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Miller Howe Hotel & Restaurant: Traveller Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveller Rating:
  • A summary score based on quality, quantity and age of traveler ratings.
3.5 of 5 stars 19 reviews
19 Reviews
5.0 of 5 stars
5
4.0 of 5 stars
9
3.0 of 5 stars
3
2.0 of 5 stars
0
1.0 of 5 stars
2
TripAdvisor Popularity Index:
  • Measures overall traveller satisfaction based on ratings, reviews and other sources.
#48 of 80 B&Bs in Windermere
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  • Hotel class: 3 of 5
  • Rooms: 15
Description: Elegant Country House converted to an intimate Hotel in a beautiful setting overlooking the lake. This description is based on information provided by the B&B / inn.
Address:
Rayrigg Rd.
Windermere LA23 1EY
England
Check Rates: £155 Avg. Price
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TripAdvisor Traveller Reviews

Reviews of Miller Howe Hotel & Restaurant

( 2-6 of 19 )
“Nice but in a strange way”

Miller Howe Hotel & Restaurant

26 Mar 2008

The Miller Howe. It is very hard to summarise really. The hotel itself is well located overlooking Lake windermere (although fairly high up) - you are not 'on the lake' but the views are stunning nevertheless. To the rear of the hotel is quite a busy main road which leads down into Bowness town. As our room was located towards the back, the noise of the traffic did bother me when we did happen to be in the room in the day however at night it did seem to quieten.

The room itself was well appointed, certainly not modern, perhaps a little tired but the bedding and bed itself were very comfortable. The room had been repainted and there was a new flatscreen TV, but the bathroom remained quite old fashioned.

As for the ambience. The hotel claims to have a 'family friendly' feel, although im not sure this was the case. The difficulty is understanding why - what is essentially (or could be) a perfectly well run, well located, family friendly hotel, that is being run more as an a'la carte restaurant with rooms on the side'. Dont get me wrong we thought the food itself was lovely. However, we didnt go to the lake district and we didnt choose the hotel on the basis of wanting to eat amazing food, we booked it to relax, chill out and enjoy the surroundings. The problem; not only do they 'presume' and encourage you to have dinner included in your stay, they do request that you 'come down for dinner 30 minutes prior to the time you have booked' so you can enjoy the canapes and have a drink - fine, except that this instruction seemed a little regimented. In addition, we werent expecting for the atmosphere to be quite so 'quiet, stuffy and impersonal'. We had only taken jeans/casual clothes and felt extremley out of place at dinner where outsiders had obviously come to dine and were dressed extremley smartly. The restaurant itself is very outdated and they had a piano player in the background who was a lovely guy but again - piano playing!? - it all just seemed a little outdated. The menu was set every evening with a choice of up to 8 options - starters and mains that you could swap / change. Even so this didnt differ on a week to week basis and even after 2 nights I had enjoyed the options wanted and was grateful for not having to endure the same again on the 3rd night.

Overall the food was lovely. I really enjoyed the breakfast as it wasnt so pretentious and it made a nice change to have waiter service and to choose from a menu rather than the usual scrum at the buffet counter.

The hotel had began refurbishment works during our stay. They are apparantly extending the kitchen and changing the reception areas as well as updating the dining area. I dont know about the bedrooms and other parts of the hotel but I wander if this will change the workings of the hotel alongside it!? will be interesting to read others reviews in the future thats for sure!

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — The views
    • Disliked — the over the top dinner service
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Mand-Lou's Summary
Date of Stay: March 2008
Travelled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Romantic getaway
Age group: 25-34
Member since: 07 July 2006
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location (e.g., convenience, views)
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
Most likely
I recommend this hotel for:
An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older Travellers, tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, People with disabilities
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Outdoor / Adventure
Was this review helpful? Yes No
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Average price*: £155 (year-round)
“Miller Howl”

Miller Howe Hotel & Restaurant

26 Feb 2008
1/2 found this review helpful

If you want to eat terrible food, served by pretentious staff, in ghastly, outdated surroundings - this is the place for you!

We are happy to pay high prices for good food - this awful evening was high price, but utterly failed to deliver.

£45 pounds per head for an appalling starter of overcooked tasteless fish, followed by main of more tasteless fish - my heart had sunk so low that I couldn't face dessert.
There is no choice to opt out of their Menu Gourmand and have a la carte - even though there IS an a la carte menu - they charge you for five courses regardless.
Gastronomic - mmmm, not how I would describe it!

Everything from the prison style ceramic serving slop trays to the foul tromp l'oeil decor was bad taste.

If you are in the Lakes (which are gorgeous) stay elsewhere - and please eat elsewhere - you'd be better off at the local pub!

The clientele weren't much better - I'd rather eat a fry up in a truckers cafe, than eat with truckers in pretentious hotel.

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — nothing
    • Disliked — everything
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
foodieheaven's Summary
Date of Stay: February 2008
Travelled with: Other
Visit was for: Other
Age group: 35-49
Member since: 26 February 2008
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location (e.g., convenience, views)
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
No way!
I recommend this hotel for:
An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older Travellers, tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older Travellers, Great pool scene, pet owners, Families with Small Children, Families with Teenagers, tourists
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Great food / Wine
Was this review helpful? Yes No
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Average price*: £155 (year-round)
“Marvellous views”

Miller Howe Hotel & Restaurant

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4 of 5 stars
Wedmore, Somerset
18 Jun 2007
1/1 found this review helpful

Miller Howe is a country house hotel with a very relaxed, informal atmosphere. The staff are friendly and warm and make what could potentially be a staid and stuffy stay very comfortable.

The rooms are fine and the l'occitane bath goodies excellent. There is no tea and coffee in the rooms but the joy of spending time at the Miller Howe is to spend it in the lounges or in good weather on the terrace enjoying the spectacular view. The staff are happy to provide tea/coffee or whatever you require without ceremony.

