Just had a four night stay in this hotel and what a wonderfully, pleasant, relaxing experience it was. We got the room on a special weekday offer of ?60 per person per night (?120 per room), which included cooked & continental breakfast, use of the spa / gym and a cruise on the lake. Our room was stylish, very comfortable and spotlessly clean. The bathroom looked newly and impressively re-furbished with a good sized shower and floor tiles which were not cold to the feet. We didn't dine in the hotel as it was a little overly formal for our tastes and somewhat over-priced, but found a great choice of restaurants and pubs nearby. The choice of continental breakfast was not the best i've ever seen, but the cooked breakfast was tasty, freshly cooked to order and served by friendly staff, which is infinitely better than a congealed, self-serve, buffet style breakfast which seems to be the order of the day in many hotels these days. My eggs were fried to perfection. It would be difficult to find fault with this hotel and will certainly recommend it and will probably stay there again.

This is the best surprise I’ve ever had with a hotel. POSITIVE surprise. I’ve been to England over 12 times in under 10 years and love seeing the variety of hotel rooms. Being a bargain hunter and a single traveler (usually), I’ve gotten stuck with some pretty small rooms. But, since they are just to sleep and wash in, I never really care. Before I booked this hotel, I had made sure it was in the perfect location…and as I usually do, I read reviews from a variety of travel sites. Most of the reviews on this one were positive with the occasional mixed or bad one. The hotel sounded dated and in need of some TLC. I read in a few places that the hotel was currently being remolded, which of course is great since it sounded like it needed it but maybe not so good for me, depending on HOW much remolding was going on. I found a great deal on four nights (just over 100 GBP per night including tax and breakfast) and I booked a single room. Long story short, this was one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed at in England…or anywhere else for that matter. My room was HUGE. I had a king size bed and I could have danced in bathroom…which had BOTH a tub and a shower stall. The remolding was all completed when I arrived and boy, did they do a great job. All of the public rooms were cozy and warm looking. The d?cor was sophisticated but yet not too stuffy. I swam one night in the pool, belonging to the connected spa, and it was one of the best pools I’ve even swam in…especially hotel pools. The breakfast was all fresh and delicious. The staff were all pleasant and above-and-beyond helpful. The location, as I hoped, could not have been more ideal…right on Lake Windermere. I would not hesitate to stay here again. Actually, I wouldn’t mind living here!

We stayed at the Old England last weekend and it was not quite as good as I had expected based on some of the reviews. We were greeted by a receptionist who was busy having a conversation with another member of staff whilst he checked us in. He then went onto make a call in which he was explaining to someone that a guest did not like 2 of the rooms they had been shown so could they get another ready! Great welcome!! The rooms are OK. The view from our room was wonderful (directly onto the lake) and therefore made you feel better about the very average decor, bedding, furniture etc. The bathrooms are very 'Travelodge' style and certainly did not look "recently refurbished". Certainly not ?155's worth. The main reason for my review is that the hotel did nothing to make you feel that you were welcome. When we wandered in and out of the hotel the reception desk was empty. I am used to the staff asking if your room is OK and if you are enjoying your stay.....but nothing! Another major issue for me was breakfast. We had paid ?15 each for breakfast as part of the room rate of ?155. When you get to the restaurant, you are offered only a continental breakfast for your ?15. If you want a full english breakfast then you must pay an additional ?6.50. It is not the ?6.50 that made me not pay but the principal of it......?21.50 for a cooked breakfast is too much at a hotel of this calibre. On our second morning, we waited over 20 minutes for our tea/coffee to arrive even though there were only about 5 tables occupied. We had drinks in the lounge on both afternoons we were there. I must say that the lounge is lovely....huge comfy sofas and another great view of the lake. If the weather is warm, there is also a lovely terrace where you can sit outside. The price of drinks I felt was reasonable. However, be warned, there is a ?5 per person tray charge if you order drinks in your room....glad I spotted that before I ordered!! Overall, it all felt a little underwhelming. When we checked out we were not asked if we had enjoyed our stay or if everything had been OK....which I think is really amiss of such a big hotel chain. The best thing about this hotel is the view of the lake from it. We would recommend the Angel Inn (www.the-angelinn.com) for lunch/supper and the rooms looked excellent from pics and website. Another hotel, "The Woodlands", also looked promising.

IF YOU DO get to stay in this hotel, Be very careful when you packed up because if u forgot something, it's just impossible to get it back!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We chose this hotel for my parents' visit, the hotel hardware is okay for it's 150 per nite price, very expensive drink and food, rooms are clean, got a pool. Two days later, I checked out at about 10am, put my luggage in the car and realized immediately that I left my IPOD and a book in the room. So I went back there and ask if they see it. The guy at receiption asked me to call the housekeeper. The housekeeper, who is an old women with terribly cold voice, said, no we have cleaned the room and we didn't see anything left. It's at most 10 min since I checked out and they've already cleaned the entire room!!! What a great hotel it is! I asked again very patiently and explained how important this ipod is for me(valuable data there!!!), the old lady said, okay i'll go and check for you, and after 2 seconds she said (yes it is 2 seconds not 2 minutes!!!!!!) no it's not here. I've MOVED all the furniture and try to look for it for you, it's just not here. I tried very hard not to scream over the phone :"Are you a superwoman or something?! You actually can move the furniture in 2 sec?!!!!!!!!" I said okay, thanks, and I hanged up. I totally searched again in my suitcase and even my parents suitcase, it's just not there. So I'm most certainly sure that it is definitely in the room coz i used it in the morning at about 8.30 and didn't leave the room until check-out!!!!! Will never ever want to stay in this hotel ever again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since the revamp this hotel is simply excellent. Most of the staff are attentive and polite. The room was new and spotless, with a shower and bath, plus all the comforts you expect of a MacDonald hotel. The spa was refreshing, the treatments vast and the massage I received was the best in the world. The breakfasts were fabulous and again staff were attentive. The bars were great and the staff went out of their way to welcome you, chat and make you feel right at home. The restaurant in the evening is fine dining at its best. If you're on a budget then go into town as there are lots of great restaurants just yards from the front door. If you're celebrating a special occassion or feeling flush then give it a try. It isn't 2xAA rosettes for no reason. The food is equisitely prepared and tastes delicious. The views out are stunning and in the height of summer watching the sunset, eating and drinking fine food it is quite simply sensational. In my opinion, there are few places on earth as comfortable as this to dine in.