I’ve been lucky enough to have done a fair amount of travelling over the past decade, and have stayed at some truly amazing hotels, but I was happily surprised to find that Another Place was the first I’ve visited that had me booking our second stay before we’d even left. As a family with young kids, I felt like I’d hit the hotel jackpot.

Perhaps it’s because having two children has meant that we have to be more picky about the kind of holiday that we book, and with many hotels being either non child-friendly, or not allowing kids at all, our offerings are more select than they used to be. I have a definite ‘type’ in mind when it comes to choosing a hotel, and I know that lots of you will be right on the same page as me. For me, it’s always indie over chain, small over big, a luxury feel with lots of thoughtful touches but with a relaxed vibe, rather than one that is so fancy that it leaves you feeling a little intimidated. And of course, beautiful interiors (did someone say ‘instagrammable?!’) are also at the top of my list. But now, add to that mix the ‘child-friendly’ factor and your search results are suddenly cut right down, as lots of places that fit the above criteria will have decided that toddler tantrums throw off their hard-earned groove. When I think of a kid-friendly hotel, I imagine a big resort with creches and playgrounds, and whilst we will undoubtedly end up on such a holiday one day and most probably love it, at the moment it’s not quite my ideal scene.

Step in Another Place The Lake. The sister hotel to The Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall, it pretty much ticks every single box for me: small, friendly, boutique vibe. Feels like a luxury hotel, but you won’t get any disapproving glances at your wellies or flip flops. Gorgeous interiors, what Ben and I would call hipster (with the caveat that we’re probably a little bit hipster for Yorkshire, but definitely not for London!). Spa and infinity pool. Creche and kids club. There are a handful of places that fit the bill down in the South of England, but for the Lake District this place is in a league of its own.

Ben, Oscar Wilf and I first visited Another Place in February for two nights, when Wilf was only 5 weeks old, and it holds special memories as our first holiday as a family of four. I made this short film of our stay if you’d like to take a look (it snowed!). Our second visit was for three nights in June, for my birthday. Here’s what we got up to…

| Sunday

We arrived on Sunday at lunchtime and as it was a beautiful day we had a picnic down by the lake. There was a huge meadow of buttercups in front of the hotel, so I sat there feeding Wilf feeling blissed out while Ben and Oscar paddled and threw stones in the lake.

I was booked onto a paddleboard lesson in the afternoon, so I got kitted out with a wetsuit by the team there and headed out onto the lake with an instructor and one other guest. I’ve tried stand up paddle boarding a few times before and I absolutely love it! It feels so freeing to be out on open water, just you, a board, and a paddle and it’s brilliant exercise – my poor tired abs need it after having two kids! We ended up doing a 4 mile round trip; I definitely felt like I’d earned my dinner!

I returned to the hotel to find Ben and Oscar having an absolute ball in the swimming pool whilst Wilf watched on from his pram. The stunning infinity pool is definitely one of my favourite things about the place – plus there is a wooden sunken outdoor hot tub for the grown ups.

We were booked into the main hotel restaurant, the Rampsbeck, for a three course meal that evening. If you’re dining there, the cost is inclusive of a freshly cooked buffet-style kids tea between 5-6pm. We were so impressed with the food on offer and Oscar gave it a big thumbs up. If you have older kids, they can eat with you in the restaurant at an early sitting.

As Oscar had skipped his nap that day and was super worn out, rather than taking him to the kids club whilst we had our dinner, we put him to bed in his room and made use of the video monitoring service that the hotel provides on request. I know this can be a controversial topic and many parents wouldn’t feel comfortable doing this, but in the setting I felt happy leaving Oscar asleep, knowing we could both see and hear him on the monitor at all times. He stirred once during dinner, and I was back in our room to help him back into bed within about 20 seconds. We chose to keep Wilf next to us, sleeping in his pushchair.

