Does The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group offer free cancellation for a full refund?

Yes, The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group does have fully refundable room rates available to book on our site. If you’ve booked a fully refundable room rate, this can be cancelled up to a few days before check-in depending on the property's cancellation policy. Just make sure to check this property's cancellation policy for the exact terms and conditions.

Are pets allowed at The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group?

Yes, pets are welcome, with a limit of 2 total. There's a charge of GBP 15 per pet, per night. Service animals are exempt from fees. Some restrictions may apply, so please contact the property for more details.

Is parking offered on site at The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group?

Yes, there's free self parking.

What are the check-in and check-out times at The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group?

Check-in start time: 3 PM; Check-in end time: 11:00 PM. Check-out time is 10:30 AM.

What is there to do at The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group and nearby?

Have fun with nearby activities like fishing and hiking. The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group also has a garden.

Are there restaurants at or near The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group?

Yes, there's an onsite restaurant.

What's the area around The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group like?

The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group is a short 2-minute walk from Lake Windermere and 5 minutes' walk from Borrans Park.

The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group, Ambleside: Hotel Reviews, Rooms & Prices

10/10 Exceptional

Jul 12, 2025

Beautiful property and the staff was outstanding.

Jonathan, 3-night trip

8/10 Very good

Oct 3, 2025

Ideal Bolt-Hole for Lakes visit.

Very comfortable room. On the top floor, which is unusual when you've brought a dog, but no hassle, other than it's a bit of a rabbit warren finding your room. Breakfast was very good and included at no extra charge. Lovely position overlooking the Lake, and a 10 minute walk into Ambleside. Bus Stops just outside meant we never needed to move car once in car park.

Andrew, 3-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Sep 7, 2025

Perfot fit for a rambling week

The hotel was perfect for a family week of rambling in a rain soaked week. Our puppy was welcomed and kids enjoyed the food. The room itself a little cramped with the sofa bed in use but but it was very comfy

Vikki, 5-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Jun 3, 2025

Great hotel in a great location with excellent staff

Dave, 2-night trip

8/10 Very good

Jul 28, 2025

Beautiful property to stay at, i think we just got unlucky with our family room. Room really too cramped to be a family room with 1 very small window in the corner. Unable to keep the window open at all due to the noise from either a generator/kitchen below. However, super friendly & helpful staff. Good choice of food & great breakfast. Lovely lake front location!

Rachael, 2-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Mar 4, 2025

First class accomodation.

First class room, very clean with excellent decor. Staff were very attentive.

alexander, 1-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Sep 13, 2022

Overnight stay

Great service great location and charming hotel

Mike, 1-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Sep 10, 2024

Fabulous stay! The staff were exceptionally welcoming and attentive. The grounds were clean. The Waterhead Inn was wonderful, conveniently located to bus transportation and the waterview was great. I would highly recommend this property.

4-night trip

8/10 Very good

Sep 17, 2023

Overall convenient given the surroundings- close to the pier for cruises. Food is very good at the restaurant. Complementary English breakfast was amazing.

JungMin, 2-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Oct 14, 2023

Amazing hotel, location, food and staff

Amazing hotel, staff, food, service, location. This hotel and its staff made my mum and I’s stay just absolutely perfect. Thank you

Sharon, 1-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Aug 26, 2022

Amazing short break

Amazing view, really friendly and happy staff, food was phenomenal, the only slight negative was the younger managers sharpness to staff members, shouldnt really de shouting at his staff in front of the guests, other than that the break was fantastic

John, 3-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Jun 10, 2024

Amazing. Could not have asked for more!

This hotel made the trip for us! The hotel is beautiful and situation just across the road from the Lake giving you stunning views. From the moment we arrived and the hotel Manager checked us in, they were excellent for the entire weekend. The Breakfast selection was amazing and freshly prepared. The dinner and house wine, delicious! All the staff were friendly, cheerful and helpful. The bedroom was gorgeous, spacious, clean and comfortable. I didn't want to leave. We would love to go back. Hopefully next year! Thank you!

