North Lakes Hotel and Spa

Hotels
8.3 (2794 reviews)
Ullswater Road , Penrith , GB
+44 1768 868111
[email protected]

listing image 1
Show all photos
Free
Children allowed

Facilities

Breakfast available (surcharge)
Free breakfast
Free full breakfast
Free WiFi
Free Parking
Fitness center
24-hour front desk
Restaurant
Room service
Business center
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Friendly, helpful staff
Great location (near lakes / M6) with good parking
Comfortable beds and clean bathrooms
Good spa and gym facilities
Quality breakfast and fresh milk dispenser
EV charging on site
Cons:
Lack of storage in rooms (few drawers/wardrobe space)
Food and drinks expensive; some menus bland
Unexpected spa access charge / communication about fees
No air conditioning in rooms (can be hot)
Occasional poor restaurant hostess service
Outside signage/lighting poor; bar closing early; small minibar/TV signal issues

Categories

Cleanliness
8
Generally clean bathrooms and linens reported, but at least one guest found dirty towels on arrival; overall positive but occasional lapses noted.
Service
9
Staff repeatedly described as exceptional, helpful and attentive (honeymoon extras, friendly reception); isolated poor hostess experience lowered this slightly.
Location
9
Consistently praised for location (edge of the lakes, easy parking, close to town and M6) — clear strength for the property.
Room Quality
8
Rooms are described as comfortable with good beds and bathrooms, but several practical issues (lack of storage/drawers, small minibar, occasional heat due to no A/C) reduce the score.
Amenities
8.5
Spa, pool, gym and extras (milk dispenser, EV charging, good towels/linen) are well regarded; some process issues (spa access charges, lap-swim/time-slot request) temper perfection.
Value for Money
7.5
Perception of value is weakened by expensive food/drink, unexpected spa charges (billing/communication issues) and non-refundable booking frustrations.
Food and Beverage
7.8
Mixed feedback: several guests praised breakfast and tasty dinners, while others found the menu bland, repetitive and expensive.
Overall Experience
8.6
Mostly very positive stays, repeat visits and special touches (honeymoon dessert) weighed against a few service/food/value hiccups — overall a favourable experience.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-10-12 15:16

Property Description

Each room is stylishly furnished. Dine at FYR the AA Rosette-winning restaurant which serves seasonal and local produce throughout the à la carte menus. It serves grilled dishes straight off the bespoke fire grill, afternoon teas and Sunday lunches. Beautiful Ullswater lake’s shores are a 10-minute drive away, while the Rheged Activity Centre is less than 5 minutes away by car.

Important information:

In order to avoid disappointment, advance reservations for dinner are advised. Please contact the hotel once you have made your bedroom reservation to book times.

Please note that there is an additional charge for the use of all leisure facilities.

Bookings of over 10 rooms will be subject to different cancelation policies and different terms and conditions.

Please note that the hotel will charge a pre-authorization of 1 GBP for all bookings on cards. Full payment will be taken for advance purchase or nonrefundable bookings. This property only accepts payment for your room using credit or debit cards; cash is not accepted.

Children swim times apply, and children are only permitted to use the swimming pool from:

Monday - Friday 8.30am - 11:30am & 3:30pm - 6:30pm

Weekends & Bank Holidays - 7:00am - 11:00am & 2:00pm - 6:30pm

Please note that children can only be accommodated in the Family Rooms.

If your rate includes Dinner, Bed and Breakfast, we’ll give you a generous £35.00 food only allowance per adult to spend. This rate also includes a full breakfast. Children in the room are charged an additional £30 per child, per night, including breakfast. All other children's meals are charged as taken. Please contact the hotel to book your table.

Guests are required to show a photo identification and a credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability, and additional charges may apply.

Please inform North Lakes Hotel & Spa in advance of your expected arrival time. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly with the contact details provided in your confirmation.

In response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), additional safety and sanitation measures are in effect at this property. Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Airport code: NCL

Property Policies

  • Infant Policies

    Children in the room are charged an additional £30 per child, per night, including breakfast. Please note that children can only be accommodated in the Family Rooms.

Location

Guest Reviews

8.3
Based on 2794 reviews
Cleanliness: 8
Service: 9
Location: 9
Room Quality: 8
Amenities: 8.5
Value for Money: 7.5
Food and Beverage: 7.8
Overall Experience: 8.6
L
Lewis • solo_traveller • gb
10
2026-09-19 • via Nuitee
R
Ron • solo_traveller • gb
8
Pros:

Staff, breakfast

Cons:

Lack of storage in the bedroom. No drawers or cupboards. Bicycle storage was ad . hoc. Only 3 coathangers in room. Food and drink were expensive.

2026-09-19 • via Nuitee
S
Sarah • solo_traveller • gb
10
Pros:

The staff at North Lakes Hotel and Spa were exceptional. They couldn't do more for you. The design of the hotel is beautiful with perfect parking spots to access the hotel. Perfect location for popping into town or going hill walks.

Cons:

The Spa pool could do with a separate swimming area or time slots for member workouts as to being there for a leisurely relaxed swim.

2026-09-18 • via Nuitee
G
Gavin • solo_traveller • gb
8
Nice spot edge of the lakes.
Pros:

Staff, rooms all good.

Cons:

Food menu is bland and needs an overhaul its the same menu from two years ago. Foods ok but not wow like the rest of it.

