Castle Inn Hotel, BW Signature Collection

Decent hotel, food and service is great. Room size is brilliant bit dated but it has 90's charm. Now we are visiting again in summer. Hotel itself is around 8 mile from Keswick not much around apart from Sun Inn pub which is great. It is around mile from the hotel. Worth going there for a pint and some food too.

Had Sunday roast absolutely loved it , The meat was the nicest I have had in long time . And at £14 you will not find cheaper or nicer in the lakes. The places is great for us , it's not the busiest place around but that what we like about the castle. For fresh food go to the castle inn. Date of visit 31/3/24

Went for Easter Sunday family lunch. Worst decision of the holiday. Went in the restaurant and the staff just stood and stared at us, absolutely no welcome. Sat in a massive empty room with no music or ambience, no other guests, after about 20 minutes a waitress asked what meat do we want? We were very confused as we hadn't even told her we wanted a carvery! We did end up ordering the carvery, which was absolutely pathetic. A little trolley with freezing cold solid Yorkshire puddings that had been sat out for a good while, some shabby bits of meat just sitting on a tray, and a few bits of dreary veg. Ate what we could and left to have dessert elsewhere. Definitely won't return and definitely won't recommend, especially for a special occasion! Also there was no price mentioned anywhere- the carvery was £14 each.

A decent room, a good swimming pool and freshly cooked breakfast with very pleasant service were the highlights of this visit. The dinner menu was limited but adequate. Location is good for access to the northern lakes.

Review of a two-night stay at the The Castle Inn early in March 2024, with reasonable weather for the time of year. Solo traveller, first time visitor. It's an events and conference type hotel and wasn't particularly busy on this occasion, thus, my review reflects an out of season experience when the hotel was at realtively low capacity. Although not the cheapest option I'd price for this stay, it was fairly priced for what it provided. In all honesty I wasn't in the mood to be tucked away in anything too cosy, so this was perfect - a clean and welcoming hotel that provided eveything I needed. A warm welcome from reception on arrival, with everything I needed to know explained before I had to ask. Due to the nature of the hotel there is plenty of parking available and within reasonable distance of reception. I can't comment on the leisure facilities as I never took advantage of those, although it was explained to me that I was welcome to do so, and how to access. Breakfast was fair for the cost and served in good time, with a good selection of both cooked and continental options. I had no bother getting a table for evening meals and, again, the food was fair for the money with a reasonable choice on the menu. There was also a decent selction of beers and I was offered a sample before deciding on my pint of choice. The restaurant doesn't do room transfers, however, so I was called back to pay at the bar - although that seemed unusual that wasn't a particular problem for me, but something for other visitors to note. I'd be happy to recommend and the proff of the pudding is that I would have no hesitation in returning to stay at the Castle Inn Hotel.

Great hotel. Family room was clean, spacious and had everything for needs for a weekend stay. The view from the room was amazing Whilst a town is a drive away the food on site is good and fairly priced Dogs are permitted in a lot of areas so please be aware if you have an allergy or fear of dogs. Everyone kept them under control though and so it's a positive for dog owners Staff were friendly and attentive especially the mature waitress with glasses and blond hair. Quick service from her

I strongly recommend this hotel, not just for its location near charming Bassenthwaite and with a view of Skiddaw, but for its accommodation, amenities and staff. It has had its ups and downs over the years since my first visit in the early 1990s, and is currently undergoing a change of ownership, so may be due for even more to recommend it. The refurbished Spa offers an excellent pool, sauna and steam room, though the changing rooms are rather more primitive, and the gym very small. Rooms, especially those in the 60s, are very well furnished with spacious shower facilities and window views. Especially recommended is the cooked breakfast. I had the best poached eggs I have had for years - gently oozing yolk and far better than my own best efforts! Elizabeth provides welcoming and efficient service at breakfast, making this a fine start to a day's hike, cycle ride or collapse into the sauna.

We had a great time at the Castle Inn and made good use the pool and gym The leisure facilities are a real bonus, especially in wet weather. The room was comfortable and a great size. The main thing that made for an enjoyable trip was the excellent staff and service. We had warm welcome each morning at breakfast and were well looked after there and in the bar/restaurant in the evening. The food was also excellent, at breakfast and in the restaurant. A lovely family trip and we'll definitely be returning

This hotel lacks soul seems to be short on staff as the lady on reception seemed to do many things The staff in restaurant are lovely and will do anything you ask Our room was a bit dated for a superior room! Good shower The breakfast was amazingly good and all cooked to order The evening meal was delicious too Spa was okay good to relax after walking in the hills

Lovely rooms clean and warm facilities were really good and clean friendly staff that made time to have a conversation with yous made welcoming spa was really good and not too hot swimming pool nice and warm

I'm reviewing the bar/restaurant only. I had a beef sunday roast, priced reasonably at £14 and it was excellent. Really tasty with high quality beef, cooked to perfection, served with tasty gravy, chanteray carrots, tenderstem broccoli, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and cauliflower. I ate the lot, it was delicious. My wife had fish, chips and peas with tartare sauce and the kids had burgers, chips and beans. All commented how nice their meals were. The desserts were good too, sticky toffee pudding and ice cream and kids chocolate brownie and ice cream and ice cream sundae. Full marks!

What a lovely place to have a hotel the views were stunning ,from entering the reception to leaving for the journey home the staff were brilliant nothing was too much for them ,our room was clean and tidy ,we had an evening meal and breakfast while we were there which was very nice and the prices were not too bad ,we will be back for another stay but for a longer stay

We booked a Saturday night stay as we had a play to see in Keswick. The hotel its about 8 miles from Keswick which I wasn't aware of when I booked (my mistake!). We only paid £120 ish for 2 adults and a child including breakfast which we though was a great deal. We were a little worried about the state of the hotel given a few reviews on here. However our room (21) was superb! It was really large and the view over Bassenthwaite and (I think) Skiddaw were outstanding. The beds were large and super comfy as well. We decided to eat in the hotel as we were a little pushed for time with the play. Again we were a little apprehensive due to the reviews. But again we were more than pleasantly surprised. The food we received was excellent and reasonably priced. We can highly recommend the sirloin steak with stilton sauce, the vegetable curry and the kid's chicken nuggets (which definitely were not supermarket bought as I was lucky enough to eat a couple which my granddaughter couldn't manage). We used the leisure facilities twice and were not charged. The pool is a really good size and the steam room, sauna and jacuzzi were all great. There is well stocked gym as well which I looked at but didn't use (does that count as "going to the gym"?) We absolutely loved our stay and would love to go back in the summer to use the tennis court and putting green. If I was being hyper critical we didn't like the decoration of the tavern. If I am being brutally honest the décor is more akin to a dated pub on a housing estate than an proper cosy lake district pub. Making it more cosy would be our preferred option or at least making it more modern. Either way I think it should be changed as it was the only bit of the stay that was (slightly) disappointing.

Stayed here for 2 nights in between xmas and new year. We had one dog with us and a dog friendly room which was spacious and clean. The hotel is approx 8 miles from Keswick. Good walks nearby at Whinlatter and Dodd wood. Leisure facilities were good. We ate in hotel on 2nd night as we had left it too late to go out. Food was very poor. Staff were friendly and helpful Breakfast was average.

The best thing about this hotel was the staff - all friendly and helpful, especially Elizabeth at breakfast who had a very warm and smiley approach. Probably wouldn't book again as it was rather dated and soulless, quite a lot of repair and maintenance issues too.

We had a lovely overnight stay in an executive room. Rooms were comfortable and clean. Spa was a great addition. Breakfast and dinner was great quality, however there is a very limited menu for dinner.

Stayed in room 12 on the top floor in a triple room a little cramped for three people , the radiator next to 1 of the beds came on boiling hot and could not be switched off. I had to kneel on my knees in the shower as no water pressure at all on top floor and even then it kept stopping, the shower head was filthy and moldy needed cleaning and bathroom door was hanging off at the bottom flapping . The room was clean apart from this. Very disappointed as no vegetarian sausages or alternative just a normal breakfast without the sausage or bacon. Don't think it was worth the price we paid for the room to be honest when I mentioned the problems to the staff they really didn't care.

we felt this was a very average hotel. The room was dark and old fashioned though the bed was good and nice towels Breakfast was luke warm from under buffet heat our evening meal was jsut ok for the money If we wanted to use the pool it was another fiver each though I dont know if that was one use or several The service was good and had it not been pouring (no fault of the hotel) the gardens were nice

Very poor standard of food obtained in the evening restaurant. Staff good. We had the burgers...very dull, tiny pot of salad, miserable chips, plastic cheese topping. One of us had fish n chips which were OK.

Hotel was good room lovely and big sitting area with sofa bed fridge TV then bedroom big sleigh bed ironing board and iron bathroom with separate bath and shower.the only thing to let the room down was the shower it had hardly any pressure could do with updating. Staff helpful and friendly

Such a shame as this could be an absolutely amazing find of a hotel. Stayed here for 4 nights and was my first visit to the Lake District. Hotel ideally situated for exploring. Rooms were ok. Bathrooms were brilliant. Bed and pillows really uncomfortable. Only make your room up if you ask. Swimming pool and facilities were lovely. Beautiful gardens to sit and enjoy with the lovely weather. Food was ok but service was absolutely atrocious. Most staff don't even speak any English and the lady in charge didn't seem to care very much at all. Only member of staff who was good was a young lady called Millie who sadly was only there the first couple of days. Would definitely not be returning.

The room was enormous with a four poster bed. Sadly the mattress and the pillows were awful. Great if you like an extra firm mattress and pillows with no support, just a puff of wind. Hardly slept for the three nights we stayed. Asked if someone could put a mattress topper on and give us more pillows when they serviced the room. Came back after dinner out to find nothing had been done at all. Complained to reception who later came with a flimsy mattress protector and two more awful pillows. Also bought coffee and milk and clean mugs as our room was not serviced. I refused the mattress protector as it would have done nothing to help. They said they had nothing else, whereas the receptionist in the morning said they had memory foam toppers. No one told us at checkin that you had to ask for your room to be serviced it was not automatic. Next day we hung the sign on our door asking for it to be serviced. Came back that night. There were clean towels but the toilet had not been cleaned and no toilet paper. Dirty cups no clean ones left. We were in room 34. Don't take this room if you need to sleep in the day time as the jacuzzi in the pool has a beep that stops and starts all day long and can be heard in the room. It's like having a bad case of tinnitus! Really annoying! Breakfast was somewhat disappointing. The mushrooms were revolting with a funny taste. I think they were out of a tin. Eggs were hit and missed, as was the bacon and sausage. Fruit provided was really unappetising. Dried up melon. The bar was not open when it was supposed to be and we didn't like the food offerings on the menu so ate out each night There are no lifts in the hotel apart from one disabled lift near reception that only takes you to the first floor. Be prepared to walk a long way and up and down steps. The place is enormous. Disappointed that the pool changing rooms only had one cubicle and one hairdryer. The jacuzzi is very good though.

Short break , on arrival the hotel was so quiet I thought of the Overlook hotel in the film The Shinning. Room comfortable, good facilities, no view unfortunately. Evening meal nice in the bar area. Breakfast was very good, a buffet with good selection. We didn't use gym or pool but the gardens are busy with wild birds. Happy to recommend

I have just returned from a 4 day visit to the castle inn. Having read previous reviews I must admit I was a little apprehensive. As soon as I arrived those feelings were negated. The reception staff were professional and welcoming. Our room was clean and tidy, we stopped in the accessible room which had a roll in wet room and had plenty of room for my wheelchair. the entire hotel was well kept, clean and tidy. My wife used the pool and reported that was of equally good standard. Every member of staff was welcoming. Breakfast was well organised and there was plenty of it. Well done Castle Inn we will return.

This is now the second time me and my partner have came to castle inn hotel for a relaxing swim and use of facilities but yet again we have unfortunately been unable to do so due to out of control children diving in the pool running in and out of the sauna and taking over the jacuzzi not to mention the all the inflatables been thrown all over the place this has to be some sort a safety issue someone is going to get hurt. I would recommend amthwaite hall round the corner as it is a lot calmer. Spoke to multiple other guests on both visit's who shared the same experience

The Castle Inn Hotel is about a 15 minute drive out of Keswick and stands alone near Bassenthwaite village, making it a peaceful venue but not ideal if nightlife within walking distance is what you are looking for in a holiday. The bedroom was very clean and the beds large and super comfortable. The breakfast was very good, with a good selection of both continental and cooked choices served by friendly staff. The leisure facilities are good at this venue, a small but reasonably well equipped gym, nice warm pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room - all very welcome after a day on the water or fells! The food in the restaurant was very nice (particularly the sirloin steak) and staff friendly and helpful. The bar and restaurant were very quiet (mid-week break) and there is not much to do after dinner unless you want to drive into Cockermouth or Keswick, but if you are looking for a peaceful, good value, comfortable break with nice leisure facilities this is the place for you!

We visited the Castle Inn recently checking in was seemless our room was very good and wonderfully clean. Having a look round the hotel everywhere was very clean although we did notice that everywhere was very plain with no extra decorations ie pictures, flowers even artificial flowers would make a difference The meal at night was good not a big choice but good pub food breakfast next morning was a bit of a disaster very little choice of fruit etc cooked breakfast was cold had to send ours back which did come back hot which is as it should have in the first place. Overall our experience was average I would say a little bit overpriced.

I have just returned from my stay at the castle inn hotel. On arrival reception staff very friendly and helped us to our room as we were put in the attic very high up with a dog and 2 children not only was it high but there were no lifts. The ceilings were also low which we were not informed about before we stayed and we had 2 in our party over 6ft they banged their heads a number of times due to the low ceiling. The decor is also very dated and in need of repair I did also find an old crisp packet behind side table for my bed and the back of the side table was coming away. Going back to the low ceiling I spoke with the receptionist the following day who was different to the one the day before. The receptionist said she would try to have us moved but there was only 2 dog friendly rooms in the hotel although ours had carpet just saying why would you put a dog in room with carpet. The only family room was in the attic which accepted dogs. She offered us 2 ground rooms with wood flooring and patio doors which were lovely then she asked we paid £40 for the extra room. So I declined they should have moved us free of charge due to misinformation on where the room was and ceiling height. I didn't front the reception helpful at all at this point so we had to grin and bare it and be super careful not to stand up to fast and get a concussion. The breakfast was good. The swimming pool was lovely and the pool staff. On the basis of the room I will not be returning as the complaints department at best western and the hotel did not offer us any good will gesture the lady at reception just implied I was a liar and said you would have been informed about the room before you came and I said I really wasn't as I wouldn't have booked!

we visited here while on holiday to the lakes and all i can say is stunning! the staff were very accommodating and were very helpful making an area for us to enjoy our meals with our autistic children. the staff were extremely friendly and very polite and so unbelievably friendly! the food was amazing! very reasonably priced and was very impressed with the childrens menu. the portion sized were just right and the cost for 7 of us we could not fault at all. i can not wait to return on our next holiday to the area.

This hotel is in a great location with plenty of parking and an excellent pool,it is therefore a great shame that it doesn't appear to have anyone in charge capable of running the place anywhere close to the standard or attention to detail you would reasonably expect. We stayed in a family room for two nights and standards were very poor. The tv in the room didn't work and couldn't be replace on arrival, nor could they move us to another room. The next day the tv was working but the remote control wouldn't change channels(I think it needed new batteries), we approached reception about this and were told that all the remote controls in the hotel were the same! On returning to our room on the second day the damp towels had not been replaced and we had again to contact reception to get this resolved We went for a swim that evening and the racks that should have contained towels for the guests were completely empty in both male and female changing rooms, another visit to reception was required to resolve this! If anyone reading this is contemplating or has booked a stay in this hotel I would suggest you avoid eating in the restaurant/ bar as the food is very poor and very expensive. We had fish & chips with mushy peas and whilst the fish was ok the peas were cold, tasteless and congealed, the chips were black as though they had been left out and reheated. The two children had pizzas which appeared to be cheap frozen items and not appetising at all. The cooked food at breakfast looked and tasted like it had been on the hot plate for hours. A fellow guest asked the staff for a fresh egg to be cooked and I have to say the attitude of the staff member was rude and unhelpful. We also found that if you came down for breakfast later in the serving period you would find that most of the fresh fruit etc had gone and wasn't replenished. In summary this could be a really nice hotel, it had a lovely pool and terrace areas but if our experience is typical then you should avoid it completely

Start off with the good points Staff lovely , room clean and had a great view Pool area nice And thats it Room doors are tiny so banged my head going in ( I'm 6ft 4 so normally fit through the.legal height door of 6ft 6 ) Room 21 was obviously located , between rooms 39 and 40 !! Chairs in room were frayed and torn , looked like something out of a national trust place Bathroom needed a good clean , grout had fair bit of mould Toilet crammed in corner and had loose seat And thats the executive room Room not serviced, you had to get coffee and tea replenished yourself Food was average , dinner was good but breakfast buffet was cool and tasteless Spoke with people on next 2 tables and they felt the same One asked for the manager but was just told quite brusquely Go to reception No drying facilities for when you came in wet from the Lakes weather , not even a heated towel rail !! Went to pool area there were no towels so had to use ones from room but then couldn't get them dry ! Was a large bus party in so weren't allowed in dining room as it was all theirs so ate in bar with old seats and well damaged tables I could go on but think you've got the drift by now THIS IS NEVER IN A MONTH OF SUNDAYS A 4 STAR HOTEL !!!

Stayed here with a coach party and it was so disappointing. Good hotel amenities but food and staff were lacking. I'm not a fussy eater but most evening meals were awful. Msny of the items on the ‘hot' breakfast trolley were cold and served on cold plates. Cold black pudding and baked beans 2 days running so I stuck with toast on later days. Fish in batter and chips one evening, consisted of 5 chips and fish coated in thick, soft spongy batter, I can't imagine how it was cooked! Reception was generally unmanned and ringing the bell for assistance wasn't very helpful. Asked about a towel for the pool, told if there are none by the pool use one from your room. Did this but the wet towels in our room didn't then get replaced when the room was serviced the next day. Sad to say we won't be staying here again

Having booked a twin room for 2 nights, I had to cancel one person three days before my visit. On arrival, they claimed not to have received the email and insisted on charging for two people. The staff were disinterested and refused to discuss it. The food was terrible and the restaurant staff rude. The bedroom was adequate but the television barely worked with constant flickering. Both bedside lights were broken and despite requests on both days, nothing was done. Very poor all round.

Bedroom and bathroom clean but curtains hanging off the rails and chipped cups. Breakfast was good, breakfast staff great. Dinner/restaurant was dreadful. Food swimming in oil and vegetables couldn't be identified. Shame, certainly wouldn't ever eat there again. Portion size very small but somehow that was a blessing.

Very pleasant stay over 17/18 june 2023. Clean and comforable bed with roomy en-suite bathroom. Excellent choice from the breakfast menu. Would stay over again if in the area. Good value for money. Would recommend this hotel for anyone visiting this area

Helpful staff in all areas. Updated swimming facilities very good. Weights and benches equipment need updating. Plenty of aerobic equipment. Room was fine. Breakfast fine. Pub menu whilst restricted was good quality.

A lovely place to get away for a few days. Swimming pool, sauna and steam room very nice. Somewhere to chill away from the hustle and bustle. 10 minutes drive to Keswick for leisure shopping. Breakfast was very good. Receptionist was very nice and helpful.

We were going to Keswick but didn't want to stay in the town so booked a room hat the Castle Inn for 2 nights. I did read the previous reviews but thought I would give it s try.The quality of the rooms is excellent and friendliness of staff in Hotel & Restaurant we're brilliant and the staff looked after my partners Gluten Free needs with Porridge and Toast. I had a cooked breakfast both days but wasn't very warm. There is nothing wrong with the Menu just the food needs to be cooked properly.

We come here as often as we can for a weekend break to recharge, we had room 64 this weekend and I think it's our favourite, gorgeous views, really comfortable. The bar is cosy and inviting and excellent service. Perfect place to go and recharge

We stayed last minute yesterday evening for a very reasonable Lake District price! The positives, firstly this hotel is SUPER clean, not a speck of dust out of place. Secondly the staff are lovely & thirdly the pool facilities are good. I would definitely stay here again for the money but there are a few bits the hotel lacks, the first is character, lots of wallpaper everywhere but it does feel more of a conference/ events place than a hotel, i guess this is reflected in the reasonable price. It would be nice to see some feature wallpaper/ big canvas' photos to let you know you are in the Lakes & some music to let you feel less alone. Breakfast was good, nice to have something cooked fresh & included in the price, I wouldnt however have touched the fruit salad, fairly sure that had been kept in the fridge for 24hrs (mushy!) Sleep was a little bit of an issue, the room was RED HOT, turned the radiator off but it still ran, so opened the window, it was very windy last night which meant that the doors in the room banged about a lot so not the best nights sleep but it's not the hotel's fault its windy (perhaps you could save on the 'leccy' bill if the heating was less on a night) The swimming pool is good but it was very busy when we arrived, we purposefully got up early this morning for a dip. We didnt eat here & I'm not sure that I would, the food was reasonably priced but a limited menu - perhaps get someone professional to rewrite your chalkboards too. All in all a good stay away & I would return for the price.

We stayed for 2 nights from the 30th dec to 1st Jan. Everything was fabulous. Room was great and breakfast and evening meals were lovely. Upon request the put flowers and Prosecco in the room for me at short notice.

We stayed over for a night doing the lakes distillery tour and had an early check in and food. Staff were friendly and room was good. Very icy, some areas cold and hot tub wasn't working for parts. We would definitely use again though.

Had our Christmas dinner there yesterday, food was AWFUL!! No offer for reducing the price but will report back to higher management, yeah right!! Would not eat there again but the venue is lovely just a shame about the food on offer.

Excellent hotel, deluxe double room was v spacious, clean and good Wi-Fi. good location for Keswick and the Skiddaw/Catbells walks. Cosy bar and good bar meals and breakfasts served by v friendly staff. Lovely pool, hot tub and sauna, and garden areas to enjoy. we visited in December but a summer visit would be great at this hotel. Booked on a 2 nights for price of 1 deal and it was excellent value.

Amazing 2 night stay, the staff were all really friendly and helpful, the room was huge and had everything we needed, beds were comfy and clean. The pool was very clean and quiet. Meals were all really nice and reasonably priced, they were happy to accommodate for my daughter who has sensory issues. Everything we asked for or questioned was dealt with immediately by Tanya who I could not thank more for the most amazing family break. We will definitely be back!!!

Lovely location and well kept gardens. Warm.and comfortable but on the day of our visit there were not many guests so the restaurant was not open. The bar meals we had were good but not expensive. We would definitely stay again

One of the most comfy bed I have slept in Large clean room , with a table and 2chairs Desk with a chair , large shower room , all worked perfect , nice staff , price we paid included breakfast , good value . Pool looked good , quiet room 63 , clean hotel , with the deal I got with rewards can not complain at the standard . I am a bathroom fitter , from Aston Bespoke Bathrooms in Yorkshire , and always pleases me when the bathroom works Garry

My only complaint is that I didn't stay longer! I had a beautiful double suite room with breakfast included. After a 6 hour drive on my way home from a business weekend, it was the perfect place to relax, enjoy some food and recharge for the next day of driving. The bed was the most comfortable I have ever found in a hotel, there was no traffic noise, the room was a perfect temperature, all the staff were helpful and the hotel was immaculate. The food was all fresh, hot and delivered quickly. I would love to stay here again, but for longer.

Just spent three nights at this hotel. Room was excellent, clean, warm, hot water and a comfortable bed. All the staff were very friendly and helpful especially the duty manager. They couldn't do enough for you. The food was well cooked but could have been a bit warmer. The spa facilities were good. A good sized swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna and convenient changing rooms. All this included in the price. I attended with a group of friends for dancing weekend and hopefully we will be back next year.

We stayed here for 1 night recently and were pleasantly surprised with our visit The staff were all very nice as well as being very welcoming The hotel was clean and tidy if a little dated in places but we would return anytime The layout of the hotel is a bit odd with the reception area not where you might expect it to be however i imagine the hotel itself has grown organically

Stayed for one night with family and had dinner/breakfast. Not 4 star in my opinion. Very tired looking, family room had infestation of flies and breakfast was poor. Staff friendly enough and dinner was good to be fair!

Would have given this hotel five stars but we were not impressed with our dinner. Very busy night with a large group of people and limited kitchen staff. However the hotel and the room were excellent and extremely clean. The staff were very friendly and attentive, especially the operations manager.

We booked a family room with a check in time of 3pm. We had been out walking all day and were soaked through. We arrived at 3.15pm the receptionist said the room was not ready and it would be a further 15 mins. 1 hour later the room was ready. We went into the room to be greeted with bluebottles flying all over the place and a bath that resembled something off a horror film with dead flies in it. There was a snail on the bathroom floor, a mark next to the toilet room which resembled feces, vomit splatter on the toilet bowl and bath panel, the plug in the sink was stuck, the bedroom drawers had litter in them and there were flies hanging down in cobwebs. We were trying not to cause a fuss as our son suffers from anxiety and didn't want this to overshadow things. On the evening we went to the bar as the restaurant was booked out to a tour group, it was clear straight away that the staff were struggling with everything. Two couples next to us sent their main courses back and one actually walked out. We ordered the Sunday roast as we knew the tour was eating it and it would be ready. The meal was ok actually but it did take 1 hour for the dessert to arrive. We reported our concerns to the hotel and received 30% off, this was an insult considering how much the room was but we just left. Breakfast was no better with there being no tea or eggs for a long time. I did notice a sign on the toilet doors that said guests had to be kind to the staff as they are short staffed! Why fill the hotel to capacity if you haven't got the staff to meet that demand? Positive: leisure facilities, parking, food was ok when it arrived. Negative: Staff shortages, room condition and cleanliness, waiting time for food, fly problem, no towels in leisure club, breakfast supplies, unable to check in at the time stated. Apologies for the long review but people need to make an informed choice before coming here.

We have stayed here several times over the years but this is probably the last time. The hotel was cold as in no heating on. The pool was cold. The room was tired with curtains hanging off the runners. The evening menu was small and unadventurous for a 4* hotel. The chicken satay starter didnt have any satay sauce. Reception was unhelpful. The breakfast was deplorable. The tiniest apples and croissants were on offer. The mushrooms were withered and no hash browns for breakfast. Not a great idea to hoover the restaurant area when still occupied by guests.

