The Coniston Hotel & Spa Review

We decided to visit Malham Cove to see where a scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was filmed (We love exploring filming locations). We thought it would be a nice idea to stay overnight somewhere nearby

We quickly found The Coniston Hotel and Spa through a Google search. They were running a January sale, offering any class of room for just £139, including breakfast for one night.

After reviewing their website, we decided it was the perfect spot for our stay

The Coniston Hotel

We arrived at around 2:30pm, half an hour before the 3pm check-in time, so we decided to head straight to the View restaurant and bar while our room was being prepared.

We ordered a couple of snacks from the lunch menu along with some coffee, a breadboard with oils and a mini portion of profiteroles each, and a flat white.

Opting to sit next to the roaring fire, we enjoyed the cozy warmth after taking a stroll around the snow-covered hotel garden.

The hotel offers several scenic walks for those interested in exploring the grounds

Get comfortable next to the warm fire during the winter, and in the summer, you can enjoy the sunshine on the terrace with stunning views of the lake and the Dales. The menus feature the finest local ingredients, and you can enjoy coffee in the morning, relaxed lunches, tasty dinners, and luxurious afternoon teas.

The View restaurant

The food was delicious, and the coffee was satisfying, making it the ideal place to relax while waiting for our room.

The expansive windows offered a stunning view of the hotel grounds and the lake, which looked especially beautiful with the fresh snow covering on that day

The Room

We booked a Deluxe suite, which included a separate living area with a TV, desk, storage cupboard, and two high-backed chairs, providing the perfect space for work and relaxation.

The main bedroom was incredibly spacious, featuring an additional desk, TV, coffee table, sofa, and a large comfortable bed.

The expansive bathroom was akin to a living room, complete with a huge relaxing bath. You could live in it !

Ample wardrobe space was available in the room, exceeding what we have at home (I want this much space at the lodge!)

The hotel offers a variety of rooms to choose from:

• Classic Rooms
• Classic Lake View Rooms
• Superior Rooms
• Deluxe Rooms
• Deluxe Suites
• The Dales Rooms

Each room at the hotel has its own unique theme and design, catering to various preferences, from ultra-modern (the Dales rooms) to contemporary (The Superior rooms), offering a wide selection for different tastes.

While the room we stayed in was spacious, we found the decor to be a bit dated, particularly in the living area with the high-back chairs, giving it an old-fashioned ambiance.

However, the ample space was exactly what we were looking for. With the extra room great if we had enough of each other for half an hour or so 😅

If we visit again, we plan to try The Dales room for its ultra-modern and luxurious aesthetic

The Spa

The spa access was not included in the price of the room, so we added it on upon arrival and booked a two-hour slot at a cost of £30 per person.

While we felt the price was a bit high, we did enjoy our time at the spa.

The indoor swimming pool was spacious, but the water was slightly cool for our preference, especially after walking in the snow. All we wanted with the outside temperature around minus two was some warmth

We began with the private indoor hot tub, which provided a lovely, warm experience.

Following this, we ventured into the aromatherapy steam room, which was quite hot, and then into the sauna, which we found more comfortable.

Adjacent to the pool, there was a bar where guests could enjoy a beverage and relax on the available loungers.

Despite the sub-zero outdoor temperature and snowfall, we braved the cold to experience one of the two infinity hot pools outside.

Surprisingly, it was even warmer than the indoor hot tub, and the steam rising into the winter night created a perfect way to stay warm for half an hour.

Afterward, we found a lounger, relaxed with a book, and enjoyed some downtime

The Evening Meal

We returned to the View restaurant for dinner, having made a reservation on the website when booking our room.

The restaurant was fairly empty, but it’s always best to book ahead.

As we’re observing Dry January, we opted for a non-alcoholic wine (which Nick humorously likened to Sarsons vinegar, but I quite enjoyed it! 😅) and a non-alcoholic beer.

For starters, we both chose the tomato and roasted pepper soup, each accompanied by a different flavored bread.

For the main course, we both decided on the haddock with sides of vegetables and fries.

The meals were satisfying, and surprisingly, we didn’t have room for dessert.

While Nick found the meal a bit bland, I couldn’t fault it. I thought it was lovely.”

The Breakfast

Breakfast was included with the price of the room. I was still a little full from the meal the night before, but it would be rude not to try it when it’s included. Nick, on the other hand, was starving! 😂

The breakfast offered a buffet of continental items and a menu to order warm dishes.

Nick opted for eggs benedict, while I chose the vegetarian breakfast.

The portion sizes were perfect, and the food was really good

You can take a look at the hotel’s menus here

Conclusion

Check-out was at 11 am, which we found to be perfect – not too early, allowing enough time to have breakfast and get ready for the day.

Despite some noise from the neighbors in the room above, we had a good night’s sleep, and the room was kept warm with electric radiators.

We would definitely consider returning to the hotel if we were ever in the area again.

As mentioned earlier, we would opt for the Dales room on our next visit.

Overall, we would rate the hotel an 8 out of 10. A couple of points were deducted due to the price of the pool use and the somewhat dated decor in the deluxe room

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