Five Cumbrian hotels have been named among the top 50 boutique establishments in the UK.
The Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, near Windermere, Another Place at Ullswater, Rothay Manor in Ambleside, The Samling in Windermere and Farlam Hall in Brampton appeared in the list, voted for by industry experts.
The Gilpin was third in the list – the only property from the north of the UK in the top three and joined only by Grantley Hall in Ripon in the top 10. Lat year, it was 14th.
The team at Gilpin said the achievement was down to the hotel’s ongoing renovations and improvements, including the new spa space, a vertical farm, more spa suites and the appointment of Ollie Bridgwater as executive chef at SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel, and Tom Westerland as head chef at Gilpin Spice.
Owners Barney and Zoë Cunliffe said: “We are so very proud to be in this year’s list, and chuffed to bits to be so highly placed.
“We’ve worked together as a family and team for 35 years to create Gilpin, and it has always been our aim to create a luxurious sanctuary – one that is filled with love and laughter, without any pretentiousness.
“We want our guests to feel at home here, to feel loved, and we hope that that is what our guests feel. It’s with great sadness that we can’t celebrate this award with mum and dad, but we know that they would be absolutely delighted. As always, we would like to say a massive thank you to Team Gilpin, who all work so hard and with incredible passion.”
Early this year, the newly rebranded SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel retained its Michelin Star under executive chef Ollie Bridgwater.
He said: “Being named in a list like this gives credence to everything we have been trying to achieve at SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel over the past year, with the restaurant offering an extra dimension to the wider Gilpin experience. People come to Gilpin to get away from everything and when they visit SOURCE they’re looking for a sense of occasion as well as the food and wine, so we hope to live up to that ideal.”
Another Place was 15th, Rothay Manor was 38th, The Samling 42nd and Farlam Hall 45th.
Farlam Hall is a country house hotel housed in the former home of the Thompson family, boasting 12 bedrooms and six suites fashioned from the old stable blocks.
Joint directors of Farlam Hall, Karen Baybutt and Hrishikesh Desai, who is also chef patron, took over the country house hotel in early this year, following a multi-million-pound restoration project.
Hrishikesh Desai, Roux Scholar and who trained under Paul Bocuse and Thomas Keller, said: “We are delighted. Karen, myself and the team have put our heart and soul into Farlam Hall these past 10 months and to be adding a Top 50 Boutique Hotels award to our mantlepiece so early on is testament to that.
“There is so much more to come for Farlam Hall and we can’t wait to show the world what we can do.”
