A Michelin-starred hotel in the Lake District which has played host to Tom Cruise and David Beckham is set to offer its guests refunds if it rains during their stay.

Despite the fact that it is situated in one of the wettest parts of the British Isles, The Samling hotel in Windemere, Cumbria, has promised to offer people refunds of £100 – even if it is only drizzling – after one of the driest winters in living memory.

Most visitors to the Lake District expect to pack a pair of wellington boots and a rain jacket when they visit the national park, however the region has recorded its driest winter since 1929.

Bookmakers William Hill is offering evens, or a 50% chance, on the Samling not having to pay out between now and the end of the offer in September.

The drought has prompted water company United Utilities to ask the Environment Agency for permission to take more water from Ennerdale lake, which drains some of England’s highest mountains including Pillar, Steeple and Great Gable.

Similar requests may follow for Windermere and Ullswater, whose water levels have already dropped significantly.

Speaking to the Guardian, hotel manager Andrew MacKay said: ‘We’re convinced that we’re going to have a long hot summer in the Lake District.

‘We had some terrible weather last year from floods to heavy snow before the dry spell set in, so I think we are due a bit of fortune.’

Overlooking the north shore of Lake Windemere, the 17th Century hotel is considered one of the most exclusive properties in the Lake District and was once owned by John Benson, landlord to the poet William Wordsworth – who would walk to the house to pay his rent.

The offer is open to anyone staying at the hotel between now and September, with bookmakers giving The Samling a 50 per cent chance of not having to pay out during that time.

An award-winning “designer-chic” hotel in the Lake District is aiming to literally double its guests this summer through launching a unique “Two’s a Couple, Four’s a Delight” offer.

Having recognised that many first-time guests then go on to return to the hotel with friends and relatives, the four-star Rothay Garden hotel in Grasmere has introduced a special incentive to groups of friends and relatives who decide to visit the Lake District together.

This summer (for short breaks and holidays in July and August), guests who book to stay with friends or relatives at Rothay Garden (in two or more of the hotel’s luxurious bedrooms or Loft Suites), will be greeted with a sparkling complimentary bottle of Roederer Champagne and four flutes in the hotel’s lounge on check-in, to ensure that the break gets off to a flying start.

The “Two’s a Couple, Four’s a Delight” champagne offer is even valid on the hotel’s popular Summer Saver rates, which give generous discounts off four and seven-night stays at Rothay Garden.

To add a life to your journey, good food is extremely essential. Lake District is not only famous for its traditional food but also covers a large variety of international food. To put in some more energy to your holiday at Lake District, luxury eating-outs are an added colour.The following information will be very helpful in making up your mind where to dine in.

The Drunken Duck Inn and Restaurant
This restaurant is very well known amongst the hotels in Ambleside. A very amusing story about a Victorian landlady who found her ducks lying still one day, is the reason behind the unusual name. Assuming them to be dead, she took them to cook but as they awoke she was surprised to find that they were not actually dead! It later turned out that they had been drinking beer from a barrel of beer.

The restaurant specialises in providing its customers with a varied list of mouth watering dishes which are based on the regional and local harvests. A main course costs in between the range of £14 to £26. It is advisable to go for advanced booking.

Porthole Eating House
Located in the midst of other hotels in Windermere, this restaurant is known for its international style with a tinge of French and Italian food. In summers the hotel arranges an eating-out area for its customers to relax in the peace and quietness of nature. This is an added perk for those on a holiday. The area comprises of a balcony giving a magnificent view to the visitors. The range of the main course meal starts from £12.95. Moreover the wine crypt offers 340 kinds of handpicked and tasted wines.

Lucy’s on a Plate
The Ambleside hotels are particularly well known for their impressive appearance and extravagance. Lucy’s on a Plate restaurant is considered to be amongst these. The restaurant opened as a mini tea shop in the surroundings of the most luxurious Ambleside hotels, later to be one of them.
Lucy’s is well known for its ‘Up the duff” night which features a all sweet menu. As can be judged from their motto “sourced locally and cooked globally”, they clearly emphasise the usage of the local harvest in their food. The menu is routinely changed.

The George Hotel
Dating back to Elizabeth times, The George Hotel is one of the oldest Keswick hotels.With an interior of heavily panelled walls and traditional environment, this restaurant offers magnificent food.
The main course costs around £15. The restaurant is famous for its history as well as the traditional blend. Tip rating is 3.5 and advanced booking is recommended.

Jerichos at the Waverley
Sited within the heart of the Windermere hotels is the multi award winning ‘Jerichos at the Waverley’ in the main street. They specialize in perfectly formed menu topped with fresh and seasonal local produce. The restaurant offers four starters, five mains accompanied by 60 kinds of wines. Although the restaurant accommodates around 36 tables only, it is famous for the quality food and taste it provides.

