The Daffodil Hotel is on a route much-trodden for us, having a daughter and two grandsons living in northern Scotland. We’re up and down that M6 several times a year and even though we occasionally do the journey in one go, we often decide to split it into two and stay somewhere in or around The Lakes en route.
On this occasion, we chose to break our journey southbound and stay at a hotel we’d often looked at and had really wanted to visit for a long time.
Located just outside the village of Grasmere, the Daffodil Hotel sits proudly beside the lake in sprawling green grounds and looking up at Loughrigg Fell.
A Quick Spa Visit
We arrived a little early, but decided to pay the hotel’s spa a visit before our room was ready. The hydro pool is amazing, with waterjets and bubbles aplenty. There’s a sauna and steam room and additional treatments can be had on arrangement. We felt thoroughly refreshed, wrinkled and relaxed when we finally went up to our room.
The Room
It was sumptuous, luxurious and had beautiful views from our floor-to-ceiling windows and ‘Juliet’ balcony. The bathroom was really well-appointed with big fluffy white towels and luxurious toiletries.
A short walk away is Grasmere itself. It’s full of quirky gift shops, enough outdoor clothing shops to equip an army and plenty of watering holes to refresh said army. It is the obvious place to visit on arrival in the Daffodil. We wandered the narrow streets and lanes, had a coffee in one of the many quaint coffee shops and tea rooms, marvelled at the length of the queues for the Wordsworth exhibition and rounded it off with a lunch and a beer at ‘The Good Sport’. It’s a lively and friendly little pub, just a stone’s throw from the hotel.
Later that day we ate in the hotel’s restaurant. Again, it’s a busy place and we were glad we’d reserved our table in advance. The waiting staff were brilliant! Chatty, but not overbearing, smart, but not stuffy yet knowledgeable and helpful. We plumped for the prawn starter, which was absolutely heavenly. But it’s a messy old business. The ample serviettes and finger bowls were an essential to contain the potential mess that could have resulted. The Cumbrian lamb shoulder main, accompanied by a delightful Sauvignon Blanc, was equally delicious and at the end we were well-fed and ready to settle down for the night.
The Daffodil is centrally located in the lake district and is a short drive from most of its popular attractions. The roads are a pleasure to drive with their ‘view around every corner’ nature and plenty of stopping places. Also, being so close to the M6, it’s easily accessible from just about all parts of the country.
The Daffodil Hotel – One of the Best!
Looking back, the Daffodil Hotel was probably one of the best hotels we’ve stayed at in the Lakes. We’ll no-doubt be paying it another visit in the future. It’s perfectly located for us and offers that luxury and comfort that we feel we deserve to treat ourselves to now and again.
Our final leg on the way home was quick, easy and uninterrupted by those dreaded traffic issues, so it rounded off our week nicely. We arrived home with smiles on our faces and another entry in our little red book.
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