Macdonald Old England Hotel & Spa
Safe Hands For Cancer Accredited
Set on the shores of Lake Windermere, the breathtaking scenery and superb facilities of this hotel set the scene for a romantic getaway with a loved one. Enjoy country walks or a stroll along the jetty for fresh air adventures, then head to the spa where the trained therapists will ease you into a state of total relaxation during your luxury massage or facial. With a thermal suite to chill out in and magnificent views to look out on, you’ll be in total bliss.
Spa and hotel facilities
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At a glance
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Safe Hands for Cancer
Accredited by the SATCC and part of the Spabreaks.com Safe Hands for Cancer Collection, this spa welcomes people living with or beyond cancer and offers a number of specialist trained therapists.
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Scenery
On the edge of Lake Windermere, the hotel boasts views across the water and the gardens.
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Romantic Venue
Whether it's a walk in the countryside, a swim in the pool or his and hers treatments, this rural hotel is an idyllic location for a romantic mini-break.
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Restaurant
The restaurant serves traditional British cuisine whilst taking in that all important lakeside view.
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Hotel Spa Venue
There is an ideal balance between the traditional grandeur and comfort of this four star hotel and the light, contemporary vibe of its spa.
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Family Friendly
Children are welcome at the hotel and to use the pool and facilities, and have designated swimming times.
Spa & Leisure
Surrounded by gardens and England’s largest lake, Windermere, Macdonald Old England is well positioned for a relaxing country break that caters to a variety of individual preferences.
The state of the art gym and 20m pool make it ideal for those looking for a proper work out before relaxing with an Elemis therapy or facial, but the thermal suite and floor to ceiling windows ensure it is also a beautiful place to recline on a lounger and enjoy the view.
Hotel & Accommodation
In a country house that sits pride of place in the Cumbrian countryside, the hotel has its own private jetties on the edge of the location’s most prominent landmark – Lake Windermere, which of course also lends itself to impeccable views.
The rural area means there are plenty of outdoor activities including fishing and forest adventure courses that include high wires and zip wires, to the more sedate Beatrix Potter Museum and Dove Cottage and Wordsworth Museum nearby.
Being surrounded by a sense of such all-English history and rural tradition, it is entirely fitting that the restaurant is an equally traditionally furnished venue serving British food with a twist and as much organic produce as possible.
Location
Macdonald Old England Hotel & Spa,
23 Church Street,
Bowness-on-Windermere
Cumbria,
LA23 3DF
Spa & Hotel Reviews
Condition of Spa
9.2 out of 10
Quality of Treatments
9.2 out of 10
Staff
8.6 out of 10
Quality of Food
8.2 out of 10
Quality of Facilities
8.0 out of 10
Value for money
8.2 out of 10
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Was treated to a spa treatment and afternoon tea.
Marina carried out a back massage, Indian head massage and mini facial. She was excellent, explaining everything and offered me advice on my skin care routine. Really therapeutic results.
Afternoon tea was lovely and all the staff were very friendly.
Arrived at spa and check in was lengthy due to a broken till. I think due to this reason we were eventually just rushed into the changing room without any details of where things were, time afternoon tea was booked, etc.
Actual spa treatments were lovely. Can not fault.
Spa facilities poor. Pool that was freezing, no jacuzzi, ok steam rooms.
Afternoon tea was shocking. 3 fingers of sandwiches each, rest desserts. Scones extremely dry. Choice of desserts rather poor.
Overall a rather disappointing spa break.
My Dad got me this spar day for my birthday.
The hotel was very nice, the therapist and treatment received was wonderful, unfortunately the spar staff seemed as if everything was to much trouble for them. The prices to eat in the spar area was far to expensive £9.00 for a sandwich £7 for a glass of wine, the lounge was dark and small with two tables and no windows. we Left early and went for a pub meal. They phoned my dad and asked for payment even thro he had already paid by card and I had a record of it. This he found very upsetting and called me to make sure it got sorted out.