Room was great. TV did not work and was replaced promptly. Unfortunately the evening food service was shocking and potentially dangerous. I ordered Hallumi fries as a starter followed by Chicken pie. The pie arrived before the starter. Server said “we're you not told the Hallumi fries were not available “ obviously not. It was easier to ask what was available from the very limited menu. I ordered the Patata Bravas. Not authentic Spanish tapas style. Too spicy to eat. The pie the arrived. Not chicken but beef!!! The server tried to tell me it was chicken in a dark gravy, ha. I sent it back and ordered a sandwich. The staff did not understand serving the wrong type of meat May have compromised someone's religious beliefs, shocking. The kitchen food hygiene certification and systems need to be reviewed. I will not stay again. In addition, the room was booked using my Best Western points. I was charged £4 or the room. What is that all about??? The maintenance guys were the only members of staff who knew what thy were doing, everyone else were clearly inadequately trained in their duties. Avoid eating at this establishment.

Firstly, I'm basing my review on the leisure club, not the rest of the hotel. I had been a leisure club member since about 2005, but cancelled in 2020 for the following reasons. Lie 1 I originally bought a membership and paid the joining fee on the basis the leisure club was to be fully refurbished and extended. There were even plans by the leisure reception showing this. We members then put up with the constant breakdowns of the steam room and jacuzzi, knowing a refurbishment was imminent. Lie 2 The jacuzzi broke down. We were told they were awaiting a part. The part never came. When questioned some months later, the manager admitted they didn't intend to replace the jacuzzi and the membership fee was good value without it Lie 3 The leisure refurbishment and upgrade we were informed didn't get planning permission. Yet a massive and pointless reception on the back of the hotel did. Basically lies as they wanted to spend the money on room upgrades and that pointless reception. The final straw came when after lockdown, when no attempt was made to inform or thank their paying members for still paying their membership fees. I only found out it had reopened by calling by one day. I then immediately cancelled my membership in disgust. Please someone buy this failing establishment that is on the market.

The restaurant was so good! Nice views. Gracious staff, wonderful rooms. I thought the pillows were kind of hard/uncomfortable but my husband and I thought the whole place was awesome for the amazing price!

Booked a two night stay with Best western rewards and way upgraded to an amazing suite with fantastic views of Skiddaw. Decided to stay an extra two nights but had to be moved to a family room. OMG the space was amazing. Staff at the hotel was friendly and very helpful. Rooms were clean and fresh but no room servicing during stay. However, requested fresh towels and they were delivered promptly. Would definately stay here again.

We booked a dog friendly double and a twin room. I even called to check on the dog friendly room because it wasn't clear when I booked on line. When we arrived we had two twins. The lady on reception was so helpful in resolving this and changing to a double. However the quality of rooms was unbelievable. The none pet room had a lake view and separate TV area. Our 'pet Friend' room had a view of the car park, a coffee table and a £30 a night charge for deep cleaning. However, our room was not serviced at all (apparently because of COVID) so not sure why it is £30 per night extra. The staff were helpful, the food was tasty and the location is good. The gym and pool were disappointing and overall we wouldn't stay again.

We stayed here recently, in a lovely Hotel with very good facilities. Very clean, although due to Covid there was no in-room cleaning for our three-day stay. My only complaint was the Gluten Free breakfast. No sausages, black pudding, or fried bread, even though we informed the Hotel before arriving. Breakfast items are now readily available in Supermarkets nowadays, really missed the full English experience. My other half is vegetarian and they had veggie sausages for him so why not for Coeliacs? That said, the Staff were very pleasant and helpful. Would stay again. Lovely gardens with beautiful outside seating. Even a small putting green.

Very friendly attentive staff, comfortable rooms, great breakfast, great pool area, overlooking Skidaw... Walk from the hotel to the summit in 3 hrs. Evening meals fine. Was here as part of a dance group so fixed menu... Did not try the bar meals.

Really enjoyed our stay here. Room was perfect for us as we had our dog with us. Spacious room with doors out to a lovely patio and grass area which the dog loved. Clean and well equipped room. Food was great, both breakfast and dinner were good quality and we were allowed to take dog with us as we ate in the bar each time. Most of all the staff were all excellent. Extremely helpful, friendly and attentive. We will be back.

We booked a dog friendly double and a twin room. I even called to check on the dog friendly room because it wasn't clear when I booked on line. When we arrived we had two twins. The lady on reception was so helpful in resolving this and changing to a double. However the quality of rooms was unbelievable. The none pet room had a lake view and separate TV area. Our 'pet Friend' room had a view if the car park, a coffee table and a £30 a night charge for deep cleaning. However, our room was not serviced at all so not sure why its £30 per night? I expect any room to be serviced every day and especially if you are oating extra.

So helpful and pleasant staff, breakfast was very good ,it was a pleasure to stay here, outside of the hotel was well looked after we will definitely be coming back to this hotel sometime in the future.

We booked one of the two dog friendly rooms in the hotel, specifically for the direct access from the room to the outdoor area via patio doors. I confirmed my booking the night before by phone. Arriving just after 3pm (the alleged check-in time) we were told the room was not yet ready and invited to wait for twenty minutes whilst it was prepared and that the staff would alert us as soon as it was ready. Forty-five minutes later, we went back to reception which was unmanned and waited a further five minutes for the receptionist. Our room was apparently ready, but wait it was on the first floor!! I was informed that the two dog friendly rooms were already occupied and the receptionist could not explain why this was the case when we had booked and confirmed the booking. Further when we enquired as to how we could access outside we were told to use the fire door. Advice I felt was careless at least and showed poor understanding is health and safety policy. We were offered little in the way of an apology and the only concession was to suggest removing the charge for the dog, somewhat incongruent as we were no longer being offered the dog friendly room that would have attracted the charge. Fortunately, we were able to find a fantastic hotel, Ravenstone Manor, just five minutes down the road. It is full dog friendly, and the customer service fantastic, in stark contrast to that of the Castle Inn. It was considerably cheaper too. Do yourself a favour don't bother with the Castle Inn, as if they can't even get the booking process right it doesn't bode well for the rest of the guest experience.

Nice village location, close to Bassenthwaite lack. Great facilities on site esp swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and gym. Good pub restaurant nearby and good breakfast. The staff were great and accommodating

Very welcoming staff, from front desk,bar,restaurant and maintenance we couldn't fault them. Katie made sure we had warmed plates for our cooked breakfast each day, Elizabeth, Gemma and everyone else was also very helpful. There was enough choice and tea and coffee is served to you at the table. The pool wasn't cold and the gym had plenty of equipment.

Had an excellent experience staying here for 4 days. Location is great for touring. Staff were excellent and couldn't be faulted, they really enhanced our stay. The pool and spa area were tremendous and alot of money has obviously been spent there with a brand new hot tub and sauna. The gym although not used looked well equipped. There is also a tennis court, pitch and put and table tennis. For a 3 star hotel it exceeded expectations. If you go expecting 5 star bedrooms for a 3 star price you may be disappointed but we ate in the restaurant and food and service were great, we drank on the bar and again it was great.breakfast had a great choice of Continental and cooked and staff were happy to accommodate where possible.

Lovely clean hotel and I thought the location was great - quiet area, just outside the more busy Keswick, Plenty of things to-do either at the hotel or nearby. The double room I had was lovely, with a nice view of the gardens. It also has a gym and pool - I didn't use the gym but it had a good choice of equipment and I enjoyed a swim in the pool - would have used it more if I was staying longer. I also experienced great customer service - especially beforehand when I booked the wrong room - the receptionist was very helpful and changed it for me.

Just had a fabulous lunch, they were able to do gluten free fish and chips which was a bonus! The girl that served us was fantastic, she served us at the bar then attended to us in the garden where she was very friendly and welcoming, if we're in the area again we'd probably stop in for more good food.

Lovely hotel that manages to balance quality with a relaxed and welcoming feel. OK it's not the most up market place and some of the furnishings may be a tad past their best - but for down-to-earth quality, value and service in Cumbria you'd struggle to beat it. My son got home and immediately booked another stay!

Had a long weekend break end Jan 19 with wife and 2 grandchildren. The family room was fabulous. Plenary of space, large king size bed and 2 large singles and a lounge section with its own TV. Excellent pool facilities and good selection of bar meals.

We were due to stay at the Castle Inn Hotel for a friend's wedding. Unfortunately, due to family illnesses, our plans changed and I ended up going to the wedding alone and just for the day. I rang the hotel on the morning of the wedding and the lady I spoke to (Anna) was very helpful and said that, while they couldn't cancel the booking and refund us they could move the booking to a time when we could come and stay. When we subsequently rang to make the booking, circumstances had changed again and our dog's health meant we could no longer leave her for the weekend. Again I spoke to Anna and she could not do enough to find the optimum solution for us, including ensuring we were in a ground floor room so we could take the dog outside easily. It's the most accommodating a hotel has ever been and her response was so lovely and kind it made me cry. Just wonderful customer service. Anna wasn't the only person we spoke to - Yvonne (on the phone) and Hannah (on reception during our stay) we're also brilliant - so incredibly welcoming - nothing was too much trouble. We would not hesitate to stay there again and would happily recommend this hotel and, in particular, the lovely staff to anyone!

Had a meal in the bar, had previously been a few months before and we were not disappointed. This time it was a far different experience. My curry was watery and tasteless, my partner was unable to eat his burger, it was undercooked and not appetising at all. The only positive aspect was that we were not charged for the burger. Their prices for alcohol have increased excessively, £1 on a pint of lager,when it was 10 pence in the pub a mile down the road. Sadly, we won't be returning.

We stayed one night here. Staff were friendly and helpful. Bar meals were good, Very good breakfast. Room clean and pleasant. Comfy beds. Lovely views. Pleasant grounds. Good value for money. Lovely pool and hot tub. Lots of corridors so took a little while to find our way around. Planning to return.

We arrived a little late after a quick decision to break up our visit and we were so glad we did. The hotel itself is very comfortable and clean and we were moved to a different room as the first room was a tiny bit too hot for us (we are really picky!) Hannah on the front desk was an absolute treasure to deal with - answered all our questions, put up with all of my rubbish jokes and even came through with an extra special touch to welcome our anniversary. She really is a credit to the company and we could not have wished for better: professional, friendly and very welcoming. We then chanced our arm in the bar to see if we could get some food despite it being just after the time for ordering. It would have been absolutely fine if they had said no but Paul behind the bar rustled up some food for us and was equally as pleasant to deal with. Honestly, it was a lovely stay, not just because of the hotel itself but the staff going above and beyond anything that would be reasonably expected to make it special. We can't recommend it enough!

Stayed over for one night wish we could have stayed longer, we arrived by motorbike and the staff were more than helpful with parking arrangements ( there's ample and it's secure ) Our room had everything we needed plus an amazing view. Every member of staff we met were friendly. We ate in the bar , scotch egg and pork pie are really good ! Took a whisky back to our room and admired the view. Our breakfast was really lovely, we took our tea in to the garden and got to say hats off to the gardener there because it's so well looked after. Didn't get to try out the pool but we will next time. Thanks for making this a very relaxing stay we will be back.

never again will i stay here no wonder its for sale -worsed breakfast of my life = cold yes cold back cold. /cool black pud - i complaned and the duty manager said she had probed the bacon and it was 68 degrees that was an utter deception - she effectively called me a lier i got the chef out who felt the bacon in his own heated cabinet and apologised for her utter lies - she had not probed the bacon we sent out - but to try to protect the hotel had used newly cooked bacon or other - she did not probe the bacon sent back nor the black pudding to we are going to best western hq to complain and also trading standards -this was a wedding guest hotel as well for my brothers daughter - do not stay in this hotel the staff are rude call you a lier- i told her what i thought of her and she deserved it - she needs sacked

We have stayed in many 'Best Western' Hotels in UK, US and Europe and this hotel has to be one of the best ! I do not know whether our room was upgraded but it was an excellent room, with a corner water fall bath, extra king size bed and to top it all a beautiful view overlooking the immaculate gardens. Facilities included indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, lawn tennis and other lawn games with table tennis inside. An outside patio area for drinking and eating, there is also an area like a conservatory / sun lounge with cozy chairs to sit and unwind. We ate here twice for evening meals and breakfasts and the dining staff were excellent

Excellent value for money, the Castle Inn serves very good meals and the staff are friendly and helpful. The rooms are comfortable and clean with lovely views. The leisure facilities are very good and the location is excellent.

2/5. I stayed at the hotel for 3 nights and 10 colleagues. Not once was my room cleaned, bed made or bathroom cleaned. Towels and shower gel were not replaced and got to a point when I was rationing the shower gel to clean myself. The hotel wasn't as clean as I thought. I didn't have any breakfasts as I felt early in the mornings, so I can't comment on that breakfast was like. Every evening when coming back to the hotel, reception was always empty. One evening, after a very long day out, we went to go into the bar around 10-15pm but it was all closed up and we were told that they had cashed up and it was closed. They would not reopen it even though we had the ability to pay for it. It was a disappointing stay as the hotel has potential.

This hotel is very tatty and worn but that's more than forgivable if the rooms hadn't been infested with sluggish flies; not just mine but at least 7 of my work colleagues had the same issue; which was pretty gross. The majority of the staff are doing the best they can in difficult circumstances, they are seriously understaffed and although the customer service is mostly good, there is a certain jobsworth attitude in some of the staff which can make the atmosphere a little hostile and inflexible. All in all really disappointing and that fly issue really needs resolving.

We really enjoyed our stay at the castle inn hotel. It's a little tired but very comfortable and exceptionally clean. This hotel had the most helpful , polite and mannerly staff, who served us with a smile. This is what draws people back and we will definitely rerun in the future. Thank you so much

Really nice quiet hotel (in April/May) with good amenities; pool, sauna, steam room, restaurant, bar, lounge area(s), plus other things to do. Suite was fabulous and really clean, comfortable and well worth it. No hot chocolate so take your own as only tea/coffee available.

A lovely room. Breakfast ok but evening meal disappointing. Restaurant and bar staff young, friendly and efficient . Pleasant lounge and patio areas. Watch out for the miserable receptionist, she will make you unwelcome.

Arrived at hotel booked executive twin room for me and my 8 year old grandaughter we got room 10 at end of corridor first impression was OK bathroom lovely and modern went straight for a swim , nice warm pool jacuzzi out of order work going on creating new sauna which will be lovely . Went back to room put TV on no picture went to reception where the girl came back with me and did all the things I had already tried then called maintenance who came really quickly ,tried everything we had then unplugged everything and plugged back in which seemed to sort it. I got a shower water seemed to build up and when I opened shower door the bathroom. Was flooded . TV went off again so I just did what the maintenance man did and it seemed to fix it although room we chose specified we had bathrobes there were non I did mention it to receptionist as my grandaughter was looking forward to chilling in Bath robe , she seemed confused as to which rooms had what as some have slippers etc I told her it was in room description and she said she would look into it , but she never got back to me . Ate dinner in attached pub service very slow even though there was only a couple of others there when we arrived I chose the fish and chips which was lovely my grandaughter chose 2 course from children's menu Beef burger and fries which she said was lovely and a dessert chocolate brownie which she never got as we sat and waited 30 mins after they had taken plates away in the end I got up and went to bar told them we didn't want it So just paid for 1 course soft drinks expensive £3.50 each for glass of draught coke Went to look for games room as there was supposed to be a family games room with arcade had to ask only to be told no games room as building work being carried out Up early for a swim pool opens at 7am nice and warm again went for breakfast terrible service even though it was not too busy no fruit salad left there was a toast machine to make your own toast and cereal selection then lady came to take order for cooked breakfast where we then waited nearly 40 mins for it to arrive I had cumbria breakfast with poached egg the egg was well over done my grandaughter had sausage with a fried egg and hers was rock solid but she only liked the white bit anyway I think they had been standing for a while . Check out was quick and easy

The hotel is ok but in desperate need of refurbishment. the furniture is quite dated but the staff are very helpful when asking questions. The selection of the menu also needs updating and providing more choice.

A lovely spacious hotel with plenty of parking and really welcoming staff. The pool was big and there is a sauna and steam room too. There were gardens outside and also seating. We will definitely stay here again.

We have just returned from a weekend away at this hotel. Very friendly staff who work long shifts due to staff shortage but always friendly.Hotel very clean, our room was large and had everything that we needed. Nice bathroom with great shower.Enjoyed the breakfast which was freshly cooked to your order, much better than self service as never warm enough for me. Hotel easy to find with free on site parking, pubs not far away for great food. Would visit again if in the area.

We stayed for 4 nights and we cannot recommend this hotel enough clean bedroom, hearty breakfast and friendly staff (particularly Elizabeth)and free car parking. The sunshine helped!! A great base to explore and we will return. Thank you to all the team at the hotel.

My son and I had a mini break here. The rooms were spacious, clean and comfortable. Breakfast and evening meal, food of good quality. Service excellent. Used swimming pool Fab! Will definately use again. Well done!

We booked this hotel for a relaxing two night break and that's what we got. We were given a upgrade to a suite and although slightly dated furniture the room was really clean and very comfortable. We ate in the hotel and the food was lovely with amazing breakfast. The staff were all really friendly and and welcoming. We enjoyed the use of the pool, steam room and sauna. Check out was 11 which meant we didn't have to have breakfast and leave as so many hotels like you to check out at 10. We wouldn't hesitate to return.

Very spacious room with a beautiful view and for a hotel with relatively old decor and furniture it was clean. It was an added bonus to have use of the pool, sauna and swimming pool. For us the location was good also and staff were pleasant. Unfortunately the sleep wasn't so good. On the first night it was very windy and a small gap meant a very annoying whistling noise. On the second at 7am we were woken by loud noises, at first we thought people were setting up for a conference however as we left the room we noticed door handles were being changed along the corridor so it may have been this. Either way 7am is too early to allow that level of noise in a relaxing hotel.

Oh my god... photos looked old fashioned so expected it but ohh gosh... check in was fine staff pleasant! Checked in and straight to the bar for a drink which was nice.. Decided to go for a swim... after 10 minutes I had to leave due to how FILTHY the leisure facilities are.. literally FILTHY! Hairs and muck all over the floor by the pool.. I went in the steam room for 5 minutes then came straight out and couldn't use the shower next to it for being so dirty I just dried off and went straight back to my room.. there are netted curtains in the bathroom.. showered and had to put socks straight on for not wanting my feet on the carpet in the room! The tv on the wall I had in 2008 with wires hanging everywhere.. I didn't dare touch the curtains to close them.. I checked the bedding all fine except a tiny dirt mark.. had it not been for the fact we only stayed here the one night I would of gone straight to reception for a refund and slept in my car if nowhere else had vacancies.. we booked here because it was 76 quid for a Friday night and we wanted a cheap place to stay while we explored parts of the lakes.. expected it really so can't blame anyone but myself! Heads up.. do not book here! If they want to charge people to stay in their rooms then they seriously need to refurbish and deep clean everywhere!

My husband booked a three night stay as a surprise for my birthday and PAID for a few extra surprises and upgrade on our room. The room was lovely however housekeeping did not clean our room once in our stay and when we brought this up at reception we were told that you have to ask to have your room done ( should they not have told us that at check in ! ) after asking to have this done as no toilet paper left /tea/coffee/milk - bin over following the room was still not cleaned. Breakfast was £16.00 EACH and we had to ask for tea/coffee and not offer any other type of breakfast just the help yourself standard stuff - fortunately I over heard someone asking for scrabble egg and salmon I then asked if this was possible for us - should there not have been a menu on table informing people ! We ate and drank in the hotel all three days and our stay could have been so much better if the attention to details was much better which is a shame as nice hotel but not worth the price paid and such as shame as this was a surprise stay for a special birthday. Our stay would have been perfect if the hotel looked into attention to detail.

There's a star here for the member of staff with the red earrings alone. Their friendliness, upbeat attitude and willingness to go the extra mile was the highlight of our stay. Unfortunately, the room was not. It was tired, with thin walls so we heard every movement around the hotel on our floor and below. Despite staying two nights, there was no turndown service, no fresh towels or restock of coffee/tea. The shower was below head height (I'm only 5'10") and the toilet flush had so little power, your have to flush half a dozen times on occasion to clear the bowl. Food wasn't bad. There are signs saying the hotel is having recruiting issues and to be patient and kind. The staff they have are great, but it might be that there aren't enough to deliver the service we expected. The hotel forms a great base for exploring the lakes, just north of Keswick and is a short drive from the lakes distillery.

Went here a number of times some years ago and decided to revisit this year for our 31st wedding anniversary, must say it lived up to expectations, the staff were cheerful and courteous the suite we had was fantastic and our bathroom was huge, unfortunately we chose the weekend of one of the storms to visit but that was out of everyones control. The only fly in the ointment was the spa, it was a bit grubby, in fairness I think it was being renovated also the menu was a bit limited. But all in all a very enjoyable weekend

The hotel has such potential, and you can tell it was once really nice. The communal areas are very pleasant and spacious, there are lots of places to sit and relax and the bar and restaurant are very pleasant. The staff were very friendly and helpful, but they were clearly understaffed. You can tell that the hotel is in serious need of some investment. I read this on previous reviews and didn't think it would bother me, I'm not that precious, but it did affect us. The first thing that happened was the key to our door wouldn't work after 2 more attempts with new keys, the receptionist said it was probably the door itself, and that it happens all the time and all the rooms are the same, so she came up with a screw driver, took it off and reset something, we had no further issues, but not a great start. Our room wasn't cleaned at all during our 2 night stay, which meant I had to ask reception for clean towels and new tea bags. The flush on the toilet only worked on the low setting, so whilst not broken, not functional. We ate in the bar on the first night, service was fantastic, but the food was OK at best, I had a cold sticky toffee pudding.... On the first morning breakfast was made to order, on the second it was buffet style but with a member of staff dishing out. On the first. morning there were pastries available, which I have to say, were delicious, none were available on the second morning. The cooked breakfast was fairly unpleasant, boiled mushrooms which I'm pretty sure came out of a tin, and very dry black pudding. Whilst eating breakfast we thought it has started raining, but realised that in actual fact someone in the room above must have been showering as there was a deluge coming from a drainage pipe above. All in all I'd have said our stay was OK if we'd paid premier inn prices, but as it was, we paid over £120 a night, and it just wasn't up to scratch. Logistics wise, it's easy to find, there's plenty of parking available, and well situated.

A very pleasant short break at this quite basic hotel. Staff were so nice, room was big enough ample wardrobe space, great shower, bed really comfy. Gym and pool areas really clean all the gym equipment fairly up to date. Only let down was that the sauna was draughty but a new sauna was under construction so that issue will soon be remedied. Breakfast was brilliant pretty much your choice from full Cumbrian to eggs on toast plenty of cereals to choose from, shame their wasn't a low sugar option

So much space......! Great for group celebrations and lots of room for walkers to have a drink and rest. I have never seen a hotel with so much downstairs space. The hotel is a mixed bag. Great staff and we had a lovely suite. Investmeny such as proper lifts and a refresh are long overdue as is a deep clean of many of the carpets. Also a number of us, all being seasoned travelers, just could not master the showers. The bathrooms and other tiled areas were incredibly slippy when wet. Basically the hotel is tired roomy and comfortable. My brother thinks a senior management overhaul would help, but I think the absence of extra gravy on his pie might have skewed his judgement. Why 4 stars? Because we really liked the hotel and enjoyed ourselves. One pointer. Dont bother checking-in online. You have to repeat the whole process in person which can be very irritating when you arrive tired. When asked why, reception shrugged helplessly.

Booked after speaking with the hotel, really pleased how the hotel accommodated our two labradors. Good room with easy access outside and good food in the bar where the dogs were made to feel welcomed. Would be very happy to return here.

From the initial telephone call to discuss our needs, the staff could not be more helpful. I have been to very few hotels where the staff are this helpful. My father has poor mobility and they really could not have done more. Such a fabulous group of folk. The hotel is spacious and airy with great facilities. The pool is huge by modern hotel standards. The temperature of the water was perfect. The food was a good mix of bistro and breakfast was just fabulous. Well positioned for lots of places without being in the throng of tourist central.

Weekend stay from 7th Jan for a surprise birthday in Keswick. Great hotel comfortable and good facilities. The staff went above and beyond here and really made you feel at home (home from home) they really couldn't do more to make your stay perfect. special shout out to Nicci who is great and really looked after us (assistant manager) Claire and hanna thank you, You were all fantastic and a great team thanks to all the team who made our stay extra special and looking after us.

Last minute break, from booking the break with Best Western the guys were very helpful to checking out all staff were helpful and friendly. Lovely leisure pool and gym, food great a breakfast to die for and very filling. We had lovely view for our breakfast.

We stayed a few nights, with two teenage children in a family room which was a good size. Separate room with TV for the children. Very clean, but furniture bit dated. Friendly staff, always available to help. We stayed for dinner on the first night, nice overall and reasonably priced. Pasta dinner was a bit bland. Great location within easy drive is Keswick due the shops. We visited the wildlife park nearby, well worth a visit. Family room price quite high.

Really loved this place. The staff are incredible! They go above and beyond and so friendly and helpful. Made me feel really welcome. My room (21) was huge! Two large windows and the views are stunning. Yes the hotel is dated but does that not happen to every hotel? The hotel industry has been hit really hard and I find some of the reviews pretty poor. The leisure facilities are superb. Don't usually get a steam room in a hotel so really enjoyed that. Food wasn't the best tbh. Burger had no flavour although the fish was not bad. Breakfast was good and there's a good selection. For the price and location with the facilities it's absolutely great. There's a bus stop outside. You can get two buses to Keswick and one to Penrith. I walked skiddaw the first day and that's what you are looking at when you arrive. Was beautiful from my window too. Again just want to say a massive thank you to the staff. The night porter is new and he's great. Was so helpful and even opened the gardens for me at night so I could get shots of the stars. Also sorted me out juice quite late. Nothing was too much. Best trip I've had in a while

We just had a lovely stay here over the weekend. It was everything we wanted. Centrally located for the Lakes. In beautiful grounds. Our room was lovely, with TV/tea and coffee, a radiator so we made it pretty toasty! The pool was great, we had plenty of fun in there. We paid very little considering how great this hotel was. Our bed was comfy, we slept great. Breakfast the next day was excellent - will definitely stay again!

