We stayed at the Virginia Cottage for 2 nights in early October 2007. We returned to the Lakes for a couple of days walking. Virginia Cottage is ideally located in the centre of Bowness, just off the main street, so easy access to shops / restaurants / lake etc. The free parking is a few metres up the road at another hotel. Virginia Cottage is ok for what we wanted (Somewhere to rest up after a days walking and to get ready to go out on the town for some tea). It's got a really country feel to it, and there are some nice touches (sherry and cakes in the quiet room). We stayed in room 12 which was adequate. The bathroom was very small though. Breakfast was good with a choice of full english, cereal, yogurts, waffles etc.

The free leisure pass at another hotel was a bit disappointing. It has a very small pool which to be honest wasn't worth getting wet for!!!! There is also a sauna and steam room.

All in all a stay which was comfortable and pleasant.

We have just stayed for 2 nights here and the location is excellent as it's 5 mins walk to the shops/restaurants and offers free parking at a nearby hotel.

It is homely but with all modern conveniences at a very reasonable £30 pppn. The owners were professional and friendly. There were lots of nice touches: tea/coffee/ homemade fairy cakes in the lounge every day, fluffy towels, choice of breakfast and at the request of my husband they arranged for some roses to be in the room when we checked in.
We were using the bottle cooler (This has the advantage as it’s cheaper than having to buy drinks at an overpriced hotel bar or smuggle warm drinks in!) and when they cleaned the room we were pleased to see they had swapped the small bottle cooler for a larger table-top fridge. I loved the hydrotherapy shower which was part of the modern bathroom suite.
We stayed in Room 12 which was on the ground floor and had 2 windows looking onto the street. Although some light traffic passes throughout the day it isn’t loud and there is a pub next door, Royal Oak ,but we didn’t hear noise at any time and the street was silent at night.
The breakfast was served from 8.45am – 9.15am and was cooked to perfection. I was very impressed with how every nook and cranny in the Guest House was spotless.
I am so pleased I found this and didn’t stay at a more expensive hotel that wouldn’t have had half of the facilities offered here (i.e. fridge, dvd, cd player, spa/hydro shower) and I would highly recommend this Guest House and will return again.

We ate at the Royal Oak pub which serves the usual pub food which was good and reasonably priced such as hot beef roll and chips, half roast chicken and steak and ale pie. This has a log fire which is cosy, has a pool table and serves cask ales.

We also had a meal at Jackson’s Bistro (2 mins from guest house)and the service was excellent and, with the exception that my steak was slightly overcooked it was a lovely meal (crab au gratin, warm duck salad was lovely as was the swordfish). My only quibble was that as I only drink wine by the glass I was disappointed to see they only served a cheap tasting house wine.

We also went to the Angel Inn (Hotel with restaurant) and I would highly recommend this for an excellent meal. Modern British in style but with good portion sizes and average pricing however it does get very busy so may be better to book. Various wines by the glass and a good varied menu.

We stayed at the Virginia Cottage at the end of Aug for 3 nights, it was my boyfriends brithday so I took advantage of the offer to get a birthday cake & balloons for our arrival, which was great and very tasty!!

The staff & owners were very helpful and welcoming.
The rooms were very clean, tidy and very confortable.

Overall we has an excellent time and would not hesitate to reccommend friends and family to stay at the Virginia Cottage. We certainly will stay again!

We liked the description and rate, so we booked two nights. We arrived by bus from Windermere. It was a short, uphill walk (about 10-minutes). We were greeted by the two hard-working owners and brought right to room number 2. It’s charming cottage (shabby chic) décor, with descent mattress and sheets, comfy pillows and cozy comforter. The only windows are the sky light and in the bathroom. There’s a fancy shower with several water jets and nice-enough towels in the bathroom.
The breakfast room is charming. The food and service are done right. The coffee is served in French presses and the tea in cute tea pots. The house was full, yet the meals were served right away.
Bowness on the Windermere is a quaint little town on the lake. However, there is a serious traffic and pedestrian congestion problem. We visited Easter week during glorious sunny weather. I imagine that it is probably over-crowded and less charming in the summer. There are several shops, restaurants, pubs and tea rooms. We enjoyed our meals.
We bought the day long pass for the boats and cruised all over the lake. The four mile walk from Kray’s Castle back to Bowness is spectacular.
If we make it back to the Lake District, we will probably stay in Keswick or Grasmere. But , if we stay in Bowness, we will go back to the Virginia Cottage.