Willowbeck Lodge Boutique Hotel

Very pleasant room, wonderful welcome. Dining room fairly utilitarian but food good and decent wine selection but slightly on the pricy side. Great location and service made up for that. Breakfast good, but the self service juice etc wasn’t obvious and wasn’t pointed out to us. We only stayed one night and it is very handy for JN 43 on the M6, but it looks as lovely choice for a few days close to the lakes.

We recently stayed at Willowbeck Lodge for one night, on two occasions ten days apart, once on our way to Scotland and the other on the return journey. On both visits we enjoyed the same high standards of hospitality. Our room was clean, spacious and very comfortable providing a restful night’s sleep after long journeys. Breakfast was very good with a wide choice and served in the attractive bar area. We also had dinner in Fini’s Restaurant, on the ground floor, on both occasions and thoroughly enjoyed our meals (I have reviewed this separately under Restaurants). We will certainly make a return visit to Willowbeck Lodge next time we are travelling through the area. Being only 1¼ miles from Junction 43 of the M6, near Carlisle, makes it so convenient, and its setting amongst the trees by a wildlife pond makes it such a calm place to spend the night.

We have visited her previous and absolutely loved it and so grabbed the chance on a recent holiday to use it as a stopover. Rooms and breakfast cost £170 so above average in price. Unfortunately we didn't have the same wonderful experience as last time. Positives: Lovely setting and wildlife, room was nicely decorated and clean, staff were pleasant. Negatives: -on arrival we were shown to our room which had external access by a member of staff. The key he gave us wouldn't open the door for my husband who struggled for some time. I tried too so we had to ask the staff ember to come back and help. He struggled too but after some time managed to gain access. No apology or comment that he would get it looked at. It. meant we had to leave our room unlocked for our stay. -at dinner we ordered our food and our main meal was brought before our starters. Apparently the system had swapped them around. We agreed to eat our main course before our starters. -breakfast has now been changed and is continental only. on arrival we were told we could have a cooked breakfast but would have to pay for it and order the night before. This was a surprise as there had been no mention of this and given the price I would have expected a cooked breakfast. -orange juice was undrinkable as though it was not diluted sufficiently and definitely wasn't 'fresh orange' -husband is vegan and we had notified them of this on booking. The only breakfast available was toast with vegan margarine. He was OK with this, but other vegan potential customers may wish to know this. -grounds felt shabbier than last time....there was a broken light fitting and electric cables, chair and table upside down on the ground outside our room. If the above issues were resolved we would return, but not as things stand.

After a 400 mile drive we were glad to see such a wonderful hotel. The grounds are impressive, and the staff very good. It is convenient for Carlisle and the M6. If you're in Ash room then mind your head, as the eaves make it tricky. Well recommended.

We stayed overnight and booked dinner in the restaurant, although this wasn't necessary as the four of us were the only guests staying or eating there. The bedrooms were tiny (booked as standard doubles) with no wardrobe - the only hanging space was an over-door rail. We felt afterwards that they could have given us an upgrade since we were the only customers! It was an eerie experience being the only guests and there were no staff on duty in the building overnight. The retaurant was emply, apart from us, and although we had been asked to choose our meal on arrival, it didn't taste as if it had been well prepared. My starter of heritage beetroot salad with goat's cheese was pretty tasteless and my main course of halibut in lobster sauce was dry and disappointing. The portion was pretty meagre too. Breakfast was another let down with toasted plastic bread and a dry kipper. The poor staff tried their best but they were fighting a losing battle. No amount of smiling and pleasantries was going to make this experience any better.

We stayed at Willowbeck Lodge this weekend on our way home to Scotland. Its location is so convenient just 1 mile off the M6. First class, modern accommodation with beautiful furnishings and fixtures. The owner kindly upgraded us upon arrival to one of the superior rooms. We ate in the restaurant, food was first class and the staff were very friendly. Breakfast was delicious, with plenty of choice and could be ordered the night before. The grounds are stunning and parking was very convenient. We will definitely be visiting again.