Stayed for one night on 29th December to attend wedding at local hall. Cost for the two of us £207 which I thought was totally excessive but not as much as for the 3 days you had to book for Armathwaite Hall a mile up the road due to the time of year. Hotel was clean but could do with a revamp. Room was big and spacious and bathroom very big. Shower tray was very slippery and needs a mat. Worse thing was the bed - - mattress was totally knackered and getting out of bed you could hear springs going Room 31. Breakfast was excellent.

We stayed over New Year's Eve. We expected more. We were greeted by a rather bleak looking interior, with an odd 1970's vibe about it. Our room was basic and not worth the money as it did not impress - wires visible, no BATH (?), ugly curtains and rubbish tv. The bed also was on wheels and moved all the time which was very annoying. We ate in the hotel for NYE. The meal was odd. The starter was bizzare, the main was falsely advertised and the desert was over cooked. The atmosphere was missable, especially because it was New Year's Eve. It had retirement village vibes. In the supposed function/bar area there was nobody. There was a speaker playing 2010 pop music - not old enough to be a throwback or new enough to be relevant. The one positive was that there a ping pong table, but once again very missable atmosphere.

First of all is not in keswick - its in bassenthwaite. Room is 1970/80s deco, very tired and reception claimed it was an exec (never seen more dull and basic exec). Old spring mattresses so dont expect much comfort. Shower cubicle full of mould, shower head never seen a descaler, silicone done by Johann Bach, toilet bowl covered in urin and toilet flush constantly running water, mirror light flickering.Kettle is full of burnt milk. Leisure club...oh well... U have to seen it to believe it...and check out was so friendly that you get more from a cashier at a supermarket.

Decided to treat the wife to a nice getaway and booked a suite at the Castle Inn Hotel. The hotel is large and generally looks very nice. The food we had (Breakfast) was very nice. The stay was slightly let down by the room, yes it was a suite but a very old fashioned version. The bathroom was large but the plastic free standing bath (Which was a different colour to the rest of the bathroom) did look out of place. The bed was very comfortable. The TV worked but needed some persuasion due to loose wires. I don't think it was worth what I paid.

Stayed here 1 night for £ 62 Inc breakfast ,out room was great lovely views, bed really comfy, used the pool sauna steam room in the afternoon and in the morning before we left ,nice size pool , nice room where they serve breakfast , all the staff are really nice especially the Polish female on reception , very few people staying so it was a bit soulless, but we left thinking what a great stay we just had .

The hotel was very quiet, its so large, and the few guests rattled around. So it was wonderful to have the pool, sauna and steam room to ourselves. Not sure if the sitting room which had a lovely ambience last time we went was permanently changed to a dining room, which would be a shame, but we sat in the "tavern" well looked after by the barman, who kept his mask on (thankyou). Food was ok, not sure it was worth the £12.95 (veggie burger & chips) but the beer was fine. The only issue for me was the mattress was worn out on one side, which made it a poor night's sleep.

Excellent choice of hotel for a short lakeland break. Good value for money with friendly efficient service, good choice of food and a swimming pool & gym. Easy access to Keswick and Cockermouth located at the northern end of Bassenthwaite.

We had a wonderful time at this hotel, initially booked a standard room, but upgraded to the executive suite for ten pound per night. Room warm and bed comfy, pool was brilliant, and we used steam room. Staff were so polite and courteous, and couldn't do enough to help you. Food was good, we also ate nearby at The Sun Inn, which was also good. Bus stop outside so we used buses to get around. Will definitely be returning . Special shout out to Nicky and Evie. Xx

After reading the reviews previously expressed about the Castle Inn we didn't know what to expect. The staff are polite and helpful. Nikki the assistant manager served our drinks and food. She was very bubbly and made us feel very welcome. We really enjoyed all of the food and drinks. We would recommend the Castle Inn, glad we ignored the bad reviews

Very tired hotel in serious need of updating. Wouldn't stay there again. Had one of those awful hairdryer machines fixed to the wall, dodgy shower and no complimentary biscuits. Menu had only one vegan option, so the second evening I dined in Keswick.

Thiis hotel gives its guests easy access to the whole of the west of Cumbria including the towns of Carlisle in the north to Millom in the south. Then there is all of the northern Lake District and all of the wesrtern Lake District. Keswich is on your doorstep, but there is much more to see and experience than Keswick, even if you do have clean walking boots.

We stayed for 3 nights First morning, no hot water therefore no shower Second morning, light fitting in the shower dangling from ceiling, therefore no shower Although this was reported and supposedly fixed, Third morning, light fitting, bare wires dangling from the shower ceiling and glass on the shower floor, therefore no shower Two single beds in the room, one not fit for purpose, therefore no sleep for three nights. These issues were addressed at reception and consequently reported to Head Office but never rectified. We will never stay at this hotel again

Available to check in from 11am if you pay £30. I wouldn't bother. We checked in at 2pm. No food or drink availability until 5pm. We drove into the nearest village to get some food. Paid for an upgrade to a better room, wasted £50. Dread to think what the room we first booked would have been like. “4 poster bed” wasn't sturdy, felt as though it was just resting together. Hole in the ceiling above the bed. Radiator in the bathroom was rusty and peeling. Absolutely zero to do. Tv in bedroom worked with force.

We stayed here for my sisters birthday although parts of our stay could have been better it was a lovely stay. Rooms were lovely plenty of space and lovely showers. The pool, steam room and sauna were lovely with towels provided. The breakfast and evening dining areas were a bit of a maze but lovely atmosphere, we are all vegetarians and the options for us were very limited unfortunately and service although good when we received it, was slow on the second night of dining we were left waiting for quite a while. We would probably chose another hotel if we stayed I the area again.

Waited 2 years for this coach trip only to be disappointed by this Hotel. How they have 4 stars is a mystery. No proper welcome that we have experienced at other hotels. It has no atmosphere. The rooms were ok apart from some bathroom plumbing issues. We accepted that there was no room cleaning done over the 4 days we stayed and put it down to COVID The main problem was the food, the waiting staff were nice and must have been embarrassed to serve such utter tasteless rubbish and if you are vegetarian then forget it. We were not the only ones in our party who felt this. I would never recommend this place and certainly would not go back there.

I am extremely disappointed with our stay at this hotel on 9th October where we booked 2 rooms via Best Western Rewards. Paying almost £200 for a single night at the hotel with such poor service. I've reserved 2 Suite-Suite rooms for 4 guests for the same price. Upon arrival to the hotel we got attended by the receptionists who then proceeded to check both guests in at the same time. We've identified ourselves and she given us documents to sign for our assigned rooms. I signed papers and made £30 payment deposit for Room 32 and my friend made £30 payment for room 60. The receptionists handed us the wrong key cards so we accidentally went to the wrong rooms. In my knowledge receptionists at hotel should only check-in one guest at a time to prevent such confusions. We proceeded to go to Room 60 as that was the keycard that was handed to us and upon entering the room we were absolutely horrified in the state of it. The room had approximately 30 cattle flies in the room on the windows flying around, dead on the window sills and all over the room carpet. This is extremely dangerous and unhygienic as these flies can infect human body on any open wounds as they do on cows. This completely put us off and not something you expect from such well rated hotel. It appears the flies have been there for a long time because they were suffocating and trying to escape out meaning this room wasn't in use and hasn't been checked by supervisor. I proceeded to inform reception about the flies in my room who then called housekeeping?!?! Who calls housekeeping to clean up 30 flies which may have potentially laid eggs all over the place? There was no mention of room swap because receptionists said they are fully booked. The manager then showed up and walked us to the Room 33 which was next door to Room 32 which my other guest was staying in. The room 33 looked tidy and we accepted it. Why were we not given these 2 rooms together in the beginning? Why were we separated in 2 different wings and also room 60 looked something cheaper than Room 32 where our guest was assigned? We paid same amount of money so why were we given cheaper room? It clearly was the same room 32 & 33 and wasn't fully booked as receptionists lied. The room 32 & 33 were also not great. Bed side lamps not working in Room 32, hairs and residue in bathroom and the white cream chairs appears to have lots of dirt and hasn't been cleaned in many many months. From our experience of Room 60 this was very unpleasant, there was no slippers provided (which is horrible for a Spa hotel) and because we were so disgusted we used old socks to walk around the carpet. On check-out the manager didn't ask how was our stay or offer anything else to try and make up for the experience. This is by far the worst hotel I have ever stayed. I've complained to the hotel about my unpleasant experience but have been ignored and I've given them plenty of time to make it right. This is not what I expected from a such an expensive and well rated hotel. I was really hoping to have a nice spa getaway but ended up ruining our weekend getaway completely.

Very standard accommodation. The restaurant was just tables in the bar, mostly out of view from the bar staff. This made it difficult to flag someone for more drinks or the bill, etc. Quite remote and not worth the room rate.

Just returned from The castle inn. Lake District Beds are of poor condition couldn't sleep for 2 nights moved room first mattress broken down in slope then moved to mattress that was very poor on posture . Some food ok but run out of beef and offered chicken that was hard . Deserts were nice , staff accommodating . Location beautiful and local people friendly . Mattresses and food woukd benefit from upgrade .

We have just returned from a short break at the Castle Inn Hotel and thoroughly enjoyed it. The food and staff were first class. Although very busy the hotel was spotlessly clean and staff attended to our every needs. We walked up Skiddaw one of the days which we did from the hotel. Thanks to all of the team and can't wait to return next year.

We stayed at the Castle Inn hotel for a long weekend. What a lovely stay we have had not only the beautiful surroundings of the Lake District but also the wonderful hotel. The rooms were clean, comfortable and spacious. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We ate in the bar most evenings while we were there and what a lovely atmosphere and the food was spot on. Would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a relaxing and enjoyable stay. We will definitely be returning!! Well done and many thanks to all the staff at the Castle Inn Hotel!!

This was our fourth, by far the most expensive, and probably our last visit to the Castle Inn. Whilst the rooms were as clean and comfortable as usual (Room 1 this time) unfortunately the changes since our last visit in Feb 2019 have not been to the better. Whilst we understand some changes may have been dictated by Covid many of the things that made the Castle Inn unique have gone missing. Gone - the quietly professional service staff where a raised eyebrow, a look, or worst case, a raised finger from the supervision or clients brought a swift appropriate response. Gone – the menu of plentiful choice, for example only a single hot choice available at breakfast. The menu was on a randomly shaped piece of paper, laminated off square. Gone the quirky layout to the bar that allowed, even when busy, quiet corners for guests but now having moved the “restaurant” into an open area made by removing walls in the former bar section resulting in something that is closer to a school canteen with zero atmosphere. This was made to feel even closer to a school canteen by staff and supervision shouting over the guests to try and work out which staff member should cover which table and if their order had been taken or not. Never had this before at the Castle Inn and would not expect it anywhere especially as we had to “book” a time to eat breakfast. The “extra” package was missing a few bits, yes we got the towelling gowns but the slippers were conspicuous by their absence and the “spring water” at just two 330ml plastic bottles for both days were embarrassingly puny and totally inadequate. The new external paved terrace is nice but is remarkably much closer to the road than any area where a drink might be obtained so is likely to go the same way as the tennis court with stones falling out of the retaining wall and a net held up with tape, cable ties, bits of string etc. and not used much. The mini golf (emphasis on MINI) is a bit of a joke. The move of the restaurant has also left a rather strange corridor, complete with table tennis table, that has to be walked through in order to obtain a meal. Unfortunately we were unable to get an evening meal as we were informed, not when we booked, nor on arrival, but on the Saturday that “Oh… by the way we are not going to open the restaurant to anyone that is not part of the wedding party”. No apology and just a copied piece of paper with alternative venues and telephone numbers. So much for one of the only days that we would both be able to drink to celebrate our anniversary. As a driving instructor I won't drink at all if I have to drive or teach the following day so being unable to eat in the hotel but being forced to drive 30 minutes back into the scrum that Keswick can be or perhaps Penrith in order to eat completely destroyed the main reason for us staying at the Castle Inn in the first place. For the level of service and facilities we might as well have just booked into a Premier Inn and saved enough to go for 5 weekends away, not one, as at least the restaurant would have more atmosphere and be closer to the bedrooms than 30 minutes.

First visit to the Castle Inn for a good friend's wedding reception, the venue was beautiful food for delishious and plentiful ,rooms were clean and had all we needed ,but most of all the staff were absolutely amazing nothing was to.much trouble for anyone of them ,they were friendly and attentive to everyone's needs .The bride and groom I know had an amazing celebration and like me loved every minute of the day .

3rf visit… very poor! Clean, staff polite just no staff around …. No chef even though we booked evening meal ? Food only OK burger type bar food , had money back for second day ate out in Keswick. Pool tired clean but not inviting. Room clean but old fashioned . No staff one poor guy waiting in bar cleaning up etc etc . Lovely site great views snd grounds. Come on Best Western this hotel is s gem sort it out .

Web site stated food was served until 9pm. Arrived at 8.20pm and enquired if food was still available. We were told No. Asked if we could even get a sandwich. No again. Receptionist couldn't care less. Went to bar to get a drink and people were still eating so kitchen was still operating.

no maid service at all do it yourself just to make people aware, restaurant never open other than that swimming pool sauna great, breakfast plenty off, just think the hotel should make people aware before you book

Very friendly staff. Great view from rom room. Sitting out in the garden and enjoying morning coffee was a highlight of our stay. Early morning swim was Fantastic! We will certainly recommend this place to our friends and family.

We booked 2 nights and upgraded to four poster suite which on arrival we was very happy with. The room was large and spacious with a queen sized four poster very comfortable. The bathroom was large and modern with double shower and bath. Some furniture worn in places but room clean. Had to have kettle replaced as element was green and flaky but was resolved straight away. I think there must be staff shortages as the staff were pleasant but some looked stressed. We was not told on booking the restaurant would be closed on our 2nd night so we had to drive around to find somewhere to eat which we really did not want to do. However our 1st night in the restaurant was not good, we understand having a limited menu, but the choice was not 4star accomodation quality as expected from the food advertised on website. We had a choice of fish and chips, burger or ravioli. Presentation not good and had to request salt and pepper. Even if the restaurant had been open 2nd night we would not have eaten there, it was almost like they have no chef with the standard of food. We found another pub/restaurant called the pheasant inn which was undergoing refurbishment and had only been open 2wks, however they also had limited menu but the food choice was fabulous, delicious and what you expect when you dine out. On the plus side breakfast was good apart from cheap sausages. The pool, gym facilities were good. The conservatory furniture needs looking at as my husband nearly ended up on the floor as alot of the chair slats are worn and broken. The whole place needs some well needed TLC and then it would be worthy of 4star but at the moment it definately isn't. The hotel needs to take notice of all the reviews as people are mainly commenting on the same issues and the hotel just seems to be ignoring them which is a shame because if they were addressed this hotel could be fabulous

Paid full price for 7 nights had to do our own housekeeping and restaurant closed 5 out of the 7 night stay charged extra for bottled water each day . Weren't informed about this at the time of booking

A great find on Wowcher- value and quality of service was great. Breakfast and dinner was good and always served hot. Limited vegan/vegetarian options on the dinner menu. The room decor could do with updating although the bathroom was nice and modern. All staff were very accommodating. I would definitely stay there again.

Covid and Brexit are biting hard at the moment. I get that. But turning up at a hotel to find that the chef wouldn't be able to cook a meal for us on our one night stay was poor. A bit of warning would have helped, or even some viable alternatives offered. But nothing. No local places to eat could fit us in either, so it was pizza in the room. Not great however, I do like pizza

Lovely clean hotel with amazing views. Rooms are massive and clean. Nice pool, sauna and steam room. Gym was enjoyed by my partner. Would definitely stay at this hotel again. Food is a little dissapointing - mass produced, easy meals to include scampi and burgers. Would rather pay a little more and have something home cooked. We ate elsewhere 2nd night. Breakfast ok- lots of it but tinned mushrooms and mass produced sausage, pastries etc.

A two night dinner bed and breakfast deal booked and paid for at the Best Western Castle Inn Hotel , Bassenthwaite. The restaurant was grubby with uncleared tables. Menu choice very limited, mostly burgers. The items we chose were not available nor was the specials board. Were were told if we wanted a drink we would have to fetch it from the bar ourselves. In the end we decided not to eat so had no dinner. On our second night we decided to eat out in Cockermouth.

Managed to get a last minute reservation on August Bank Holiday weekend at a cost of £144 for one night.... What a rip off. The hotel is tired and dated with bad uncomfortable beds. The front desk and corridors are dark and unwelcoming and the room we had looked like nothing had changed in there since the 80s. In fairness the bathroom was of a good standard with excellent water pressure for the shower, unfortunately that's all I can think of that was good about the place. Nearest shops /restaurant / pub is 7 miles away which is OK for the lakes but there wasn't enough to keep us there for an evening meal or breakfast which we based on the unimaginative menu we were handed on check in... We won't bother going back

My friend booked this place for one night in Bassenthwaite and we were all totally disappointed and then to add insult to injury I emailed them three times about my many concerns and they ignored my emails. They call it a 4 star hotel with 4 star prices but I've stayed in many 3 star hotels that have been so much better so don't believe the 4 star rating The only thing I can say was good and that was the size of the swimming pool and adequate changing area The place is very tired and most pubs have much better menus I wouldn't recommend this place and also if you do stay there and don't like the place, don't bother emailing them. I've not said about most of my concerns because it's such a long list that includes Toilet didn't flush Roll together type of bed Very tired place TV remote didn't work Shaving socket didn't work Very poor menu Door card didn't work most of the time Expensive considering it was more like a tired 3 star place

Only nice thing about this hotel was the swimming pool. Beds uncomfortable. We booked a meal for the evening I ordered a archers which was nasty. They had skimped on it with soda . So ordered another one. My partner had a Pepsi which was also flat . That was awful to. Menu appalling. So I cancelled our food and left our drinks and went somewhere else for food. I wouldn't stay there again even if was free

My only real issue is with the cleaning but at the moment, that is fairly fundamental. There was rubbish remaining from the previous person in the bin, water left in the kettle, hairs all over the bathroom and black mould in the shower. Not good enough. The room is a bit tired generally but not particularly bothered about that. I do expect it to be clean though

Perfect experience from start to finish. We required rooms with step-free access which was perfectly accommodated for (12/14) The rooms were really large with 2 large wardrobes which would have been great for longer stays. Bed was really comfy, lovely dark/quiet area makes for a great nights sleep. Nice little touches of robes / water in the room. Bathroom had a bath and a shower, perfectly clean and modern looking. The service at breakfast was faultless, the ladies serving went over and above to ensure we enjoyed our meal. Shame we only had the one night to stay, i would happily return here

Hotel was fine on entering, staff helpful, unfortunately after travelling for two half hours we asked if the bar and food available,? But no shut until 5pm. So we went out to eat, but booked for evening meal....in the restaraunt we thought but no it was closed so booked at the bar area i wish we hadnt bothered. Limited choice some starters then mains sausage/chips or burger/chips or fish/chips or lasagne /chips then desserts Soup was cold the chips were horrendous, supposedly triple cooked no chance, tasted like reheated three times just like hollow crisps. Room was fine and clean , breakfast was lovely, but was not included in the price. On the whole dissappointing

Everything was fine but the main disappointment was that the restaurant was closed due to reasons unknown, the bar food offered was way under standard very few options and all of them was with chips which where over cooked and tasted as if they had been reheated and the soup served was cold. This was a birthday gift from our family and there was no notification to say the restaurant or the jacuzzi was closed and the bar only opened at 4/5pm and after a 2 1/2 hour journey a drink and a meal in the restaurant would have been really nice.

Stayed at Castle inn as a family of 4, excellent spacious family room with comfy beds, a double and two singles, not the usual family room sofa bed / camp bed set up. The room was clean with a modern bathroom. Every staff member we met was exceptionally friendly and helpful. We ate in the hotel the first night and food was lovely. Breakfast was delicious with excellent speedy service, wide choice and nothing too much trouble. Used the pool a couple of times which was a good size, really clean and quiet, we almost had it to ourselves. A great stay and good value for families.

dated hotel more a 3 star standard rooms are very low end, squeaky bed with springs in my back. Terrible deco, swimming pool area needs updating. En-suite shower had rust around. Defo no 4 star standard. Requested a refund but got told we would get a free drink of Pepsi instead. £253 for one night stays with 3 hours sleep and holiday cut short because of this!

The standard double room was below expectations- divan base dirty, room very small thus did not have all expected amenities for cost paid. Shower caddy was rusty and floor not hoovered under bed (still had other peoples key envelopes and wrapper there) (only checked to see we hadn't lost anything under the bed). Bed was comfy though. Food tasted great, both breakfast and evening. Hotel will not serve food in the afternoon though and couldn't/wouldn't make up a sandwich after 5 hrs travelling to get there. Swim changing room very tired and not expected of a “luxury” hotel. Hotel in general appears tired. Cost reflects the great location rather than the standard of the hotel.

The hotel felt like an old peoples home, it was very dated. The weather was very hot at the time we visited, there was no air conditioning with only a fan for use. As we were on the ground floor couldn't even open the windows. Due to the pandemic the staff were rushed off their feet, the food in the restaurant was very drab. The breakfast offered Cumberland sausages, however the sausages served were worse than those from any supermarket, not good.

My family and I stayed in this 'Signature Collection' hotel for 4 nights in August 2021. On booking, the cost was quite high, so I had the impression that this was a good quality hotel. I was mistaken. It was rated 3* on booking.com, but the AA had attributed 4*. I would rate it 2*. The rooms are very dated and shabby and there is a long walk between reception, the rooms and the bar/restaurant. The design of the hotel doesn't really work. Our 'executive double' bed was two singles pushed together which sagged in the middle of each mattress. The mattresses were stained. The mattress topper didn't reach over the two beds so there was a ridge down each side. The fitted sheet didn't reach across the two beds. The quilt was too long for the bed. During our stay, we had to empty our own bins (no service to the rooms), make our own beds, find our own toilet roll and shower gel/shampoo. We ordered a vegetarian breakfast to the room and it came with bacon on it! We ordered apple juice and got orange juice. We ordered eggs and didn't get them. I sat in the bar garden for an hour and didn't get served. On the positive side, the food that we did get was well cooked and the swimming pool was a good size and warm. The staff were as helpful as they could be. Unfortunately the steam room was so hot that it burnt your legs (steam comes out below the seats). I will never stay in a Best Western again after this experience. They are clearly just taking advantage of the fact that the Lake District is a popular area and everyone is holidaying in the UK this year so they think they can charge what they like. I was very disappointed considering the price I paid. We stayed out of the hotel as much as possible during the day as it was not a nice place to be. We tried to book an alternative hotel but there was no availability elsewhere.

We stayed for one night at the hotel on a room only basis. We upgraded to an executive room as no standard rooms were available. It was a nice room with a large bathroom and a seating area with 2 chairs and a sofa. The bathroom had been modernised but they had left the cream bath with everything else white, very strange. We also had a terrace outside with a small table and 2 chairs to sit at. It was very peaceful and nice to be able to sit reading in the sunshine... Until the rain came! Then came a power cut which lasted for about an hour and a half. This meant no use of the pool or gym. We had our evening meal in the hotel which was really nicely presented and tasted lovely. We sat in the conservatory area later for drinks but had to move as it was very noisy with a big group of people chatting. It's not helped by a lack of soft furnishings ie curtains, carpets to absorb some of the noise. The bed was comfortable and although the room was warm we were able to use a fan to cool it down a bit. There were tea and coffee making facilities in the room but no spoons?! There was also a fridge and safe which were useful. It was quite a remote location so not sure we will visit again.

We were staying there the night before my wedding, there was a group of 5 of us over 2 rooms. One of the rooms we booked should have had a double bed plus a pull out single bed, unfortunately there was only a double bed so we had to ask for this to bed resolved. Although it was resolved I was still disappointed that 2 of my guests were sleeping in a four poster double bed and the other guest was left to sleep in what looked like a camp bed, I'm sure if she wanted to sleep in a camp bed we could have just gone camping rather than staying in a hotel. Both rooms were extremely uncomfortable due to the heat, none of the rooms had air con instead just having a table fan which I don't feel was sufficient for the size of room, especially when one of the biggest windows was painted shut. When we arrived for breakfast the staff gave us a table that wasn't big enough for our party, we struggled to know the procedure for breakfast as some continental had to brought to us and some we had to get ourselves. The continental we had to order proved difficult from what was discribed on the menu to what actually arrived as we ordered a fruit pot which I had hoped would be a bowl of fresh fruit and instead it was a pre-sealed plastic tub of mandarin segments - quite different to what I pictured! I understand that there was a wedding happening on the day we arrived, although it just felt like we were an after thought compared to the wedding party. Considering this was the night before my wedding it really wasn't the special start to the best of my life I had hoped!

The room was clean but there was no fridge for any cold drinks. The bed was terrible and barely slept we were very tired next morning. The food was terrible in the restaurant. This is our worst stay we had anywhere. Not recommended. The area was beautiful and we will be visiting again but we will not be going back to castle hotel.

First time visit to the Lakes using this hotel as a base for travelling around the area. Made to feel very welcome by reception and quickly shown to our rooms (4 rooms for our group) We had booked 3/4 exec rooms, which didn't quite the amount charged! but after all we're only sleeping there. We were told that our room(s) would NOT be cleaned etc etc during our duration due to Covid regs. So reception and staff were on the ball with towels, sheets, coffee, tea, milk, we could have what ever we needed but would be left lutside the room. Tedious but necessary alas. The room, spacious, good TV, a safe, shower and bath, hairdryer, all good. WiFi throughout the whole hotel area was good. You could go swimming, gym any time you wanted just pick up an extra towel at reception on your way to this area. Pool was warm, clean and used it several times. Food..... You need to book a slot for both breakfast and dinner, it's a busy place. Breakfast was good (not buffet style) Piping hot too. No complaints here. Dinner.... This is where the hotel let themselves down badly. We ate there the first night but not again! The meals were tasteless and lacked pzazz, and overpriced. The rest of the time we drove into Keswick for evening food, better value even though we had shop around the town, a busy busy place. We appreciate that the staffing numbers were down, but they were all good humorous young ladies. Our group spent £000 lots not value alas. The staff were 10/10 the rest 6/10, sorry.

