec was not available by the glass, bar manager Joe had the perfect alternative, an Australian Nebbiolo.
It’s not just luxurious hedonism though. Outdoor types can take in the panoramic views from the restaurant at breakfast, all babbling brooks, grazing sheep and dry stone walls; and it’s perfect walking country. No need to deprive yourself though, as a hearty hike is rewarded with the afternoon teas featuring home-made cakes and scones.
And the things we didn’t rate: Our room was out of range for the hotel’s wi-fi and next door to the kitchen with some noise early in the morning. And despite a refurbishment after the current owners took over in October 2007, the décor is fairly traditional. Although that means a period feel in the Music Room, the restaurant and rooms may feel dated to those used to Babington House – style chic.
What else can you do in the region? Hike to nearby Windermere, the largest natural lake in England – you can hire a boat yourself or take a ride on a steamer. The surrounding area is full of rambling potential but if you find walking too pedestrian, you could take a Segway – the 'adventure tour' zooms through forest tracks and along lake shores.
Metro gave Broadoaks Country House four stars out of five for both Bed quality and for Staff
Highlights: The Music Room, added to the house in 1905 is beautifully furnished in Arts and Crafts style –its plasterwork was designed by William Morris. The food is worthy of any five star (and features in the cookbook A Taste of Cumbria); with an assistant chef from Jamaica, it even offers a Caribbean twist on local flavours. And for those who want to arrive in style, there’s a helicopter landing pad (coordinates can be found online)
Why we like it: Built in 1836 out of Lakeland Stone, the hotel injects boutique living into a traditional Victorian country house. Jacuzzis, Cowshed bath goodies (in decadently large containers) and king-sized beds take it out of rural B & B territory, and the service is attentive and discreet. It’s more like staying in a private manor, with guests gathering in the music room before dinner for drinks and canapés. Sipping G & Ts next to a roaring fire accompanied by the tinkling of ivories on a piano brings on a touch of Great Gatsby languor. The food is worth dressing up for too – served in gourmet portions with three courses including quail stuffed with Bury black pudding, breast of Barbary duck served pink in a Grand Marnier-infused game jus and raspberry and Drambuie-infused pavlova. When I discovered Malbec was not available by the glass, bar manager Joe had the perfect alternative, an Australian Nebbiolo.
It’s not just luxurious hedonism though. Outdoor types can take in the panoramic views from the restaurant at breakfast, all babbling brooks, grazing sheep and dry stone walls; and it’s perfect walking country. No need to deprive yourself though, as a hearty hike is rewarded with the afternoon teas featuring home-made cakes and scones.
And the things we didn’t rate: Our room was out of range for the hotel’s wi-fi and next door to the kitchen with some noise early in the morning. And despite a refurbishment after the current owners took over in October 2007, the décor is fairly traditional. Although that means a period feel in the Music Room, the restaurant and rooms may feel dated to those used to Babington House – style chic.
What else can you do in the region? Hike to nearby Windermere, the largest natural lake in England – you can hire a boat yourself or take a ride on a steamer. The surrounding area is full of rambling potential but if you find walking too pedestrian, you could take a Segway – the 'adventure tour' zooms through forest tracks and along lake shores.
Metro gave Broadoaks Country House four stars out of five for both Bed quality and for Staff
read more
Broadoaks Country House, a beautiful 19th century boutique hotel in Lake Windermere, was built in 1836; with an Arts and Craft Music room added to it in 1905 which incorporates ornate plaster work designed by William Morris
And now...
Read our profile of owner Tracey Robinson Tracey, 'By day IT consultant, by night, creating a hotel in the Lake District to die for', by clicking here. Tracey continues to invest in upgrading and improving Broadoaks, with three new lodges overlooking the River Troutbeck opening early 2011.
Broadoaks can (subject to availability) be booked exclusively for parties of up to 32 click here for more information.
In April 2011
As part of its exciting new refurbishment plans for 2011, Broadoaks Country House Hotel in Windermere has completed work on creating a brand new romantic suite called “The Boudoir at Broadoaks”. This exclusive suite will give its guests something just that little bit special in allowing its occupants to have complete seclusion from other guests. The room even has its own log fire in the bedroom.
.
A stunning looking suite, with its own driveway and entrance, has a super-king-sized hand carved 4-poster bed, a huge ornate mirror on the wall, Osborne & Little wallpaper and Farrow & Ball paint and a very lavish bathroom complete with wet room and Jacuzzi bath. Occupants will be able to order door-to-door room service and enjoy private dining on its outside terrace in summer months. The suite is also fitted with a Bang and Olufsen sound system and TV unit to play mellow tunes whilst relaxing.
In addition to the Boudoir, Broadoaks has also undergone a transformation of its hall, restaurant, landing and stairs. Creating a luxurious boutique feel, the hallway has been redecorated using designer wallpaper and paint and complimented with a contemporary style carpet throughout. Two other existing bedrooms have had a complete makeover to similar effect, creating a new “Victorian Bijou” standard.
Broadoaks can (subject to availability) be booked exclusively for parties of up to 32 click here for more information.
In April 2011
As part of its exciting new refurbishment plans for 2011, Broadoaks Country House Hotel in Windermere has completed work on creating a brand new romantic suite called “The Boudoir at Broadoaks”. This exclusive suite will give its guests something just that little bit special in allowing its occupants to have complete seclusion from other guests. The room even has its own log fire in the bedroom.
.
A stunning looking suite, with its own driveway and entrance, has a super-king-sized hand carved 4-poster bed, a huge ornate mirror on the wall, Osborne & Little wallpaper and Farrow & Ball paint and a very lavish bathroom complete with wet room and Jacuzzi bath. Occupants will be able to order door-to-door room service and enjoy private dining on its outside terrace in summer months. The suite is also fitted with a Bang and Olufsen sound system and TV unit to play mellow tunes whilst relaxing.
In addition to the Boudoir, Broadoaks has also undergone a transformation of its hall, restaurant, landing and stairs. Creating a luxurious boutique feel, the hallway has been redecorated using designer wallpaper and paint and complimented with a contemporary style carpet throughout. Two other existing bedrooms have had a complete makeover to similar effect, creating a new “Victorian Bijou” standard.
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Paddy and her husband stayed at this pub in 1996. So you might think that the review which appears below is a bit out...
Paddy and her husband stayed at this pub in 1996. So you might think that the review which appears below is a bit out...