My husband and I booked a few days away here after looking at the brilliant reviews. We stopped in a basic room and it was very basic!! It was like stepping back in time 30 years, the TV was so old fashioned you had to twist a dial to make it work, the decor was tired and drab It felt a bit like you were staying with a very old relative. The room itself was however clean and tidy and the free toiletries and tea making facilities were very welcome. The staff where a bit over the top. Even though this is only a 2 star hotel they served breakfast with full silver service, that included having your napkin unfolded and placed on your lap (I would rather not have this sort of attention to detail first thing in the morning) after that you placed your breakfast order, then everything was hand served. The minute you finished an item it was whisked off the table, some people may call this efficient I just found it creepy and I could not relax and enjoy my meal as I knew I was being watched. The food itself was OK but not the quality I thought it would be.
I also found it sad that many of the staff were foreign, I guess their just aren’t enough young people in Ambleside left to fill these vacancies. The owners were friendly although the lady of the house made me feel uncomfortable; she made me feel like she was tolerating me instead of welcoming me. I had one of her cakes and I have to say it was delicious. This hotel would be far better if they spent a little money, improved their accommodation and relaxed their full silver service at breakfast. I would not consider staying here again until they addressed these issues. One last thing if you are an early riser like me, and want to sit in the lounge to read a book then beware, they lock all the restaurant doors at night, and because our bedroom was at the back of the restaurant I could not get through, consequently I had to sit in the half dark restaurant reading my book, what a strange little hotel.

We have just returned after being at this lovely hotel for a few days. The owners couldn't have made us more welcome, the hotel is spotlessly clean and the breakfast, fantastic. Only a few minutes walk takes you into Ambleside. I will definately be back at this hotel.

We just got back from this hotel today Sun 25th March 07. This is a lovely little hotel - really easy to find - the hotel sits on the main road but is well set back. The car park is ample enough for the FB guests. The hotel was fully booked whilst we were there as were most places in Ambleside. It's a short five minutes walk to the town, boasting over 30 restaurants! A couple of pubs which were very nice and quite a busy little town, especially at the weekend. The hotel itself is lovely and clean and quite quaint. Breakfast was very nice, three courses in fact! I believe an award has been honoured for their breakfasts'. The hotel has two small lounges, one with tv one without. A small bar is provided as well as tea, and an array of coffee as well as latte, hot chocolate, expresso etc.
Our bedroom was small, but sufficient for our needs. Lovely en-suite with fresh clean towels, nice toiletries, shampoo, cleansers, soaps, cotton pads etc. We had a full size bath with shower overhead. A small portable tv is provided, as well as kettle and ample supplies of tea, coffee etc. All in all, a lovely stay, weather was brilliant sunshine the whole weekend which made it even better. The hotel is very centrally located, windermere, Ambleside, Bowness all within 15-20 minutes. Bus stop right outside the hotel to all local beauty spots if you didnt want to take the car.
All in all a pleasant hotel and we would return again.

The Fisherbeck is family run and offers a large car park on the edge of Ambleside, close to the Garden Centre and five minutes walk to the town. The welcome and facilities are warm and friendly but the main attraction is the breakfasts. Porridge with raisins and Malt Whisky was a winner and all local produce is used. Cosy, clean rooms are available at a range of prices.

The Fisherbeck is well placed for walking locally and further afield. We visited in January and despite the weather the Hotel offered a welcome return each evening and a pleasant lounge with real fire to cheer us up.