Highfield

Excellent 3 night stay in Keswick. Ideal location for shopping, restaurants and walking, friendly staff, delicious breakfast, stunning views, comfortable rooms, free cake and coffee/tea and free parking. A great stay at Highfields Hotel and hopefully we will return soon in the New Year.

We visit here twice a year and really enjoy our stay every time. Breakfast is delicious, the staff are all lovely the first floor rooms have a fabulous view. The rooms are well equipped with comfortable beds Free parking is a bonus in Keswick.

Disappointed. Nice enough hotel, nice staff, good location etc but I feel like we were conned by the description of the room we booked. I booked the west turret knowing from previous reviews that it was a small room but booked it for the promise of the views. From the hotel description - ‘The views from The Turret are unbeaten, with stunning views of Lake Derwentwater and the all the surrounding Mountains’ (not my typo). I expected just that but in reality 70% of the view was of a tree, 20% of next door and 10% of the view itself. There is absolutely no need for this underhand marketing ploy. If you do stay here, don’t book this room.

The hotel entrance is a level above the street, accessed by a path, and the East Turret room, where we stayed, is 2 levels above the entrance. The staff are eager to carry bags up or down if you need help. As a home base and place to sleep after spending your days enjoying the area's attractions, nothing is lacking. The main room and the ensuite are both somewhat small and cramped, but manageable if you can be creative and flexible in using the space and available storage. Minor inconveniences include only 1 window in the main room, only a small circular mirror on an accordion frame in the ensuite, separate hot and cold water taps, and the absence of a solid headboard. The main attraction is the turret itself, a half flight of steps up from the main room, with fabulous views over Derwentwater and the fells on the opposite shore. The turret contains benches and cushions to make taking in the beautiful scenery very comfortable. The ground level breakfast area is charming, open, and well-lit with great views towards the lake. They offered a generous mix of self-serve cold options and delicious cook to order hot breakfast items (also afternoon tea, coffee and cake). The location is fabulous, just 2 blocks from the paths that wind along and around Derwentwater. The Keswick Launch, Theatre by the Lake and Keswick's main shopping streets are all 5-10 minute walks from the hotel. The Keswick bus station--the place where you arrive and depart if you have rail connections in nearby Penrith--is about a 15 minute walk. The Stagecoach buses ran like clockwork and at 2 pounds, were a steal. Our two tries to get an Uber in Keswick were unsuccessful. Could have just been bad luck, but don't take it for granted.