Lakeside Pampering Break at a Luxury Spa Hotel in the Lake District

This is a spa hotel, not a fitness retreat, and it doesn't pretend otherwise. The facilities centre on the hydro pool — a thermal pool with different jet stations rather than a swimming pool — plus a sauna, a steam room, and a tepidarium. If you're staying at The Daffodil, access to the pool, sauna and steam room is included in your room. The tepidarium is reserved for guests who have booked a treatment. Children under 16 aren't allowed in any of the spa facilities, so it's an adults-only setup.

Therapists here offer a range of treatments and will build a package around what you want. The spa stocks TEMPLESPA products. Pre-booking is strongly recommended — weekends in particular fill up and they ask for as much notice as possible. There are set spa day and spa break packages if you'd rather not decide from scratch.

For something more active, the hotel works with SUP to You, who deliver paddleboards directly to The Daffodil and collect them afterwards. You can paddle Grasmere or head to other lakes in the area, and it suits complete beginners as well as people who've paddled before. That's the main outdoor activity offered through the hotel itself, though the surrounding fells are right there for walking — the spa's own copy mentions guests turning up with "tired legs from walking the surrounding fells."

The setting is Grasmere, one of the more famous villages in the Lake District, with the lake a short walk from the hotel. The spa occasionally closes parts of the facility for maintenance — for example, the hydro pool was scheduled to shut from 5 to 25 October in one notice — so it's worth checking ahead if the pool specifically is why you're booking.

A useful distinction: this is a spa hotel with rooms, so you can stay overnight on a spa break, or come for a spa day without staying. Gift vouchers are available if you're buying for someone else. The hotel runs an Instagram account with regular updates on what's happening.

What's included

- Complimentary access to the hydro pool, sauna and steam room for resident guests - Use of the tepidarium when a treatment is booked - Access to the spa's thermal facilities during your stay - Treatment packages as selected at booking - Paddleboard hire available through SUP to You (delivered and collected at the hotel) - On-site hotel accommodation on spa break packages

What's not included

- Meals and drinks (not specified in the packages shown) - Treatments not included in your selected package - Additional treatments booked on top of the package - Paddleboard hire costs, where not part of the package - Travel to and from Grasmere - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Spa gifts and products