Macdonald Leeming House

Stayed here a few weekends ago and haven’t stopped thinking about the getaway since. Fantastic building, beautiful location, outstanding food, delightful rooms and very warm, friendly, professional staff. A special mention to; Matt the bar man who served us our evening meals and after dinner drinks with great professionalism, yet provided a very personalised service and had a clear enthusiasm his work. He also showed great local knowledge with help planning out a fantastic last day in the lakes.
Other honourable mentions; Monica who served us breakfast to start our days right, Donna the cleaning lady who was lovely and approachable, and everyone else who we encountered.

This is our 10th year visiting Leeming House. Started the first visit of 2026 celebrating my birthday. Lovely welcome back from Reception, we’d requested our favourite room and everything was very clean. Dinner was in the small dining room, very cosy with the log fire. Dinner both nights was excellent. The amaretto creme brûlée was amazing. Breakfast very good too. Friendly and attentive restaurant staff. We love coming here and can’t wait to return in May.

The location of the hotel is amazing with views out of the dining room over Ullswater. We were also lucky enough to have a room which faced the water. The room was a good size and the bathroom had Elemis toiletries which was a treat. It was fairly quiet in the hotel, but this was expected during a very rainy January in the Lake District. That said, there were a few other guests so it didn't feel too empty. The food and service were exceptional in the restaurant. All members of the hotel staff made us feel incredibly welcome and were very helpful. We stayed on a Secret Escapes deal which included dinner, bed, breakfast and a glass of wine with dinner which proved excellent value for money. Whilst the hotel is remote, there is a bus service which literally passes the end of the hotel entrance so very convenient. Overall, we would definitely recommend staying at Macdonald Leeming House and would return.

We have just returned from a three night stay at this Hotel. It’s situated off the road in its own grounds with views across Ullswater and is very peaceful. We had a lovely room which was a decent size with a balcony overlooking the gardens and the Lake. The staff were welcoming,friendly, attentive,and helpful.

We had dinner each night in the hotel restaurant where the food was first class and exceptionally tasty.

We will be back.

We have just returned from another stay here. it was truly beautiful. The room had a lovely balcony. Totally stunning. As always the grounds are kept immaculate. All The staff made us feel so special. Thank you so much. We didn’t want to leave. Special mentions to Geoff and Monika at breakfast. And to Holly and magic in the restaurant at the evening & on the bar. The manager is going an amazing job with the running of this hotel. Thank you all.

Absolutely beautiful hotel and location! Staff were amazing and couldn’t do enough for you!
Bassel the receptionist was so lovely and helpful, he really went out of his way to make sure you were having a lovely stay.
The food in the restaurant was absolutely stunning, it felt like a really special experience.
The view from our room was just magnificent!
Thank you for a great stay and we hope to return soon!

I was very impressed by the warmest and helpful welcome from the reception and restaurant and bar staff. Friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The barman was so lovely and knowledgeable. The food was good and the horel was clean with stunning views and well kept grounds. My shower didn't have hot water but the bath did which was a minor thing reception did offer to move me, I decided to stay where I was as the views were too good to miss. I do agree that the hotel is in need of some TLC and refurbishment as it is such a wonderful place to stay. It didn't deflect on how warmly and well I was treated the staff were great 👍

We have just returned from a 3 day Christmas break - having had a fantastic time.

We had a large comfortable room with stunning views overlooking the garden and lake. Festive treats were waiting for us in the room which went down well, along with a detailed itinerary of the 3 days which was very helpful.

All of the hotel staff were really friendly and helpful - a credit to the hotel.

The food was exceptional, and one of the highlights of our stay. From the tasty breakfasts, to the Christmas Dinner through to the evening meals - the quality of all meals was outstanding.

A short car journey to Pooley Bridge led to some beautiful local walks along the lake each day.

We had a wonderful break at this charming hotel - great staff, excellent food and a lovely relaxing time.

One visits Leeming House for old world charm, the stunning scenery & the grounds (perfect if you have a pooch in tow too). We had a wonderful lake view room. The service was friendly and each reception room was perfectly positioned for views with comfy seating. Rated 4/5 stars for location & staff. While we had a wonderful 2 day Xmas stay we did acknowledge that the hotel is in dire need of renovation and upgrades all over the hotel (which we are sure hotel staff realise yet still jolly along with the state of play) but whom McDonalds head office + shareholders are obviously deliberately blind to but need to stop this typical UK tradition of letting properties go under & reinvest - shame on you McDonalds as you discourage consistent and a prime getaway opportunity away from the main stream tourist areas of The Lakes. Rated 0/5 stars for poor McDonalds head office company management. Thaites would do a wonderful job in renovating, sell to them if you are hard up!

