A stone's throw from Lake Windermere and a 10-minute stroll from Ambleside is a handsome four-star 'boutique' hotel called The Waterhead. Just a road and a small gravel beach separate you from the Lake District's largest body of water. As a result one side of the hotel enjoys outstanding, unbroken views of Lake Windermere.
The Waterhead describes itself as a 'boutique hotel'. The accepted definition of a 'boutique hotel' means an independent hotel, with a small number of rooms, generally in a trendy urban location. It's owned by English Lakes which is a small company with five hotels. Their South Lakes portfolio include the fabulous Wild Boar and the luxurious Low Wood Falls. There are 41 bedrooms which is well below the unofficial 100-room boutique limit.
Whether the Lake District is 'trendy' is a moot point. Ambleside certainly has a few fashionable bars and restaurants but it's hardly urban. My previous experience of boutique hotels was that the rooms tended to be on the small side, or 'cosy' as their websites preferred to describe them. The Waterside has some smaller rooms. Ours, however, was big enough to hold a meeting. But we were grateful for the extra space – and by the time we'd admired the elevated view of the lake from our window and flopped onto the sumptuous super king-size bed we couldn't care less whether it was 'boutique' or not.
Like the Wild Boar, The Waterhead strikes a perfect balance between traditional good taste and modern luxury, with perhaps more emphasis on the latter than its sister hotel. As well as the super-sized, super comfy bed and the daddy of lake views, our room had a large, plush en-suite, a big TV and more facilities than you'd probably use during your stay. There were also miniature bottles of small batch gin waiting for us on the shelf.
After getting settled we headed down to the bar. The Wild Boar specialises in beer – it has its own microbrewery – while The Waterhead has more of a focus on gin. It does also have at least one beer from the Wild Boar so you're not stuck if you don't like mother's ruin. Like all but the cheaper rooms you can watch birds and boats on Windermere while you sup.
Then it was teatime so we headed into the dining room. It's a handsome L-shaped room with an air of effortless sophistication. The menu is similar; it's a simple but finely tuned selection of local meats, fish and vegetables, delicately flavoured and presented. Steaks are a big deal here but vegetarians haven't been ignored, neither have vegans or those with gluten intolerances.
For starters I went for the lobster bisque, while Steph tried the soup of the day. Seafood soups can be a disaster if the ingredients aren't fresh but the components here tasted sweet and in peak condition. Meanwhile Steph's peppered mushroom soup was a lively triumph. For mains I selected a rake of lamb while Steph went for the pork belly. Both were near flawless; the quality of the ingredients was evident as was the quality of the herbs and spices that made the accompanying jus and sauces. For dessert I ordered a panna cotta while Steph picked a chocolate tart. My panna cotta, with a scoop of high-end vanilla ice cream, was about as dense and rich as a cream-based product could go without being cloying. Steph's chocolate tart was of equal quality. Throughout the evening the friendly waiting staff were as knowledgeable as they were hospitable.
Twelve hours later and we were back for breakfast. While breakfast may not actually be the most important meal of the day it's at least as important at The Waterhead. You can have a continental breakfast, an American breakfast (pancakes, bacon and maple syrup), a full English or a vegetarian English breakfast. You can also have your eggs done in almost as many ways as is possible. One morning we tried the American breakfast which was the perfect fuel for my trek up Todd Crag. If you haven't tried streaky bacon and maple syrup pancakes you really need to, though I can't guarantee it'll be as good as The Waterhead's version. The following day we chowed on English breakfasts for our journey home. Again everything from the authentic Cumberland sausage to the juicy mushrooms was just so.
After a fabulous stay at the Wild Boar, The Waterhead had a lot to live up to. But live up to its sister hotel it did. English Lakes says The Waterhead 'redefines the meaning of boutique'. I'd still say it's more of a luxury hotel but once you've checked in and started to enjoy its sweet spot combination of tradition, comfort and character you won't care either.
The Waterhead factfile
The Waterhead
Ambleside
LA22 0ER
015394 32566
http://englishlakes.co.uk/waterhead/
Rooms including bed and breakfast £142 to £350