The food was excellent and very reasonably priced for the quality and service.

Don't go if you like the big "vanilla" chain hotels. Go if you like something uniquely English.

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — The relaxed friendly atmosphere
    • Disliked — Could do with a lick of paint.....
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Chestnuts's Summary
Date of Stay: June 2007
Travelled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Other
Age group: 35-49
Member since: 18 June 2007
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location (e.g., convenience, views)
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
Absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older Travellers
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older Travellers, Great pool scene, pet owners, Families with Small Children, Families with Teenagers, tourists
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Great food / Wine
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: £155 (year-round)
“Fantastic”

Miller Howe Hotel & Restaurant

Save Review
5 of 5 stars
Northumberland
15 Jun 2007
2/2 found this review helpful

I cannot understand how any one could have a bad word to say about Miller Howe.

We stayed here for a mid week get away and we had a fantastic time we have just booked another stay. All of the staff are friendly polite and helpful nothing is too much trouble.

On arrival we were asked if we needed assistance with our luggage, we were taken to our room not just given directions like most hotels we have stayed in.

We stayed in a very spacious room with a large bed and a balcony that you can sit out on whilst having a drink and watching the sunset, over what must be the most fantastic view in the Lake District.

How better to start your morning than having tea and coffee served to your room before breakfast. We had a full “Lakeland breakfast” that like other comments was not swimming in grease.

The food is wonderful so beautifully presented even after six courses it leaves you wanting more. There was a choice of 5 or 6 dishes to choose from that included scallops one of my favourite dishes of all time and they were cooked to perfection defiantly in my top 3. The wine list has a very wide selection and very reasonably priced. From other comments I have read I think the dinning times have changed as we had a choice of when we could dine.

Whilst we stayed there did seem to be a group of friends staying and there was one member of their party in particular that seemed to have a problem with every thing, we felt for the staff as no matter what they did she complained openly and loudly to every one else. On the morning of our departure over breakfast we heard the rest of the party saying that every time they get together she is the same that she is never happy, to be honest they seemed a little relived that she had decided to check out early.

We have recommend Miller Howe to several of our friends and would defiantly recommend it to any one

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — It was all so fantastic
    • Disliked — nothing
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Pen1945's Summary
Date of Stay: May 2007
Travelled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Romantic getaway
Age group: 50-64
Member since: 15 June 2007
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location (e.g., convenience, views)
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
Absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older Travellers, pet owners, tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older Travellers, Great pool scene, pet owners, Families with Small Children, Families with Teenagers, tourists
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Great food / Wine
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: £155 (year-round)
“seedy rip off joint”

Miller Howe Hotel & Restaurant

18 May 2007
1/6 found this review helpful

The dead flies and cobwebs hanging from thr kitchen windows which greeted us as we parked the car should have forewarned us of what to expect . On arrival we were expected to carry our cases up two flights of narrow stairs to a room in the eaves. On sitting on the bed we discovered that the mattress was very old not on a sprung divan base and crunched and sagged horribly.We asked for the room to be changed and got a frosty response that the hotel was "choc a bloc" and it was impossible.We had an uncomfortable sleepless night, there were no tea or coffee making facilities in the room, we were eventually brought cold early morning tea.The weather was cold and wet and at no time was there any form of heating in the room.We complained again about the dreadful bed and were
told the maintenance man would look at it. He told us in no uncertain terms that a new mattress wasdefinitely required. We went out for the day to return to find nothing had been done and we were studiously ignored by the staff.We therefore spent another sleepless and uncomfortable night. The food was as disappointing as the accommodation. The breakfasts were cold; greasy "Lakeland" breakfast consisted of a runny pale egg ,flacid undercooked small piece of bacon "half a thin slice of black pudding with a revolting pile of greasy potatoes and a chunk of browning apple also soaking up the grease.We had a very long wait for the toast which was unbelievably stone cold, as was the tea which accurately would be described as tepid.As we were booked in for four nights we were appalled when we discovered that there was no change of menu and we were expected to eat the same dishes each night.There were no beef dishes no fresh crab or sea food and the only vegetables were little more than garnish.We found the food to be silly , messy and unfresh. The scallops were grey and tough. We were amazed at the skill of a chef to slice one stalk of asparagus in half, yes one half of a piece of asparagus per plate. It became almost farcicial when small amounts of poor quality generally cold food were served on enormous square or oblong plates (presumably as an attempt to be fashionable) which were too big to fit in the place settings. We were told we had to be in the bar for canapes thirty minutes before the meal (although we had to wait for one hour) but the canapes were carefully counted out i.e. rationed to one per person of each of two small soggy items.
In addition to all of this we had taken our small dog which we had been told was welcome at a charge of £5 per night and on the second night and morning we and the dog were attacked by a dog said to belong to the proprietor every time we set foot outside our room on the second floor. We had booked for four nights as part of a special celebration with a group of friends
but after these experiences we had no alternative but to check out after two nights .

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — view
    • Disliked — food and bed
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
royalvacation's Summary
Date of Stay: May 2007
Travelled with: Friends
Visit was for: Quality time with friends
Age group: 65+
Member since: 18 May 2007
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location (e.g., convenience, views)
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
No way!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older Travellers, pet owners, tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young Singles, An Amazing Honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older Travellers, Great pool scene, pet owners, Families with Small Children, Families with Teenagers, tourists
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Outdoor / Adventure, Great food / Wine
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: £155 (year-round)

Reviews of Miller Howe Hotel & Restaurant

( 2-6 of 19 )
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Miller Howe Hotel & Restaurant Address

Rayrigg Rd., Windermere LA23 1EY, England