Advanced booking is recommended for private parties and dinners.

An innovative plan of cut-price deals to boost tourism in the Lake District has got off to a flying start.

The first phase of the campaign by the Lakes Hospitality Association (LHA), where visitors were invited to stay on any Sunday night in January, or the first Sunday in February, from just £9.99 per person including bed and breakfast, has received almost 1,000 bookings.

The promotion was introduced to show tourists that the Lakes is very much open for business.

The association has now launched the second phase which will run until March 28, offering bed and breakfast at the rate of £29.99 per person.

A Windermere couple have backed their confidence in the region’s tourism appeal by investing £500,000 in revamping two hotels.

Will Howarth, and his wife Lyn, have splashed £250,000 on a refurbishment of the Windermere Boutique Hotel – formerly called 21.

The couple have upgraded all of the establishment’s 12 bedrooms with contemporary fittings and have created a more spacious lounge and a residents’ bar.

A similar amount has been pumped into the Aphrodites Lodge, in Bowness, creating a new spa area by enclosing an open-air swimming pool.

“Obviously the recession and indeed the floods have not helped the tourism industry here in the Lakes over the last year or so but we remain extremely confident about the future of our two hotels in Windermere,” said Mr Howarth. “That is why we are prepared to invest such considerable sums of money in them.”

Over 150 brides travelled to Inn on the Lake from London and the South coast, to attend their most spectacular wedding fayre. In the hotel grounds a huge marquee was launched as a new venue that can be hired for weddings in the gardens – to accommodate up to 200 guests.

Inn on the Lake General Manager Gary Wilson said “The views from the hotel are renowned so it is the perfect place to have a lakeside wedding, with the new Gazebo licensed for civil ceremonies and the wedding marquee”.

Brides stepped into the marquee which revealed a taste of how it could look on their wedding day with fantastic table settings, a chocolate fountain on display and unspoilt views down the to lake. This was also the venue for the fashion show which included three Penrith wedding specialists – Tilly’s for Mother of the Bride outfits, Edwards for Menswear and Kokoa Brides – Cumbria’s newest Bridal house which opened in Penrith recently.

There was however, one exhibit that wowed brides to be, even more – the new ‘Victorian style’ gazebo set in the garden close to the water’s edge. Beverley Kelso, Wedding Co-ordinator at The Inn on the Lake part of the Lake District Hotels Ltd group said “It is a unique place to exchange vows in one of the prettiest settings in the Lakes and allows us to stay one step ahead of other venues. It has already become THE Lake District wedding venue of choice for brides who have booked to get married here this summer and is set to entice many more in the coming months. We already have one of the most photographed jetties in the country – a fantastic place for stunning pictures, and now, our brides can marry outside in the gazebo, overlooking the lake, the jetty and the mountains. There is no other place like it in the whole of the Lakes.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the wedding gazebo should contact Beverley Kelso at Inn on the lake on 017684 82444

Hiking enthusiasts seeking a luxury break on some of Britain’s most beautiful walking trails may wish to book a stay at a hotel that has won back its place in the prestigious Michelin Guide book.

The Samling Hotel in the Lake District has been awarded a star by the hotel and restaurant reviewer, the News & Star reports.

Hollywood icon Tom Cruise and David and Victoria Beckham are said to be some of the establishment’s most famous fans.

Michelin Guide editor Derek Bulming tells the newspaper: ‘There is now a greater geographical spread of starred restaurants and the inspectors will continue to seek out establishments serving particularly good food, wherever they are situated.’

The Samling could be perfectly located for people who wish to relax in luxurious surroundings by night while taking an Ordnance Survey map out and hitting the walking trails of the National Park by day.

Covering 2 292 sq km, the Lake District is Britain’s largest National Park.

Read more about the Samling Hotel here

Ordnance surveys

Grasmere is ideally located within the Lake District so that every valley may be explored, with just a short journey from the Luxury Lake District Hotel that is Rothay Garden.

Grasmere is ideally located within the Lake District so that every valley may be explored, with just a short journey from the Luxury Lake District Hotel that is Rothay Garden. The village of Grasmere is beautiful and charming positioned perfectly in the heart of the Lake District National Park. Many tourists choose to visit the close by ‘honey pot’ towns of Hawkshead, Ambleside, Coniston, Keswick, Bowness and Windermere. The River Rothay runs nearby and to the north west of Grasmere, is Helm Crag, with Nab Scar and Rydal Fell lying to the east, and Silver Howe and Yew Crag to the west.