We booked the 3 night festive Christmas break with our French bulldog. Requested a ground floor dog friendly room with patio doors onto the garden.
I had read the negative reviews but was hopeful we would have a lovely time.
We weren't disappointed. The staff went out of their way to make it special for the guests. Our room was perfect for us and the dog. Beautiful gardens to walk down to the lake straight out of the patio doors. Very comfortable bed and well heated room. Lovely clean towels everyday. And festive treats waiting in the room on arrival. We had requested a fridge for the dogs food which was provided.
Each meal we had in the restaurant was top quality with a great selection of wine to choose from and a well stocked bar.
The reception staff, bar staff, and waiting on staff were fantastic.
The hotel itself is a beautiful building in stunning picturesque surroundings. The decor is slightly dated but adds to the charm.
I wouldn't hesitate to return.

Lovely atmosphere - roaring fires, lovely and warm, very festive and relaxing music.
Very professional and welcoming staff. Meals were all very tasty and professionally served.

Room was a great size, very comfortable bed. Full bath / shower over, lovely warm water and very warm room
Dog friendly room and staff welcoming to pets, lovely separate eating room for dogs and their owners with tables, settees and a roaring fire, our dog loved the grounds. Lovely access to lake
Overall a very lovely pre Xmas stay thank you so much for your hospitality, sure we will be back

I have never left a hotel review like this in my life, but my experience at Macdonald Leeming House, Ullswater was so shocking that people deserve to be warned.

From the moment I arrived, things went wrong and not because of bad luck, but because the staff misled me from the very beginning.

Before even being given my room key, I asked if there were any better rooms available to upgrade to. I was told clearly and confidently that there were no upgraded rooms available at all. I accepted that and headed to the room.

What I walked into was disgusting.

The room was filthy, covered in dust and grime, and worst of all, medication and belongings left behind by a previous guest. A blatant health and safety failure and clear evidence the room had not been cleaned properly if at all.

I went straight back to reception and was moved. The second room was just as dirty and neglected, with the same complete lack of care.

At this point I checked online. And that’s when I realised I had been lied to from the start.

While standing in the hotel, I checked the Macdonald Hotels website and Booking.com. Both were showing multiple upgraded rooms available for the exact same night.
Rooms I was told didn’t exist.
Rooms I had asked for before even seeing the state of the first one.

This was not poor service this was misrepresentation.

On top of that, there was no manager on-site, and although I was told one would call me, THE NEXT DAY. I was left to deal with two unsafe rooms and staff who weren’t honest with me.

With no clean or safe accommodation and no support from management, I had no option but to leave the hotel entirely. I could not find any suitable alternative nearby at such short notice and ended up having to drive all the way back to Scotland late at night.
A four-star hotel should NEVER put someone in that situation.

This hotel might have beautiful surroundings, but the reality behind the front door is filthy rooms, misleading staff, and zero management presence when things go wrong.

Also reading some of the reviews I’m left wondering what the reasons for the no upgrades or allegedly not having a manager available were?

I strongly advise anyone considering this hotel to think twice. What you see online and what you actually get may be very different

Lovely hotel with stunning views onto the lake. Our room was very comfortable, although the bathroom did need a little attention. We had an excellent value DB&B deal, and the food was very good. What made our break most memorable, though, was the very friendly and attentive staff throughout the hotel, who could not have done more to make our stay more pleasant. We would definitely stay again.

We stayed one night and had a lovely experience. We had a deluxe room in the newer part of the house and we could not fault the room comfort. The staff were very welcoming and the service was very good. The views across the garden are beautiful. We had a deal which included dinner which was very tasty, great choice and very good value as part of the stay offer. Would visit again and would recommend staying here.

Beautiful setting & views, very close to the M6 so convenient but a tired hotel in need of redecoration & refurbishment.

Lovely building in a great location. All staff were friendly and efficient. Very comfortable well provisioned room. Excellent meals.