We booked a table for 4 at this hotel and were told when booking that there was a normal menu choice as well as the Sunday lunch choice, there wasn't, only Sunday lunch menu available which was quite a poor menu. On ordering our meal my friend asked if her chicken could be sliced instead of a whole chicken breast, they cut it in half, when the plates came to the table we were warned that they were very hot, only underneath the plates were hot and not so hot that you couldn't touch them, the mashed potatoes, sorry a bunch of boiled potatoes barely introduced to a masher plopped onto the plate with a few roasted potatoes as well, the chicken was dry and overcooked and we had to ask for more gravy as they gave us one teeny tiny jug between 4 of us, not the dining experience we were expecting from this establishment, we should have guessed it was substandard when we read the spelling mistakes on the menu. Never had such a disgusting meal. On a positive note the staff were pleasant and helpful and the hotel did look nice just eat somewhere else if possible

Great hotel with good facilities - fitness centre and decent sized pool We had a large suite overlooking the gardens and could see the Lakeland hills in the distance. Room clean. Staff friendly and efficient.

Early check in no problem … room was clean comfy with everything needed, including a fan … bed could have been more comfortable !. I would give the staff top marks … polite helpful and friendly. Bringing our dog was a bonus .. asked for ground floor room ,which we got but could also use the window door to take the dog for a walk without trailing through the hotel. Would recommend and we will return. Thankyou

Very clean hotel with dated leisure facilities. The pool needs a revamp. Our room had excess furniture. And extra table was positioned at the end of the bed but just created more clutter. I was shocked to see that the bar had no ale on tap and all they could offer was a Dutch larger. We're in the heart of the lake district for goodness sake. The waitress staff seemed very amateurish with little experience of how to talk to a customer. I asked for a Americano at the bar around 11am and I was that breakfast was over and what an Americano was?? When I complained to the receptionist she refused to make eye contact when I was explaining my problem. I found this very impolite. However, the food was delicious!

Stopped here for a 4 night stay for our honeymoon. Covid prevented us from travelling abroad. Nice chilled place, set in lovely grounds. All staff were lovely and exceptional. Gym facilities, swimming pool and sauna, tennis courts, putting green. Will definitely return

Kingdom 46 What about the Guests? Review of Castle Inn Reviewed yesterday We stayed for two nights at this hotel on 17th and 18th June 2021, with my husband, sister and her partner (all in our late 50s). The rooms were clean and it had good facilities and beautiful gardens. However this is where it ends. On Thursdsay we asked at reception if the hotel was showing the England Football Match, and was told no. Ok we thought, we'll watch it in our room. Just before the match started, we passed a large room where the football was playing and went to enter. "Have you booked?" says the Duty Manager. We replied that we had not booked as we were told at Reception there was no football being screened at the hotel. So we were refused entry, as they said the room was full and due to social distancing, we could not enter. However each person was separated by at least 15 feet between them, so a few more people could have been easily and safely accommodated. We then went to the bar and noticed it had a TV and asked for it to be put on, which it duly was - at volume 2! We could not hear the commentary due to the background music and asked for the volume to be turned up slightly. The bar staff said no. When we asked why we were told that the Managers Room is above the bar and he doesnt like the noise!!!! What!! We weren't asking for a disco volume!! When we said as much to one of the female bar staff "not my problem" was her response!! We then asked to see the Manager who arrived and also refused to turn the volume up as it was "against the law"!! What law we asked - no response, he and we knew he was talking rubbish. So why in that case, is the cinema where you can watch if pre-booked, louder than Volume 2, what is the difference between the bar and the cinema room? I then added that this hotel has weddings, are you telling me that is not loud? He then said there were no weddings at the hotel and when I questioned that (there were adverts all over the hotel for weddings held there), he says "well we dont have DJ's" - what the hell that has to do with wanting to hear the TV, I will never know. Eventually he relented and turned the volume up so that it was at least audible. The attitude of this Duty Manager and some of their staff is disgraceful. What about your Guests? This hotel does not go out of its way to make a pleasant stay for its guests. The breakfast was dire to say the least and at £12 per person, not good value for money at all. I ordered a fruit pot and had what can only be described as something I would put in a childs lunchbox, plonked in front of me, unwrapped and no bowl. The croissant was wrapped in plastic and again plonked in front of us, not even on a plate! We constantly had to ask for salt, sugar and condiments. I certainly wont be returning to this hotel, and in fact will avoid Best Western Hotels at all costs now. Show less

We stayed 3 nights and the room was large with 3 windows letting in lots of light. It was an executive room. The place is really quite with lovely views out of all windows. The staff were great. If u need anything they got it with no problem. We ate in the restaurant on our first night and it was really nice. Hot and quick service. I had fish and chips. My husband had pie. Tastes really nice.. The gardens were beautiful with lots of trees. And shrubs all well looked after. Plenty to do round about. Wildlife centre and distillary great place

On approaching the hotel we thought it was closed as there was no sign of life and a chain across the car park. Then we realised that the right entrance was around the corner. On entering the hotel, it looked like reception was closed as the desk was in darkness and no staff could be seen. However, a cheerful receptionist soon appeared behind the covid screen. We were soon checked in and on our way to our room. Unfortunately, our room wasn't very clean and some of the furniture was broken so I headed back to reception where another guest was complaining that their room hasn't been made up at all. The receptionists seemed very harassed but they quickly organised a room swap and offered us a drink voucher as an apology. The new room was fine and the bathroom was excellent. Admittedly, the furniture and decor was a bit tired and dated, but the bed was comfortable and we had everything we needed. We ate in the restaurant on the first evening and the food was fine and reasonably priced. During our stay, I walked around most of the hotel and much of it looks very tired and in need of investment. There is a lovely patio and garden which is probably the best maintained part of the whole hotel. The outside of the hotel desparately needs some attention, especially the rotting woodwork and peeling paint. Overall, I'd say that the staff are trying their hardest but the hotel needs serious investment. Definitely not a 4 star hotel.

We arrived tired after a long day of riding our motorbikes and on mass which was a bit daunting for the receptionist on her first day but she managed admirably. The lady serving the drinks outside on the patio was excellent and we were impressed with her attentiveness and friendliness at both dinner and again at breakfast. The other members of the restaurant team were also excellent on a very busy day.

Before arriving I received an email to check in the day before an although I booked for two people it would only let me check in one person. I rang the hotel and spoke to a lovely lady on reception that changed the booking for me (after reading the reviews I wanted to make sure this was rectified before we arrived). On arrival our room was ready. We were allocated room 17 and ‘executive' room. They push for a pre authorization for a tab which we did for £40.00. The good bits - ✔️the bathroom was amazing and there was constant hot water ✔️decent hairdryer ✔️Breakfast, and dinner was good value ✔️Staff on reception and in bar/tavern were polite The not so good bits - bedroom ❌after reading the reviews we took our own mugs so we could at least have a brew in a proper cup instead of a paper cup in the morning. We wish we took a kettle now instead of risking injury from the broken one that was in the room. ❌the bedroom was a weird shape with the bed between some sliding doors that don't go anywhere and block the sockets so you can't plug phone chargers in ❌the bed was old and tired ❌ lots of dust/bits on the laminate floor which was noticeable ❌ blinds broken and a health and safety (hanging issue) for young children Lounge area ❌furniture old and tired my partner fell through a chair in conservatory (which was funny to watch) Pool ❌the steam room and sauna felt too hot to use and wasn't monitored ❌the pool area was clean although on the Friday morning a member of staff was actually using chemicals to clean the pool whilst guests were swimming (not a good look and no idea of what the chemicals are) ❌the jacuzzi isn't working and when speaking to a member of the ‘leisure' centre it's not worked for over 6 years Overall The hotel could be amazing but it's time to either spend money on it or downgrade it to a 2* hotel. The grounds are tired (tennis court over grown and unusable). It's in the middle of no where and you will need a car to get anywhere as the busses are few and far between and taxis are really expensive. Be careful on checkout and check your itemized billing as we were charged more as they'd not taken off the the pre authorised amount of £40 and it is yet to go back into my account. arriving I received an email to check in the day before an although I booked for two people it would only let me check in one person. I rang the hotel and spoke to a lovely lady on reception that changed the booking for me (after reading the reviews I wanted to make sure this was rectified before we arrived). On arrival our room was ready. We were allocated room 17 and ‘executive' room. They push for a pre authorization for a tab which we did for £40.00. The good bits - ✔️the bathroom was amazing and there was constant hot water ✔️decent hairdryer ✔️Breakfast, and dinner was good value ✔️Staff on reception and in bar/tavern were polite The not so good bits - bedroom ❌after reading the reviews we took our own mugs so we could at least have a brew in a proper cup instead of a paper cup in the morning. We wish we took a kettle now instead of risking injury from the broken one that was in the room. ❌the bedroom was a weird shape with the bed between some sliding doors that don't go anywhere and block the sockets so you can't plug phone chargers in ❌the bed was old and tired ❌ lots of dust/bits on the laminate floor which was noticeable ❌ blinds broken and a health and safety (hanging issue) for young children Lounge area ❌furniture old and tired my partner fell through a chair in conservatory (which was funny to watch) Pool ❌the steam room and sauna felt too hot to use and wasn't monitored ❌the pool area was clean although on the Friday morning a member of staff was actually using chemicals to clean the pool whilst guests were swimming (not a good look and no idea of what the chemicals are) ❌the jacuzzi isn't working and when speaking to a member of the ‘leisure' centre it's not worked for over 6 years Overall The hotel could be amazing but it's time to either spend money on it or downgrade it to a 2* hotel. The grounds are tired (tennis court over grown and unusable). It's in the middle of no where and you will need a car to get anywhere as the busses are few and far between and taxis are really expensive. Be careful on checkout and check your itemized billing as we were charged more as they'd not taken off the the pre authorised amount of £40 and it is yet to go back into my account.

This was the first weekend we had away since the pandemic started. We looked forward to a lovely weekend in a beautiful place and were prepared to spend a reasonable amount of money on the accommodation. So sadly it didn't meet our expectations as far as value for money was concerned, and for the inflated price breakfast wasn't even included. I will go somewhere else next time.

Just spent short break here. Staff friendly & helpful. Some superb improvements to hotel layout & decor since last visit. Quiet elegance. Under covid restrictions expected spartan regime but wide restaurant menu (recommend the Cumbrian lamb and the fish pie), ample wine list & generous breakfast. Sure, there's a pandemic going on but all staff doing their best for guests. Fully enjoyed our stay.

This was our first stay at The Castle Inn. We've previously stayed at Best Western's Ambleside Salutation, so booked with confidence. This was a great location to use as a base for our four days in the beautiful Lake District. About 15 minutes drive into Keswick from the hotel, which is just to the north. We found the hotel to be very clean and all of the staff were extremely helpful and friendly. The breakfasts we had each morning in the lovely dining room were very good, as was the one evening meal we tried. Despite all of the Covid protocols the hotel has to adhere to, the staff still managed to make our stay both very welcoming and relaxing. Fingers crossed that normality will soon return, for all our sakes.

Lovely hotel set in grounds with views over Bassenthwaite lake. We stayed with two young kids, who loved the swimming pool and video games in the play area The breakfast are very well done with extensive range of cooked and Continental options, something for everyone. We enjoyed drinks and light bites on the terrace overlooking the lake. The rooms are spacious and very well appointed with that luxury feel Around the hotel there are many activities for all the family including whisky distillery, petting zoo cinemas and of course many fell walks Highly recommended

I had chosen the Castle Inn Hotel for a long weekend stay as all my previous visits to the hotel had been excellent and in such a great location you simply can't go wrong. I stayed in the suite, a personal choice of mine as it is like a home from home. During my stay I had dinner in the on site restaurant, the burger was absolutely delicious and a good addition with the brioche bun. I do believe that the Castle Inn had a recent renovation with the restaurant area and it has done wonders with the views and accessibility to the garden areas. The hotel has local amenities nearby and just takes a short walk to be able to see the stunning views. As always I would 100% recommend the hotel to families, travellers, tourists or people who just want the spontaneous trip.

Putting aside the covid-19 restrictions the overall stay in a hotel and the cleansing it's also was 100-percent ok. The staffing levels for the hotel were low this may just be down to the hospitality industry struggling to recruit staff. The phone signal around the hotel wasn't great but it was in the middle of the lake District which is fully understandable, although I would expect the Wi-Fi to be up and running it wasn't it was very poor.

Stayed here on our second night of our tour around the Lake District. Rooms were clean but hairdryer is something out of the 70's and did not work. The bar was not fully stocked and kept running out of drinks, and that was if you could find anyone to serve you. On the day we checkd out we wanted a coffee, and finally found a member of staff who said no drinks served until 5pm and walked off. No apology, nothing friendly. Whilst sitting here we watched about 5 couples walk off fed up of waiting. Yes not a 5* and served its purpose but customer service goes a long way

Wow where to start. Booked this hotel for a mini honeymoon break as got married in the week. Before i arrived i emailed the hotel asking if they could do anything special and all i got was the standard upgrade at silly cost email. Arrived on Friday at 14:00 and after a good drive really wanted a drink, only to be told that nothing opened until 5pm. Proceeded to check in and while walking through the Hotel could not help but notice how dark and outdated the decor was. Arrived at the room and was initially surprised as i had booked a suite and it was a good size room. However again the furniture and decor was very outdated and dark with it all being dark wood. Room - Their were 2 chairs in the room that looked like they hadn't been cleaned in years with ripped arms.We were even more surprised by finding the tea and coffee facilities and that we had paper cups not proper cups. (4* hotel and paper cups !) Next the bed was huge and comfy however the quilt was only a double in what can only be described as a king,king quilt cover so half the cover was just empty and the quilt did not even cover the whole bed! Restaurant - Well what can i say here. This was disgrace for a 4* Hotel and i have eaten better in most pubs. The menu was just on a sheet of paper with a fair selection. However this was not a 4* menu by any stretch of the imagination. 1st night i had the Burger with chunky chips. Well the burger was served in a greasy Brioche bun and the chips were either oven or frozen chips and with no presentation at all. 2nd night sausage and Mash and i could swear the mash was in fact Smash and not proper potato. The starter and deserts were ok. But for a 4* hotel i would have expected much much higher quality and choice. Bar service - Now this Hotel has a Tavern as part of it so i was expecting a nice choice of beer- Walked into the Bar and the shutters were down. Waitress explained that it was table service which was no issue due to COVID. Asked what beer they had and only one bitter on. Went to sit outside and waited, and Waited until eventually someone turned up to take are order, When the drinks arrived they were ok but the bitter was awful and tasted off so i changed drinks to a cider. Weather started to cool so went inside to sit in the conservatory. Well the first chair i sat on i went straight through as the bottom had broken swapped to another chair and the same. People were laughing as they had all done the same so it was hunt the good chairs every night. One of the sofas was badly broken with dangerous sticks of wicker sticking out the back and overall it was a laughable excuse for a 4* Hotel. Staff - Friendly staff who were run off their feet. Only 2 young girls working in the restaurant and Bar areas serving and clearing everyone. Restaurant Manager tried but had the same food stained suit on for all sittings over 3 days which did not give out a good impression and was noticed by many guests. This was the 3rd and by far the most expensive hotel we had stayed in all week and by far the worst experience of all. Thank you Best Western for ruining our mini Honeymoon. You should be ashamed charging people £495 for 2 nights . I have stayed in better £30 a night B&B's. I will be logging complaints with Best Western and AA as this should never be classed a 4* Hotel!!

An over priced, shabby hotel that was obviously a lovely place at one time. The food was awful, the mattress broken and the room dated and worn. The few staff are trying hard, but don't have much to work with.

Well what do I say about this place not happy at all firstly staff were not very helpful at all seemed like they had just all started the job not been there for a while. Got our booking for 2 people and a dog wrong one night for one person and no pet, then took £50 security deposit which they said wouldn't come out of my account and it has done so am £50 down for a start, the evening menu was well 3 starters 3 mains and 3 desert's nothing else more like a pub meal than a restaurant. We paid good money for a low standard to be honest. On the up side the room was good and very clean bathroom was excellent and the surrounding area beautiful, take some earplugs for the banging doors in the night too. Overall we don't mind paying good money for a good stay this has not been a good stay am sorry to say, and I am looking for a refund for the £50 that they said DIDN'T come out of my account.

First the good points , the staff were friendly and helpful and the bathroom in our “ executive “ room had been nicely refurbished , surprisingly the bedroom hadn't which was very tired . No fridge either. The hotel doesn't serve food or drink after breakfast until 5pm , a warm summers week but no lunch or beverages all day . When it did open the food in the restaurant was awful . We'd booked for dinner all three nights but cancelled the last two after a very poor experience , again however the service was good, We also avoided the very expensive breakfast after our dining experience . Worst of all was the general condition of the communal areas and outside , very scruffy and depressing. For example the outside bar furniture consisted of a few random mis-matched tatty pieces of cheap old table and chairs . Compared to other 4* hotels locally this is the worst. 2* at best , a heavy discount may tempt sum , it needs investment and a better kitchen .

Excellent value for the money. Breakfast was delicious with great quality products served efficiently. Evening meals were amazing and Most affordable. Atmosphere was cosy and welcoming. All the Staff were friendly and efficient. The pool and steam room was very inviting. The Location of the Castle was very central to everything. We look forward to returning very soon. Pleased we found this little gem.

Stayed 2 nights in December. Although there were restrictions due to covid we had a wonderful stay. Staff were friendly and attentive. Food was really nice. Room was clean and tidy. Was a little bit cold even with radiators on and the bathroom had a window next to shower which made me feel abit exposed. But they didn't effect my stay or put me off going again. Gemma in the restaurant was fantastic. Service with a smile. Pool was slightly cold but not freezing. Just a cold time of the year though.

Purchased via Groupon. Very friendly and helpful staff right from the word go. Room was a little dated with lumpy bed and was informed this was the best of the standard rooms.heating didn't work and shower was faulty. Staff were amazing and gave us a room change with free upgrade to junior suite. Would definitely recommend those rooms. Facilities clean and pool allocations a great idea. Breakfasts lovely but for me as a vegan and celiac the choice in the restaurant in the evening was limited although the curry was delicious. I would recommend the sunn Inn 1 mile away for food. Overall, the staff were so lovely. Hotel ticked the boses and great location.dont expect much from a standard room. I would out them in a budget room catagory if I'm honest and sad we lost a night in this before moving to a better room.

Just had a three night stay The staff were superb and could not do enough for us and nothing was too much trouble. The menu was a good choice and the food was superb, the room was great We had a great stay thanks to the great staff and not forgetting the great kitchen and bar staff

The waiter was very welcoming and friendly. The sausage and mash was to die for, by far the best I've had, full of flavour and very well presented. The sticky toffee was also very enjoyable. All homemade too. Definitely a hidden gem and we will definitely be back. Highly recommend!

What a excellent hotel!! Food was amazing tried all the menu and it was all gorgeous. Staff were courteous very well organised and very willing to assist at any time.Would stay here again at the drop of a hat!!

Excellent stay paid to upgrade and got the even better room than what was expected room and everywhere was very clean and tidy hand sanitiser everywhere to use. All staff friendly and wanting to help.

We spent three nights here as we explored the Lake District. The location is away from the hustle and bustle of the main towns, which is a positive advantage at the current time. From arrival to departure, the staff were welcoming and helpful. We had dinner in the restaurant each evening and breakfast each morning, all of which has to be booked in terms of timing because of covid reduced capacity. Covid precautions were well-managed. Our dinners were excellent, with a changing menu between dinner and the bar menus and a reasonable wine list, so that we were able to enjoy a different selection each day. The hotel needs to be congratulated on this in the current circumstances. The breakfasts were stellar, with a great Full English breakfast that kept us going through the day. With current precautions, rooms are not serviced daily, but the reception staff provided us with supplementary bathroom accessories and tea bags as required, plus a shoe cleaner which I needed after one of our days out in the rain!! We had a thoroughly enjoyable time and I would happily stay here again.

My visit was a one night stay bought with a groupon deal. This included a meal and breakfast. Our room was a standard double which I thought was larger than expected for a standard. Had a lovely visit here and would definitely go again if the deal was available again.

I think they prefer you you to upgrade if you book with a groupon but not cheap... We received 3 emails asking us to upgrade..(we didnt).... Arrived approx 1pm for 3 NIGHTS.. said we had to wait until 2pm for room? ok, so 2pm got room key, room number 62 keswick!! furtherst away and upstairs overlooking bins and carpark.. Room ok and clean.. however, every day we had to go to reception for loo roll, coffee, milk and had to request a towel change.. didnt clean the room once or change bed nothing, found 4 flies in bathroom as we left window open also stunk of cannabis cigarette smoke. Evening meal lovely.. breakfast greasy.. Will not be returning

This hotel is well looked after has friendly staff. Our room was very big as we were upgraded and it was very clean and well equipped. The breakfast was very tasty and good choices on the menu. We had dinner on both of the two nights we stayed and it was well worth it. Great menu, well cooked and presented. Can't fault this place! Covid safe too, easy parking, very picturesque and quiet location.

Pleasant place to stay. We stayed here for one night and met with friendly staff. Room was nice although could do with a refurb. Decor is very outdated. Lovely comfy bed. Fantastic evening meal and breakfast. Was slightly let down with the fact half the gym was shut, aswell as the hot hub and sauna/steam room. Unsure why this is closed when other hotels are open following government guidelines. This should be reflected in the price imo.

We didn't stay here, just booked for an evening meal during the week,friendly staff, pleasant decor and good food. Good social distancing and hygiene, as expected. Worth booking a meal if you are staying nearby.

Booked here using a Groupon deal and was not disappointed. Lovely clean, comfortable room (25) with some nice views. Quiet even though it was close to the main road. Food was excellent, although a bit pricey. Staff were excellent, especially the one waitress looking after breakfast by herself. Ideally located for a visit to the Lakeland Wildlife park about a mile away. The local distillery was close by also. A visit to Keswick is also a must, which is about 10 minutes drive away.

They are doing a great job of providing the best stay possible while maintaining stringent Covid precautions Beds are very comfortable and most rooms seem to have been refurbished in the last couple of years. Fodd is very good considering the reasonable prices. Vegetarian and Gluten Free well catered for

Stayed here in Sept for 2nights, on arrival hotel looked as though it had shut down, dark & dingy reception area with no staff around, on getting to our room no28 what a dissapoint, the room was dirty, cobwebs, hair in plughole, stains down side of the bed & a filthy chair for starters, 1 paper cup each, no bathrobes, no water, this room was not fit for human habitation, even more so in times of covid, breakfast there was only 1 staff member on with the cook assisting to bring food out, food was not up to standard, on contacting best Western they were clearly not interested at all, I would never stay here again!!!!!!!

Avoid this Hotel, old outdated and dilapidated. This must be the worst Best Western Signature in the world, originally we were of Ford a one night stay for £495 per night. We finally managed to have this room reduced by Best Western direct as we travel with business and pleasure often. We paid £350 which seemed acceptable at the time, but on arrival the nightmare started. • The building looks like it's under major construction, and it needs to be • Health and safety Risk. We were not told on check-in that the hotel did not have running water • Our 5 year old son suffered hot water burns due to the cold water tanks being emptied in the hotel. This left our son left with only boiling hot water spraying out of the shower head onto his body and head. • Unable to flush toilets, smell was overpowering • Hotel room bathroom falling apart (see photos ) • Hotel allowed guests to use the swimming pool after a long days hiking with not facility's to shower clean before or after they entered the pool. • Restaurant and bar area seating broken • Builders expandable foam hanging out of gaps in conservatory. Just far too much too list.

The location was very good. The staff were friendly and helpful.We enjoyed our stay at the hotel.The Covid 19 guidance were well followed.The price for the food was fairly reasonable.I would recommend this hotel to friends and family

Nice hotel showing some signs of age. Creaky floorboards Outside of our room our room but did not detract from a clean warm room. Nice food, slightly on the high price in my opinion. Staff great, friendly, helpful especially the restaurant staff. Nice pool, you have to book for food and pool, but not a problem. Although there are several signs asking for you to wear masks in public areas, over the 4 days we were there quite a number of guests did not wear masks in the public area. A slight concern.

Stayed as part of a weekend break and had a great time. Very good food and a great room as well. Most impressed. The team work very hard to look after you throughout your stay. The pool is also a good size.

On arrival the front car park was all taped off and we thought the hotel was closed. On check in we found out the bar and restaurant were closed and didn't open till 5pm. We and other guests had to buy food and drink from the supermarket to eat outside on the garden bench. Other guests walked to the nearest pub for food and drink. An elderly couple in their 80s couldn't even get a hot drink or snacks so we shared what we had bought from the supermarket with them. The evening meal was not much better with tinned mushy peas with the fish and cheap branded sachet condiments. The breakfast though was lovely and fresh. We would not stop here again.

Very naff food - lasagne was like soup - curry not much better - the nan bread was the only saving grace. Fairly naff interiors - residents not observing social distancing or wearing masks. However the staff were pleasant. - We wont be back.

Stayed for 3 nights very welcoming and friendly staff, room was clean and comfortable. Breakfast was very nice good choice and waitress was excellent nothing too much trouble. Had evening meal once here good solid pub grub not fancy but really good quality. Would recommend for a good base for the north lakes

My husband and I were treated extremely well, and weren't the only 'two guys sharing'. It was mid-pandemic, but the staff put themselves out and nothing was too much for them - attentively-eyed barkeeps, prompt food service (though very much at the 'pub grub' end, by necessity as 'fine dining' was never going to be an option because of food sourcing issues - for all hotels). The hotel itself is quite a way from Keswick despite the postal address, indeed Bassenthwaite isn't quite walkable-to, so having your own transport is a must. Joy of joys, the 15-metre pool was open (swimming addict) though limited to 30-minute bookings, but good enough for a daily 0.5 km swim. Oh and Cumbria and the Lakes are brilliant, if you can dodge the tourist masses, Krafte Shoppes and stuffed toys.

Terrible room, stained furniture, filthy shower head, bath trim dirty hanging off, windows wouldn't open very warm, terrible sleep, oppressive room no 40 loft .... Flowers in the attic .....this is the room.

