STAYS WITH STYLE | George Hotel Penrith, Cumbria

September 27, 2015 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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Where we stayed

The George Hotel
Devonshire Street
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 7SU
www.lakedistricthotels.net
26-27th September 2015

Our Stay

One of my partners birthday presents this year, was a weekend break at the George Hotel in Penrith, which I booked through Secret Escapes. Whilst I’ve been signed up to Secret Escapes for a while, this was the first time I’d booked anything with them, and found the whole process to be extremely quick and easy, and not like the faff you have when booking accommodation through the likes of Groupon or similar.

The George Hotel is part of a small independent chain called Lake District Hotels Ltd., and is in a superb location in the centre of Penrith. The hotel has a free residents carpark at the rear, or if like us, you travel by train, the hotel is an easy 5 minute walk from the station.

The 300 year old Grade I listed building is full of character, all wonky floors and beautiful sash windows, and the friendly staff provided a warm welcome, which made us feel immediately at ease.

We stayed in a club room, which was compact, but lovely. The decor is modern, with a relaxing tonal colour palette and most importantly, the king size bed was incredibly comfortable and we both enjoyed an excellent nights sleep.

The marble bathroom was spotlessly clean and I enjoyed a long soak in the bath. I also liked the little lights inside the mirror; though I am easily entertained. It is always nice to have a bathrobe provided, and the bath towels were huge and fluffy, which always gets the thumbs up from me.

Dining

The package I booked included tea and scones on arrival, a 3 course dinner and breakfast, so at check in, we also booked our table for the evening.

The set menu provided 4 choices of starter, main and dessert, though we were given the option to order off their main menu, with a £20 allowance, If we wanted to.

My starter was smoked salmon and horseradish, a delicious wild mushroom and spinach risotto with parmesan crisps, followed by mixed berry cheesecake. Most dishes were well presented and delicious; the only exception being his starter (see insider tips below), but with regards to value for money, we were very happy.

Out And About

Due to traveling by train, public transport was necessary for us to explore outside of Penrith town centre. We asked for information at reception and then hopped on a bus (every 2 hours on the hour) that took us to Pooley Bridge, right at the top of Ullswater.

We visited Ullswater last year, and camped at Park Foot, and it was lovely to return. We took a gentle lakeside stroll, then walked back into Pooley Bridge where we had a long leisurely lunch at the historic Pooley Bridge Inn, before returning back to Penrith in time to catch our train home.

The Best Bits

We think the deal we got (available through Secret Escapes) was brilliant value for money.
All of the staff were very friendly and helpful.
Penrith is a lovely little Lakeland town, and the castle ruins opposite the train station are well worth a visit.
The bakery and deli on the square, sells delicious artisan breads and yummy cherry scones (I may have had one. Or two).
Excellent base from which to discover close-by areas like Pooley Bridge and Ullswater lake.
The dining room is very pretty and a pleasure to dine in.
Whilst the rooms are on the small side, they are very well appointed and extremely tasteful in their modern decor.
My wild mushroom and spinach risotto with Parmesan crisps was delicious, and the Sauvignon Blanc I chose was equally enjoyable.

Any Not So Good Bits?

On Saturday night, the fast food outlet across the road drew a pretty noisy crowd. Sunday morning was also overly noisy with people talking loudly; presumably other guests up early and completely oblivious to the fact it was 8am on a Sunday morning.
We weren’t impressed by the roast chicken salad on the set menu. It was basic to say the least; a slice of tomato, a lettuce leaf and some chicken, not even a dressing, though thankfully the other dishes were much better.

Insider Tips

Choose a room at the rear of the property if you can, and take ear plugs in case you aren’t.
Sign up to the Lake District Hotels newsletter as they often send through some great offers for the George, and their other hotels.
Breakfast is served until 10am, we got to the dining room at 9:15 but they had run out of hash browns, make it down a bit earlier to avoid the disappointment of items running out.

Conclusion

A superb value dinner, bed and breakfast deal at a stylish and characterful hotel. Friendly staff, great service and a lovely location means that the George Hotel in Penrith get’s the Stays With Style seal of approval and we’d definitely return.

Next time we visit Keswick, we’ve got our eye on another of their hotels, check out the contemporary Inn on The Square here.

See more pictures from our weekend over on Flickr.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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