Hilary, 2-night trip

4/10 Fair

Oct 16, 2022

Room is small, breakfast with limited selection, everything is extra, with the room rate of £200 per night I expect a better breakfast !

Wai Ming Dickens, 1-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Oct 16, 2023

A lovely Inn with views across lake Windermere.

Location: Fantastic Room 19: Fantastic, clean, roomy, really good bathroom and quite. King-sized bed was realy comfortable. The Inn was well presented, a really nice place for a meal, however, the menu was limited, could be better but the food we had was really good. Breakfast was a serve yourself buffet or continental. The buffet was nice english breakfast food but not very hot. Staff were excellent, very helpful, chatty and keen to be of service. Overall, an excellent location and a good hotel. The memu for the bar meals could be improved!

Antony, 2-night trip

6/10 Good

Jul 22, 2022

Well situated next to the lake. Housekeeping was below standard. Beds were not well made. One day the room was not made either.

Gunasagaran, 6-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Oct 30, 2024

A lovely 2 nights in the lake district

A lovely stay at The Waterhead Hotel with a lake view. We heard very little noise from other guests moving though the hallways. Heating was provided by 2 large radiators with adjustable thermostats which was ok for us. Bed was very comfy. Bathroom was clean and a lovely bath and fab shower. The hotel is a bit of a warren with stairs leading all over, there was a lift in one part but could not see one near our part. If I'd had more than a couple of pints I'm sure I would have got lost. Parking is tight so get there as close to check in as you can. The public car park next door is £8.50 for 24 hrs at present and wasn't so far to walk but is up a load of stairs or steep incline for some. Food was lovely we had breakfast both mornings a lovely fry up each time. We also had a main evening meal the 2nd night price seemed in line with other hotels food quality was good. No children with us but the kids menu was reasonable also.

Paul, 2-night trip

6/10 Good

Feb 19, 2025

Really enjoyed the stay, just a couple of things let down the stay. Booked for two people and there was a big towel short. We asked 4 times for another towel and got told they would sort it, the young lady who we mentioned it to last did ask us (several hours later, after returning from day out) if it had been put in our room which it hadn’t . As this was the evening of day 2 we thanked her for asking and checking but said it didn’t matter. She seemed to be really efficient at her job, very friendly and remembered those she spoke to previously. We had food on the first evening in the hotel and ordered burgers. The portion size was tiny for the price, the burger was really bland so left half . When asked if everything was ok we said it was bland and the guy just said sorry and walked off. We went for breakfast the next morning which was lovely and fresh with lots of variety and choice of cooked breakfast items aswel as continental teams. Service was excellent . Overall the stay was lovely, room was nice, clean and cozy. Bed was comfy and extra pillows provided in the wardrobes.

Lyndsey, 2-night trip

4/10 Fair

Aug 17, 2023

Room with balcony was excellent, staff were friendly and helpful, where possible, location at lakeside was lovely. Didn't like check-in. It wasn't clearly signed, we arrived with many others from around the country in the pouring rain around 2.30 but we were firmly advised that we all had to wait until 3.00 before checking in (discretion?). Didn't like the fact that one evening we were told at 8.30 (when the kitchen closure time was 9.00) that no desserts were available for anyone as the kitchen was "swamped".

Rod, 3-night trip

6/10 Good

Oct 27, 2023

Poor food service

Our bathroom hot tap took atleast 4/5 minutes to produce hot water, which was frustrating. We had supper on our first night and my wife's choice of curried cauliflower with coconut rice with almonds and raisins was a disappointment, as was the waitresses reaction. There were no almonds or raisins and a very weak coconut flavour. The waitress spent her time making excuse after excuse when we mentioned this, from "you must have had a batch without too much milk" to telling us "how interested she was in food,as she used to be a chef" Eventually she agreed to talk to the chef, who she called Dave. The excuses now included " its a new menu" to " he forgot to add the almonds and raisins " Her attitude throughout was indifference and was clearly suprised when i stated that we would not be eating at the hotel the following night. Not once did she offer a practical sollution to this issue but made embarrassing reasons why the food was not as advertised. Our dinner with drinks cost £58, so they lost atleast that amount for our missed night. Things go wrong, but its how you deal with them that are remembered .