Stayed here for 2 nights on a wowcher offer ,double room bottle of wine in room and breakfast both days , couldn't fault it ,lovely room with on suit ,tv , cofee/tea facilities, safe in room if u needed it , staff lovely and plesant , they coped really well with social distancing , breakfast was beautiful , full cumbrian and or cerial fruit etc, would deffinetly stay again

My partner and I stayed here for 2 nights; one under a Groupon offer including 2 course dinner, and the other just bed and breakfast. We were greeted by Matt at reception who couldn't be more helpful. Our room (17) was great- comfy bed and clean room. The evening meal in the restaurant was incredible and service was great. Breakfast on the first morning was great, however the service was very slow on the second. The full Cumbrian breakfast was very good, however the 'fruit pot' made up of bits of preserved peach and pear, was not what I was expecting to receive. Suitable Covid precautions were taken in all parts of the hotel. Great location for exploring the North Lakes. Extremely happy with our stay, especially after worrying due to the amount of poor reviews recently, and we would definitely return.

Rude staff, rubbish WiFi in the room, broken fridge, utterly filthy room, just no where near worth the money at all. They then took to money out wtwice for the room. When we complained they dealt with it in a very poor way as well

We spent two nights at the Castle inn Hotel in September 2020 and found that the hotel dealt estremely well with the covbid crisis. The room was large, comfortable bed with superb quality bath and shower facilities. The corridors were marked by arrows for social distance and both breakfast and dinner arrangements were set up to manage social distance. The quality of the food was very good and the staff across the whole hotel were excellent. Unfortunately, the weather was somewhat different to the hotel standards but we'd highly recommend staying at the Castle Inn Hotel.

Very old hotel including rooms limited use of hotel but wasn't informed until we booked also heating in room not working was very cold no bar service trying to get full refund but hotel blaming the Covid 19 Do not recommend this hotel will not stay again

Well placed Hotel for site seeing in the area, near to Keswick & Derwent Water, Cockermouth & Bassenthwaite Lake. Also The Lakes Distillery. The Hotel itself had all the necessary COVID restrictions in place, but we could still book to use the gym & pool, which was a bonus. The room was large & comfortable with a patio area, we upgraded to a suite at half price. The staff were very helpful, friendly & attentive. Evening meal was very good & the breakfast excellent. Easy, quick check in & out. Would recommend.

Immaculate huge family. Kids had their own room with their own TV and desk space which was really appreciated. Rooms well equipped for everything you need. The hotel is lovely and all the staff were friendly and helpful especially Emily on reception and the fantastic Niki who seemed to do everything from serve drinks at the bar, clear tables, serve up breakfast and help on reception! The breakfast was well organised with the booking system as was use of the pool. The tavern served good hearty meals at reasonable prices. They are doing their best here.

This was our second stay in a 2 week time frame as we enjoyed the first stay so much. We wanted to explore the northern lakes. This isn't a hotel for pulsating night life, loud bars or evening entertainment but it is a lovely sanctuary. We had a double executive room. It was immaculate. We had plenty of space, a fridge and robes included. The staff were professional, warm and friendly throughout. We ate at the Tavern bar every night and the quality of the food was superb. Breakfast was also delicious. We particularly enjoyed using the pool which was managed very well via a booking system but as it had its own designated member of staff, was kept immaculate. We do feel like we have discovered a hidden gem and we will definitely be returning.

As the price was high (£600+ on Booking.com)) for 2 nights, no breakfast included. I left my shower gel at home. 2 tiny pots of shampoo greeted me. The bedroom had no waste basket. From the curt greeting at theSoviet bloc-style brown reception and faded old carpets everywhere, the furniture was shabby, and the towels were presented as screwed up swans. Please just leave fresh folded towels. I watched a man collapse with a rickety chair beneath him. My anger is that they dared to hike the price many times above their capability to give even minimal value for money . Luckily I found the Lakes Distillery with excellent food down by the water. I didn't use the gym and the pool was not mentioned. Had the rate reflected the ordinary quality I would have been kinder.

Myself & my daughter stayed at this Hotel in August 2020, the swimming pool is open but not the spa facilities, 4 people are allowed in the pool for half a hour. When we checked in the receptionist asked if we wanted a tab set up & we said yes, she then booked us in for the evening meal & our breakfast. The rooms were nice the bed however hurt my hip as it sloped down into the middle. The breakfast was nice, the evening meal menu was plenty to choose from, & we were there at the time of the “eat out to help out” so got it a bit cheaper..... or so we thought as our 2nd night we were told if we did not pay at the bar we would not get the discount we said we have a tab but we were told by the staff you would not get the discount on your tab!!!!! We could not believe this as the receptionist said to us in the same sentence do you want to set up a tab & book into the restaurant for tonight, she should have said but you won't get any discount!!! Rant over Just Down the road not even 10 mins is the Lakeside wildlife centre it was a fab day playground for the kids, loads of animals, birds of prey, there's a cafe but also a undercover area to eat your own picnic food.

This place is really a 3/5, but due to their courteous upgrade, they deserve an extra point from us The hotel is pretty standard. Some of the facilities weren't available due to C19, but the rest ran smoothly without any wow factors Neither here nor there

DEFINITELY NOT 4 STAR We stayed between 21-23rd August for our anniversary, and we will not be returning, we booked through wowcher and got a great deal £190 for two nights breakfast, leisure use and an upgrade to a luxury room, definitely don't book through the hotels website it is not worth the price they are asking for without a deal. You'll be well and truly ripped off. we met a lovely couple who did this and paid £700 for 3 nights they left a day early they where that upset. Firstly the postcode doesn't take you to the hotel so beware of this. hotel has definitely been unloved for a long time, it's falling to pieces, we arrived to our room and immediately had a foul smell in the room, smelt like a babies dirty nappy, Really old fashioned room. the luxury rooms are definitely in need of an update, the cleaning lady who was outside the room was amazing and so polite and she tried her best to sort the problem but could not so we had to downgrade our room, which tbh was a lot nicer than the luxury room? I know! You'd think it would be the other way round. There was no entertainment at all not even music playing in an evening, tbh unless u went out there was nothing todo. The hotel is very dated, and is in need of an over haul, it is clean, but because all the wood in the dinning areas and social area is rooting away and being patched with foam and it leaks when it rains, The carpets and furniture all need updating very old. the hotel was ghost town, no staff in site, but when there was they lovely and very passionate, nothing was too much trouble, the owners don't care and it shows, the lady who serves breakfast and dinner from Liverpool is a real credit to that hotel, and it is really letting her down, she was fantastic. It's 100% no where near worth what they are asking price wise for a room without a deal like we had, no where near a 4 star. Tbh we found better and cheaper closer to local towns. Please also be aware that if they put a holding charge on your card, make sure after you have settled your final bill that u have your holding charge has been refunded as ours wasn't and we had to phone. We definitely wouldn't stay again, if it wasnt for two other lovely couples we met our anniversary would have be ruined by this hotel.

Just returned from 3 night stay at the Castle Inn - with the Hotel described as a 4* BW Signature Collection Hotel, expectations not unreasonably high and looking forward to stay especially as had fab memories from several stays 20yrs ago. All expectations dashed on arrival - to find hotel dark, dated, tired, lacking in atmosphere and unwelcoming was so sad. Bedroom issues, fixed hairdryer in bathroom (held together by tape) not working, toilet roll holder hanging off wall, fly infestation in room - a simple daily room check list would have picked up all these points and sorted before any guest arrived. No staff in bar area or breakfast room wearing face masks. Quality of food in Tavern and breakfast not what expected of a 4* BW Signature Collection Hotel. Lack of presence by owning family during stay. Hotel in need of immediate unannounced re-classification visits by the AA, English Tourism and BW to ensure rating and description reflects hotel today. Hotel in need of upgrading and TLC to bring back its former ambience, glory and quality. Suggest also location of reception at back of building wrong - to many steps to go up to get to rooms (not easy for elderly)- should be in heart of hotel either at front where originally was or at side which looks very welcoming. So much potential to be the best 4* hotel again in the Keswick area - on a positive note, comfort of bed was great (best I've had in a hotel for ages), fab location especially as so near to the incredible Lakes Distillery which was amazing to visit.

Hello, Extremely poor stay at - The Castle inn hotel,Keswick 19-21 Aug, Brian Dooley. Horrible hotel, dirty throughout. Not all staff wearing masks. Check in was 46 mins late. Sofa was filthy - marks all over it. No toilet roll/ shower jel/ soaps. Hotel restaurant absolutely appalling, worst food I have ever eaten out, definitely microwaved. Service was equally as bad, lost our reservation and 55 minutes wait for food. No staff anywhere had to spend 10 minutes looking for someone to make get a table. Breakfast - room service, 30 minutes late and sent wrong food. Left the food outside room and it took 12 hours to be moved. Room 23 - literally the worst hotel room I have ever stayed in. Should be a 1/2 star. Lots noice above the room and room was extremely hot on the evening. Cleaning staff did not wear masks None of the staff asked how the say was... Hotel claims to have a gym - more than half the gym was closed.

I tried to book an evening meal a week before but never got a call back. First room was dirty, pubic hairs and bloodstains in the bathroom. Got transferred to another room, which I asked they checked for cleanliness before we transferred and found it was also dirty with spiders in the bathroom. Ordered two breakfasts and only one arrived. Asked the manager three times to call me about the awful experience and one week later I still haven't received a call. Shambolic !

This is a very pleasant hotel and we enjoyed an afternoon cream tea. The staff and service were good and the surrounding areas are ideal for walking and other leisure pursuits. Altogether, a very nice place.

Lovely hotel who are trying extremely hard to cope with all the rules and regulations regarding Covid. Staff wore masks at all times, swimming pool and gym room are limited to numbers and pre-booking is required but this wasn't a problem at all. The room was clean and spacious with a large double bed. The gardens are delightful with a wonderful view over the hills. I would certainly recommend this hotel to friends and will be back ourselves for another relaxing couple of nights some time in the future.

Expensive for what you get Pie some stew in a bowl with an added pastry lid , this is not a pie Overall food well bellow standard expected of a hotel at this level ,tip of you stop here , eat out Rooms tired , cobwebs , loose plaster , WiFi minimum mostly 1 bar

Arrived today to our family room which was very spacious however was filthy and had flies in the room . The bed was disgusting as was the carpet and toilet . When we complained about the bed , we were told it is normally cleaned - this does not bode well for COVID measures - normally cleaned but not today !! Managed to get a full refund after some discussion ( said we would have to wait till tomorrow for some reason ) and left immediately. Paid £414 for 2 nights and was certainly not worth the money . I would not recommend anyone staying here.

Having visited this hotel on the first day of lockdown We found staff extremely friendly and helpful. We were due to visit the distillery the same day. Unfortunately arrived for our tour and was told they had gone into lockdown. We ended up having something to eat at the hotel In the bar which was excellent. The hotel bar had also gone into lockdown from 8pm although we were told we could order drinks from the bar to be brought up to our rooms by staff. We decided not to take them up on the offer. Today we arrived for our second attempt to visit distillery which included 3 course meal absolutely lovely food. We booked this hotel again and was extremely grateful to the hotel for upgrading us to a beautiful room with a terrific view. Breakfast was plentiful. Staff were friendly and efficient. Didn't feel rushed at all. Good food. Would definitely recommend. Could possibly do with a bit of an upgrade in public area's. Conservative needs demolishing.

After firstly being apprehensive about first weekend away we need not have been social distancing etc off to a tee. Though the the room was dated it was very clean and very comfortable had a really good night's sleep both nights. The staff were very friendly and attentive to our needs. Ideal location for sight seeing around lakes and beautiful countryside. Thanks

Great weekend , after reading some trip advisor reviews my husband and I decided to book this hotel for a weekend stay. Yes bedrooms are dated but bed was comfy it's was clean. Downstairs modern,lovely gardens and beautiful views,plenty of parking available. We have stayed in many hotels in the lakes which were more modern, However, the service we have received here has been excellent from Nicky and here team. Nothing ever too much trouble. We would return again.

I booked this hotel through Groupon for three nights including breakfast daily. Having read some other reviews I was a little concerned, but we found our stay to be good, in the post COVID-19 circumstances. The room was lovely. Very clean. We had brand new heavyweight dressing gowns in the room and a bottle of wine on arrival. The bed was extremely large (although a little soft for me, but my partner said it was the best bed he had slept in!). The bathroom was great with a bath and separate shower cubicle. Due to restrictions, we had paper cups for hot drinks which wasn't ideal, but perfectly acceptable; the room wasn't cleaned daily, but again in the circumstances perfectly acceptable. We asked at reception for additional teabags and toilet roll and they were provided without question. The staff were all very friendly and welcoming and the breakfast was delicious. We found reception and some of the corridors to be a bit dim, but it did not detract from our lovely stay. Overall I would recommend this hotel and would stay again if planning a trip to the Lake District.

Fantastic location, 15 minutes from Keswick, unfortunately, that's where the positives end. The rooms are massively outdated and poorly maintained, seems like this hotel was decorated when they opened and hasn't had an update since. We had double external doors in our room which looked great, however, they were so old and rusted that we had to get the maintenance guy in to basically kick them open for us every time the room got too hot. The bathroom was serviceable, but the toilet roll holder was falling off the wall and the bath/shower had a rusted plug hole and didn't seem like it had been cleaned. Cobwebs hanging 3ft down from the ceiling was a lovely touch. Overall, really nice location, but really poor value for money. Really disappointed with this stay, it was for my partners birthday which I'd booked as a surprise and I felt almost embarrassed when we arrived.

Where do I start...empty lobby/reception on arrival so nobody to greet us/check in. Our room (No 70) was in the grubby "annexe" to the hotel with no views to the rear of property. Room stunk of diesel from boiler room next door, it was disgusting & noisy. Furniture was old, dated & smelt musty. Bed was so soft we rolled together in middle & ended up sleeping other end of bed with back ache all night. Only 2 paper cups provided for 2 people for 2 nights. Food in restaurant was vile. We were squeezed into a corner with no views or space & felt cramped next to the half open bar. I complained about my overly peppery steak pie which I couldn't eat with bland unseasoned boiled parsnips as side which were vile. Partner's burger was average. Sticky toffee pudding was cold, so was caramel sauce. £7.50 for 3 very thin slices of cheese as cheese board. Waitress appeared to go home around 9.00 so barman stepped in. Very odd hotel with staff either rushing around or disappearing! Beautiful from outside & interior but bedrooms were terrible & dated. Very short staffed. Breakfast was too regimental & we weren't allowed to dine when we wanted despite there being plenty of room for social distancing. Left waiting around to be seated & service was terrible. Best Western need to get their act together & get decent staff here to turn this hotel around as it could be beautiful if bedrooms revamped, staff recruited & food/menu & service improved. Definately won't be going again & not surprised it's apparently up for sale. Not the usual Best Western standard at all, don't recommend staying here.

A nice hotel, thats sadly showing its age in places. DOn't let that detract though, we found the room more than acceptable, the staff extremely helpful and really enjoyed our stay. It's a bit out of the way, you need a car/bus to visit the sights.

Due to covid we thought as our abroad holiday was cancelled so said we would visit the lakes . As owning my own cleaning business the standards are NOT met here , it's not clean & very tired looking , it stated that everything had been cleaned & sanitised, which was obviously not the case . We was offered to move rooms , which we thought was strange as we was told that the hotel was fully booked . As for the food , it's overpriced & just warm & the toast is cold , would not recommend this hotel .

Tired, poorly decorated rooms bed base stained not somewhere I would recommend or visit again. Can't believe it is classed as one of Keswicks best hotels.I would hate to see what they class as poor rating

I had a lovely trip recently to the Castle Inn, Bassenthwaite post lockdown. Although only part of the hotel was open, the staff were very pleasant and welcoming. The restaurant was well organised and the food was delicious and good value for money. Breakfast too was well organised and lots of choice. All staff we came across were friendly and helpful. You need to book meal times and times if you want to use the pool facilities because they can only cater for smaller numbers due to social distancing. We had come on a Groupon deal and we had a lovely twin room which was spacious and nice. Excellent value for money.

We booked an executive room, however when we arrived at reception we had been upgraded to a suite, how nice was that. The suite was room 61, it was lovely. Huge bathroom, lovely comfortable bed, lovely clean crisp bedding, dressing robes were also supplied.The towels were white, fluffy, and very nice. Tea and coffee making facilities in the room. The room was nicely decorated. TV with numerous channels. Because of covid 19 you cannot have room service, but ever you require [clean sheets, towels, tea and coffee replenished], you just ring reception. All staff in the hotel are pleasant and friendly. The hotel gardens are stunning, tennis courts and put put golf are available.all free of charge. We ate in the hotel both nights, good menu and specials board, on both nights the food was excellent. We had breakfast on both days, which was lovely. Served hot and tasty, and a good choice, all cooked to order. Social distancing is well organised around the hotel. The gym and pool were shut due to restrictions. Plenty of parking at the hotel, and free..

Very nice room and staff very friendly -we ate in both nights and food was excellent-staff were very helpful considering it was just after lockdown-plenty of places round about to walk and short drive into Keswick which is lovely

This is our first visit to a hotel since lockdown rules eased, and our third evening meal out. We booked here because we have family nearby who we haven't seen since Christmas. Because we are both doctors, we didn't want to stay with family and risk giving them Covid. The check in process was smooth and safe, with screens between us and reception staff. The spacious room had a label to reassure it had been sanitised. I phoned reception for help with something and this was quickly addressed. There is a one way system round the hotel to avoid residents crossing each other in the corridor which was easy to adhere to. We booked for dinner at the hotel. This however was like going back in time six months. The staff had no regard for social distancing. They came right up to our table to take orders and deliver food and drinks with no face protection. Customers were able to walk right up to the bar. Menus were taken from one table and handed directly to customers at another. Staff were working in close proximity with each other behind the bar. Coming from the NHS environment where we are assuming everyone is infectious, this was a shock to see. I have concerns for the welfare of the staff much more than ourselves; we are much more likely to get Covid at work than at dinner in a restaurant. However the staff will serve many customers over the course of a week and it will be a matter of time before they become sick. They cannot be certain that we aren't already infectious. The hotel needs to understand that all of their restaurant staff will then be off work. I hope that none of them will become seriously ill. I did speak to the staff and they were very nice to me and did then keep their distance from us. However they only modified their behaviour for our table and I remain concerned for their safety and about the behind the scenes culture; in their staff room and kitchens for example. This was such a different experience to the other meals out we have had out, and unfortunately makes me think that it is too early for society to open up.

we had a awful stay at the castle Inn, TV didn't work in the room, room was very small and stuffy, breakfast was cold and very little of it, receptionist was rude, not worth the money we paid, definitely won't be returning

I and 2 collegues stayed at this hotel for 3 nights as it was central to all the locations we needed to visit. The room was large and excellent. we only had meals at the hotel which were all excellent, and had some of the specials on the board. Some fascillies were were closed due to the current climate, however I personnaly had a bicycle with me, and did a number of cycles during my time there, and there were some lovely routes, traffic was o.k. and some hill climbs for those ino that. It was a excellent stay, for what was a busy trip.

On arrival we were given a complimentary upgrade (great start).We booked on for an evening meal.Enjoyed it so much we ate there the second night also.The staff here are the reason we will definitely return, two ladies one of them management (a scouser) absolutely lovely!! She never stopped! We will be back early next year with our new baby.

Nice hotel in a great location. If I'm honest rooms are a little dated and not my style, but I'm not here to give a ''Alex Polizzi'' style review.They are clean and presentable. The hotel has clearly gone to great lengths to look after clients post lockdown The staff were very welcoming and friendly - I would particularly like to thank Anna and Emily for their hospitality and smiles. Its what the country needs. Shake off the ''covid blues'' pay a visit, life's too short, enjoy yourselves in our beautiful Lake District. I can recommend this place in view of its great welcome !

I stayed here on business last night, and was outraged and shocked to find out they still had their leisure pool open for members and guests! Not only is this highly illegal, but has no concern for guest or staff safety. On top of this, the rooms are tired and unclean, the hotel in itself needs a lot of money spent on it, and it was freezing cold in all areas. The conservatory even had a homemade temporary support! I will never stay here when I'm the lakes on business again.

I stayed at the hotel for 3 nights this week and was very happy to my experience. Lovely location not far from Keswick. Staff were friendly, efficient and helpful. Good breakfast cooked to order. Great steam room. Large bedroom with views of garden. Will stay again when in the area.

We stopped in our way back from Keswick to Carlisle for a spot of lunch, with my mum and my children. We were a little disappointed. Firstly the advertised carvery wasn't available. We were offered a plated Sunday lunch (choice of three meats) or a selection from the menu. We opted for two roast beef dinners and a child's gammon roast and a child's chicken nuggets. The lady taking the order seemed a bit confused over the child's gammon (despite the gentleman at the bar offering this option) so we were left wondering what would turn up... Once we had ordered we went to the bar to get drinks (this also seemed to confuse her, so we went ourselves) the gentleman serving brought our drinks over for us. Whilst waiting we searched out some pepper as we only had salt. I have to say I was a little perturbed at the condition of the condiment containers! Old food stains on the outside (which I found quite surprising given the current climate where most are cleaning more than usual) the cutlery and napkins were however spotless. Food was delivered promptly, but no offer of further condiments was made, not ketchup for the children or mustard/horseradish etc for the roast dinners. The food was OK, meat had a slightly strange taste (almost like beef cooked in ale?) I'm assuming the meat was steamed as it was soft and tender, and slightly under; just a little fatty for me. Purely a personal thing. Vegetables were well cooked and the food looked nice. There was also plenty of gravy, which was good. Service was not brilliant and staff although not rude, were not particularly friendly. I felt like not much effort was put into the service. We didn't bother with a dessert. Which we would usually have. We just paid and left. Not the worst I have eaten, but truth be told; I wouldn't go back.

Called for coffee and planned to stay for lunch - from arrival to departure it was easy to pick fault which normally I hate to admit to as by nature I try to find the "positives". Supposed to be open from 11.00 am for service but at 11.50 am felt we were in the way as staff (only a few of them around) were busy setting things up or talking among themselves and 2 walked past as I stood at the bar area which seemed to be the only place to make an order - had a conversation with a lady who was also waiting and was staying at the hotel and who complained that her room was very cold. It took some 20 minutes eventually to get served with two coffees and absolutely no conversational interaction from staff who did not make us feel welcome, did not ask questions such as "are you visiting the area" "how can we help you" "would you like a menu" (I had to ask) - and we felt so uninspired that we finished the coffee and left. Having owned hotels and pubs we certainly know the value of staff training and motivation, especially in a visitor destination such as Cumbria where word of mouth can get repeat bookings and where much of this depends on staff understanding that future bookings are vital (to their jobs for one thing !!). Even the decor in the bar area was uninspiring and the design felt "cold" - it looked like a job lot of furniture had been procured with no thought how to lay out the rooms or what would give some (sadly lacking) character - not what would be called a "locals bar" for sure and certainly not pleasing to the casual visitor (well not this one anyway). Not a place I'd re-visit or recommend. The reference to room quality is taken from the guest I spoke to.

we stayed at this hotel as it was a christmas present from our parents, we expected a nice hotel in the countryside, what we got was an old tired hotel in need of updating. We were checked in by a gentleman who was friendly enough but who smelt very strongly of stale cigarette smoke. We made our way too our room which was tired and old fashioned. The mattress was lumpy and very uncomfortable. The room was very dusty, when we lifted the the books and magazines from the table it was thick with dust. We even found toe nail clippings on the carpet. The bathroom was dirty with mould round the shower , cobwebs to be proud of (they would have taken many months to get so big) and hair not from on your head in the bath. We were on a dinner bed and breakfast package so headed down to the bar to eat. The assistant manageress was lovely, she was friendly and helpful and was doing her best to create some atmosphere in a bar which was very quiet and lacking any ambiance. The food was ok although not particularly flavoursome and not very hot . The bar area needed some attention, the window frames were rotten and I was sat by a radiator cover which was broken and had nails sticking out of it We retired to our room and were disturbed through the night by people walking up and down the corridor, resulting in a very poor night sleep. Breakfast is served in a different part of the hotel and again the assistant manageress was friendly and welcoming. However the food was poor, my husbands mushroom and tomato was cold and the beans were only warm. The coffee when poured was so weak it looked like tea, so was lacking in taste .The room was also cold. The layout of the hotel is strange it is full of unused space . It feels like a hotel which has lost its way. We checked out a day early and the same gentleman who checked us in didnt ask why we were checking out early or whether we had had a positive stay.

Booked through groupon for a birthday treat for my husband, was not disappointed, Arrived early but our room was ready so could book in, we would have been happy to wait in the bar, the staff were fantastic the general hotel was clean and well maintained, got to our room and again it was very nice, clean and had everything you could need, I could be picky but don't need to be I found 1cobweb and a little dust on table legs, Dinner in the bar was very good we had steak and ale pie was tasty and hot, veg was very good and chips nice but a little on the cool side, but that is being picky, breakfast was hot hot, service was good and good selection, leisure facilities were good but a bit confusing having to book into reception then going back out for changing rooms, I would recommend a stay here to anyone, Nice hotel lovely staff clean comfortable good food, just do it Oh and the views

Stayed at the Castle Inn hotel for one night before visiting the Lakes Distillery. The hotel is very big & spread out, we easily found reception plenty of signs, check in was very easy, our room 62 was a standard double, ok for one night but a little old fashioned although the bathroom was modern, the room was a good size, double bed, large set of drawers a bit battered, built in wardrobe/cupboard with a fan, iron & ironing board inside, wall mounted tv, table with coffee/tea tray, the room was very dusty, lights, tv, mirror, bed head etc covered in dust, the bedding was clean, but the pillows had lots of darks hairs on them which housekeeping must see when they change the bedding, the bathroom was clean but lots of mould round the shower, behind the sink the sealant was missing there was lots of mould & dirt which could be seen through the mirror, in the morning I opened the curtains to find an old carton of milk on the windowsill, which the young lady on reception would verify wasn't ours as I asked her for extra milk, the rooms must not be checked prior to guests arriving if they were the dust, mould & milk carton wouldn't be there, such a shame that the housekeeping lets the rest of the hotel down. We had evening meal in the Tavern, it was really nice, the food was lovely, good choice, quality products, the staff were very friendly, had breakfast in the restaurant & again the food was excellent, plenty of choice, freshly cooked to order, same staff from the evening meal, still very friendly. We had to change our dates due to my husband being very ill & our original dates clashing with a consultant appointment, this was done easily by email with a £15 admin charge which I could understand if the hotel was busy & they had to move things round to find us a room or if they would be left with a room they might not be able to sell, but the hotel was very quiet hardly any guests, I suppose with it being part of a hotel chain the emphasis is on making money with extras like upgrades which they invite you to bid on! Although the hotel was nice & the staff friendly, the cleanliness of the rooms let it down which is a shame.

