My idea of paradise had never – until now – involved alpacas. But from a private hot tub overlooking the Lake District, glass of champagne in hand, watching a small herd of them drift across the hillside in the last of the evening sun, it felt difficult to argue.
I’m at the rosy-cheeked end of a very good day at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House. And yes, I may be viewing things through faintly rosé-tinted glasses, but this might just be the best hotel in the UK – certainly in the Lake District. And somehow, it was about to get better…
First, let me rewind to our arrival.
This five AA Red Star Relais & Châteaux property is situated in an area of outrageous natural beauty near Windermere – just the drive to get there will send chills down your spine (assuming you don’t get caught behind a tractor for too long).
The original Gilpin Hotel, with its Michelin-starred Source restaurant, is set along a sprawling hillside – a collection of buildings that feel more like a village than a resort. A mile down the road is the Lake House, a six-bedroom property sitting in 100 acres with a private lake and swimming pool.
We pulled up at lunchtime, so headed straight to Spice. The hotel’s ‘other’ restaurant is a Michelin-recommended pan-Asian affair ideal for light, sharing plates.
Pan-Asian restaurant Spice at Gilpin
Tony West
The sashimi is world class, and the SFC (‘Spice Fried Chicken’) is a fiery, sticky pot of deliciousness. Leave room for the spiced Jamaican ginger pudding – it’s served with an indulgent rum butterscotch sauce, crunchy candied hazelnuts, and a spritely sorbet of coconut and lime which cuts through the richness. Accompanied by a glass (or two) of crisp Provencal rosé, it’s the perfect set-up for the ultimate afternoon of chill.
If there were a degree in relaxation, Gilpin would be its professor; this place has tenure for life. The spa suites in particular are a masterpiece in hospitality. Imagine the finest five-star hotel spa – stunning views, outdoor hot tub, sauna, steam room, rainfall showers, and a couples treatment room – but that’s all part of your own suite.
No hen-dos sousing themselves with Prosecco, no hairy-backed Henrys melting across the sauna benches. It’s your own personal utopia.
The suites also have their own private freshwater ponds. And when I say fresh – they have their own spring, which also provides your drinking water. The terrace is flanked by a traditional drystone slate wall punctuated by grasses and ferns. It all feels so wholesome. Even the air here smells more organic. But maybe that was the alpacas.
The rooms themselves are framed by floor-to-ceiling windows – sunlight bouncing off the water outside, rippled reflections dancing across the ceiling.
The interior design is so natural it really does feel part of the landscape. Walls include silver birch bark on one, oak bark on another; even the drink mats are cylinders of fatwood pine captured in resin. Air plants hang from copper frames, while a giant bird cage swings from the centre of a skylight – inside is filled with white orchids, while ivy trails from beneath. It’s centred over a circular Corian bath so large even Caligula would be forced to doff his cap (should he still have it on).
It’s not the only thing the emperor would be impressed by. In the treatment room, there’s a massage chair so elaborate it wouldn’t look out of place on the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Personally, I prefer to leave these things to humans rather than machines, so we booked a couple’s massage for the afternoon. After pre-game sessions in the steam room and sauna, therapists from the hotel’s Spa Space knocked on the door to deliver an indulgent full-body massage. When it’s over, there’s no rushing out the public changing rooms – instead, you can just roll yourself out to the hot tub. Which is roughly where you joined me at the start of this article.
The only way to top an afternoon like this is with an evening at Source. The sustainable, produce-driven menu is incredibly ambitious – both in scale and technical prowess. Yes, there’s a tasting menu, but there are multiple choices to make within this – and the option of a la carte if you prefer.
The snacks may be the smallest item on the menu, but they’re often the mightiest. And the venison tartare certainly set the bar high. The succulent meat was cradled by pastry so fine it was translucent, and topped with crispy onions – a magnificent morsel.
A bright and brilliant trout dish kicked off the courses proper – topped with an apple, fennel and lovage granita, dotted with trout roe, and finished off with an oyster foam. It’s served alongside a homemade crumpet and a shot of trout stock made with umami-rich dashi. There are so many techniques in this one course alone it’s enough to make you dizzy.
Cep and Westcombe cheddar agnoletti, with enoki and black truffle was declared a “genuine death-row dish” by my wife. While the Cornish cod was my favourite – the flaky fish drizzled in a cuttlefish broth on top, with pear spheres popping with sweetness to parry the richness of the sea leek and bone butter sauce.
The wine pairing with the latter was particularly inspired. Sommelier Remy McCafferey poured an organic, biodynamic, raw sauvignon blanc – normally something I’d run to the other end of the room to avoid – yet this was oaked (bonus points), and was an ingenious pairing, turning a great dish into an excellent one.
The staff here are all first class. Our waitress, Hope, was a study in nominative determinism – her happy manner and ebullient presentation throughout adding anticipation to each course. And Chris Cooper, the hotel’s new GM as of January, was full of beans – just the kind of chap you’d choose to keep up the momentum of a hotel that is clearly going from strength to strength.
Mark Hedley
Mark Hedley
Indeed, this is an establishment so impressive there’s a 330-page hardback book all about how it was created. You can pick up a copy in your room.
Owner John Cunliffe’s memoir charts how his idyllic memories of holidaying at Gilpin with his grandmother turned into a passion – and eventually a business.
The book is named in honour of the hotel: ‘Slightly Perfect’. That, Mr Cunliffe, is an understatement.
Bedrooms from £280 per night; Spa Suite from £970 per night. See more at thegilpin.co.uk
