Merewood Country House Hotel

Stayed at the 3 hotels within the chain, all a stones throw from each other. This potentially being my favorite. The building is an old country house with with alot of the original features. With open fires throughout and views of the lake, it really does give a great sense of place and being hidden away from the real world for 24hrs. Very nice rooms too, which are spottlessly clean. We paid £269 total for an overnight stay with breakfast, along with tasting menu for two + cream tea and a bottle on ice on arrival. Very very good value. The tasting menu isn't 3 star Michelin, but for the price it's a very high standard, with chefs clearly taking great care in what they're doing. Excellent cooking and playing with unexpected flavors. Nothing extreme, just to the point each course felt memorable and new. No real negatives, the tasting menu arriving a little quicker would be great. For the price it wasn't a major issue. Staff maybe on the young and inexperienced side, but still perfectly friendly and going out of their way to help. I get the impression the hotel runs a tight ship in order to see for a fair price, but I'd love to see the what the kitchen could do if given free reign, could be something very special - while even now easily being one of the most memorable meals I've had. Would happily recommend and will stay here myself as a first choice next time I'm in the area.