Macdonald Old England Hotel & Spa

The location and the views of the lake were superb.

There wasn’t anything you could dislike.

Large comfortable room Good food

Amazing decorations, perfect location good staff.

The location was great and the rooms were good bed comfy

There was only a swimming pool. No jacuzzi yet advertising being a spa

Staff good but rip off unsuspecting visitors guests with hotel car park fees when in fact you can park two minutes further walk away in public car park for less than half the price and it’s free from 8pm to 8am. Also serve brandy in tumblers as no balloons and don’t warm it either. Its sad because it lets down what is otherwise the perfect stay

Breaking down the stay we had: 1 - room clean when we came in. Sadly when cleaned the following day - clear it hadn’t been hoovered again. But overall very nice 2 - the ‘welcome’ from the lady on reception was very flat - not what I expect from this level of hotel - a welcoming smile and ‘how are you?’ would’ve been nice 3 - breakfast was average. Black pudding overcooked - breaking apart when tried to cut in - scrambled egg lacked flavour. The continental offering was good. Hair on wife’s egg royale ruined her experience - appetite lost. 4 - parking…..£25 a night! We’ve stayed in other hotels in the area and in cities - and it’s been free - as it should be. Other car parks are further away and not convenient at all. Would we stay here again - sadly it’s a ‘no’. Location is perfect for everything around - but they need to pay attention to detail - first impressions count…..

The Old England Hotel is in a fantastic location with its garden running down to the boat moorings on Lake Windermere. The views from the hotel lounge, restaurant and its lake view rooms are outstanding. It’s a grand old hotel that could be so much better under different ownership. It needs attention and care that the current owners are not providing, therefore letting their valuable asset deteriorate. Everything they provide is with a view to minimising usage and costs. For example, in-room biscuits are the smallest size I’ve ever seen in a hotel, let alone one that claims to be “Luxury”. It all smacked of penny pinching by the owners. The breakfast menu has items with supplementary prices that would be included at similar 4-star venues. More penny pinching… Staffing levels are at a minimum: one receptionist, one barman, no onsite maintenance, no-one to help with luggage. Check out is 11am with a very late check in of 4pm, whereas similar hotels offer 12pm & 3pm. No doubt this is due to low levels of housekeeping staff employed by MacDonalds. In the room many services were on request: “please call to request”. But there was no in-room phone - only a QR code to link to a website where after a search you could find an external number to call that potentially got through to reception (but it was regularly unanswered due to the very low staffing levels). So in reality these services were unavailable: extra toiletries (only body wash is provided, no hair conditioner or body lotion); ice, milk, room service food. They’re only available to those with a smart phone with phone connection, which rules out most overseas visitors (who probably don’t want to pay roaming charges). I’d say these services shouldn’t be listed as available as they weren’t readily accessible. The maintenance was very poor: we reported a number of items (room bathroom extraction not working, shower not draining and the window restrictor not attached), but the receptionist said that no one could visit that day (it was a weekday). The bathroom was not repaired before we checked out after our out 2 day stay, and I’ve little confidence it would have been be fixed by the time the next guest checked in. The room needed some redecoration. The dining room needs urgent maintenance as other reviewers have commented on. The small number hotel staff that MacDonalds employ do a great job in difficult circumstances. The lone barman was great: having to serve a lounge with up to 100 covers plus the restaurant on the floor below, where its bar wasn’t staffed. (There weren’t 100 people in the lounge, but there was that capacity). The receptionists were helpful, but too often had to disappoint (eg maintenance requests). The MacDonalds website and this listing overstate what is offered: this hotel is not “4-star Luxury”. It simply doesn’t provide the levels of service that come with a luxury hotel, or the amenities that should be provided. There is no concierge service: perhaps there used to be, but it’s no longer provided. There is no onsite parking: it’s a minute walk away. The hotel is no longer listed by the AA but still has a sign in the garden. This hotel is maybe a credible 3-star property. It’s no more at present. The present owners need to shape up or give up.

Definitely a very nice hotel with a great location by the lake. The room was relatively clean, although it clearly doesn’t feel like a 4-star hotel compared to hotels outside the UK. The breakfasts were decent and tasty, and they even offer a gluten-free menu. There is also a spa and a swimming pool, which is another plus. You can also book different massage treatments.

Absolute chaos with the swimming pool schedule. When booking, you receive one timetable, but when visiting the pool, the administrator does not allow children in because he has a different schedule. Then the reception provides yet another timetable at check-in. Because of this, your plans for travelling around the lake get disrupted, and you end up having to wait until 10:30.