Belsfield Hotel

This hotel was a big diappointment and I cannot believe it is 3 star standard. The hotel looks lovely from the brochure and on the internet and looking at it from the lake it looks impressive. I cannot believe the rates they are charging for this hotel, it is not worth it. The setting of the hotel is the only good thing about it. After arriving with a choice of free car parking you enter the hotel and immediate thoughts are that it seems very much in need of a lick of paint. However I did not let first impressions put me off too much and walked through the main doors along a short corridor into the reception which is a mis match of old and new decor. To explain a little, the hotel is all old shabby furniture and chipped wood, worn off paint and wall paper old and turned yellow. The carpet running through the hotel is mismatched at various different points in corridors and up stairs, it all adds to the shabby look of the hotel. To go with this is a lot of the "Corus" logo, on the walls the plaques on all of the rooms and doors, the directions etc, all very modern and in the Corus design text. It was just too much of a contrast. After checking in (very pleasant staff, but not entirely confident in what they were doing) we were allocated room 17. Great, so we were told the quickest way was to walk through the dining room to get to it. We were followed by one of the reception staff running after us asking us to return shortly after we had dropped out luggage off as her collegue had not checked us in properly, which was fine and not a problem. Our room was next to the swimming pool and sauna, just 3-4 metres from the door leading in, and it stunk of chlorine and chemicals, not the smell you want to associate with a lovely hotel and entrance to your room. However we decided to give the room a chance, and opened the door which was very un safe, it actually looked like it had been broken into with a lot of the wood pulled away at the side next to the lock, I was not keen on leaving any valuables or money in this room. The door also shook off the wall, very unsecure. The room was ok, but after a couple of minutes I decided to boil the kettle then unpack, all tea/coffee making facilities provided but a very old shabby kettle. Deciding to take a look out of the window to see if we had a good view (which you can pay extra for but we did not), you could see the field, nice view of the edge of the lake to the right. Then I stepped back and noticed the dark stains and yellowy brown net curtains which I can safely say must not have been washed for years! It was disgusting. Then I went to sit on the bed as the chairs we had in the room the material was coming away and all in all I didn't feel clean sitting on them. As I walked towards the bed I noticed the sheets were not tucked into the matress properly and therefore you could see the stains down the base of the bed, very off putting, all tea or coffee or whatever else looked like it had been spilt down the side. And to top it all on the cleanliness of the room a hair grip had dropped down the side of the bed visable to any cleaners naked eye and it was in between the bed and the bed side table and could be seen clearly because of the grey dust on the carpet between the bed and the bedside table. We decided we weren't happy with the room and before we went to reception to (as politely as possible) complain I went to use the dark and damp bathroom and discovered that the toilet was hanging off the wall and moved at least 3 inches off the wall when used, not very safe at all. We were told the hotel was very busy and that the only alternative room they could offer was number 82 and that we could go and look at it, it was better and would do for the short time we were staying, at least this room had 4 windows so felt less dingey, 2 windows were in the bathroom making it feel a lot cleaner and acceptable, extremely thin walls and very squeeky floorboards, not good for early morning if you want to lie in a little, you are awoken by every movement. We thanked the staff at reception as we didn't have to explain what was wrong with room 17 we only said we were unhappy and she helped straight away, staff were great and we moved to room 82 after only being in the hotel 20 minutes or so. We had a great day out around Windermere, and then after a meal and a couple of drinks returned to our room... only to get into bed to stained sheets, argh! I decided to myself that I should just put up with it we were only there 2 days and I felt embarrassed being so fussy and went to sleep, but it was still on my mind, maybe they would change the sheets tomorrow?! No same sheets, clean towels bu the same sheets and as I pulled the sheets back further there were more stains looked like browny colour, I was happy we were only staying 2 nights. Never again.

The hotel is in a great location and is a lovely building but have to agree that it needs updating. The rooms are quite bland and not impressive. The view over the lake is the best but to be honest unless you pay £70 or less its not worth the money

A warm friendly hotel to stay in with a relaxed atmosphere. The rooms are comfortable, the bed was great. The hotels best feature is the magnificent view overlooking Lake Windermere from the dining room and the lounge.You can also sit in thegardens and soak in the view. Within walking distance of the town of Bowness and lake steamers. My wife and I had a truly memorable couple of days.

I stay at the Belsfield once or twice a year and always thoroughly enjoy my visit. The hotel is in an excellent location with lovely gardens and lake views. On each visit, I have always found my room to be very clean and comfortable and have enjoyed using the hotel's swimming pool. Breakfast is also a treat. I have never dined at the hotel in the evening, preferring to walk down the road to one of the fine local restaurants - I particularly recommend the Porthole restaurant on Ash Street for an excellent evening meal in hospitable surroundings. All in all, I would recommend the Belsfield as a good place to be based for a break in the Lake District.

rooms were filthly, water came out of the taps brown, glad we didn't have to eat there. Needs a lot of money spending on the place.

Absolutly brilliant! Do not be put off like we were at first- the other reviews are not entirely true. Food lovely, rooms warm and cosy, staff helpful. What more can you wish for? The only thing to say is... be prepared to wait for the sauna (which over 8's can use) you have to heat it up 20 minutes before it is even slightly hot. Ok, its not modern or newly decorated but its a traditional english building and we had a great weekend there. Enjoy your stay!

I recently returned from yet another stay at the Belsfield Hotel and once again it was most enjoyable. The staff are extremely friendly and caring. The food was to the usual consistant standard. Whilst the hotel is in need of refurbishment, this did not detract from the overall experience. We are looking forward to our next visit in the Autumn!

We went, saw the bathroom which was dark and unrefurnished since the 80s. Someone has attempted to liven it up by painting the tiles, which made it worse.I liked the old school lift, with the manual doors etc.They let us see another room but that was just as bad. We got a full refund, and were happy with that.I can see that some would not find a problem with the quality as we did. The room was clean, just tired and worn.

Hotel grubby and food inedible. Service was OK. Will not be staying here again!

We stay at The Belsfield at least 3 times a year. It is a beautiful old house, steeped in history, with the best views across Windermere. The food is consistantly good and the service is the freindliest we've ever come across.