Kimberley
A Mother’s Day gift from my son
My friend and I arrived to a warm welcome from the staff in the reception area..... continuing throughout the day with everyone in the spa and restaurant ..We felt thoroughly spoilt
We enjoyed all of the facilities of the spa area ....a relaxing swim a steam and a sauna
The day continued with our massages which we thought were exceptional!
To complete our day we had a delicious and generous cream tea including a glass of Prosecco and an excellent view of Lake Windermere
Another visit is definitely being planned!
One of our party did not receive the correct treatment, we felt very disappointed. The hotel was extremely busy, therefore there was not enough loungers round the pool. The therapists that done our treatment were very good. Just disappointed we did not get what we paid for. Not value for money at all.Not a very relaxing Spa
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Staff
8.2 out of 10
Room Comfort
8.6 out of 10
Quality of Bars & Restaurants
8.2 out of 10
Location
9.2 out of 10
Quality of Facilities
8.8 out of 10
Value for money
8.4 out of 10
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The hotel itself was fine but they were clearly struggling with the number of people checking in/out. At one point we were waiting in a queue in the lobby for 25 minutes just to get our bags back as they hadn't put them in the room yet and we were due to have massages! This put significant stress on whole spa experience as we were rushing around beforehand. Arranging the valet parking was also delayed as they were so busy so there was some precarious parking from guests in the meantime. We were sure to check out early to avoid the queues the next morning.
We stayed here for our first wedding anniversary. They told us they’d upgraded us to a room with a balcony, the view was of the side of a boat shed!!! And room not very big. Tv didn’t work rang 3 times to get it sorted. Not very clear on parking had to leave car outside hotel so they could park it but not a lot of space and we were uncomfortable leaving our new Audi dumped in no mans land!! Food was nice. Had evening meal then went into bar for cocktails. Waited ages for a drink as the bar man had no clue how to make cocktails. He had a go and they were awful..we had to pick another drink!! Then someone eventually came to help it but we sat for ages with no beverage. Disappointed no hot tub in the spa and no access to having a drink round the pool..we’ve stayed elsewhere and they offer waiter service with glasses of wine.
The hotel was lovely and clean and facilities in the room were great ... however...!! •The food was half cook and gave me an upset stomach • on arrival we were checked in and cases taken to our room but no direction was given to the room, the spa, the bar, lounge, my car, or the dining room. All gusts were wandering around hotel trying to find places etc. Thank goodness for the signs on the wall. •my stepmother was hurt badly on her shoulder after her massage and quite frankly that is appalling. • the coffee fetched to us both had moody milk floating in it. This was changed but after complaining about the hair in the butter, green fluff in my soup, I became uneasy about returning anything further. The cutlery at breakfast had hard crusty egg attached to it.
For the price I paid for this stay it was grossly overpriced and will not be returning to this hotel albeit being an overall nice place.
Had a great time at this hotel. The spa and the treatments were to die for and the location of the hotel is amazing. Everyone in our group had a great time. The only complaint was the check-in and check-out which was too long and the staff didn’t seem to have it under control. The breakfast was haphazard too. I asked for a vegetarian one and got a meat one, which was just lukewarm and it was a good job I wasn’t a proper veggie. For what we paid though, it was an amazing deal and I would be happy to stay there again anytime.
The hotel is in a prime location over looking the lake. The restaurant also overlooks the lake which is a lovely view whilst having breakfast. Choices at breakfast were good as especially the freshly cooked full English breakfast (not buffet) served to the table. Quality local produce . Staff were attentive and pleasant. Complementary champagne in our room was a welcome surprise complements of spa breaks - thank you. Our room was comfortable and we even got a knock on the door to ask if our room was serviced to our satisfaction. Our deal was a two course dinner where in fact we were offered 3 courses so that also was a pleasant surprise. The only negative was the £20 per night valet parking as there is no parking at the hotel. But we found a car park nearby that was very reasonable by comparison. So no complaints really- and would recommend
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