Heading to Britain’s Lake District? The Belsfield hotel could be for you

What is it? The Belsfield is a boutique hotel in the heart of the English Lake District, an area that was recently awarded Unesco World Heritage status. The property stands in six acres of landscaped grounds in the picturesque village of Bowness and enjoys unparalleled views over the wooded islands and secluded bays of Lake Windermere. Ferries and sailing craft jockey for space on the water, cormorants dive for fish, wild otters forage and, after a long absence, red squirrels have returned to the shores.

Sounds wonderful. Tell me more. If Jay Gatsby had been from the Lake District, he would have lived at the Belsfield. The Italianate-style property was built as a private residence for Baroness von Sternberg in 1845 before being converted to a hotel half a century later by industrialist Henry Schneider. Successive owners have put their stamp on the hotel with renovations, refits and re-launches, culminating in a multimillion-pound Laura Ashley makeover in 2014. Victorian VIPs stare down from the walls, ragtime music fills the air and floorboards yield a reassuring creak.

I bet the soft furnishings are to die for. The Belsfield showcases the kind of calming pastel colour schemes and floral heritage wallpapers the Laura Ashley brand is famous for, not to mention signature curtains and cushions, sofas, mirrors and lamps. However, it doesn’t feel like walking into the pages of a home furnishings catalogue. Guests enter through a modern Louvre-like glass reception area and are greeted by staff who breathe life, humour and professionalism into every corner of the property.