Laura Ashley The Belsfield Hotel is the ideal location for a luxury escape…

The Lake district makes for the perfect weekend getaway showcasing outstanding natural beauty, magical walking trails and bustling market towns. On a clear day the lakes glisten and dazzle underneath the sun’s rays, and if you are adventurous enough to climb any of the various peaks in the area you are met with a truly breathtaking view.As you may have guessed, there are many lakes in the Lake District but the Laura Ashley The Belsfield Hotel overlooks the biggest of them – Lake Windermere. It is situated in Bowness on Windermere a thriving little town with boutique shops, bars, restaurants and a charming waterfront only a minutes’ walk through the hotel’s pristine grounds.

We recently headed to check out this beautiful water-side destination and were impressed with what we found…

The Hotel

From the outside the first impressions of the Laura Ashley The Belsfield Hotel is  that it is chic yet charming, offering both old and new combined making it very appealing to the eye. Of course being a Laura Ashley Hotel I expected nothing less. If the outside was impressive it was nothing to the interior. The epitome of elegance and style that Laura Ashley is known for, exquisite furnishings and decor ran throughout the hotel in all of the common areas continuing into the rooms themselves. The new entrance lobby is a great addition to the building and being entirely made from glass panelling it provided a very open and airy feel in the day, which strategically opened up the beautiful scenery behind the hotel. The drawing room was tasteful and elegant, the light flooded in through the large windows looking out on to the garden and lake beyond. The furnishings worked to extend the stunning views inside, subtle blue hues to reflect the rich blue of the lake and the rest a lovely golden cream to make the room airy and shimmer with sunlight, perfect for relaxing and soaking up the sun and picturesque view.  The lounge bar in contrast was darker yet still luxurious, with deluxe old school leather sofas it wouldn’t be out of place in any country manor house, the ideal place for cosying up for the evening with a drink in hand.

The room

Having arrived to the Laura Ashley The Belsfield Hotel late and with full bellies after eating in the Brassiere restaurant, crashing out in bed seemed destined, however I was so enamoured with the stylish suite that I could not stop flitting between the rooms. The first room in the suite was a spacious lounge  complete with a crushed velvet sofa, gorgeous coffee table, and a soft vibrant red arm  chair which injected a lovely dash of colour in to the room.  We spent a lovely afternoon in the room relaxing after a long hike and admiring the outlook onto the lake through the enormous windows from the comfort of the bed while snacking on the complimentary tea and biscuits which went down a treat. The bedroom adjoined this room and was again large, airy and complete with the most outrageously comfy bed, possibly the best night’s sleep I’ve had and very hard to wrench yourself out of in the morning. With a large ornate wooden dressing table and matching wardrobe there was plenty of room for the absurd amount of clothes I packed for a single weekend. Finally the bathroom – this ran a monochrome colour scheme in contrast to the rest of the suite, but was no less chic. It was equipped with heated toilet seat, a shower not dissimilar to a waterfall and a very comfortable bath all with a view onto the lake!

The restaurants

The Laura Ashley The Belsfield Hotel boasts two fantastic restaurants, the Brasserie and the main dining hall. The Brasserie is open for lunch and dinner and offered a slightly more relaxed environment; it was great having the option to dine inside or out. We caught the last of the winter sun with the lake and peaks in the background and a warming glass of mulled wine in hand. The main restaurant could have come straight out of Pride and Prejudice, the high ceilings with detailed panelling, ornate picture hangings all steeped in light from the three spectacular chandeliers.  Seated by the window facing the lake I was able to appreciate both the room and light from the town dancing on the lake. The menu matched the decadence of the room, it was hard going choosing which dishes I would like as each sounded as delicious as the next. The whole meal was sublime, the amuse bouche was the best start to a meal I’ve ever had, a light buttery pumpkin espuma the only shame was it was gone in seconds! My starter was a delicate smoked salmon ‘canneloni’ complimented with a kick of citrus in the form of lime savoury jelly. The third course was an apple sorbet to cleanse the palette ready for my outstanding main, an elegant plate centred around a beautiful piece of cod which was cooked to perfection. Accompanied with melt in the mouth cauliflower cheese croquettes, pan fried chorizo and a watercress salad which complimented the cod without overpowering it, it was well balanced and I would definitely order it again. The dessert came in the form of three mini desserts, an apple crumble tart, vanilla infused crème brûlée and a silky blackcurrant sorbet all worked wonderfully together and were portioned just right so that even after four previous courses I demolished the lot. On flavour alone I would highly recommend, but the execution and presentation of the dishes made the whole experience a delight as I simply could not wait to tuck in.

To conclude

Without a doubt the Laura Ashley The Belsfield Hotel is a fantastic property. Its prime location on the waterfront of Lake Windermere gives you an unrivalled view and  quick access to the delightful little town centre and the timeless decor that has been masterfully applied makes every inch of the hotel a treat for the eyes. The rooms are high-ceiling-ed, full of light and so comfortable it makes it hard to venture out and enjoy what the Lake District has to offer. All in all a wonderful place to spend a relaxing few days soaking up the glorious views.

Laura Ashley The Belsfield Hotel
Kendal Road,
Bowness-on-Windermere
Windermere
LA23 3EL