We wanted a nice hotel in a good location for a quiet weekend away. This hotel ticks all those boxes. Used the pool which was clean and warm. Used the bar for drinks and meals. We thought the meals were of poor quality and very basic, especially for the prices charged. The 2nd night we ate out. Our room was superb and spotlessly clean. The break fasts were nice with friendly staff throughout the hotel. We would revisit and recommend.

We just called in for a quick drink today. It's lovely and it's snowing! Great place, great views friendly and attentive staff. Would thoroughly recommend. Next time we will stay with a bit of luck. Thanks Dean and Tilly for looking after us so well!

Due to the weather not being kind in the half term, I decided to book a night away as a little chill out break for both ourselves and the boys. The pool was a great hit with us while we looked out at the snowy hills, a bit disappointed the Jacuzzi wasn't on but the steam room was lovely. Our family room was huge with a double bed and 2 singles, large bathroom with walk in shower and tea and coffee making facilities. The only gripe we had was the radiator not being on in the bathroom so was icy cold and went home with cold, wet swimming gear. Breakfast was plentiful and lots of choice for us all.

We have just had a four night (Tuesday to Saturday) stay in the Castle Inn Bassenthwaite. My 93 year old Aunty in one room, 90 year old Mum in another, 16 year old quadriplegic son and wife in another and me and our 15 year old son in the last room. Let's start with the good. Breakfast had an outstanding choice and an excellent Chef. Service at breakfast was outstanding with a special thanks to Gemma and Hannah. Evening menus were more than adequate, all food was served piping hot and top quality. The Guinness was exactly as you would want. Service again throughout this meal was good with special thanks to Nicky and Gemma. The four rooms we had were 11,12,14 & 15 and classed as executive. From speaking with staff it appears this classification is based on the size of the rooms. These were very reasonable rooms and very clean. For some unknown reason when we booked these 4 rooms due to easy access for wheelchairs, the FULL £1440+ payment was taken. (22nd November 2019.) We have never had to pay in full so far in advance before and no-one else we spoke to had paid in full. That said, we tried to get a bed, breakfast and Dinner deal to be told we could not have dinner included. However some of the guests had Groupon or similar deals with an evening meal? We were told the restaurant would be closed and we could eat in the attached bar area. The gym was ok, the swimming pool with free towels was good and the steam room and sauna were fully functional. Whilst we were there it rained most of the time and was very cold and windy. The afternoon tea for one has loads and is more than enough for two (you would need an extra cup of tea/coffee) Now the negative: This was recently a Best Western establishment but is clearly being de branded for sale as an un franchised hotel. On arrival we tried to get to the bar area to find that all access points had stairs internally and externally (see photographs) which required me to lift my ageing Aunty and Mum out of their wheelchair and scooter to pass these obstacles. My son was also difficult to move into the bar area. On arrival into the bar, the issue which reflects in most of the problems we encountered became very evident. Not enough staff. The staff were multi tasking themselves between different roles with the inevitable consequences. If you arrived at evening time and left after breakfast as most residents did you may not find the issues we did. The hotel was very big and very cold. The radiators in the bar area were all cold. The main door into the bar area was very cold and draughty The electric heaters in the conservatory though switched on were in the main broken. There were several leaks in the conservatory roof and the floor was at time lethal and all the time a minefield of buckets and similar receptacles. This was a tiled floor and the only way to traverse from the hotel to the bar area. We tried to sit in the reception area which was very cold even with them wearing their coats! We had to use two small single chair lifts to get into this area. There were no toilets situated at this level and the lift was needed to get to a toilet. We left my two elderly relatives there whilst me and my wife went to the Gym, steam room and pool. On the first day my mother was crying with the cold. Later in the week with the assistance of a very nice maintenance man the wall blow heater was activated and this enabled them to sit there for two hours. We wished to sit in the nicest area of the building which was without doubt the first part of the bar area after the conservatory which was freezing. We discovered that all the tables in this area were reserved for visitors (not residents) having afternoon tea deals. (Table clothes on tables with cups and saucers) No-one was in these seats most of the time but we were not allowed to sit there. We did sit there on one occasion for afternoon tea but told we must move by 3pm. After negotiation with the bar man were allowed to sit there all Wednesday afternoon. We were not allowed to sit there again and at 1pm on Friday we requested an afternoon tea to be told there were sold out. We requested tea and cake and were told there was no cake left. Bearing in mind we were residents in a hotel miles away from any shops I had to put my elderly residents in their room to keep them warm until after 5pm without anything to eat. I could go on but it will be easier to identify the issues. This establishment is clearly struggling to keep its head above water. The afternoon teas are clearly a marketing ploy which in effect makes this seating area a no go area for residents. Trying to get served at the bar results in overworked staff running around multi tasking. I failed to get served on numerous occasions and witnesses many arguments between staff regarding future planned events. On one occasion I was completely ignored and on another witnessed an irate telephone call with a delivery company automated answering machine. One member even shouted out Jesus as he disappeared from my view when I questioned whether any hand pumped ales would be available and could my Aunty have a tonic water. He told me he was busy serving food (afternoon teas) I failed to get served and when I eventually did the only cask ale was a gluten free bitter that tasted horrible. It was still for sale on Friday evening even though it was unfit on Tuesday. Another cask beer was put on line Tuesday evening and that also was not right. Perhaps if the Bar man was allowed to concentrate on the job description things would dramatically improve BUT at this time it's a shambles and having visited and stayed in many Lakeland hotels, Cask Ales are usually the jewel in the Crown. As residents we felt that we were in the way. Our family disabilities were a burden to the establishment who were never prepared for a party of six. After four nights we are exhausted. My disabled son became very ill from Wednesday and he is still ill as I type. This cannot be attributed to the Hotel but it was so cold that he had to stay in his room from Wednesday until we left today, Saturday morning. Had our son been well we would have left the hotel after we were unable to get any food on Friday but with the weather and not being able to get home until late evening we stayed. My wife was very upset at even the simplest of requests being spurned. Management became aware of our situation and after listening to our concerns waived the all costs for our last evening meal. We still spent over £2000 for four nights. It has been a nightmare. 90% of staff were so nice but clearly overworked being tasked different roles frequently. The neighbouring table at breakfast this morning were commenting on how understaffed the hotel was they were and how overworked a young waitress was. I started by saying come for an overnight and you may be very pleased but as residents for four nights this was the worst stay in a hotel we have ever had in The Lake District. To those who were so kind I wish you well and hope the Hotel can be returned to high standards it deserves but at this time it falls far short and for our stay was poor. I note that most good reviews stayed one night.

We had booked few weeks earlier so didn't know we would be in the thick of Storm Dennis. Hotel sent us few helpful emails regarding Satnav postcodes etc. We reached around 3pm on a Sunday and the restaurant wasn't serving food at that time so we had to order room service. The rooms were clean and lovely view of the mountains from the suite. We enjoyed the pool, sauna, steam room and the gym. Had breakfast in the hotel, small buffet where we could order the hot food. Staff were friendly and a special mention to Niki at the restaurant who was very welcoming and helpful. About 15 mins drive to Keswick. Would stay here again.

Room was ok if a little dated and worn in places; although for the price paid I still felt this was value for money. Gym and changing rooms definitely in need of a refurbishment but otherwise no complaints. Great location for exploring the lakes. Not a lot of choice of places to eat very close to hotel so book in advance and be prepared to drive for the best food. The Pheasant Inn, which is a short drive away does a great game pie.

Stayed here overnight during Storm Ciara after visiting the Lakes Distillery what a wild and windy night! I'd contacted the hotel a few days before we went to see if we could have a twin bedded rather than a double room as I broke my shoulder 6 weeks ago and am quite restless during the night & didn't want to disturb my husband; the chap I spoke to said there wasn't one available but would see what he could do and when we checked in we were given a twin room, which I was very grateful for. The hotel itself is a little odd in that there seems a lot of large,empty rooms, but the room itself was clean, and the beds quite comfy. It looks like it has been redecorated and the bathroom fittings were new. The carpet however had seen better days and was a little threadbare in places. Despite the wind howling round outside we slept well! Breakfast - the continental options were reasonably good and the bread for toasting was lovely and there were even crumpets! The hot options were cooked to order rather than buffet style which was lovely and we were very impressed with the Cumbrian breakfast and the quality of the produce. All the hotel staff we encountered were professional, helpful and friendly.

We had a fabulous one night say in the Castle Inn a Christmas present from our Son and Daughter n Law. . Our room was comfortable and lovely and warm which was perfect. . Reception and check in were good and the staff were very polite and friendly .The food was really lovely and a big thank you to Vicky in the restaurant (I think that was her name) We had a fabulous stay and will certainly return .

Got a one night deal and it was good value. Staff all very helpful and pleasant. Enjoyed using the gym and pool facilities. Food okay, lovely to have a freshly cooked breakfast instead of rummaging in the fried eggs to get a good one. Hotel a bit tired round the edges, but for an overnighter it's fine.

The food was good and plentiful (breakfast and evening) the room and bathroom was clean and the pool was big enough to swim in. The only let down was the minimal toiletries, adequate but I expected a bit better from BW. Still our fave chain.

lovely hotel, room was perfect for my husbands walking disabilities.staff made us feel very welcomed and couldnt do enough to help. food in the restaurant was lovely. we had a lovely relaxing time an will go back soon.

Very friendly and helpful staff. Can't fault the food. We Spent 3 days there and enjoyed ever 1. I would definitely stay there again. The room we stopped in was very clean, It's a 5 out of 5 from us two

A fabulous stop over in the Castle Inn during January 2020. We booked an executive room which was fabulous, comfortable and lovely and warm which was perfect as the weather was atrocious. Reception and check in were exceptional with polite and well informed staff. Facilities were wonderful and I have to say the breakfast was incredible! Thank you for such a pleasant stay!

Stayed here three nights with work. Staff are very friendly and although the hotel is a little dated, the rooms are clean and spacious. I stayed in one of the bigger rooms on the ground floor, and it had patio doors that could be opened onto the terrace area. Breakfast was really good, with attentive staff taking orders and checking everything is ok.

Fantastic hotel. Family room sizes are amazing. Seating area, 2 TVs. Great pool and steam room. Games room which includes table tennis table, chess set, jenga. Breakfast was lovely. Service was great.

Thank you Tom and staff , fantastic location to celebrate our daughters Birthday with a girly tweak on afternoon tea , the girls had a fab time in the pool , the food was absolutely gorgeous, I would highly recommend for a childrens tea party, thank you to everyone

Emma made our stay very memorable. From the first phone call, to book a room to the morning of departure she was friendly, halpful and very prompt in answering to my emails even at 7am in the morning. Amazing customer service response, coming from a B&B owner. The room was massive. Emma upgraded or room to the poster bed and all the little touches were in there. Loved it. We had dinner in the restaurant and food was served with a smile. The only suggestion I would make is to have some music in the background to enhance the atmosphere for the guests, as everyone seem to whisper being so quiet. Thank you Emma again for your amazing help and helping us have a memorable stay.

Good choice for a winter stay in the Lakes as leisure facilities available to use after dark. Good value for last minute booking. Large warm room. Bar food disappointing but would still stay again as good value overall.

Me and my girlfriend went here for a long weekend. The rooms are lovely but do need a minor repair in some spaces, nothing that would ruin your stay though. Pool was decent sized and heated for a good swim. Along with the taven pub on site with lovely food and staff, good choices on the menu and is open to public not just people staying in the hotel. Breakfast variety was good for the mornings, hot and cold. Staff on reception desk are really friendly and helpful, I got flat tyre while here and the lady helped find a local garage for me.

Pleasant, friendly hotel set at the head of Bassenthwaite Lake a few miles from Keswick. Good amenities including a swimming pool for those days when the weather is less amenable for fell walking. Good choice of food in the bar/restaurant.

Stayed here for just one night. A really welcoming Hotel. The only quibble was that the kitchen was closed during the day for new floor a so there was no bar snacks/lunch available. Although we were not bothered it would have been nice to be told on our arrival or pre notification via email. However this did not stop us having a fantastic stay. The staff were really friendly and the leisure facilities were great.

Enjoyed the breakfast options particularly the muesli, granola, sliced bread and hot food served on hot plates! Enjoyed meals on both nights in the bar and a pint of real ale expertly pulled by Gemma along with great service she was everywhere most of our stay! Bathroom facilities. Free Wi-Fi. Unfortunately the bed was extremely uncomfortably even thought it had a mattress topper on we could still feel the springs when laying upon, slight improvement on the second night following replacement. No hot water first morning from the shower/sink however this was rectified within an hour and unfortunately no hot water second morning prior to departure. Some minor improvements and a little TLC wouldn't go a miss!

Came here for afternoon tea and ‘spa' access. Afternoon tea was poor. Bread for the sandwiches was stale and you could tell it had been sat out on the side somewhere for a while. Clotted cream and fillings were almost warm, scones very dry. Tea pots and knives unpolished, and you were only given one small plate. The ‘spa' was a pool with a tiny sauna and tiny steam room which seemed dirty. The hot tub was boarded over and towels were too small. You'd expect much more from a 4-star hotel.

Many aspects fine but that would be the highest rating possible overall also.Welcome at reception rather lacking warmth - more pleasant at check out. Cleaning staff friendly and chatty. Serving staff very efficient. Very limited choice on the Gala dinner menu.

This hotel is spacious and they have an indoor swimming pool which is lovely to use during the winter. You can also use the fitness room for a decent workout. The restaurant and bar serves excellent food and you won't be disappointed! Breakfast was excellent too. Visiting in gt e wibter meant that u have a whole lot of space without crowds and you will find that you are relaxed. This place is within a short drive to the lakes distillery which makes this hotel a wonderful choice. Room was spacious and surroundings beautiful. You have everything you need to rejuvenate!

Queued in time to order half a lemonade for my son. Got fed up of no control and queue jumpers. Total disorganisation. Same bar staff as always (I'm local) so it's not like they were new staff. No customer service skills, I sat down after another queue jumper was served despite being acknowledged and my son is still thirsty (I'm sure he'll cope). May have been helpful if the barman had come over once he'd served the queue but no, same old dreadful customer service.

We regularly stay at the Castle Inn. The rooms are clean and comfortable, the food is very good with an excellent breakfast and the staff are friendly and helpful. Their New Year's Eve celebrations offer a fun evening and are good value.

First time I have used this hotel despite regularly staying in the Keswick area on business. The room was spacious and clean with good decor, comfortable bed, nice bathroom and separate shower and decent working space. Bar area clean and friendly. Nice pool and leisure facilities and a good breakfast. The only thing missing was hot water! The boiler was working a central heating was fine, but the shower, bath and sink could only deliver tepid to luke warm water making showering a thoroughly unpleasant experience that absolutely ruined my stay. I had not needed hot water in the evening so it was too late to rectify the problem before breakfast in the morning. When reported to reception the ambivalence of the staff response was even more disappointing, after 53 years on this planet I am pretty sure that that I can operate a shower or bath with thermostatic safety controls. Equally the statement that the boiler was working and complete lack of apology was probably worse than the actual lack of hot water, that one would expect in a 4 star hotel. I appreciate thing go wrong, but I'd expect at the least an apology for the problem, even an insincere one would have been better. I'd like to try the hotel again and give them a second chance but Given the complete lack of empathy at reception am not sure I can be bothered with so many other good choices in the area. Shame really.

Lovely hotel fabulous staff will definitely stop again when next in the area. Came across this hotel on secret escapes would definitely recommend. The views from our room were outstanding and the food was beautifully presented. The Cresswell's

Went to the castle Inn restaurant today meal was worst I've ever had. Ordered 2 soup, tomato and spinach. Was tinned chopped tomatoes with a bit of stock and spinach. The bread used for the toast to accompany this was nice but had to ask for butter. 2 baguettes with minute steak, caramelised onion and rocket which were accompanied with a huge pile of tortilla chips and coleslaw. Onions were not caramelised and the contents of the baguette were cold. 2 side of chips which were OK and 2 fruit ciders. All food bought out at same time could be how it was cold. Didn't complain at time as just wanted to leave and was worried they would offer us something else. We paid £49 for the pleasure of this and was charged befor the food was bought out.

A great location with really friendly, helpful staff. With my wife just out of hospital, moving us to a room with step free access and accommodating her dietry needs was done with smoothly with no fuss, Great customer service.

Excellent hotel, great staff, good walks on the door step. Food second to none. Quality of bedroom and space was brilliant. Well worth a visit. Couldn't have asked for anymore, service and value for money than what we got.

Possible the best hotel we have stayed in on our numerous trips to the Lake District Staff attentive Room spacious Food good Only down side a bit to far from other other attractions But will definitely be going back Caitlin was a wonderful host and could not do enough for us

Popped in here for a meal on Thursday evening! We were a bit worried pulling into the car park as there was no cars and it was extremely quiet when we walked in but the food was lovely! One of us ordered a steak and it was cooked to perfection. All meals were lovely! It's also dog friendly too on the hard floor by the bar which is great that we could dine with our two dogs too!

It is always the luck of the draw, but this place is very close to the sea front it has great views and a good restaurant that serves high quality food. the hotel is average to decent but the restaurant super

Trip to the Lakes. Well appointed, clean rooms and friendly staff. Disappointed that the jacuzzi was not in use. £16 pp for breakfast is a bit steep. Hotel a bit soulless and lacking atmosphere, though it was end of season. We had a car so went to Keswick to eat. Its near Bassenthwaite lake which was picturesque but you need a car to get about. Good service as befits this chain.

Had an amazing time after booking a great bargain on groupon. Myself and my husband had booked for afternoon tea and use of the spa facilities for £19. The afternoon tea was delicious and there was a great selection of sandwiches and cakes. The scones were full size and there was plenty of jam and cream to top these. Everything had a home baked taste and was beautiful. We both came away absolutely stuffed. The staff were very friendly and attentive. We were asked if we wanted more coffee or if there was anything else we would like. The leisure facilities were very good and we used the pool, steam and sauna. We came away very relaxed and had a great afternoon. We will definitely return to this place.

Just stayed the one night here, really enjoyed our stay. The room was really confortable. The pool was excellent, really warm. For me the steps into the pool were helpful as I am a bit dodgy on my feet. Most pools have a ladder over the side which is not good for me. The evening meals was very good, the manager in the restaurant Nicky, tookgreat care to make us welcome, she was on duty for breakfast as well, and made us very welcome. Overall a good stay here.

A large group of us stayed at this hotel for two nights, with no issues. Room very spacious and clean. Food excellent and service good. All the staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble.

Stayed 2 nights during half term week. £189 Groupon B&B with dinner on one night. Arrived and check in ok but they weren't keen for us to have dinner on 2nd night but a quick phone call sorted this for us. We had a double en suite room with a dual aspect view of the valley and the gardens. Very spacious with a seperate bathroom accessed by a vestibule area behind the front door to the room (Room 25). Bed comfy. All very clean and massive bathroom with bath and overhead shower. Breakfasts on both days truly excellent, plates too hot to touch and cooked to order. Best poached eggs ever in any hotel. Meal at nigh was great. Mackerel starter with poached egg was lovely and steaks were ok. The one cask ale, Tirril, was actually very quaffable. Pool area really good as was steam room and sauna. No Jacuzzi but hole for it still there as mentioned in previous reviews. You need a car to stay here. One mile from nearest pub Sun Inn, but too scary to walk to in the dark! Hotel rambles a bit and is dated. Needs gutting and starting again really. We will possibly stay here again, depends on the deal.

4 stars for the accommodation. Room, bed and all the bits good. bathroom v good ( the shower needed anti mould) pan too close to shower, so over average size will not be able to sit square on. Food , "not as we know it Jim". Sunday carvery is not a carvery but a load of food in a bain marie. rubber roast potatoes/yorkshires. Meats sitting drying out. Ran out of beef 1 hour before end of play. All in all a pretty awful. Better food in the local pub

Lesiure centre , the Jacuzzi has been broken for over seven years , Sauna, wet room dirty, the food is actualy ok but a little overpriced , breakfast was really good , but the rooms really let the place down they are in dire need of refurbishment ASAP, hairs in sink, hairs in drawers tears in carpet , i asked for some ice to be sent to the room they told me there was a £5 charge for that , really !!!! i was charged £15 extra for an executive room that had no ropes, water, torn carpet and faced the main road which is quite busy , BEST WESTERN WAKE UP YOU NEED TO SPEND MONEY ON THIS HOTEL

Staff very polite and helpful, hotel and facilities were spotless, towels given to pool users so didn't need our own, cleaner was constantly mopping floor so floor wasn't wet like many other pools I've visited. food, a nice wee selection of cakes and sandwiches, was lovely. Cannot fault this hotel despite our hesitation after recent rating. Highly recommended and will be back

Stayed here recently for one night with my partner. We often use Premier Inn etc so as this was a 4 star we considered it a little treat. Positives...location and views superb, although I guess could be challenging to access in winter conditions. Staff friendly and room was fine. The availability and speed of internet over wifi was extremely impressive considering the rural location. Negatives...the breakfast was overpriced at £16.50 and there was a strange staff 'performance' involving the cerial bowls. I like to have 2 weetabix in a bowl, but there were unusually weetabix out in single bixs (travelodge for example has them out in packs of 2), okay but coupled with this was the fact that the only bowls out were the small type with the small handles on each side which you may associate with serving soup in. A waiter was stood there so I had to go up to him and say 'I like 2 weetabix, do you have any larger bowls?' He brought ONE out and gave it to me. Other guests also had to go up to waiter and ask for a cerial bowl. This was really odd for a supposed 4 star hotel, and I can only think deliberate management policy. Also toaster was extremely slow and awkward to use. It's a shame this breakfast experience took the shine off the rest of the stay.

Just returned from an overnight stay at this hotel. We had a very pleasant stay. From the friendly swift check in, to the equally swift check out, it was all very professional. The swimming pool was good. Our room was ok but could do with some updating. Toiletries were included and there was a safe in the wardrobe. Breakfast was delicious.

Quite an impressive building. We stayed for 2 nights on a group-on deal. Our room was very spacious and clean. The staff at reception were very friendly and helpful.On our first day, we had our meal in the 'Tavern', which was part of the deal and it was very nice. However, they did run out of burgers and apparently carrots, which were missing from my main meal choice. This is not too much of an issue as I have no issues seeing in the dark. (would have been nice to have been informed though). The barstaff were also very friendly and helpful. Day 1- Breakfast was served in the Ritson restaurant, which has a conservatory attached to it and we felt that it was a wee bit chilly in there. Also, the cooked breakfast was obviously pre-cooked as the bacon, black pudding were dry and the fried eggs were over-cooked. Day 2 - We left the obligatory sign, outside the door, to make the room up. Imagine our surprise to find the bed still dishevelled, no clean towels etc...a bin had been emptied and the coffee and milk replenished. I don't work in hospitality, so maybe that is all you get. Breakfast on day 2 was different, as their was a party of 45 who had booked in. The breakfast room was very busy and Yes, we had to wait for our breakfast order, however it was definitely freshly cooked and very nice- no issues whatsoever (food for thought here Castle Inn). After our day out, we returned to the Hotel and headed to the Tavern. What can I say about the staff, so very friendly and helpful, yet again. We decided to have our evening meal here, I opted for something that wasn't on the menu, but was a fusion of 2 items. The Chef totally accommodated me and all I can say is WOW. The meal was amazing. All in all, I would recommend this place, but if you have any issues, get yourself down to reception and make them known.

Me n my wife stopped here on our first night of our honeymoon and we couldnt of picked a nicer hotel there wasnt a single fault we could pick at. We would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone. Many thanks

Firstly the reception entrance needs clear signage, as people were looking for the reception complete with suitcases etc like us, enjoyed our swim no hot tub looks like not been working for a while, pool was fine. Afternoon tea was fine for the price nice warm scones good selection of sandwiches chocolate pot with fruit , etc unlimited tea and coffee, staff friendly only downside is the tatty tub chairs all worn at the arms need thrown out need offers on to get bums on seats as it's a spacious hotel In an excellent location overlooking the lake, previous report saying was remote obviously not used to the Lake District plus good bus service outside the hotel

Stayed here for a three night break in a junior suite. Rooms clean warm & comfortable. Staff all pleasant & helpful, nice pool area & small but adequate gym. No restaurant open so first night we ate in the bar area. Non exciting typical pub grub, expensive and waited ages for service so ate out for our other two evenings. Would recommend staying on a B&B basis as breakfast is charged at a whopping £16.50 per person, probably not a problem to the business expense account customers. Hotel around 7 miles along a country road & pretty isolated. A taxi into Keswick costs £18.00 each way return or £20.00 one way. Because of location & prices probably will not stay here again.

Myself and a friend visited the Castle Inn Hotel last weekend in the hope for an afternoon tea, after exploring the Lake District. We arrived at the hotel and were greeted by the friendly reception staff who directed us towards the conservatory area where we would be having our afternoon tea. After taking a seat, an exceptionally smart waiter welcomed us and provided us with a menu. We both chose the standard afternoon tea and in around 10 minutes we were both given our tiers of delights. On the top plate there was our selection of sweet treats which consisted of a slice of carrot cake, cream sponge, cookies, chocolate viennese whirl and delicious chocolate brownie. Below that were our warm scones, jam and cream and finally on the bottom were our finger sandwiches. Both of us deeply enjoyed the experience and the views were absolutely outstanding, we could both drink our tea and look out along the valleys of the Lake District. We would both suggest having afternoon tea at the Castle Inn Hotel even if you're just walking by or are planning a friends day out. At only £12.50 a person this great value for money. Next time we would like to experience the ‘Swim and Splurge' afternoon tea where you are given access to the leisure facilities as well as having an afternoon tea.

Booked using Groupon. On arrival the receptionist said there was a complementary hot beverage, it was a self service table but the coffee was empty and when I pointed this out the young lady said that it would take 15 minutes for it to be replaced with a fresh pot and handed us two sachets of instant powder. We were then told to follow signs to the swimming pool. After our swim we went for afternoon tea. No one else just the two of us in a surrounding of zero atmosphere and two workmen banging away on the radiators! Eventually a waiter came and asked if we would like tea or coffee and that the afternoon tea would arrive shortly. We were in no rush so this was not a problem, the problem we had was with the selection of food put in front of us! If your chef is going to bulk bake & freeze, then please have the decency to defrost the cakes before serving them to paying customers! sliced cream & jam sponge & some sort of carrot cake both had frozen icicles through them, the scones were extremely rubbery. Had we seen any members of staff we would off said there & then but it was like the Marie-Celeste! Our chickens said thank you for the flap jacks.

