Rooms and staff were exceptional. The restaurant is expensive and serves ‘signature’ dishes. These were not quite my taste but that is my issue, not the hotels. There are numerous alternatives in and adjacent o Ambleside.

The hotel is set in attractive gardens with outside tables where you can eat and drink throughout the day (meals, snacks, afternoon tea..). The rooms were quite spacious, with armchairs and window seats, which I particularly like. The decor was very pleasant, harmonious and in-keeping with the country atmosphere while retaining an elegant feel. It was very relaxing. The hotel is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the centre of Ambleside where there are numerous restaurants, gift shops, high street shops and bus stops. There is also a walk from the centre to the waterfalls which takes about 15- 20 minutes. In the other direction from the hotel, after a 10 minute walk through the fields (or along the road), you arrive at the departure point for boat trips on the lake (eg to Bowness). The buses go from Ambleside to Windermere/Bowness, and there are numerous easy walks to Rydall caves/Grasmere for example, directly from the hotel. Breakfast was very good with everything being very well-prepared and of good quality. The scones in the afternoon were delicious.

Service at breakfast was very variable: sometimes very good; most of the time slow and haphazard. The food in the restaurant was excellent, by far the best in Ambleside, and beautifully presented, but the portions were really very small: a duck liver parfait no bigger than your index finger and a small piece of fish served with a raviolo (that's like ravioli but singular). I had a coquille saint-jacques, again singular, but which was served with pork belly which gave it some substance. Delicious, but we had a two-course menu and perhaps should have added a desert. The bill was just under £160 with two glasses of wine, not a bottle.

We spent three nights here in mid March, we booked the suite with the hot tub. This room is in the new pavilion across a courtyard from the main building. The room was beautifully decorated and had everything we needed (huge bed! Two showers and sinks! Big bath, fridge, safe). The room has a huge wrap around courtyard, with floor to ceiling windows. The hot tub was a real treat and was ready to use when we checked in. Breakfast was lovely with lots of options. We had the set menu one evening, we enjoyed the experience but too rich to have each night imho so we ate out. The bar and restaurant are very comfortable, two lounges in the main house and a smaller lounge in the pavilion. You can hear traffic noise when outside but not inside. The location is good for exploring the area, lots of parking on site, Ambleside is walking distance away. Lots of thoughtful touches in the room and elsewhere, umbrellas available and a boot room.

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As we were on tour, we booked a two night stay in a classic plus room and boy was it plus with double aspect and plenty of space as well as a Nespresso machine and lovely teas. Breakfast all brought to the table was delicious and dinner was superb. We will definitely return.

Slight little niggle that the boot room was more set up for dog cleaning than cleaning your boots. We were at another hotel recently, which had a great contraption to clean boots. There were no brushes etc only a shower. But a minor complaint for what was a lovely stay.

The hotel is a characterful building in a convenient location for Ambleside and lake Windermere, and a good base for touring the lakes. The bed was very comfortable and breakfast was good, if a little slow.

My only complaint was the price of the 3 course menu in the restaurant. At £65 each it was very pricey, and although the quality was good, it was overpriced for 3 courses… we’ve enjoyed similar quality in France for half that price! The wine was similarly expensive, with the cheapest wines around £40 a bottle. They used to do a tasting menu, but no longer because they haven’t got the staff apparently, yet the 3 courses were the size of a tasting menu course, which is small, and would be fine if you were having 7 courses, but left you feeling short changed when only having 3 courses. There wasn’t a bar menu as an alternative to the 3 course set menu.

Our superior room was stunning. (first room at the top of the stairs - forget the name.) It had some fantastic wallpaper. Amazing large bathroom, large walk in shower and free standing bath. Large balcony overlooking the gardens. £5 option to have breakfast on the balcony table. Hotel happy to organise flowers for arrival. 6 x 22kW (11kW usable in my EV) 3-phase EV chargers. Reasonable £0.40/kWh charge. Food in the restaurant was excellent and very foodie - you wouldn't however want to eat there more than once though as there is limited options/limited set menu and it's £65+ per head for min 3 courses. The cheese trolly was special. Very clean and comfy king size bed.

Road noise when on the balcony and outside in the gardens. Thankfully you cannot hear when inside/sleeping. The hotel is situated in a very busy island surrounded by roads left, front and right. These roads can can very very busy in peak times. Felt like the decor/furniture in the restaurant could be cosier or more intimate.

Originally we had booked to stay in Windermere after a walking trip with friends. But due to the severe weather on Saturday we ended up stranded in Ambleside. And was looking to find a bed for the night anywhere really. And luckily they had one at Rothay manor. What a beautiful hotel. The rooms are stunning all the staff went above and beyond. There was a boot room to dry all our wet boots and jackets and the breakfast was excellent. I will definitely be returning with my wife to rothay manor in the near future to stay for much longer than an evening

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Our room was absolutely beautiful. There was a balcony with stunning views of the garden, fresh milk for tea and coffee, complementary chocolates and the world’s comfiest bed. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. We ate in the restaurant once which was delicious but expensive.

No complaints. It was all lovely. Only suggestion would be to remove the grandfather clock. As beautiful as it looked, the hourly chimes were not hugely appreciated at 7am!

Very good breakfast, good selection and well presented. Good location with respect to thje town (Ambleside). We were able to easily walk into town withi 5 minutes.

The rooms on the northern side of the hotel are directly adjacent to a majopr road to and from the town, within a couple of metres. Whils the room construction managed to keep the noise at bay (with the doors and windows closed), during the day there was a constant stream of traffic passing and if sitting outside or with the door open, there is a lot of traffic noise.

A brilliant 2 night stay at Rothay Manor in March 2025. The food was excellent, breakfast and evening meal, and the staff made us feel so welcome, going above and beyond to make our stay special. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for a luxury stay a 5 minute walk from the centre of Ambleside. Thank you so much!

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