Macdonald Old England Hotel & Spa

“Lots of good points”

We enjoyed the old worldly atmosphere at this hotel, the deluxe king room was huge , spotless & the bed so comfortable. Thoroughly enjoyed the pool sauna & the gym. Breakfast was good, don’t agree that there is a £6 surcharge for eggs Benedict or Royale. Be aware the car park is a 2 minute walk & £… more

We enjoyed the old worldly atmosphere at this hotel, the deluxe king room was huge , spotless & the bed so comfortable. Thoroughly enjoyed the pool sauna & the gym. Breakfast was good, don’t agree that there is a £6 surcharge for eggs Benedict or Royale. Be aware the car park is a 2 minute walk & £25 for 24 hours.

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“Prime location”

The hotel was probably overpriced for what it was, it’s very dated but is prime location, overlooking the lake from our breakfast table, which was very nice, in Windermere where everything is a premium. The swimming pool was a bonus as our son loved it. The hotel room was on a slope which was high… more

The hotel was probably overpriced for what it was, it’s very dated but is prime location, overlooking the lake from our breakfast table, which was very nice, in Windermere where everything is a premium. The swimming pool was a bonus as our son loved it. The hotel room was on a slope which was highly unusual but the room was spacious and served its purpose really. Was clean and well kept.

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“Potential to be amazing, bit of a let down.”

Booked a spa break with my friend to have a girls weekend. Location was beautiful. Lovely view of lake from restaurant. Hotel was in a lovely area. Unfortunately, that is the best part of the hotel. Arrived at the hotel to a voicemail from the spa to say our treatments had been cancelled due to … more

Booked a spa break with my friend to have a girls weekend. Location was beautiful. Lovely view of lake from restaurant. Hotel was in a lovely area. Unfortunately, that is the best part of the hotel. Arrived at the hotel to a voicemail from the spa to say our treatments had been cancelled due to staff sickness and rescheduled for the next morning. Not ideal after travelling 3 hours to get there, but cannot be helped. We went to the spa reception to confirm our re-scheduled treatments and the receptionist was friendly and very grateful we were able to reschedule, however she had forgotten who we were less than two hours later when we had returned to use the spa facilities. We were not given a robe as only "spa guests" get those not hotel guests. Even though we were both. We did get given a robe the following day when we got our treatments, but seemed a little pointless as we were in the robe for less than 5 minutes. Our spa treatments were amazing and the girls who gave us our treatments were fabulous. Best massage I have ever had. 5 star to the spa therapists. They also gave us some recommendations of where to go for a walk before we headed home. Orrest head which has a viewpoint and the best view of the lake. The spa facilities were not the greatest. Small pool that was freezing cold (advertised as heated pool - not the case). One small sauna and one steam room. 6 beds and a handful of chairs situated around the pool. It got quite busy since hotel guests can use the facilities for free. No jacuzzi. And pot luck whether you get a seat or bed. Room was nice and clean. Housekeeping did a good job and were very attentive. Food was a mixed bag. Afternoon tea was tasty. We only got one pot of tea between the two of us, the waiter asked us what we want to drink whilst standing 4 meters away from our table which I found odd. We had finished our pot of tea before our food arrived. The waiter brought our food and never returned. We weren't offered another drink or asked if everything was okay. We'd sat for 40 minutes without a drink before going and asking if we could have another pot of tea. There was three members of staff hanging around folding napkins so not as if they were rushed off their feet. Evening meal - the food was beautiful and very tasty. We paid for our drinks then ten minutes later another waiter came over and asked how to take our payment for the drinks (even though we'd already paid). Breakfast - was nice, but don't bother paying the £5 supplement for the avocado and poached eggs. I had the same toast, egg and tomato that comes on the standard breakfast, and the avocado was a very thin slither across the toast. Absolutely not worth £5. When checking out the receptionist (who we had spoke to on multiple occasions across our stay) had also forgotten who we were and tried to charge us for the parking a second time (£25) which we had paid the day before. He asked how I had paid and when we explained we had paid by card with him the previous day, he was shocked as if he had never seen us before. Overall we had a lovely trip, but the service and atmosphere at the hotel wasn't the level we were hoping for. Such a shame as the location of the hotel, it has the potential to be amazing.

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