Stayed at the Castle Inn Hotel for a family holiday over the week. Staff were very friendly and helpful, breakfast and dinner was delicious! Lovely clean hotel and beautiful views of the surrounding village. Will definitely be returning. Well Done to the staff at the Castle Inn Hotel

Great weekend at the Castle Inn - Stayed DBB and both meals were excellent. Staff at reception and in the bar area were so welcoming and friendly, rooms were clean and had everything you should need. (my wife says bring your own hairdryer as the one in the bathroom was not very good). We would stay here again.

I booked a groupon voucher for myself and my friend for her birthday. Upon arrival there was no receptionsit in the spa s we just took the towels as the sign said and off we went. once in the spa, the receptionist that was on last time followed us in and got in the pool, she then cleaned the inside of the pool with chemicals and a brush whilst wearing rubber gloves. this went on for the whole 2 and a half hours we were in there, there were also children in the pool. These chemicals could have been fine, however the fact she had rubber gloves on told us otherwise. The sauna and hot tub were not working and the steam room was not great. Also not the cleanest place. The afternoon tea was nice but mainly fruit cakes.

We stayed for two nights and could find no fault with the hotel and staff all first class. The on suite toilet needing flushing two or three times before it cleared I mentioned this on checking out. This hotel is first class in every way I do not normally recommend hotels but this is the best..

We stayed at the hotel on Friday 20th Sept. I found the hotel to be dated and overpriced. In the morning we awoke at 8am to a mouse scuttling round the room. The mouse ran out through the closed hotel room door and just a couple of minutes later ran back in via the same route. Eventually the mouse ran back out and we had to Barr the door with towels. We left immediately. When we departed and informed reception they said they would ask house keeping to have a look. No other apology, explanation or compensation was given. Needless to say we wouldn't stay again or recommend

We were part of a large group of 80 plus dancers who have just spent a very enjoyable weekend at the Castle Inn hotel... From start to finish the hotel have looked after us. Our 3 nights included  bed breakfast and evening meal... We arrived late friday and checked it....the last to arrive...with people from all over uk in our group. We were greeted with a smile by the receptionist... allocated our room ..which was a very pleasant surprise when we opened the door. Room 60. We had a well furnished room with lots of space and storage. The bed was hugh. It was an upgraded room and well worth it. We even had two tv's .... one in a sitting area and one facing the bed. The en suite was large and  well furnished including wall fitted hairdryer by the mirror. Large bath...and seperate shower. Shower could have done with more power but ok. In rating our room.... i will give it 5 stars.. Re ..meals, we mainly dined in the restaurant... and on first morning 80 plus guests arriving all at once did create a slight delay but expected when breakfasts are plated and brought out to order. There was some confusion for some guests re what breakfast they had ordered but quickly sorted. The dining room is nicely set out. I will say from the outset...all our cooked food was served piping hot, served on hot plates... Food products very good. The staff were very busy on that first morning but remained very pleasant. Our remaining two breakfasts of our weekend were served a lot smoother  and piping hot So for the breakfasts i will award 4+stars out of 5. Our evening meals...being a large group...we chose our meals before hand so was served nice and hot. Good service . I will say getting a 3 course meal out to 80 ish people in just over an hour and clearing plates isn't bad going... so be patient if you arnt the first table to be served... if you want fast food...go to mcdonalds.. So evening meals i will give 5stars. On our final night..(not all had booked the 3rd night) a small group of us were dining and served by Nikki... This lady was professional throughout but had a fantastic personality the more we got to know her... shes a typical scouser with quick one line replies to any banter... she engaged with the diners without intruding...and attended to our dining needs. I will give her 6 out of 5 stars. Re our dancing. We had use of the hotels large function room. As jivers we know a good dancefloor. This has one of the best sprung dancefloors  around.....including some of the ballroom venues we use. It was excellent with good bar facilities.... We held a 40s retro tea dance on the sat afternoon after a boat trip around the lake. I will say the cakes food etc put on for us was fab and everyone complimented the variety and quality. The scones still warm... Our tea dance service gets 5 stars. At the end of our evening dances when most had gone to bed... the die hards would sit and have a drink or two.... Again this is where the hotel staff looked after us... The covering night porter Jake and remaining bar chap Mitch were very professional...never rushed us. Whatever drink was required i.e whisky... they would make sure we were offered the full range even if it was from the other bar. Small attention to detail that we liked and made our evenings complete... Guys...5 stars. Over the weekend we had fantastic weather. Brilliant sunshine fri and Sat.many enjoyed sitting out in the gardens. The grounds are kept immaculate...hedges and grass all trimmed. Great feelgood factor when enjoying the sun. 5 stars Over the long perion of years the hotel has been extended and you can see the photos in the bar Thus there are several Large carparks around the hotel giving you different access points. I work with disabled people and as the hotel has developed there are differend levels ... but the disabled are well catered for with easy access wheelchair lifts. 5 stars. So in all we had a very enjoyable weekend. I have mentioned yes the shower could have been better and slight mix up on first breakfast... but when you put this against the quality weekend , good service. Great facilaties including gym pool etc...it has to get 5 stars on this visit. I have done hundreds of reviews with over 160000 views from people.... and yes i do not always give a high star rating...but our weekend justly deserves it....and look forward to our 2nd visit next year. I hope this is helpful

We have thoroughly enjoyed our two night groupon break. As mentioned by other reviewers ignore your sat Nav we didn't and had a short detour through the village that was unnecessary. On arrival plenty of parking and a quick and efficient check in. Large room with everything needed for a comfortable stay. Room was very clean and bed very comfortable. Breakfast was served in a nice breakfast room . We really enjoyed our full Cumbrian cooked breakfast. We had evening meal included on the first night and both enjoyed it very much. Having spent the day on the fells we decided to eat at the hotel again and once again enjoyed our meal. The gym was very good and the swimming pool was superb. Only negative was the sauna was out of order the first night however working the second day which was very welcome after our day on the fells. The staff were all very efficient and we wouldn't hesitate to return to this hotel.

We were booked in here for 4 nights with a Beverley Coach company. The staff were friendly, the room was good with a very comfortable bed & great shower. The food menu let the hotel down unfortunately & the service was slow & disorganised. Complaints were made at the first night's dinner. Offering 5 bean & sweet potato curry or chilli con carne were not good options for 36 passengers with the average age of 70+! Although discussions for the next 3 night's meals were held between restaurant manager, chef & coach company the resulting food was well below the standard expected from a Best Western hotel.

Stayed overnight on a D,B&B deal at the Castle Inn with the objective of walking up Skiddaw the following day. Really enjoyed our stay. Leisure facilities are very good. Reasonable gym and very nice pool, steam and sauna. Staff are excellent; professional, happy, pleasant and offering great service. Can't fault the dining experience. Felt both fresh and good quality. Would definitely consider staying again if visiting north lakes.

we have just returned from a two night stay we found the whole experience to be good the room we had was brilliant with everything in the staff were very helpful and hard working the breakfast was best by far for choice we would definately go back again .

We returned for another visit to our favorite hotel and were not disappointed. We have been visiting now for many years, for special occasions and short breaks, to enjoy the Lake District. Over the years the premises has changed considerably, all for the better, however one thing that has never changed is the way the staff have looked after us. It is amazing just how this has been maintained and of create credit to everyone involved, Well done and keep it up

My wife and I stayed here for a long weekend, a Wowcher DB&B deal. The hotel is nicely located for walkers and is central to many attractions and areas of interest. The hotel is spotlessly clean and the staff are highly trained and professional. The Inn is comfortable and serves meals throughout the day. We had dinner on the first night with our Wowcher deal. Regrettably, this wasn't the best, a real shame for such a welcoming hotel. We did enjoy our sandwich lunch though. I would love to stay again, but wouldn't bother with an evening meal.

Our 5 day visit was spoiled by our stay here. Apart from a pleasant room the hotel lacked atmosphere, the poor restaurant staff were so disorganised and the food was the worst we have ever had. The first night dinner menu was a choice of chilli or curry. Those unable to eat spicy food had no choice but to do without!! The second night was again lasagne or risotto, another spicy choice! I could go on and on about the disappointments experienced by our party. A very sad thing was that one gentleman had brought his wife to celebrate their diamond wedding!! Such a shame!!

We have just returned from a 5 night stay and were disappointed overall with this 4*Hotel. In appearance it's shabby and in need of not only a deep clean and new decor but some maintenance too. Food is mediocre, certainly nothing to recommend. It's also remote. On a plus the staff were friendly and polite. However, We would not stay here again and would not recommend it.

I wouldn't want to risk eating here, not what I expect from a Best Western hotel. I don't know if they are even still allowed to serve food with this kind of hygiene rating appalling for what is supposed to be a good hotel

Just returned from five day visit to this hotel.On arrival greeted by pleasant and helpful staff and our room and ensuite clean with crisp bedding and towels. After that aaaargh. the food was terrible.The first evening the main choice was vegetarian curry or chilli.no options.and it tasted as if it had been warmed up leftovers.The meal was so bad we thought this can only get better.We were wrong.It got worse .The morning ordering system for the evening meal is chaotic.The waiting staff wander around with various plates of foods shouting out who ordered soup or who ordered melon etc.One night I had ordered the soup as a starter but by the time the ritual shouting out who wants what had finished there was no soup left for me.The chef then sent out a substitute which was inedible and I had to send it back as it was cold and greasy and had no idea what flavour it was certainly not the mushroom soup I had preordered.The special treat Carvery was a joke,We received 1 chicken thigh with 2 roast potatoes a couple of carrots and gravy.Unfortunately there is nowhere within walking distance to travel to for a meal so we had to stick it out in the hotel restaurant.

Well decorated modern interiors and spacious restaurant and bar areas , a great swimming pool and spa together with great food and beers and a good wine list make this hotel the perfect choice for a top class break

We visited this Hotel in April for our anniversary, and then again in July, for my birthday. It is a beautiful Hotel, with stunning grounds. The pool and facilities were brilliant, our daughter loved the games room and handmade swing in the grounds. The staff were very attentive, however on our second visit, the service in the bar was below average and very poor. Apart from this, we had two very enjoyable visits and we will be back!

Initially allocated room no 29, room was nice enough but was tiny and very hot inside, after having a problem with the cooling fan, we spoke to the cleaners who were very helpful and managed to change to the room next door, this room was excellent for our needs, we enjoyed our stay here and found all the staff to be very nice, on top of that the breakfast and evening meal were excellent, on the morning of departure we were woken at about 6am with the hotel alarm sounding still don't know why, unfortunately it rained heavily while we were there so we didn't explore the area, would certainly return

What appears to be a very good hotel and restaurant is not. A conference centre it might be. Pub is not, Restaurant it is not. We were recommended to try this place. I expected a well appointed restaurant. We got dressed up as usual to go out, need not have done we would have been better in jeans and tee shirts or shorts, which some were dressed It was more like a pub lounge. I ordered drinks, Pint and half of beer OK, coke no ice no lemon it came with both, Gin and tonic it came as very weak as single gin which I asked for, in half pint glass filled with tonic only ice. I enquired of this and the in-experienced girl said this is how they always served it. I asked for another gin but was served pink gin at an expensive price. We ordered meals, 3 steak and ale pie one without gravy, they all came with gravy, they appeared to have been microwaved one Chicken curry, just ok. Cannot recommend this place to anyone not even a tramp. CRAP. Needs updating a great deal

My husband and I booked a 2 night break at this hotel. The staff were all extremely welcoming and helpful and couldn't do enough to make our stay memorable. Our room was lovely with everything we needed and the food was clearly home cooked, locally sourced produce, served in a short time by friendly staff. We certainly recommend this hotel if you are looking for a quiet oasis away from hustle and bustle and busy life.

Having stayed before in February room only, we brought friends to celebrate their Golden wedding anniversary. I bought a voucher for 2 double rooms Dinner bed and breakfast. On arrival the receptionist could only find one room on her list - very embarrassing! She eventually found the other room but they were quite a way apart. Our room although large was very dull and overlooked a flat roof and a wall.Theirs was small but at least it overlooked the garden. We went swimming, got dressed for dinner and went downstairs through the restaurant to the lounge, noting all the empty tables. We were told on enquiry that we would be eating in the bar, not what we expected. We waited 30 minutes for my friend and I to be able to push 2 round bar tables together, 10 minutes for our order to be taken, and 45 minutes to be served! By this time it was 9.35pm and we had lost our appetite. The manager was apologetic and said that the restaurant had been closed in the evenings for 3 months. Our celebration evening was ruined. Although things did pick up with a lovely breakfast in the restaurant the next morning, and the staff were very friendly,we found the whole experience embarrassing and disappointing. We are frequent hotel guests and have never before eaten dinner as a bar meal at a bar table.

The hotel is a bit like me, a little tired and in need of a face lift. This of course takes time and money. What really stands out is the quality of food and staff Tasty food ,cheerful attentive staff

Following a previous visit which was a lot to be desired we returned for a complimentary stay. This time we were not disappointed. A suite on the first floor was a surprise, spacious with a king size bed and couch in the corner. An early evening visit to the Castle Inn Tavern for dinner was much better than previously; both food and service were excellent. Breakfast the following morning was very good. Choice of fruit, cereal together with fruit juices. A full Cumbrian breakfast was available plus other choices on the menu. Overall an enjoyable stay. Would definitely return So long as standards are maintained. A special note, our waiter John (for both dinner and breakfast ) was excellent and always had a friendly smile.

My wife and I have stayed here on several occasions (usually out of season) when we have been nothing but impressed by the service and general standards at the hotel and bar. On this trip we had 2 grandchildren with us (aged 6 & 4) our family room was very good (a previous comment on here said family rooms have a fridge but ours didn't & we didn't need one) the grandchildren had 2 single beds & tv and our room was a double with separate tv . The bathroom had both bath and shower cubicle. Facilities at the hotel are excellent, as a family we made use of the swimming pool, games room, putting green and gardens. We dined in the bar both nights where the menu is limited (I'm sure there were specials in the off season) and I don't think I would eat there with children again. The service was very slow which is not good with children and I got the feeling that the kitchen can't cope with the amount of diners in the summer season. The standard of food was not as good as I remembered and can only be described as average and adequate. Would I use the hotel again? Yes, but only out of season

The lady behind the bar was very helpful and that's what saved a 1 star review. Afternoon tea wasnt bad although the scones were hard. The few sandwiches were nice. The teapot and milk jug were stained and grubby on the outside and only one small pot of tea for 4 of us. When we asked for more tea it was clear they had just topped up with more water. What really let it down was the lack of disabled access. A lovely sunny day and we had to sit in a dark corner of the bar as it was the only place accessible by wheelchair. No access to bathroom facilities for disabled people from the bar either.

Lots of bugs/insects in our room. There's no air con. Only provided with a fan. The room was exceptionally warm. Best thing is bed is comfy, needs to be renovated. Also nowhere to be seen about pool and sauna when booking? Maybe needs to be published better

This was a lovely stay away from all the hustle and bustle. In beautiful grounds it's much bigger than it first seems. Our room was a really good size with an extra large double bed, lots of natural light from 3 windows, really nice. The bathroom was big as well with a large bath to relax in, complimentary toiletries were available to use. There is also tea and coffee making facilities in the room and bottled water, all nice touches.

Spent two nights here with my wife and my Brother in Law and Sister in Law. Lovely location, very peaceful and tranquil. Had Dinner in the restaurant both nights and could not fault the food. Used the pool, and the table tennis facility and even the grounds are nice for a gentle walk. Would recommend this Hotel.

We used a Groupon deal to enjoy afternoon tea and use of the pool. Absolutely brilliant little hotel. Clean, tidy, helpful staff and the food was delicious. A great way to spend a rainy afternoon in the Lakes.

Visiting area on business, and needed somewhere for a short night, and the Castle Inn fitted the bill perfectly. Arrived late, but plenty of parking, easy signs to get me into reception and then bar which was in full flow of quality food and drink. Comfortable room, with nice large shower, made the early start easier, as did the excellent cooked breakfast. Watch out for the plates though, as seriously hot....

Always wanted to visit the Lake District but a long way to travel. After a long journey for a short stay our arrival was greeted with a heavy shower but a very warm greeting by the gentleman on reception. The room was the biggest family room I have stayed in with the nicest bedding and a fridge too. After a visit into Keswick returned for our evening meal with was very good and again served by 2 gentleman who could not have been more accomodating as we were running late. After a great night's sleep, breakfast was excellent served by Jack and Arthur . It was nice to see people really happy in their jobs and so pleasant. The hotel may be old but adds real character to the area and the rooms were very good indeed. Bus stop outside the hotel and walking distance to the Derwent. Overall I would highly recommend to any age group and families too.

Stayed recently, hotel tired, outside needs attention, that said the food in restaurant was good,even though only 1 restaurant open, paid for upgraded room,wasn't worth the additional amount, mattress didn't fit bed frame, which wasn't great too soft pillows kept slipping between headboard and mattress not great. Pool area good, bus outside to Keswick which was really good, had allot of good points silly little things leg it down.

my husband and myself booked this via the hotel directly after seeing it on Groupon. the hotel is situated on the 591 from Keswick and is very easily located. but take note of the hotel advice if you are using sat nav, as sat nav will take you the Bassenthwaite village. plenty of parking available. On arrival we asked if we could look at upgrading as I had received several emails prior to arrival with the option to upgrade. however there was no rooms ready for arrival and the receptionist kept saying they were fully booked the next night (16th july) but we were only booked for one night. so we were very disappointed. However the room we were allocated was lovely sadly no view as it looked onto a roof and the road. The room was very nicely decorated with two lovely comfortable arm chairs. very nice walk in shower, small bathroom but adequate. Bed linen lovely white and crisp and the same for the towels. We were booked for bed breakfast and evening meal and on arrival we were informed that evening meal would be in the Tavern. The Tavern is a pub which is part of the hotel complex.We went to the Tavern and it was fairly busy. lovely pub and good atmosphere. very pleasant bar staff. we were asked to choose a table of our choice and given menus. The menu was extensive and excellent choices. The food was cooked to order and I must say was delicious. we both had sirloin steak with triple cooked chips. we had the cheese board for dessert. both main course and cheese board were lovely. delicious and well presented. you got port with the cheese board, what a lovely touch. We also took advantage of the spa. swimming pool is really nice, 25 metres long. the sauna and steam room was very good too. however the Jacuzzi we were informed had not worked for many years. pool towels were provided. but you need a pound coin for the lockers in the changing room. The changing rooms are a little tired. The gardens at the hotel are beautifully maintained, stunning, peaceful with plenty of chairs to sit and relax. Tennis court is also available. small putting green. inside there is a games room with table tennis and chess and other games.We had breakfast included, you help yourself to juices, cereals, croissants, toast etc and fruit. but the waiter will take your order for cooked items. and also tea and coffee are brought to your table for you. The breakfast menu is extensive, plenty to choose from. all delicious. Bassenthwaite Lake is 1 and quarter miles away there are two pull in points for cars and you can walk down to the Lake it's well worth a visit. we will definitely return to this hotel

The staff were very friendly and helpful, and the parking is great. However, the room and the hotel itself are tired and dull. I found hairs in the shower, and I had to throw two of the pillows on to the floor as I went to bed because they smelled so bad and musty - like wet dog. The noise levels between rooms is quite bad, you can hear muffled conversations of people next door. The food in the restaurant was clearly defrosted, bland, generic stuff, and the eggs Benedict I had for breakfast was the worst I've ever had.

Stayed here for 2 nights and thought the hotel was lovely. Our room had a great view (would def ask for that room again) but was a little dated. It did have everything we needed. The bathroom was huge. We went to the pub once and thought that was nice. Right in the middle of nowhere. We did think it was expensive for a room only basis but would stay here again if we could get the same view.

Recently stayed at the Best western castle inn hotel and considering the deal, location and food we were all over the moon. We have seen the others reviews for this hotel but it certainly hasn't been our experience. The hotel is set across quite a plot and is a little all over the place until you get your bearings with the hotel and Tavern. We stayed 2 Nights B & B with an evening meal the first night plus took the dog. We were in a self contained room just outside the front entrance with a door straight outside as you can't take dogs through the hotel itself and within the Tavern they have to remain in the bar area in the wooden floor but that was more than fine. The staff were very pleasant and helpful throughout our stay and in particular Jack in the Tavern who served us for the two nights couldn't do enough he was lovely. The meals were excellent quality and we thought good value, couldn't fault it at all. We had steak and chips the first night and the steak and ale pie on the second evening which was amazing along with the chips! The hotel is situated a little drive from the main towns but still worth it as it has a great view over Bassenthwaite lake from the back. It's also close to the distillery which is well worth a visit with the tour, although the drinks from the shop were a bit pricey but a tipple is included in the tour. Make sure you have a look at the whole site as you can take a short walk down to the river Derwent and they keep alpacas at the back which was a real treat. Went into Keswick the second day which is only a 10-15 mins drive away through the stunning scenery. Well worth a stay and look out for special offers on Wowcher etc to get a deal xx

My son and girlfriend recently stayed here on a b&b with evening meal basis . Hotel was fine but the restaurant was infested with flies so they couldn't eat meal in there and chose not eat breakfast ! Other people staying there said been the same for their 3 day stay !! When they complained to staff they said “fly spray didn't work so “oh well “ !! I've emailed twice not to complain with no reply . Very unhappy with the customer cervice of this hotel !

Stayed 2 nights the room was a decent size and OK if a bit dated. The staff made the stay an enjoyable experience as they were all very friendly and pleasant. Breakfasts were great although the addition of an omelette to the choices on offer would not go amiss.

Paid extra for a suite which was very outdated and tired. Four poster bed was held together with screws. Not worth the extra. No atmosphere in public areas. Food wasn't great and lots of flies. Wont be going back.

A pleasant hotel some miles from anywhere of interest. There with friends, we were well looked after. Our bedroom was good and comfy. My only adverse comment is that there was no handle to hold in the shower.

Where to start, arrived at 14.15 expecting to have a bit lunch before we booked in, Unfortunately the kitchen was closed as they had a wedding function on that day, when asked where I was able to eat the barman at the pub wasn't very helpful at all so ended up jumping in the car and google where to eat.(Bar availability on drinks was limited and they did serve cold sandwiches at £7.50 each) Once we checked in to the hotel we decide to put our bags in the room, when we got to the room the room was very dated and could of done with a lick up paint to brighten up the room, the bathroom was modern and the best feature about the hotel. We had ordered a double room through booking.com which looked really pleasing to the eye however the bed was two single beds put together and had the thinnest mattress topper to cover the two single mattresses, the mattresses where dreadful and not comfortable one bit. We then decide to try the leisure facilities at the hotel so we headed to the pool we were advised we would need a pound for the locker which we got back once we had finished, i wasn't really bothered about putting a pound in the locker but once we reached the changing rooms there was a male and female changing only and we only had one pound coin :( maybe a bit naive on my behalf, never the less we proceeded into the changing rooms we were astonished and the Sunday football league style changing rooms which smelt foist (possibly the worst changing rooms i have seen). Eventually got the pool which was okay to be fair however the Jacuzzi was covered and the steam room wasn't very pleasant, steam room was okay, the pool was fine was you swam to one end put when you go the the end near the changing rooms you could smell the foist. Anyway headed up to the room to get changed for our night out, the Mrs decided she wanted a bottle of Prosecco we did try to order room service but they wanted to charge us £5 so i decided to go the bar myself not realizing i had to walk directly through the wedding with my shorts and T Shirt on (was not impressed at this point) Got back to the room with the prosecco and decided not to the let the previous disappointment spoil our evening, decided to watch some TV while the Mrs got ready, the TV size was okay from the rooms size and was on a tv bracket which you could use to get the best position for viewing, as i went to turn the TV to the position i wanted i noticed that it was covered in dust which looks like it had been there for months !! Eventually got ready and got out and had to walk through the restaurant to get to the bar for drinks (can't comment on food as didn't try but it looked disgusting, Main restaurant was shut due to wedding) once at the bar i asked for Vodka lemonade and lime only to be told they had ran out and the rest was for the wedding as you can imagine this took me over the edge, after looking at the food i thought things can't get any worse so decided to go to reception to order a Taxi, got to reception for them to ring a Taxi and was advised it would be an hour and a half for any taxi as they came directly from Keswick i was fuming we ended up having to drive the car 4 mile to the nearest restaurant which was part of another hotel. Spoke to the manager he could only apologies, headed for breakfast which was included in the price (£16.50 normally) and yet again another disappointment was disgusting which made me think that we had a near escape not eating at the bar that night. I paid £159 pound for this and i have stopped in better bed & breakfast for £30 a night i would not recommend this to any one, Premier inns are better, will not return.

Attended the Castle Inn for use of the spa facilities and afternoon tea. Received necessary details on attendance from a lady at reception. We decided to use the gym facilities first. The gym is small but with sufficient machines to have a good workout. The treadmills were very comfortable to run on. Water , paper towels and tv/music were available. Next we used the swimming pool. The changing rooms and pool surroundings need updating. We last stayed at this hotel about 20 years ago and it appears very little refurbishment has taken place in the pool/spa area since then other than painting of the walls. The pool however was enjoyable, a nice temperature and good clean towels. There is also a steam room and sauna which both worked well. We then indulged in afternoon tea , and due to the lovely weather was able to take this on the lawn in the garden. Beautiful surroundings. We ordered our tea from a young man at the bar who was very polite and chatty and an absolute credit to the hotel, he made us feel really welcome, well done! The afternoon tea consisted of 4 finger sandwiches each , with various fillings, all of which were very tasty. 4 small cakes each, and of course scone, jam and cream. Everything was very nice and recommended. A very good experience at the Castle Inn, thank you.

Lovely hotel, staff very pleasant up graded Executive room. Food was good in the Bar would definitely stay in the hotel again. I have to say that the Hotel was a little bit out of the way without transport. However the village was closed when we arrived

The hotel is a little out of Keswick.It is just up the road from the Lakes Distillery. We were happy with our room, comfortable bed,small bathroom( but plenty of hot water) .We stayed 2 nights.Had dinner and breakfast at the hotel. The bar meals were generous and tasty.The breakfasts were the same. We would happily stay here again.