2026-09-17 • via Nuitee
S
Sarah • solo_traveller • gb
9
Pros:

They left out a dessert platter for our honeymoon which was lovely, big room and cute milk dispenser

2026-09-17 • via Nuitee
S
Suzanne • extended_group • gb
8
good stay marred by very poor restaurant hostess experience
Pros:

the room, good parking, great food

Cons:

when we went to eat we waited for the hostess for a while who was chatting at the bar, she saw us and walked off. We had to go back to the other bar to ask to be seated by her. She was just stood chatting there and in no rush to assist, very poor service.

2026-09-16 • via Nuitee
J
JUDITH • couple • gb
10
2026-09-16 • via Nuitee
K
Karen • solo_traveller • au
9
Great location, very comfortable and lovely rooms. Nice spa and gym.
Pros:

Great location just off the M6. Very comfortable hotel - beautifully decorated bedroom and lovely fresh bathroom. Great linen and towels. Very comfortable bed. Nice quality tea available and fresh milk down the hall from a machine. Dinner was tasty. The gym and pool area were well equipped and very clean. After a long drive from Scotland I really enjoyed the pool, sauna, steam room and spa bath before dinner.

Cons:

I was disappointed on check in to find the spa was an extra cost (GBP15 per person in the room) after there being no mention of this on the room/hotel information when booking. It was presented as included. They had sent a message about the charges after I booked, which I had not seen before check in. Given I had a non-refundable booking I couldn't change it anyway. I did raise it as unfair with reception and after some discussion they removed the charge, which was appreciated. The hotel needs to change how they represent the charges on the booking.com site as this will be catching people out daily. No A/C and my room was hot but there was a decent fan available.

2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
D
David • family_with_children • gb
10
2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
K
Kerry • family_with_children • gb
9
Loved our stay and will be back
Pros:

We loved everything and plan to stay again in the future. Staff were lovely and couldnt do enough for us.

Cons:

The outside is badly signposted and lit. We were convinced we were in the wrong place and there was no signage to show us that we were in fact in the right place.

2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
J
James • solo_traveller • gb
9
2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
M
Mohammed • couple • gb
6
Not impressed, eventhough it looks good on booking.com
Pros:

Location

Cons:

No air conditioning, staff were not accommodating, they had left dirty towels in room when we checked in.

2026-09-14 • via Nuitee
L
Landsbert • solo_traveller • gb
8
Excellent hotel despite drab looking building.
Pros:

Wonderful hotel despite its crossroads motel outlook on the outside. Comfortable bed and clean bathroom. Spa facilities on ev charging on site as well as decent (not over cheap) restaurant and very good breakfast. Love being able to get fresh milk for tea in my room.

Cons:

Nothing major but having stayed there twice I had the same issues: Bar shuts too early, minifridge is ridiculously small and TV does not have a good enough signal to receive HD channels (SD looks terrible on big tv) - very easy to fix and hasn't been done in a year. Could do with aircon but I survived.

2026-09-14 • via Nuitee
R
Ray • couple • gb
6
Nice but not able to fully relax and want as easy as expected
Pros:

Comfortable bed, friendly staff, good location, nice breakfast

Cons:

Too many hidden costs. Was not made clear before booking that spa access was not included and no option provided at booking stage to add this on. Even after paying extra for the spa, robes were not included. Happy to pay but not having prior notice before booking leaves a bad taste and affects the experience.

Too many children in the spa area. There are not enough child free hours.

Not worth the money

2026-09-14 • via Nuitee
L
Linda • solo_traveller • gb
8
Very comfortable 2 nights in relaxing surroundings
Pros:

Good location for railway station and bus route. Comfortable rooms and lovely atmosphere. We didn’t use the spa but it looked good

Cons:

Misleading information about lighter breakfast in the bar as it was only available later on after the full breakfast.

2026-09-14 • via Nuitee
A
Abu • couple • gb
9
Lovely place on the Lake District with excellent facilities but a little pricey.
Pros:

Breakfast was very good but very busy and staff appeared to be hurried. Facilities are very good.

Cons:

I have stayed at similar places previously and this id just as good but more pricey.

2026-09-12 • via Nuitee
T
Trevor • solo_traveller • gb
9
Pros:

Exceeded expectations. 5 minutes from M6, but noise not intrusive.
Staff very friendly and helpful.

Cons:

Not much but having to pay extra to use the pool and gym rankles a bit

2026-09-10 • via Nuitee
H
Hill • solo_traveller • gb
10
Gem of a hotel, just off the M6.
Pros:

Convenient location; plenty of parking; lovely comfortable rooms; excellent food; friendly and courteous staff; water fountains and fresh milk dispensers on each floor.

Cons:

Sadly we didn't have the time to take advantage of the superb Spa facilities 😕

2026-09-10 • via Nuitee
P
Phil • couple • gb
10
The perfect stopover or the ideal location to visit the north lakes area
Pros:

Really couldn't fault the breakfast, lovely fruit and juices and an excellent hot buffet.
Dinner was excellent.
First appearance of the building is very drab, but inside is a tranformation, reception is bright and well presented the rooms are spotless, there's a nice indoor swimming pool and the main restaurant is really impressive, spacious, lined with light oak.

Cons:

The hotel is close to the main road so there was some road noise, but nothing too obtrusive

2026-09-10 • via Nuitee
L
Liam • couple • gb
8
Very good place , enjoyed it and reallly good breakfast
Pros:

Very clean and good facilities

Cons:

The fact had to pay extra when arrived for the spa even though it mentioned nothing about not using the pool when booked

2026-09-09 • via Nuitee