Dinner was delicious and really beautifully presented, and the service was impeccable – it felt like a real treat for us. The only slight downside was that the portion sizes were on the small side, but I thought that the pricing was very reasonable. Towards the end of the meal we realised that we had been watching the monitor rather than relaxing fully, so we asked to have our desserts in our room, which was absolutely no bother for the helpful staff looking after us.

| Monday

The following morning, after the most delicious breakfast (the DIY home-made waffles were everything!), we took Oscar up to the creche for a play. He told us that he didn’t want to go, but once he saw that there was a pirate ship and he had pretty much the whole place to himself, and the attention of two nursery nurses, he barely looked back at me as I said “see you in a bit!” Ben borrowed a wetsuit and a visibility float and headed out for a swim on the lake, whilst Wilf and I sat by the lakeside, taking in the view. After we managed to prise Oscar away from his new best friends in the creche, we headed out to Pooley Bridge to catch the steamboat across the lake. Ben was nearly as excited as Oscar about this, who was hopping about with glee for the whole ride. What is it with toddlers and vehicles?! Give him a boat, train, or tractor and he will think Christmas has come early!

After getting off at Howtown, we had a dreamy little picnic on a secluded beach on the lake, then loaded the boys up in their carriers to go for a walk. We had planned to follow a lakeside path, but at one point on the route we saw a branch in the path that led steeply up a hill, and we decided to hike top a few paces to get a better view of the lake over the trees. A few paces turned into a few more, and then a few more, as the view just got more spectacular, and 20 minutes later we were at the top of Hallin fell after a dizzy and very sweaty climb with two sleeping boys on our backs! It was totally worth it for the breathtaking view over Ullswater, and we’d definitely recommend it – except next time, we’ll take the actual Hallin fell footpath which is a much more gentle climb!

We headed for an early tea all together in The Living Space, which is a relaxed, open bar area with plenty of comfortable seating and family games dotted around. This area is dog and child-friendly and it was lovely to have an alternative menu to choose from for a change – more bistro style than gourmet dining.

|Tuesday

The following day was my birthday, and the boys piled into bed with us for cuddles and gave me their cards to open. After breakfast I had a treatment booked in the hotel’s spa; a full body massage. The spa was cool, peaceful and relaxing, and without my two gorgeous, busy boys to run around after I had the most blissed out hour in the hands of the Swim Club’s lovely spa therapist. I think I need to start every birthday from now on with a massage!

 

We had a chilled out day, walking by the lakeside, dipping our toes in the lake, walking around the hotel gardens and taking another dip in the pool. We also headed out for a drive whilst both boys napped, taking in the beautiful vistas of the Lake District. On the way home, we stopped at Aira Force, a waterfall close by to the hotel, and did the easy circular walk around it with the boys.

Ben and I had another delicious three course meal in the main restaurant, the Rampsbeck, whilst Wilf slept in the pushchair next to us. This time, we took Oscar up to the kids club to play and watch DVDs during our meal, rather than using the video monitor, which he absolutely loved. I was so impressed with all the different options available at Another Place to ensure that the mums and dads get that little bit of together time, it sets it apart as a family hotel that really feels like a luxury romantic couples hotel at times.

| Wednesday

We checked out the next morning, after a leisurely breakfast, and headed to Lowther Castle which had been recommended to us by the staff. The spectacular castle ruins is now home to beautiful gardens which sprawl up the walls and through windows, jumanji style. The instagrammer in me kept thinking about how it would make the most amazing photoshoot location! But the highlight is The Lost Castle, the most epic adventure playground I have ever seen! It has been built within a forest, and is an echo of Lowther castle itself, with zip wires, turrets and walkways. Maybe best enjoyed by slightly older children; I’m definitely returning with the boys when we visit next time.

As you can see, we took the opportunity to head out every day to see what was on offer in the area, as Ben and I love to explore and Ben in particular isn’t great at sitting still for long! But equally, between the spa, swimming pool, water sports, walks right from the hotel door and the many peaceful spots within the hotel to put your feet up with a good book, you could easily arrive and spend a long weekend here without getting back in your car. In fact, next time we visit, that’s what I plan to do, particularly as Wilf will be old enough to spend some time in the kids club – even if Ben has other ideas!

So there we are, Another Place The Lake, the first place we loved so much for so many reasons that we booked to go again, and probably the first we’ll be booking for the third time too! I’ve created a short film of our experience and would love for you to take a look.

Hannah x

We were kindly gifted a part of our stay at Another Place The Lake, but this post was not sponsored and as always all opinions are entirely my own.