Rothay Garden Hotel is built from the locally quarried grey green stone, so reminiscent of the region. The surrounding area is noted for its beautiful scenery and there are many delightful walks which suit a range of abilities. To the south of the village is Grasmere Lake where there are some gentle walks amongst the lower ground around the lake. Or Grasmere is located centrally for the more challenging walking of Helvellyn, Scafell Pikes, Skiddaw and the Langdale Pikes. It was this spectacular scenery in Grasmere that inspired much of the poet William Wordsworth’s best works; he described the area as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”.

Of all the Hotels in the Lake District, Rothay Garden is no ordinary Lakeland hotel. It is in fact one of the finest and contemporary four star Lake District Hotels. It is perfect for both a winter or summer break and the two acres of riverside gardens are a wonderful and relaxing place to let life pass you by. It is a comfortable, quality hotel where you can escape life’s pressures and seek peace and quiet.

Many Lake District Hotels try and offer good catering but Rothay Garden really does offer excellent food really makes the difference between a break away from home and a memorable trip to treasure.

There are many hotels in the Lake District but staying at Rothay Garden means you are also in the right place to visit the Grasmere Festival of Stars which takes place on the last weekend in November every year.

i-newswire.com

A TV advertising campaign and website built around a new hit TV series are weapons in the Lake District’s fight to beat bad publicity after winter floods.

The Lakes Hospitality Association has launched a television advertising campaign for hotels and guesthouses in the Lake District and set up a special website www.lakewindermere.tv, designed to capitalise on the popular TV programme The Lakes.

The first of a series of adverts on ITV1 started on Tuesday this week and will go on air around the TV show and other well-known programmes, such as This Morning, ITV Early Evening News and Emmerdale.

The TV campaign will be shown in the Yorkshire and Tyne Tees area, where a large proportion of Lake District business comes from.

With the dedicated website, which is crammed with dozens of offers from hotel and guesthouses, the Lakes Hospitality Association will be able to closely monitor where inquiries are coming from.

The TV campaign is jointly funded by the Lakes Hospitality Association and Windermere Lake Cruises and hoteliers and guesthouses – The Howbeck and Windermere Suites, The Newby Bridge Hotel, Fairfield Guest House, The Knoll and The Coppice.

Jonathan Denby, chairman of the Lakes Hospitality Association, said: “The double-whammy of floods and snow cut the number of visitors to the Lakes by half. We need to show the world that the Lakes is fully open for business.

“At the time of the floods I asked the North West Development Agency (NWDA) for funding for a TV campaign to match the money given to Yorkshire Tourism of £30 million over three years. The NWDA were not sure of the efficacy of TV advertising, so we intend to demonstrate to them with our TV campaign – that TV advertising is just what the Lakes needs to bring back the tourists.”

The Lakes Hospitality Association is a trade association representing the interests of 500 accommodation providers and others associated with hospitality in South Lakeland.

Westmoreland Gazette

The Lake District is the perfect location for children. Endless activities to keep them occupied for example watersports, walking, Go-Ape, a zoo and the Ravenglass-Eskdale railway. It has long been an area popular with families.

An area full of activities and stunning scenery is the area of Keswick and Bassenthwaite. There are many Keswick hotels that offer child friendly rooms with excellent leisure facilities on site. These facilities include heated swimming pools, gyms, tennis courts, putting greens and some even have games rooms with both board games and computer games such as Wii consoles installed. The practical facilities within these hotels come in the form of flexible meal times for children, the use of complimentary high chairs and cots, bed time books and stocks of essential items such as nappies, baby milks and food and dummies.

The Bassenthwaite Lake area encompasses some of the most well equipped hotels Lake District. The lake is one of the largest in the English Lake District situated at the foot of Skiddaw and in such close proximity to Keswick, it is a great location. The lake is 4 miles long and is the shallowest of all the lakes with its maximum depth just 70 feet. For parents interested in bird watching, it is one of the best places to spot an Osprey.

Bassenthwaite the village itself is one of the most beautiful Lakeland villages and is an ideal base for discovering the woodlands of Thornthwaite Forest and the trails of Dodd Wood. It is the northernmost and only true ‘lake’ in the Lake District; it is renowned for its peacefulness, accessibility and continually changing scenery caused by changeable weather and seasons. When the adults need to get away there’s Mirehouse which is most definitely worth a visit.

Alfred Lord Tennyson stayed at Mirehouse whilst writing his poem ‘Morte D’Arthur’ in 1835. It is a private house but open to the public on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. The grounds and a tea shop are open daily though. Further on from Mirehouse is an open air theatre erected by the Tennyson Society is the location where Tennyson was thought to have written most of that famous poem. All around the lake and the surrounding area is a strong literary feel along with a popular place for artists.