We stayed 24 hours at the Gilpin Hotel in Windermere

Driving from Kendal, you may miss Gilpin Hotel's unassuming entrance on your journey to Bowness.

For a five-star luxury hotel, it doesn’t make a big show of itself, but it doesn’t need to -  Gilpin wants visitors to focus on the rural charm of its setting rather than going for the grand and ostentatious.

Set within 21 acres, the hotel offers 30 bedrooms, two restaurants, the Michelin Starred SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel and the pan-Asian Gilpin Spice, a champagne bar, lounge, terraces, and spa treatment area. 

A stay at The Gilpin, even on the most expensive packages, feels like staying at a (very wealthy) relative’s house. The staff are easy-going and charming, like your favourite cousin.

Spa Suite

The spa suite offers a 2 metre square hot tub, all alongside a huge pond. (Image: Newsquest)We were lucky enough to be treated to one of the spa suites during our stay, a short drive from the main car park. The grounds around the road linking the car park to the lodges are still a little bare, but there is enough foliage to afford guests privacy, and it had no impact on the view from the living room of our accommodation.

The inside of our suite, 30 Lowther, was designed for a modern taste with grey walls, an attractive suspended fireplace and a skylight.

The suite presents the perfect ambience for a romantic getaway, with king-size beds, mood lighting, an enormous bath in the middle of the living room and a modern music system - allowing you to perfectly invigorate all your senses to take a deep breath and relax.

The bathtub placed in the middle of the living room offering a view to the mountains and the sky. (Image: Newsquest)Yet this never felt austere, with a Christmas tree, house plants and the sort of sofa you could imagine in your house. In this context, a personal sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, infra-red bed and Japanese massage chair seem like normal items from a John Lewis catalogue.

Despite the luxury, the subtle pond in the foreground and rolling hills in the background make the guest feel continually connected to nature, especially with the numerous floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

The alpacas could be spotted from our room. (Image: Newsquest)

Have I mentioned that The Gilpin owns alpacas? It seems incongruous and should be, but they add character to the vista, similar to a flock of Herdwicks.

Source

​Having had a good peer at the roaming alpacas, it was time to experience a tasting and a plant-based menu at Gilpin’s Michelin-star restaurant Source, which is under the tenure of head chef Ollie Bridgwater.

We waited for our table in the lounge, which is warmly decorated with wood panelling, soft lamps and picturesque paintings like a living room. But don’t be fooled - everything has been meticulously planned out and prepared for the optimal guest experience.

The lounge of the Source. (Image: Newsquest)In total, this is £200 for ten courses, but it is also a bit more of an experience. The wine was beyond being just ‘very nice’ - it was in full simpatico with the food, with the unrestricted variety of reds, whites and even a ‘boozy’ Madeira to complement the tiramisu explained to us by the excellent waiting staff.

Ollie is the former sous-chef of Heston Blumenthal’s pub, The Fat Duck, famous for its experimental food. The hint of his former profession came early with the first course being a gin and tonic served in a bubble of gelatine on a spoon. Ollie mostly kept things simple, allowing the locally sourced ingredients to shine.

Buttered poached cod, waldorf, lovage and vermouth - one of the evening's favourite. (Image: Newsquest)

Personal favourites were the second course, crown prince custard, pumpkin, hazelnut and kombu, and the butter poached cod, Waldorf, lovage and vermouth. Both the separation of flavours and the overall effect on the palate were marvellous.

For those with dietary requirements or desiring to try something new, the plant-based menu offers an explosion of flavours that can captivate the palate of those not easily attracted to the concept of a menu without meat or dairy.

Potato, alliums and green oil - one of the evening favourites. (Image: Newsquest)It can be challenging to amaze a non-meat eater and offer simple alternatives that can appeal to everyone. What sold the experience was the careful thought put into every single dish, which visibly looked very simple, but in every bite, different notes would emerge and elevate the dish. 

The evening favourites go to the mushroom broth with braised shitake and the potato, with alliums and green oil.

On a side note, perhaps taking the plant-based menu even further would be to experiment with your vegan favourites such as tofu, seitan, or legumes like lentils or chickpeas.

The whole experience felt special, especially aided by how knowledgeable and friendly the staff were.

Spa Space

After having breakfast taken to our room, it was time to relax with our spa treatment.

Stepping into the Spa Space, you could immediately feel the calm and tranquillity flowing inside the room. 

Massage bed at the Spa Space. (Image: Newsquest)The friendly therapists arrived and set up the beds, where we laid down under a soft towel. The calming background music combined with the scents of the oils set the scene for a perfect massage, which brought us peace of mind and comfort.

We were then taken to a steam room for a mud treatment, making our skin feel like a feather. But the cherry on the top of the cake was the outdoor cedarwood hot tub, where we soaked up the stunning views of the fells.

Outdoor hot tub with the views for the mountains. (Image: Newsquest)For those thinking about nourishing their body and mind, there is a dual delight experience where you can combine the Spa treatment with Spice. 

This dual delight will see you have a relaxing morning with a couples’ treatment topped off with a fabulous lunch in the 2 AA Rosette pan-Asian restaurant, Gilpin Spice.

It included 50 Minute ESPA or Pure Lakes couple’s spa treatment, glass of Champagne and use of our cedarwood hot tub and Lunch in Gilpin Spice for £290 for two, subject to availability.

Spice

Our final stop was the laid-back Gilpin Spice, serving pan-Asian dishes inspired by countries along the spice trail.

The kitchen and the dining area share the same space, allowing guests to see the precise work the chefs put into their craft. 

First, one of the staff recommended that we indulge in edamame puri, a dish that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The crispy puff balls filled with edamame thecha, mango chutney, and togarashi spice were the perfect way to start the experience at the restaurant. 

Edamame puri. (Image: Newsquest)

We had the sea bream wrapped in banana leaves as a main dish, which cost £18. Often, the spice can overpower the flavour in restaurants such as these, but not this time. The fish was light and tender, with the spices adding complexity to the dish rather than dominating it.

We also had the mouthwatering tomato pumpkin seed curry, masala, ginger, garlic, and fried onions with seasonal vegetables - a great option for a cold winter afternoon.

Colourful dishes we had at Spice. (Image: Newsquest)

In conclusion

Even though a stay at The Gilpin has more than a touch of opulence, it never makes the guest feel out of place.

It is a welcoming place to be, ‘slightly perfect’ as late owner John Anthony C Cunliffe puts it in his memoir, which seems to be somewhat of an MO for the hotel.

With the out-of-this-world taster menu and luxury suites, and judging how busy it was when we stayed, it looks set to remain a feature in the competitive Lake District hospitality industry.