Gilpin Hotel and Lake House

With its Michelin-starred dining, attentive staff, and private hot tubs in the majority of its indulgent rooms, Gilpin is considered by many to be the ultimate in Lakeland luxury. Its flagship rooms are extravagantly large glass-cube spa suites that extend over a pond and offer private garden, spa room and circular bath. Elsewhere in the wooded grounds are smaller cedar-clad spa lodges and Scandi-style garden suites with hot tub and sauna. Choose the main Edwardian building for smart country-house rooms, which now have access to a spa. About a mile from the main hotel, the Lake House offers six stylish rooms; guests share an indoor pool and woodland spa. Dining, too, offers choices: Michelin-starred Source might feature dishes such as Scottish langoustine, celeriac and black truffle, while Spice features Pan-Asian small and large plates. There’s a vast sitting room plump with sofas, a modern cocktail bar plus a peaceful sheltered terrace. Gilpin is different, say readers, because of its long ownership by the Cunliffe family who ‘just keep making it better every year’. A member of Relais & Châteaux.