ANDREW, 2-night trip

6/10 Good

Oct 3, 2025

Disappointing Stay Despite Lovely Location

We were really looking forward to our stay, but unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. Our room was situated right next to a very noisy kitchen extractor fan, which not only disrupted our sleep but also caused the room to smell strongly of stale food. We had to ask a member of staff to switch the fan off just to be able to sleep. To make matters worse, there was loud rave music coming from the kitchen area late in the evening. My husband raised the issue with staff and, although the music briefly stopped, it started up again soon after. I had to go down personally a second time to complain, which was frustrating. On a more positive note, the breakfast was very nice and the hotel’s location, with views of the lake, is truly lovely. However, the hotel itself is looking rather tired since our last visit and could really benefit from a fresh coat of paint and a bit of TLC. Unfortunately, the noise and lack of attention to guest comfort really impacted our stay.

Cal, 1-night trip

6/10 Good

Sep 8, 2025

The small details matter

Nice hotel and great location, however sometimes it's the small details that make the difference. 1. We were allocated room 40, a long walk from reception, up 2 flights of stairs, glad I had my walking boots. 2. You need to pay extra for a Latte coffee with breakfast, at these prices it should be included! 3. They advertise an offer of a free drink if you decline room service, but the drinks available are very restricted and we didn't get clean towels.

Graham, 2-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Aug 13, 2025

Summer stay in Ambleside

Lovely hotel in a great location. Views over Windermere are amazing. The car park can be a tight squeeze for larger cars. The premises features a very large pub on the ground floor, which is used for a great breakfast for guests. Reception desk for hotel guests is in the bar. The bedroom was very well appointed, clean and spacious. The only issue that I had was that the staff were a little inattentive... Unnecessary waits to be served, tables in restaurant/bar area were not cleared quickly, not much in the way of a warm, friendly welcome.

Kevin, 4-night trip

10/10 Exceptional

Jul 29, 2025

Excellent hotel in great location

Excellent hotel in great location Very good breakfast too

Kim, 2-night trip

8/10 Very good

Jul 13, 2025

Lovely hotel in a lovely location

Really lovely place. We stayed 6 nights and couldn't really fault it. None of the negatives in other reviews were the case for us. Notably, the breakfast buffet was extensive, fresh and very tasty! We ate several other meals there and they were all absolutely delicious and, though not served speedily, they were very fresh. The location is gorgeous, the terrace beautiful, being so near the water was wonderful. The buses to Ambleside & Grasmere are right near the Inn, or a pleasant 15 min walk to Ambleside. Yes, there's a busy-ish road between the Inn and the lake and I am a light sleeper, but I brought earplugs. My partner slept soundly. Huge bed which was amazing. Very firm but I got used to it. Ours was a large room on the top floor far from the bar, no neighbour noise. Brilliant offer whereby if you don't want your room serviced every day, they will give you both a free drink each night. The bar/eating area was lovely. Would definitely return and recommend. Only thing that puzzled us was that we seemed to be the youngest there, and we are middle-aged.

6-night trip

6/10 Good

Jun 23, 2025

Great except the food

A great location and room 11 we stayed in has a balcony looking over Lake Windermere. Lift not working. Staff friendly and helpful. Holiday let down by the food. We had dinner on the first night - veg was cold and chips half cooked. Pie crust was like concrete and gravy very thin. Not a nice experience so ate out of the hotel for the rest of the holiday

Michael, 4-night trip

The Waterhead Inn - The Inn Collection group

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