It's a good hotel and very well priced . Location was in the country side which gives lots to explore and the info provided at the reception was spot on . Room was good and the services were excellent , could improve the food :)

My Dad & his partner treat us both to an afternoon at the castle inn when she saw an offer on Groupon for Afternoon tea and use of the facilities. On Arrival the hotel was very quiet, it was a Saturday. We made our way through to the fitness suite where we my only disappointment of the whole day was the unfriendly and quite rude lady on the reception desk of the leisure suite (not to be rude, her shirt was also filthy,covered in bleach stains all over front and back) which i was shocked about as the lady in the general hotel reception was so polite and lovely. The pool, gym and sauna area are well used, but the gym has some good equipment and they are all clean and tidy. After getting changed we headed through to the lounge area where we were served our afternoon tea. There was a selection of sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and a selection of cakes ( scones were warm, and we asked for plain scones and no seafood) . Couldn't fault the food at all the staff were lovely, and the chef even checked all was okay with our food. I would definitely re-visit but hopefully next time, the lady on the leisure reception could be a bit politer and maybe add some music to the lounge where we had our afternoon tea and in the gym.

Me & my girlfriend got a deal through Wowcher for this hotel and we were pleasantly surprised. Our room was clean and was away from the main areas of the hotel. It had all the expected features and appliances. Only niggle with the room is the water always came out boiling hot even if you had it on the coldest setting, which made getting a shower quite tricky. We were a bit skeptical about food as the main A La Carte restaurant was closed (even though we had breakfast in it's seating area) but the food from the Tarvern was really nice. The chef came out to see if our food how our food was and offered us a butter to add to the steak for free, which was a nice touch. In terms of atmosphere it was rather dead. Music wouldn't go amiss, even if it was just a radio. The lounge area was almost just a corridor with a few seats, and again lacked atmosphere. The games room was pretty good with a decent selection of things to do. The pool was a good size and had a decent sauna/steam room. As a whole to decor is a bit dated, maybe the hotel feel it gives it more character but a new theme of decor would go a long way. It would appeal to a younger clientele as well.

Stayed at the Castle Inn Hotel for 2 nights in June 2019. Located 7 miles north of Keswick this is in a very accessible location at the top of Bassenthwaite lake. Although we drove, it is on a bus route for those who might be using public transport. Plenty of parking and a very friendly reception team. Our room (26) looked out over a very pretty garden. Very nice ensuite and a very comfortable room with all of the expected facilities. On our first night we ate in the hotel and had a very nice meal from a good selection to choose from on the menu. We used the pool and spa facilities which were fine if a little tired around the edges. Just a small niggle, there is a £5 charge for a bath robe to use too/from the spa which we felt could have been included in the room amenities but appreciate that there are additional laundering costs etc. Breakfast was excellent with plenty of choice - Cumbrian Breakfast is a treat and service was very good. Locally there is plenty of walking, we chose to walk down the eastern edge of the lake towards Dodd Wood and visit the Osprey viewpoint returning via Bassenthwaite Village. Lovely coffee/cake stop at Mireside House. Unfortunately it was raining for most of the walk, when we got back to the hotel we asked if there was a drying room for our wet boots, sadly there isn't one. Perhaps this is something the hotel could consider as I am sure we are not the first walkers to have wet feet. The staff were all very pleasant and we were made to feel very welcome. Highly recommend this hotel as a base for a visit to this beautiful part of Cumbria.

Lovely room (32) very comfy bed pleasant staff breakfast cooked to perfection, & plenty of choices with the continental breakfast too loved having a dip in the pool enjoyed our break will definitely be back again next year

For what we wanted, a good hotel. Clean, tidy, pleasant staff Only had a light meal in the evening in the bar - very pleasant Reviews must be at least 200 characters so I am filling this up with unnecessary blurb to fulfil the request!!!

My partner treat us both to an afternoon at the castle inn when she saw an offer on Groupon for Afternoon tea and use of the facilities. On Arrival the hotel was very quiet, it was a Tuesday afternoon. We made our way through to the fitness suite where we were checked in by a very friendly & polite gent, who gave us instruction about the use of pool/ gym & explained where afternoon tea would be served at out selected time. We then spent a very relaxing two hours in the pool and sauna. The pool and sauna area, although obviously well used, are perfectly serviceable , clean and well kept. After getting changed we headed through to the lounge area where we were served our afternoon tea. There was a selection of sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and a selection of cakes ( scones were warm) . Couldn't really fault the food and we were checked on by staff a couple of times and offers refills for our tea a couple of times. The only thing I would comment on is the lounge area is a through fare and the seating arrangement meant we were sat with our back to the walk way, which personally I found uncomfortable, but that is a personal thing, apart from that some music would have created a bit of atmosphere. That said we would definitely go back, and we did buy vouchers for Afternoon tea for our two daughters and their partners.

The hotel is in a great location. The staff were all friendly and service efficient. Excellent leisure facilities - good pool, steam room/ sauna. Grass tennis court looked tempting, set in nice grounds. Games room good for children. The bedroom was comfortable and clean. The only downside was dinner. The food was not great quality and didn't match menu descriptions either. Definitely not a 4 star dining experience. The breakfast was fine, though the buffet selection was rather limited. It is so nearly a really good hotel but they need to sort the kitchen out.

We stayed at this hotel as part of a Gb Tours group and we were extremely satisfied. The whole experience was absolutely faultless, from the excellent well organised check in to the wonderful food , lovely room with super views over the gardens , and superb staff. We were sad we couldn't stay longer and would love to return. We has a great nights sleep and we cannot understand negative reviews, the whole of iur coach party said how much they enjoyed their stay. Thank you so much to everyone at the hotel for making our little break so enjoyable.

This hotel has wonderful staff who go out of their way for you, unfortunately I cannot say the same regarding the Manager. We booked an accessible room , we were not told that to access the breakfast there are stairs . To use the Bar and restuarant there are stairs. I found this difficult. I am not one for complaining and if I had recieved an apology from the manager I would not be bothering with this review. We had an accessible bathroom which was not clean. ( Sliding door had dirty hand prints the shower had hairs and was not cleaned properly. On the 2nd evening the safety mat had been removed. the On the 2nd evening we realised that there was no replacement toilet tissue. 1 roll for two people for 2 days is a bit mean. A delivery van arrived just before 7.30am and had its engine running whilst making its delivery. My main complaint was this accomodation is not suitable for people in a wheelchair. The staff were lovely and went out of their way to help me. . Wish the Manager had.

A 1 night retreat. Excellent situation,excellent gardens, putting green,tennis,terrace with splendid views.pool....thankyou to Gary the Leisure Supervisor. Great food,wine and hearty breakfast,Staff very helpful.Great value. Good walks near to hotel.

Great place to stay lovely hotel can't do enough for you. Would definitely recommend to anyone. Great location for seeing the northern and western lakes, plenty of attractions close by for everyone, and lots of good food to be had.

Stayed for a single night. Our room was lovely and spacious, clean and had 2 chairs and a table by the window. We slept well. The conservatory area is a great place to sit and watch the sunset with a drink. We ate in the bar and the food was yummy. We had a little problem with the speed of food leaving the kitchen but have been impressed with the hotels response to our feedback and given that would return or nip in for lunch. They are clearly committed to customer service and enjoyment. Breakfast comes from a menu so it is freshly cooked to order. Continental is buffet style. The coffee was nice. We used the gym and found it had everything you need for a decent work out. We booked for a relaxing break and got it. It was nice to be away from the busy Keswick. The staff at the hotel are attentive and cheerful.

I paid £144 for one night and didn't sleep a wink mattress to big for bed duvet under sheets making the mattress lumpy Could hear the conversation and snoring in the next room all night Leaking shower and very tired rooms Complained about the price in the morning and receptionist agreed it wasn't worth the price said the manager would call to agree a price I was happy to pay £60 No call from manager and full price was taken a few days later I travel a lot and stay in hotels up and down the county and this place is a joke and I feel ripped off Spend your hard earned cash somewhere else is my advice

We stayed here over Easter and what a treat! Tucked away in the north of Lake District, it's near Skiddaw and Blencathra for wonderful hikes up to see the spectacular views. Driving up from the south, the scenery was just stunning. The bonus of a warm indoor pool made it just perfect for relaxing after enjoying the Lakes. Good value for money.

Fantastic room great staff and facilities the only down side to our stay was the resteraunt being closed for the evening meal and having to eat bar food in the tavern. Breakfast was great and the service first class. We would stay here again

Over all the hotel and staff are lovley, we laid for an upgrade (it was only £20) for the executive twin room. Room was very clean, beds comfortable (as we both have sore backs they must have been comfy). Breakfasts were fine, hot and fresh, and what was t there, when we asked the staff got us. Our main issue was the evening meal on the first night, as others have stated. We waited 25 mins for someone to come to take our order, even though there was only three other tables occupied. Then after 30 mins I went to the bar and asked how long our meal would be, after checking the staff came to and said it will be with us soon and the chicken breast takes 20 mins to cook ! Eventually our meals arrived at 9.15, a total of 45 mins, and still the tables were quiet. My veg curry was ok but needed more flavour, a bit watery. My husbands ceg was unrecognisable, we think it was slices of corn and mushrooms, ? Too hard to eat. The staff asked was the food ok, I didn't want to complain as I had already complained about the long wait. Then I had cheese cake, it was nothing like cheese cake, sorry I cany even say what it was like, and a piece of hard unsweetened rhubarb. Pistachio ice cream, just tasted of marzipan. Sorry, but even my husband rasred the sweet and said it was horrid. He had sticky toffee oud which hs says was lovley. I should have complained but hadn't got the energy by this time. Saying all this, I would definitely stay again, but wouldnt have the evening meal.

We had a very enjoyable stay at this hotel. The room was spotless, light and very comfortable. The views were stunning. The food was excellent at both breakfast and dinner. Staff were very friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend this hotel.

We have absolutely no complaints about the room at all, it's the food served in the Castle Inn Tavern. The menu looked okay, so we opted for the goats cheese & red onion marmalade tarte tatin and the chilli lime king prawns. My tarte tatin was quite nice, except for the fact that it was definitely not freshly cooked. To describe the chilli prawns, costing over £7 as 4 prawns with no evidence of either chilli or lime atop half a slice of white bread would be totally accurate. Now for the main course....OMG! We both opted for what was described as a “Chilli Monster” - chicken breast in a chilli breadcrumb topped with mozzarella, fresh chilli and garlic mayo, served with coleslaw and fries. Where do I begin? The dish was served on an old, tatty, burnt wooden platter which looked extremely unhygienic. How on earth this could be completely devoid of anything nasty is totally beyond me. As a result, we didn't eat anything that had been in contact with said platter. The chicken was cooked within an inch of its life, so much so that the mozzarella had turned into a shard of something......(cremated mozzarella perhaps?). Oddly, mine had a blob of chilli & garlic mayo but my husband's had morphed into tomato sauce!! The desserts surely couldn't be any worse? My white chocolate and orange bread and butter pudding would be quite useful as a doorstop! It was rubbery and extremely unpleasant to eat Whoever regards themselves as the “chef” running this restaurant should be really embarrassed at the food he/she is churning out of the kitchen and as a result, I would NOT recommend eating here. The only reason I haven't given my review 1 star is because of our room.

We stayed at the Castle Inn for 2 nights, the hotel is lovely (may benefit from a refurb but didn't spoil our stay). We paid £15 per night to upgrade to executive room which was lovely. There was bottled water in the room for the first night but not the second?. The pool and leisure facilities were great. We ate in the hotel on the first night, for some reason the main restaurant wasn't open so we went to the tavern, food was good. The staff were friendly, especially Gabor who was exceptional, he was helpful, went out of his way to chat and worked very hard. Thanks also to Fiona on reception who told us about some great walks. Would definitely recommend walking round Buttermere. The break was a present for my husband's 50th and we both loved every minute, would definitely come back to explore the area more.

Lovely destination and hotel and very friendly staff, shame about the food we got a deal on wowcher with a 2 course meal included in the tavern restaurant, me and partner ordered bbq chicken wings to start which was like eating batter with a squirt of bbq sauce then lasagna which was like a bowl of cheese with too much pepper was disappointed on a whole if the food was better we would of stayed here again.

Hotel is listed as Keswick but is several miles beyond. Beautiful rooms (16&17) and good helpful staff. Drinks expensive, evening meal okay, average pub grub, breakfast much better, lots of choice. Scenery fantastic, beautiful area.

The hotel is situated in a lovely spot with nice views and gardens. Ideal for exploring the north lakes. However the hotel itself is very dated. A bit of fresh paint at least wouldn't go a miss. I noticed in the conservatory area where breakfast is served, the wooden window panels are rotting and have been covered over with white tape! I wouldn't expect to see that in any hotel. The quality of food is poor and the price does not in any way reflect the quality for which you think you have paid. Simple things like care and attention to detail in both the hotel decor and quality of food is seriously lacking. It's a shame because it could potentially be a nice hotel. The staff are friendly and helpful.

A good hotel and excellent location at Bassenthwaite Lake. Easy access to Keswick and surrounding areas. Hotel has a good restaurant with excellent menu for breakfast and dinner. This hotel also has a small fitness centre together with swimming pool. Nice hotel with friendly staff.

We booked this last minute via the hotel who were very helpful with our mobility needs. The car parking was literally yards away from the access. We stayed bed and breakfast and the room was clean and in good order and the food good. The pool was accessible for less mobile persons and the sauna/steam room good. The jacuzzi was out of order. We got a good value deal on the phone. It is geared up for weddings and functions and is large. During our stay in April 19 it was quiet.

A friend and I had afternoon tea and it was very disappointing, cold tea , rock hard scones and dry bite size cakes. I also emailed castle inn to tell them and had no reply what so ever!! Needless to say won't be returning ...

An ideal location - peaceful and plenty to do on site - indoor pool, gym, games room, outdoor putting green, lovely sofas to rest and chat. Good food and service. Larger hotel than I had imagined. Nearby Keswick is delightful.

First time here for 3 years and the hotel is in need of a full upgrade and refurbishment. We tried the carvery and I really enjoyed the meal, a very good selection of roasts and even better of vegtables etc. The only poor item was the beef could not cut it fortunately I also had the ham which was excellent. My wife enjoyed the meal but its a bit like a canteen not been snobbish but why seat us a yard from the carvery. Finally not great to sit afterwards. Staff were good chef came round and asked if all ok, told him about the beef I suspect a poor cut. Would I go back. Yes I would but they need it upgraded and they need to think more about how the restaurant is set out

One night stay on way home from mini tour of West coast of England. Reception very helpful on arriving but disappointed with room. Not up to the same standard as the rest of the hotel with a very basic bathroom and the worst bed of the week. Choice of breakfast was good but when asked for only scrambled egg would have expected a bit more than just the same amount you get with the full English. Stayed at other Best Western hotels this week and paid less for a better room.

Had a Sunday lunch and swim booked here and was very disappointed. I was with friends and family and all aspects of our day were spoilt by the very unreluctant staff who raised their eyes on more that one occasion when we asked for anything. Shoulders were shrugged and at one point when my sister who has crohns disease asked for a white bread roll instead of brown was told she was being awkward. Food was nothing to write home about especially when my daughter found a hair in her food. I will not be going back.

We stayed here 18/04/2019 and the reception and bar staff were friendly and helpful. The food in the Tavern was excellent and the leisure facilities are well worth trying out. The views from the hotel are excellent and overall, this hotel is certainly worth a visit. The only downside was being woken by the cleaners having a loud and lengthy conversation this morning. We had planned a long lie in before travelling to Keswick, but hadn't expected the cleaners to regale us with staff rotas and annual leave. Would we go back? Probably...

Enjoyed an excellent one night stay on dinner bed and breakfast rate. Spacious well appointed room, excellent food, great leisure facilities, good location with plenty of parking. Staff were friendly and helpful. Would be happy to return to this hotel next time we are in the area. Highly recommended. Richard & Elizabeth.

Just back from a great night away at Castle Inn. Lovely location with beautiful views. Room was spotless, spacious and really comfortable. Staff were really pleasant and helpful. Will definitely return!

This was a short visit but very enjoyable. The Castle Inn Hotel is in an out of the way location but near to nice walking country. The hotel layout is quite spread out and involves many short sets of stairs. Initially we found it quite difficult to navigate around the hotel. The rooms are comfortable and well presented. Tea and coffee making facilities are in each room. The food we had was good and wholesome. There is a choice of good pub food type dining and a more refined dining area at much higher costs. The only reason I do not give it excellent rating is because of the quirky layout. It starts with the road sign which beckons you into what looks like a pub and car park. The actual hotel entrance is some 200 yards or so further down the main road. Another entrance with steps up was locked on our arrival. Eventually we found the correct entrance around the corner and behind some hedges. The inside is just as difficult to mange navigation at first until you get used to the layout. The staff are excellent, friendly and helpful. It seems to be a popular venue for company conferences as there are several meeting rooms/suites.

Visited for an afternoon tea and to use the spa facilities, spa consisted of a sauna, steam room and a lovely warm pool. While the spa itself is fine we were disappointed to find the jacuzzi out of order, with no explanation as to why. The changing rooms and connecting corridor really could do with an update as they look very tired. The gym is small and adequate with everything you would expect. The afternoon tea was really very disappointing and needs reviewed for the cost- it was not worth it at all. The sandwiches were stale and either cheese/pickle or ham. The scones dry and the cakes bite size. The two children with us asked to take their cakes and scones and were given an old plastic Chinese food container which reeked of the takeaway and they only got their scone the cakes were missing. The hygiene certainly needs looked at as the waitress put our full cake stand on the floor, moved the table and plonked it in the middle. A little later the chef came out, dropped a cream portion, kicked it then picked it up and put it back on the stand he was carrying. The advertised tennis court was out of order as was the putting green and jacuzzi that were all advertised. Definitely reminded us of the hotel from the shining (without the blood bath) Reception staff lovely and really welcoming

We have stayed at castle inn on numerous occasions and had exceptional stays. Recently stayed 7th & 8th April, Room very good, very disappointed with Food quality and very poor service in the Tavern bar. Present experience encountered we will be reluctant to stay at this hotel in the future.

We have stayed at the Castle Inn numerous times, but not been able to visit for the last 3 years due to ill health. We have always used an executive room, but this time we had to use the accessible. This time we felt a second class citizen, the bathroom (wet room) was tired and tatty,in need of a full revamp to bring it up to any sort of standard. The bedroom it self is also in need of work.The breakfast was also not up to the standard of our last visit.Just because I am a wheelchair user does not mean we have to put up with poor facilities. The only saving grace was the staff.

Staff friendly but put do not disturb on door as was staying 2 nights room didn't need anything doing when came back they had been in room what the point of don't disturb or make up room notice and also said to reception before going out in morning, colour blind or can't read sorry only thing as I leave work things in room

We booked on a Travelzoo BB evening meal deal and absolutely enjoyed our stay here. From the start the reception staff ( Canadian lady) was lovely and accommodating., we requested twin beds and it was done straight away by the friendly maid (good luck with your birth in couple weeks) . The room was large, clean and bright, we went for a swim in the large heated pool which was lovely. At night we ate in the tavern which had a lovely ambience, comfortable chairs and the food was good. We have tried several Lake District hotels (as we only live an hour away) for a break and we had not wanted to return to any, but we will definitely return to the Castle Inn. The receptionist on booking out told us to ring direct and they will match any deals. Would definitely recommend.

Great location, amazing (complimentary) facilities and very reasonable rates! Room was very comfortable and had bath and shower. Spa was free and the kids and adults in our group all used the facilities. Lake views from some rooms.

Enjoyed our beautiful tea. Staff were so helpful asking if everything was ok. The tea was delicious. We sat on nice sofas with views across the lake and mountains beyond. So relaxing. The Jacuzzi wasn't working but everything else was ok. It would be better if the Jacuzzi did work. Maybe the manager would address this. It's a shame to have It and not use it. The hotel has lovely gardens and every one was cleaning and doing maintenance. Nice to see hotel kept well.

I went to castle inn with my daughter for afternoon tea and fill use of spa facilities for mothers day where to start the changing rooms were grotty and dirty the gym was good small but good pool was out dated jacuzzi wasn't open but got to use steam room and sauna the afternoon tea on the advert look gorgeous so I was really looking forward to it but by God I was disappointed it was just thrown together looked nothing like the picture on website at all sandwiches were awful cakes so small not even a mouth full coffee and tea cold no staff around to speak to so we ate what we could (we were hungry) then left we definitely wont be back

This part of the Lakes is just over 2hrs from Manchester, so could do a walk and drive back in a day, but we decided to make a longer trip and stay at the Castle Inn, booked via Woucher. Good room , good food and drink in the bar. Staff friendly and helpful. Nice breakfast to start the day as well

Room was not clean, bed sheets stained, carpet not cleaned/hoovered, pubic hair in bathtub and bathroom floor. We were there half an hour earlier to check in but we have been told that the room is not ready yet so we vent to the bar area for some food. Food wasn't hot enough and way overpriced. Checked in and had to leave the room and request to be cleaned properly. When complained at the reception, nobody really listened to our complaints and we were sent from pillar to post. All I wanted is an acknowledgement/apology for falling bellow standards and maybe a good will gesture. Matt at the reception did not want to deal with us so he sent me to go to the breakfast area to talk to the assistant manager. The assistant manager, polite however, she said that she cannot overrule Matt as he is the Revenue Manager, but she could ask the manager who was on holiday to ring me when returned. Nobody rang. Breakfast is £16 and it is pitiful, no quality whatsoever, sausages and bacon under-cooked and cold, pale. Needless to say we won't be back.

I bought a groupon for this visit on our way home from a short break in Keswick, £24 for afternoon tea for 2 with the use of the leisure facilities, I thought it was a good deal but honestly is the worst I've ever had. Poor couple of finger sandwiches, 2 scones that were ready for the bin and a couple of tiny bits of cake/ possible fudge brownie. Really terrible, even the tea was terrible . Never again, Most deffinately wouldn't recommend to anyone.

Lovely delicious cakes, fresh sandwiches and lovely homemade warm scones. A fantastic deal on Groupon for two for £24. Very a peaceful and nice to look out on to the gardens, Highly recommend the afternoon tea.

The location of this hotel is ideal with close access to activities in the area hower the service and food in the hotel was a let down. We had a two night stay that included 3 course on the first night, the steak was gristle and the cheese board had 3 cuts of the SAME cheese. The next day the room was not cleaned and I had to call reception twice, the breakfast I ordered was missing hash browns and when I asked they just said they don't have any, no alternative offer or apology. The second evening we ordered room service, I ordered the chicken tikka with basmati rice and popadom, arrived with no popadoms and long grain rice, also just stir fry chicken not a hint of curry. Again called and was offered something else but no apology or question about my dissatisfaction witch to me emplies this happens often. Anyway I ordered a burger, it was burnt and the bun was stale. Walked it downstairs to the bar and the man there was apologetic and offered something else and drinks as a sorry witch was slightly better however by that point my appetite had gone. So not great experience tbh only saving grace was the friendly man at the bar and one friendly American receptionist. The manager didn't smile once and she seemed quite unfriendly and generally unapologetic about the poor service.

Couldn't recommend this place enough absolutely beautiful staff or amazing food is absolutely out of this world we come as a family about two or three times a year great little games room for the kids to play swimming pool .gym for the adults and the views are just amazing

Had a wonderful two day stay at the Castle Inn this week. Booked through Secret Escapes and worth every penny. The bar staff and chef Damian tonight have made our stay really memorable, thank you. Their hospitality and interaction with us as guests was second to none and our food was wonderful. Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow Damian.

My wife is disable, in a wheelchair, so needed facilities to accommodate her needs. The room was large enough for her to maneuver independently & had a wet room, large comfy bed & all facilities needed. Staff were very friendly & helpful. Food excellent. Only down was there is steps to get to the restaurant. Almost there but not quite for disabled people.

Lovely receptionist Fiona was very helpful. Very comfortable rooms with a lovely bathroom. Our deal included a 3 course dinner, starters very nice but main course was rather cold. Bar staff very busy but attentive. Unfortunately we didn't have time to use the smashing leisure facilities, would definitely stay again.

Just back from a 2 night stay bought as a gift as we love the Lake District walking, weather was awful upon arrival but the receptionists were very nice and checked us in efficiently, plenty of parking out front and back and great location for lake Bassenthwaite which was a 15 walk. Our room was very clean and warm and had everything we needed inc a nice en suite, tv,tea/coffee, biscuits,toiletries, ironing board and large towels. We ate both nights in the tavern the staff were lovely and the chef popped out too, on both occasions the food was delicious good size portions and reasonably priced, This hotel is spacious but peaceful and a great base for exploring the lakes will definitely recommend and return.

Hotel staff were very good and friendly, food was very average, and the atmosphere in the hotel was non exsistent! Everywhere seemed cold and uninviting, with the exception of our room, which we chose to upgrade.

All the staff were superb, from the chambermaids, to the spa staff, chef, waiters, bar staff and receptionists. They made the trip (travelzoo offer) such a special time. The food was excellent, good portion sizes, quick service, clean facilities and a great place. Thank you.

Having booked the Saturday night at the last minute we were lucky to get one of the two dog friendly rooms they have. however when we arrived there was a problem with our room which meant we could definitely not have slept in it. After my wife went to reception she arrived back at the room immediately with the manager (Tom) he agreed we could not spend the night in the room and said he would sort something. He arrived back within five minutes and although the hotel was full, he managed to juggle us into another lovely room within the hotel, no fuss for him at all and done with a smile on his face. we were very happy. We trotted off to the bar that evening for our meal/drinks and there was Tom, again running everything like clockwork even though it was very, very busy. we had a lovely relaxed meal and once again thanked Tom for his help. Down to breakfast early sunday morning before heading off out for a long trek and, yes, there was Tom, again running the dining room for breakfast, a smile for everybody and a little chat. We had a great weekend away in glorious weather, and would definitely return to this hotel. I do hope Best Western appreciate what a great manager they have in Tom, works his socks off, the other staff all seemed to have a great rapport with him, and very unusual these days, nothing was too much trouble for him and all done with a smile. Thank you.

I was amazed to see an email from your hotel after our visit on 1st March for I night as I have patiently waited for a phone call from the manager re an awful time and awful meal at your hotel that spoilt my husbands birthday surprise for his 65th. What a JOKE!!!!!!!!