We’ve just spent a couple of days here. We’ve stayed here before several times and can’t fault the food or the staff.
On each occasion though Housekeeping have not been as thorough as they could be.
When we checked in the top cover on the bed had several noticeable white dog hairs on it. We have a dog but he is a golden cocker so hair is not from him.
Reception changed this quickly for us.
There were a couple of giant cobwebs above the French doors, they looked like they had been there for a while.
One of the towels in the bathroom was badly frayed on the edges and the towels were thin and rough. Not in keeping with the hotel.
The bathroom overall was clean but further attention is needed around the edges of the bathroom. The back of the door also needs cleaning and repainting.
Our room was not hoovered either and this was disappointing as we have a dog.
We paid £20 extra a night for the dog and the hotel are happy to charge this but don’t provide anything for a dog.
The hotel is generally well maintained but the outside by the entrance does need smartening up in places.

This was the worst hotel experience I've had in a long, long time. Made worst by the sheer audacity of charging over £200 for a night stay, a price which is at least double if not more what a property in this condition could ever hope to demand.

I was mid-way on a long drive from the South of England to the Northeast of Scotland and decided to stop here for a single night rest. When I woke up around 7AM and tried to have a shower there was no hot water. There was also no way to contact reception as they don't even have phones in the room, you have to use your own mobile. As nobody picked up I had to go downstairs and of course, reception was not manned at all. No staff on sight. Waling around I eventually found someone where breakfast was to be served and he offered to come to my room to check. Now, one would suspect the issue is not actually in the room itself so I figured he simply either didn't believe me or wanted to make sure I knew the difference between the cold and the hot tap. Upon satisfying himself the water was indeed cold, he left to "check the boiler".

It took almost an hour for him to come back with some crazy explanation saying the boiler's timer had failed. I begs belief that a timer would even be used on a hotel where hot water is needed at any given time. Regardless of the causes the said it was now fixed. Well... fixed it might have been but still no hot water was available, since it probably takes quite some time for a large boiler to get things going.

I had to skip the morning shower and head for breakfast as I had to depart early for the second leg of the drive. The food was good, the server, Monica, was excellent, showing 10x more customer handling skills than anyone I had spoken to thus far.

By the time I got back to the room the water was still tepid and I had run out of time.

It's simply inexcusable that a place which portrays (and prices) itself as a high-end hotel could not provide hot water to its guests. I don't know about you but I'm only 1/2 human until I have a hot shower in the morning which alleviates the back pain I tend to wake up with. Not having that shower was a massive let down and their "gesture" to make up for my experience was to waive my bill for the previous night dinner, a mere £40.

This hotel must have been really special at some point, but I'm afraid that was a good 15 years ago.

We stayed here two nights. We had booked a super deluxe double and the room we were given was on the lower, almost basement level. It was an extremely tired and shabby room. I felt very uncomfortable with this room, especially after seeing a giant black spider on the ceiling. I was sure it wouldn’t be the only one because there was an open grille at floor level where creepy crawlies could easily come in. The mattress was an ancient looking, saggy thing and when I sat on it I sunk down into it. I went to speak to reception to let them know we weren’t happy with the room and the young man very kindly upgraded us to a super deluxe king room on the top floor.

This room would have been very nice however when we went in there were flies buzzing about. We killed about 5 but we soon realized there were dozens of them lying on the window sills, around the floor of the French doors to the balcony and on top of the window valances. We returned to reception to advise them of this and the young man went and checked it out and told us we couldn’t stay there and he was moving us to a suite.
This was satisfactory although in truth the suite was not terribly luxurious and the double bed had the most uncomfortable mattress we’ve ever slept on. It was hard and lumpy and it should have been replaced years ago. We didn’t feel like moving rooms again so just decided to accept it although our backs were very sore after two nights of terrible sleep.

It’s a beautiful old hotel although quite down at heels in some areas. The grounds and views are lovely. The breakfasts and meals we had were very good and all the service staff were very nice.

We would not return to this hotel.

Such a lovely hotel, breath taking views and beautiful gardens. The decor is very dated, but we found it charming.
The menus are very expensive, but we had a DBB deal so we found our stay to be good value.
The staff made this break for us. A lovely Glaswegian man on the front desk, a nice guy called Matt at the bar, a lovely Polish lady and a lad from Gretna at breakfast time, and the lovely Giuseppe in the restaurant. I hope they all get recognised from the owners after seeing this review! They are what made our stay so enjoyable.
The food was delicious, the tiny bar was perfect (loved the dark colours and ambience), and our room with a balcony was just perfect.
As much as the decor could do with a slight tweak (just a good re-paint with some new colours is all it needs in the communal areas), the hotel is immaculately clean in every area we saw.